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After midnight, I finished the day, telling this story going backwards, when the ibuprofen started to blunt the effects of the coffee I had at Richard’s and the excitement of winning a new game there. I got home after a busy, for late Saturday night, crossing over Portland and Beverton in Air VW the Gray. I was still excited and knew sleep would not come soon. I got the figures out of the board game Unsettled, washed them (unpainted plastic models can have mold release powder and paint will not stick then), waited for them to dry, and sprayed them with white primer, which ran out. I would do the last coat of grey primer on Sunday morning. I read a Canadian crime/mystery book until I nodded off with the Kindle in my hands. I woke once, around 4ish, to prove hydration.

Before this, I arrived at Richard’s house in moderate traffic in Portland and slow going in Beaverton early at 5:30. I was teaching and bringing today’s board game, Age of Steam: Deluxe, and started to set it up so we could start the teach when everyone arrived. Saturday night, Richard, Laura, and James were playing with me.

Richard had watched a video and corrected a few mistakes I made, and we took some time to understand track placement cost and goods refilling. With the game running, we followed the flow (I had copied the summary from the back of the rule book with a summary for each of us), and soon started.

This is an 18xx game with more abstracted elements than you find in more detailed 18xx games. Richard thought it was a train game and not an 18xx game. 18xx games simulate running a railroad with track building, stock market elements, cash management, and technology management (very abstracted in this game). Unlike the longer 18xx, this game has a timer that ends the game. They are known to be mean or even cutthroat.

The victory points are based on your income level, track finished and connected, minus stock issues. There are other random goals and rewards in some train games, but to improve repeatability, there are multiple maps instead. This is an efficiency race, and I am good at those, if it does not include special goal cards–it does not.

I ran to a part of the ‘Rust Bucket‘ map of the USA, far from the easier East, where Laura and Richard settled. James joined me in the plains with less money and did not build out. Chris and later Laura struggled with cash management. The game drains away cash fast, which is something I warned about in the teach. We did a few take-backs to help James and Laura. I slowly built while Richard, on the dense East of the USA, could keep building. James and Richard spent too much, in my opinion, to get First Player, an auction in this game.

I built out and continued to move goods and raise income. I spent deeply on track and connected all I could without conflict. I moved goods and soon pulled ahead, and I could not be caught, as only James could impact my rails. He finally started connecting to the city I had connected to, and I found I had to move other goods as he took the easy one.

The game is harsh, but James and Laura liked it and want to play again. Richard liked it less. I thought it played well and was easy to understand once we got it going. The strategy was hard.

Before this, I was at the house and will not invest too many words on how I got the papers into folders and my accounts in order on Quicken. I had not finished 2024 and decided to just stuff it in a file and move on. I did punch and file much of 2025. I have moved back into my office, and now the paper blob is away, and I feel much more confident. I think some of the depression was from not having the paper Blob under control. I will remember that and keep to my discipline of filing weekly. It is easy to just let the paper and accounts pile up. I did not notice that it affected my mood.

I also found time to paint one figure, which seemed to brighten my mood even more. I enjoy painting, and the figures are for the extended version of the board game Pandemic, which was part of a Kickstarter from years ago–I am finally painting them. They are 25mm scale, making them a bit small, but they are still usable in other games. I mix freely with 25-32mm scale, but still love the 28mm Dungeons and Dragons scale for figures. I picked the terrorist, which is seldom used. I figure it will be the least used, and I can get back to practice with it. The terrorist is part of the extension to the original game. It creates a competition between the agent and the other players working cooperatively to stop the pandemic simulation, the original game is based on, and the bad actor.

While Pandemic gets little love from gamers now, it was my first entry into these new-style board games, and I still enjoy playing it. I gave away my original copy as we were not playing it. I bought a used copy and recently added the extensions. It is still a great game, and I like playing it with new players.

I also tried a new place for lunch in the nearby strip mall: Hansik Town. This is a Korean-style place, and I had the chicken and added some rice. It was delicious and I had leftovers for Sunday Night dinner.

I started the morning at about 7:30 and found the coffee. I had slept well and was ready for a productive day.

Thanks for reading.

 

I rose with clouds and sun, weather more usual for the Pacific Northwest. The new coffee Machine with a timer and an automatic shut-off had already summoned coffee, liberal Fair Trade. With coffee, I started the blog and quickly wrote a physical card to Mom Wild. I try to get a card to her every day and need to get it out to the box before the mail person arrives, they run early now.

With coffee, muffins I made a few days ago (they are aging poorly), and a banana, I continued with my quest to complete the blog. Texts and calls, mostly with Deborah, slow the process, an excellent distraction, and soon, I am running late. However, I seldom have plans on Friday, and today, I am mostly at loose ends.

The laundry that has accumulated since Monday is soon in The Machine. Later, I strip the bed and wash the sheets. I try to redo the bed every week, especially now that pollen is starting to build. The pine trees are ‘smoking’ with pollen. I will soon begin showering in the evening to ensure I don’t carry pollen into my pillows and sheets.

I walked outside in the backyard and noticed that the neem oil I sprayed on the two roses affected by rust appears to halt the spread, as I can see it was not getting worse, and I take that as a victory. According to what I read on the always-true Internet, the oil drowns the fungus and has some antifungal function. The Internet suggested various other products may work, but you may have to rotate various products (almost like written by someone who sells multiple products). But when I read the warning labels on those products at Ace Hardware, I was scared to hold the bottle at the store! I put the bottle back with care, noticing it cost more than neem oil in a lovely spray bottle mixed with water and ready to use. Done!

For a cold lunch, I sliced some ham, peeled some hard-boiled eggs, and added some blue cheese-stuffed olives from the Olive Pit. Finishing the laundry, I threw in the sheets (they don’t need attention), showered, and was finally dressed by 2.

I was thinking of cleaning the house, but the sunshine was tempting and I instead boarded Air VW the Gray and headed to Hillsboro for a walk. There, with more traffic than I would expect, I found a parking spot on Main Street and began my shopping.

I stopped by the usual shops and got coffee and pasta. I also found an 1883 pre-stamped envelope in Le Stuff Antiques and paid $1 for it (it was worth about that, but I still found it, and that was worth it). I do not usually look through a pile of postcards, as the good ones are usually already found, and most of the stamps were lifted from these, but today I thought these might have something. I was awarded one envelope; I was happy to pay my $1 and later look it up. It is not valuable, and I overpaid, but there is a version worth more, so I can compare it to others. It was fun to be a stamp collector on the hunt again. They asked me about unused postcards priced at $1 each in packs of eight, but I know most modern stuff is worth less. I smiled and said I would have to check at home. When I checked later, I was surprised that these are international postcards and are worth little, unused, but oddly, a postally used one (one that was used at the time for international post) is rare and conditionally valued at $10 (it seems that few used ones found their way to collectors). American postage is seldom rated more for used copies, making this postcard an exception.

I stopped by the gaming store and saw the owner, and we arranged to meet at his shop, Rune and Bone, next Thursday afternoon to play the board game Unsettled. We talked about his Dungeons and Dragons playing and that he is using the new books. I failed to resist the Monty Python role-playing game (RPG) book. I took their only copy home, $50 (unlike the cheaper D&D, $49.99, but there are three books); Nick tried not to look relieved that someone bought it.

Aside: I like the Monty Python RPG. It is silly, but an interesting system that mixes silliness with actual, meaningful rules and some interesting ideas of abstracting skills and abilities. I might have to try some silliness.

At home, I heated up some chili I made a few weeks ago from the freezer and finished the first season of Severance on Apple+. Deborah called and we talked until she needed to sleep. I then started to order my table and start on the cleaning I had put off.

Rev. Anne called and needed help with a computer issue. I drove to their house and helped with some digital paperwork. I learned that a copy of your registration should be kept at home, as the control number is essential to the Oregon DMV online access. My friends keep photos of this stuff in a folder on their phones. I will have to do that, too. We finished what we could do and returned home in the EV.

It was late, and I made the bed and soon used it. I read more about the Battleship Battle of Jutland in 1916. I am comparing some books from the 1920s-30s on the battle. Soon, I was too tired to read more; I curled up and went to sleep. Unremembered pleasant dreams came and were interrupted by two chances to prove hydration.

Thanks for reading!

 

No coffee! I slept until 7:30, put on my slippers, found the kitchen (it has not moved), and discovered I forgot to assemble the coffee the night before. Ugh! I made the coffee and retreated to the office while the process ran.

I started on the blog, but Wednesday was a quiet day, and the blog was short. I had appointments on Thursday, but they were later, so I was not rushed. I write the blog with my experiences of the day and some thoughts, musing if you like, but it is not a contest with myself to reach a word count. I try to get to 500, as anything below that is more a text than a blog entry.

Having finished the Canadian mystery/crime novel, switched to history for a while. I picked up the 1940s reprint of the 1930 updated version of Office History of the War: Naval Operations III (Text). I have the original 1923 version with the maps, which were not included in my newer copy. I read more about this version of the history of Jutland 1916 and compared it to my memory of all the other accounts I have read. I now see that this version fits the truths we know and the fiction created by human storytelling.

With my mind swirling about events over 100 years ago, I showered, dressed, and boarded Air VW the Gray. I met Scott at McMenamins  Cedar Hills for lunch. Today we both went with the non-meat Mystic Burger with a salad. We did get two beers. We chatted about travel, finances, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Scott has asked me to consider how to explain and use AI with our knowledge of computer systems and software design. As a pair of gray-beards (a term used for folks who built the existing systems, I take it to mean wise ones and not pejorative), could we be of value by adding AI to what we already know? A mix of the overwhelming practicality of Gray-beards and new capabilities. It is an interesting thought, and I am following it up.

I returned to the house in the EV and took the Zoom meeting for a brief church meeting. For those who speak Methodist, it was the S/PRC meeting, and it was blessedly short. This committee deals with people issues at a Methodist church and comes with all the obvious horrid problems, but today, it was perfunctory. Excellent.

Early, Scott reminded me it was May Day and First Thursday in the Pearl. This means the art galleries stay open late and serve wine and finger foods. Protests were also planned. I decided to try both, reboarded Air VW the Gray, and soon was at the MAX station and boarded a train. But I noticed my ‘touch’ did not go through on my phone. I had not paid for the trip! Yikes. I disembarked at the next station, touched again, and this time the iHop (sounding like breakfast) app billed me. I was legal now. Call me old-fashioned, but I hate to trust an app for this stuff. I believe my reloading of the virtual card, which was low, had overwritten the fare purchase. Hmmm. I miss NYC’s pay and go using Apple Pay and like phone pay products instead of a virtual card and an app.

With that excitement over, I met folks with signs headed to Pioneer Square for a May Day protest against the Trump Administration. I did not see any counter-protestors on the MAX, a problem we had a few years ago. I also met Michael R from church, visiting others across town. We chatted until I hit my stop, Pioneer Square. I decided that I prefer Art to potential tear-gassing today and took the transfer to the Green Line.

On the new train, a person of color pointed out that I looked Aryan and thus would never be questioned, while they would always be assumed to be suspicious. The person then explained why they are a CIA agent and that I would make a poor agent. Their friend agreed that this double-blind worked. I smiled and was off two stops later. I never felt threatened, and it was not hard to agree with their conclusion.

I walked to the Pearl District, and it was too early for First Thursday (starting at 5ish). I stopped at Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House in the Pearl and had a brew and an appetizer. When folks left, I got a seat at the bar and had one of the Black Butte Porter, their best item. I chatted with some folks trying not to talk politics on May Day with sign-waving folks everywhere. I tried to speak above the noise about travel and got quizzed on my favorite places (Istanbul and New Orleans). It was a pleasant snack and drink.

Next, I found about five galleries and liked some of the stuff. I did not get any wine (the beer was enough). The Armory had tables and someone singing jazz for the evening (5-9). I stayed for a bit. I met one artist at one gallery I had read about, and was happy to visit. They had recently moved; the space was the usual white walls with strong light. I like the story the art told and the colors (here if you want a peek).

The SMG Collective was a furniture/art store with prices that were the same as flights to Europe and a hotel! But there, they had a collection of wood and wax to light as a smudge for $12, and it was the first thing I could afford at any of these shows (being retired). I took that home and even bought a bag, and they wrapped it in tissue. It was all grand.

Clive Knight’s pieces, which are collage art created with recycled paper, were shown at Laura Vincent Design and Gallery, a gallery I have walked by many times. The space had tall white walls, and wine and food were offered, but I demurred. I liked the art, but cannot understand how the artist can tear, paint, and glue things to create an emotion; I would just make a mess. Art is a mystery to me. I like to visit it.

With a few galleries not listed here (some not mentioned as they did not interest me, and/or I did not look like a customer and was ignored), I walked to Ground Kontrol (making a detour when I remembered I wanted to do that). I played video games and pinball for about thirty minutes. I managed to burn 1/3 of the value of my card, which I used to pay. One of my pinball plays was so poor that the machine kept giving me a second try. Yes, that bad the machine was forgiving me and letting me try again–I counted six plays for the usual three. I recommend the “Game of Thrones” pinball as it is more forgiving with a constant note, “Winter is Coming!” I enjoyed the new and more expensive version of Asteroids, but my score was also embarrassingly low. Somewhere, I could hear “Elric” laughing and razzing me. More practice!

Next, I took the Green Line back to an emptying Pioneer Square. I spotted the folks I talked to on the train, and they said it was a pleasant protest. The most significant issue was finding an open bar to get drinks when they were done. Yes, liberals in Portland! They took the MAX back. I decided to look for that bar.

Swine is one of Dondera’s favorite places. I stopped there and tried to enjoy the outside, but I was swarmed by tiny bugs (it is just May, after all). I had their steak and fries (more protein after my nearly all-carb snack). This with an Old Fashioned was an excellent mix. It’s a nice place.

With some food and a relaxing boozy drink (all at Portland prices) consumed, I paid, thanked the staff (who were bored as the customer count was low, likely due to the activities), and soon found a MAX train back, remembering to get a proper scan.

I took an older train and forgot how tall and uneven the steps are. I did not fall, but I did have to hold on. I will look for the new kinder and gentler versions.

I returned home without issue and plugged in the now-about-40-charged EV. I have been avoiding charging it when it is above a 50% charge (100+ miles of travel), as there is no need (like a gas car, I don’t fuel it daily). I read more about Jutland and am returning to another book to read more versions. This other book, written by an American Naval Officer, is strongly opinionated and highly critical of the British. While he quotes and refers to different sources, there are no footnotes. However, as the sources are limited during the writing, I can connect his quotes and sources–I have most of it (missing only one book that is so often quoted, I feel I have already read it too). With dreams of WW1 ships flying across the Gray Reaches, I fell alseep.

Sadly, I did not keep hydrated, and at 4ish, my legs were stiff and painful. I had to wake and get some painkillers and water. I managed to sleep again.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

Wednesday, I was home most of the day and suffered from a mixed-up tummy and colon issues. While I was not depressed (the colors did not run out of the day), it was a less-than-stellar day.

I had trouble sleeping and luxuriated in my comfy bed until 9, which is unusual for me. It was a cold but clear morning. We are having a sunglass-needed California morning rather than a Pacific Northwest gray. My climbing roses are reaching the top of my fence already. I got out the Neem Oil to treat two bushes for rust, which is new this year. When applied, the roses need to be dry, and I soak the leaves, hoping to drown the fungus. I should have blooms everywhere next week!

I found the coffee pot still hot when I finally reached the kitchen. It was not a long quest for the kitchen, but a long wait to get out of bed, put on slippers, and walk to the kitchen. There, I later acquired more coffee, a banana ($2.49 @ Costco for a larger bunch greener than I like), and more muffins starting to age. I brought these back to the office, continued to doom scroll (reading the news), update transactions on Quicken, and started on the blog.

Aside: At Costco, I watched some people reach deep into a box of bananas. Not something I would do. I still remember the horror movie about Banana Spiders. I know the box was repacked, and the yellow is from gassing the banana with sulfur (we eat unripe bananas in the USA, dyed to look ready), likely ending any hiding spiders. Still, I am not reaching into the box!

I wrote the blog until 11ish and published. I had my leftover half of a tuna fish sandwich from Subway for lunch. Then, I took a long shower and dressed.

I took my laptop with me to Wildwood using Air VW the Gray to get there. JR was there and we chatted a few times. I found a beer and sat outside in the sun to read Pastor Ken’s newest update on his book. I read the following two chapters and sent him some thoughts. Previously, Ken asked me not to be an editor but to look for flow and clarity.

I moved inside when some folks chatted loudly, and I could not focus. I tried a small glass of an IPA that, to me, tasted like a cleaning supply. I am not an IPA person, but I try them once and a while. The beer made me tired, and my tummy was upset again; I headed home.

I rested and read. I nodded off a few times (these little naps are not great for a good night’s sleep), but read more Canadian crime/mystery, set in Paris. Gaming was out tonight as Z was at play practice. Z is the title character and has lots to learn and do for the musical Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.

I made a NYC bagel (thanks, Joyce, for the new ones from Zabar’s) with cream cheese for dinner. I had to unwrap the block, cut it, and spread it old-school style. It brought back memories. I used to get a bagel sandwich in Washington DC when I worked there in the 1980s, and it had a block of cream cheese between the bread; I had to ask for less and have them spread some on.

I read more and said good night to Deborah as she ended her day. The book made me cry, and I reacted more than I expected. I walked around the backyard and was calm. I recommend these books, even with the tears, the Chief Inspector Gamache novels. I am on the 17th one.

I started on the revised book (1930s) on Jutland 1916 (the greatest battleship battle). I have an original copy from 1923. I am surprised that this book is the source of most of the stories I have read. The revised version has added pages with letters and the original page. There are also texts referring to German sources that the 1920s version did not include (it had not been published yet). The revised version I have does not include the maps.

I forgot to assemble coffee, but I did the dishes and tried to sleep. I was waking up often and tossing and turning. I think I need more exercise and fewer naps!

Thanks for reading!

I was up at 7 for another gray morning. I was rushed as I had a board game 9:30 in Portland at Richard’s house. I was bringing Unsettled, a cooperative board game with a SciFi theme. We play cooperative games on Tuesday morning. I started the blog, got coffee (assembled the night before), and a muffin. But I did not get more than a few words down before I had to head out.

After a quick shower, dress, and all that, I was in Air VW the Gray headed to Portland. The traffic was thick and slow. While my syrup for my pancakes or jam for my toast is good this way, traffic is just frustrating. While in Beaverton, there was no chance of risking a speeding ticket! Highway 26, the Sunset Highway, was slow.

The signs on 26 went from ‘SLOW’ to ’35 MPH’, and suddenly, the traffic started to move. I wondered about the cause of the improvement (did the sign change give folks permission to go faster?). The driving, now at the end of rush hour, was chaotic, with folks, including myself, putting on blinkers and then sitting until someone let them in. It was very polite and very PDX. I was ten minutes late.

We decided on Unsettled; James was there and told us he has an unpunched copy. He was happy to learn the game. I picked the ‘B’ scenario for the ice planet Gniir, but we soon returned to ‘A’ as it was a continuation of the previous scenario and could not remember. Reset, we played and failed, and had time to start again. This time, we were more efficient, and by 1:30, we were on target to win. James had to leave, but we declared it a success as we knew how to win and had enough resources and health to finish. Next time, we will either try ‘B’ or another planet.

I drove home and stopped at Subway off of TV Highway for a veggie and tuna fish salad sub. I got the big one, as I would eat half today and then again tomorrow. I had them add all the fresh veggies and some hots. I love this sub, as the bread is fresh, the veggies are crunchy, and the tuna fish, while industrial, is fresh, too. I took my sub to the office, looked at the blog, and soon found myself sleepy. I curled up in my bed and slept a few hours, a privilege of being retired.

I rose, chatted, and then talked to Deborah a few times (her work day was over as she lives in Michigan and has a three-hour time difference), and then boarded the EV again. I was off to Costco and making some investments (I bought eggs).

There I found a few things I needed, but in sizes that make one have no doubt about the cause of the obesity issue in the US. I think I grew a pound just looking at the stuff! I got eggs (24) and a gallon of laundry detergent. I got shelf-stable milk (I don’t drink it, thus I need the small ones for baking). I got a few veggies as I was there, and the price was not terrible. I did not buy the three pound tub of cream cheese (f**k) but did get 8 packs of cream cheese (I will have to make a cheese cake I decided). Why anyone would want a tub that size (instead of a pack of smaller sizes) is beyond me. But Costco is often that way for me. It is just me at the house.

Today’s visit, just before the rush and on a Tuesday, meant the place was quieter. Many people there on weekends are angry and rushing, and my fellow shoppers sometimes push me aside. It was not a pleasant shopping experience. The pallets of $600 tall-as-me gun safes speak for our times—yes, pallets.

I took my load, somehow more than I planned, with the checking person telling me, ‘It is Costo’ when asked if I found what I needed. ‘More’ was my answer.  I got it in the VW and home. I unloaded and managed to squeeze it all in. Time was passing fast.

Andor, the Star Wars show, dropped three episodes, and my binge-watching filled my early evening with chats and texts with Deborah and Joan. I made a messy quiche with all those eggs and a frozen pie crust. I opened the ham and added that, chopped, to some slices of Swiss cheese (again from a large pack from Costco), which I also chopped. I finished it with sliced yellow bell pepper and put rings on the top.

It was OK and light (I did have two pieces). Andor was dark, moody, and complex. The rebels’ story was violent and full of emotions, desperate in a word. The Empire was cold, clean, and efficient, especially the character Dedra. It is an interesting mix, and Andor turns down a mission (he senses something is wrong, not knowing the Empire is setting up the rebels to cause the Empire to depopulate a planet).

I did the dishes, assembled liberal coffee for timed delivery on Wednesday morning, ordered more flour and mixes from King Arthur Flour (and a pan), and ordered more underwear, not from Amazon but directly from the company, one size smaller (!). I paid shipping, but got a discount. It appears to be cheaper than my last purchase on Amazon. Interesting.

Time was getting away from me, and I was not in bed reading until late. I enjoyed the Canadian murder/crime novel set in Paris, All the Devils Are Here: A Novel (Chief Inspector Gamache Novel Book 16), and read even until late. Finally, I decided to sleep instead of staying up late. It is nearing the finish, and I am still confused, but it is perfect. I woke once before sunrise to prove hydration. 

Thanks for reading.