Year: 2024

Another Sunday, Another Post Office Safari

I set out with a planned route that would net 7 more Portland Post Offices. It didn’t take long for the plan to fall apart.

Not A Post Office Anymore

My first stop was at the Portland Airport. I had tried for this post office once before by following signs that said post office with an arrow and it put me somewhere where I had to back out. This time I used Google Maps in satellite mode and saw where I went astray the last time, then dropped the little man to make sure that image matched what was on the map page. And when I got to where the post office was, that is exactly what it was, was. The building is still there and you can see the address numbers up on the wall. And just to the right of that is the ghost outline of the official Postal Service metal signage.

Not A Public Post Office

I plugged in the address of my next target and headed off. Not long after driving along the route I spotted a nice big piece of granite with the words “United States Postal Service” engraved on it, so I pulled in. The parking lot out front was huge, but the only way in said “Employees Only.” I turned around and started driving to the other side, but was not an entrance there either. The building was twice the size of the parking lot. This must be the sorting facility for all the mail that gets flown in, not where I could go and buy a stamp.

The next two post offices were right where Google Maps said they would be. My loop was now taking me back into the heart of the big city. Turns out my next stop was smack in the middle of a very young hip happening place. I had to loop the block 3 times before I just gave up und headed for the next Post Office on the list. Back home I figured out what happened here, when you type in the address, Google shows you the map and on the left there is a static street view shot of that address. It showed the building I was looking at, but that building is not there anymore. That street view image is from 2019 and if you drop the little man and you will see what he and I saw, a new building where that PO was.

The next Post Office was the main post office for the big city and big it was. The photo I took of it shows a little more than half the building size. Then I missed the next two post offices altogether. I circled the block twice in each instance, but what I was seeing was not what I was expecting to see. I wonder those are the other place and those buildings have changed. I’ll give it one more try before I just shrug and move on.

It’s That Time Again

After 3 years it is time for some new glasses. I’m pretty sure the prescription has not changed that much, but tradition is tradition, so new glasses I’ll get. And I’ll add the current ones to the draw where the other last two pairs of glasses reside, so if I want a different look, they are there for the taking.

From left to right, the top row, Dawson’s in Azure Crystal with Oak Barrel (Current pair), the Vaughn in Eastern Bluebird Fade and the Sadie in Riverbed Tortoise. Bottom row, Santiago in Hudson Blue Fade, the Gillian in Teal Tortoise and the Newman in Shoreline.

The current front runner is the Santiago in Hudson Blue Fade because it is similar in shape and style to the current pair. But, I find myself leaning towards Gillian in Teal Tortoise because it is a slightly different shape and because of my love of all things Gillian Anderson.

Post vs. Kellogg

I got rid of Discovery+ because that was Donna’s jam. I cancelled the Premium & Ad Free levels of Peacock which saved enough for me to get Netflix as a replacement. I have no idea how long it will stay, but for sure there are quite a few new things I can watch. Plus there a lot of older shows that we might have seen and enjoyed, so they might be worth a re-watch.

I know I wanted to see My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman. The first episode was with Jerry Seinfeld. The second one was with Former President Obama. Which reminded me of the Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee episode with then President Obama. So I started re-watching those Jerry Seinfeld’s CICGC shows. The ever helpful algorithm at Netflix recommended other Seinfeld stuff, the entire 9 seasons of the TV show or his stand up specials or the movie Unfrosted.

Hey, I remember seeing the trailer for Unfrosted and though it might be worth trying. It had a bunch of funny people in the cast too. I checked IMDB to see what rating it got, 5.5. well it can’t be half bad. Last evening I sat down to watch it, you know what, it was half bad. The only thing the movie did was make me quit somewhere watching in the middle and go to the kitchen to heat up a couple Pop Tarts.

Slowly Erasing Donna

I have spent the last two weeks having Donna’s name removed from bank accounts, the title to the house, her name off the land lease, the power bill, etc. Last Friday a woman from the ALS Association came over and picked up a few small things for their loaner closet. Someone else is coming over tomorrow to pick up a lot of the mobility supplies and home occupational therapy devices.

Those things were all esoteric, just names on paper or in computer files, today was a big one, I took all her clothes, coats, visors and shoes to Goodwill. I walk by the ratan hutch in the living room and look at the pictures of her to see if Donna is fading out like Marty McFly in “Back to the Future.”

Sport, Off-Road, Touring

The Patina Edition of SORT
As of Monday, October 14, 2024 at 2:00 PM pacific time:

Sport Off-Road Touring
1968 Porsche
912 Coupe		 1978 Ford
F-250 Ranger		 1953 Chevrolet
3100 Pickup
First off, all 3 of last week’s cars were Reserve Not Met and that is only the 2nd time that has happened in the 217 weeks I’ve been doing this. Secondly, it can’t happen this week because at least the ’53 Chevy truck is No Reserve.

Here is what last week’s cars sold for, or bid to (if the reserve was not met):
Sport: 1992 Rover Mini Bid to $64,500 on 10/8/24
Off-Road: 2017 Ford F-150 Bid to $40,000 on 10/8/24
Touring: 2018 Porsche Panamera Bid to $39,277 on 10/8/24

Another Post Office Sunday

A beautiful sunny day for top top motoring, even if quite a bit of it was big city surface streets. Checking the upcoming weather forecast I think might just be the last nice sunny day for awhile, like until maybe April…

COVID

Monday before last I woke up in the very early morning feeling like a train had hit me. I ate breakfast and at 7:00 AM as Fred Meyers was opening, I was walking in, in a mask, and purchased a couple of at-home tests and some NyQuil. Got home, followed all the instruction and 15 minutes later I had the COVID.

Best guess nowadays sez I was infected anywhere from 2 to 9 days earlier. That overlapped with Donna in the hospital with me at her side to buying a car only 2 days before. For the first 5 days of I was knocking back that NyQuil. Then I went back to a regular pain meds and decongestant.

So for these last eight days the meds have stayed the same and so have my COVID symptoms, so do I have the dreaded Long COVID? Or just ’cause I’m an old guy it is going to take a while to get over?