Chris-Tien Jinn

The middle day of the week was a recovery day. Hubby is still sick with a cold (plus, he got his covid booster in preparation for travel next week). Lose Weight I cooked an omelette on the stove again. Walked in the woods. The vibrant leaves have turned to gold and brown, although there is plenty of (invasive) buckthorn in the woods that is summer-green. Build Muscle I should have gone to CrossFit in the morning. It's on me that I didn't go to the morning class at 9 am. I putzed around the rest of the day and never got to the gym. Socialize Na da. NaNoWriMo Ok, this was a win. 1500 words written.

That pretty much sums up all holidays in my family of origin. Probably explains my continued difficulties with the sugar monster .....

Keep in mind that people are more likely to leave negative reviews than positive ones. I try to leave reviews when items work well, but I'm most likely to leave a review when something goes wrong. We do like our Whirlpool fridge with the freezer on the bottom. Double doors to the fridge with a water and ice dispenser. It's been easy to clean and get water filters for. I hear ya on the challenge of shopping for large items. Can you get a warranty and/or trust the local store?

Plus Christmas.

Major win-win there!!

YEA!!!

The dining hall made Chris’ heart ache after reading Solaine’s letter to Tomlin. The large room held five large wooden tables, their surfaces worn smooth by many years’ of use. Approximately 40 people could easily fit in this room for communal dinners. Now, it served as the home of only one, lonely cleric. Chris and Cameron made their way through the hall and passed through the open door into the building’s windowless kitchen. Glowing orbs set into the ceiling here too gave the space a warm, yellow light … enough to work in without being dazzled. It was spare and functional with a water pump, basin for dishes, and a single set of dishes and cutlery stacked in the wash basin. On the outer wall, a dark iron stove and an unlit hearth held pots, a kettle, and a cauldron. The stove did not seem to be used much, based on the rusted patches covering its surface, but there is ash and soot around the door, suggesting that someone had lit it fairly recently. Chris looked at Cameron significantly, and he gave a shrug before he opened the stove, giving a subdued cry of surprise. Carefully, he pulled out a few pieces of charred clothing. The weave was fine and had probably been white before having been fed to the fire. Clearly, the garments had been old and worn, and they seemed to have some spots of blood along the edges of what possibly had been a sleeve. Mutely, the aide tucked the crumbling pieces of cloth into a bag. “There could be a good reason to dispose of old clothing ….” he began, half-heartedly. “True,” the paladin replied. “But I think the Town Council is going to have to consider that question.” She turned to the cold room out of curiosity, finding limp and pathetic vegetables, molding bread and cheese, and several fresh cuts of meat carefully wrapped in loose cloth. It was a lot of fresh meat for one person. There were several dressed chickens, a leg of lamb, and quite a few cuts of beef. Nothing was obviously related to the murder, however. “Although I hate to disturb her privacy further, I think we need to check her living quarters. Agreed?”

Halloween was a baby-sitting day that ran long. My daughter and SiL went to look at a potential-purchase house after work. Unfortunately, it was not accurately advertised. My challenge is to let them be adults and deal with their challenges without worrying (too much) about how they will solve them .... without my help. They have until July to move out of their current (college-owned) duplex. "Not my circus ... not my monkeys." It's always a challenge to observe Halloween in a new residence. This year, for the first time EVER, we had NO trick-or-treaters. The candy (minus a piece or two) will either go to the tutoring center where I volunteer or to my daughter's students. Hubby is ill. LTL is ill. That does put a damper on some activities .... Lose Weight We got BBQ ribs from a local diner, but I baked sweet potatoes to go with them. Ok, I microwaved them ... but I'm counting it. No walk. The snow had stopped, but the wind was fierce. And LTL only had a sweatshirt for a coat. Build Muscle LTL is very active and still relying on hands for assisted walking. Which means that I had a lot of non-exercise activity. No exercise snacks specifically, but by the end of the day, I am physically tired. Socialize Family only, but I'm counting my blessings. When LTL goes to Montessori next year, I'm going to see a lot less of him. NaNoWriMo No writing. LTL barely napped.

Chris-Tien approached the Radiant Temple warily and was relieved to see the Mayor’s aide, Cameron, waiting in front of the entrance with Alard Dunn and a few other members of the militia. At some point, they had found mismatched pieces of leather armor that looked suspiciously like repurposed, protective coverings of a blacksmith. They had a couple of swords among them as well, in addition to clubs and a pitchfork or two. It was enough to go up against a human opponent, and Chris sincerely hoped that is all they would have to face if the search was interrupted by an angry cleric. “Cameron? You are with me. We’ll start in the library. The rest of you, give warning if we are going to be disturbed, but if there is a werewolf … get out of here immediately. Understood?” General murmurs of begrudged assent followed these instructions, which was good enough to send Chris and the Mayor’s aide into the Temple with Chris leading their turn northward into the Library. The first thing Chris wanted to examine was the strange book in black leather bindings. “Can you read this?” she asked Cameron, hoping that his training had included whatever language was written in these harsh, jagged symbols. Ruefully, he shook his head. “I’ve never seen anything like this.” He turned a few pages, blood draining from his face as he examined some of the sketches. “It’s disturbing, but maybe she was trying to find a solution to the rising corpses?” He glanced at Chris-Tien uncertainly. “Possibly. I certainly hope so. This is the other book she seemed to have been reading …” Chris-Tien turned to the Compendium of Curses: 17th Edition. It seemed to be an extraordinarily complete overview of every curse known to every people of Faerun. Carefully, making sure that Cameron was observing, she looked for a book mark or other notation that would give them an idea of what curses Solaine had been researching. Sticking out, slightly larger than the pages of the book was a note written in elegant, looping script. It was clearly a draft, with several words scratched out or smeared and sections rewritten. It appeared that the letter-writer was crying while composing this missive. Chris and Cameron stood shoulder to shoulder, reading …. Dearest Tomlin, I write to you as a truly changed woman. I returned from my pilgrimage needing you more now than ever. I need your strength and your love and your faith in me. The journey to my Order’s Mother House was harrowing, to say the least. And unexpected events have increased my need for all of the goodness in you. Yet, I returned home to find not a lover but someone whose wedding I must officiate. While I can find it in my heart to forgive you, I fear that the darkness spreading in me will not allow me to forgive her. For I must tell you …. And that is where the letter ended. Carefully, Chris examined the pages of the book where the note was placed. It in was the section on lycanthropy. Cameron met Chris’ eyes and nodded, carefully taking the book with the note stuck between the pages as evidence. “She had motive, but this isn’t proof that she killed Maybelline.” “No, I agree. Let’s check the refectory.”

Monday flew by!!! I got quite a lot done, but most of it is little stuff that doesn't get written down on a to-do list. Lose Weight I made dark chocolate & avocado truffles. They are dangerously delicious. Took the customary walk in the woods. Build Muscle Went to CrossFit and accidentally did a 100-pound deadlift. I was planning on a max of 90 pounds (which would have been a PR) and did the whole progression as written. I was really proud to have done the whole thing ... and then coach came over and pointed out that I'd grabbed a 45-pound bar and not a 35. Socialize CrossFit. And I ended up helping a few people in the grocery store find things or get heavy things down from higher selves. NaNoWriMo I didn't write the full word count, but I wrote something. It ended being between dinner and TV. Hubby has caught some sort of virus, which threw off my plan for the day. I ended up running to the grocery store during my usual writing period. I have quite a lot written and am posting it in readable bites.

It was a good day. We decorated the house for Halloween and got some candy. We're in a townhouse development and at the end of a deadend. Neighbors say that they don't get many kids .... so we bought one bag of candy and hope it will be enough. Lose Weight Sunday ended up being a cooking day. We made bread (two loaves), beef stew, and pumpkin pie. Add in a walk, and it was a productive day. Build Muscle Rest day. Socialize Church and coffee hour. It was new member Sunday; so we chatted with a few people. NaNoWriMo I actually wrote a lot from scratch yesterday. Some is posted above.

“You can’t possibly suspect Solaine?!?” Chris sighed. This is why she needed evidence. “There are a few things I haven’t told you, or anyone, yet. The night after I questioned Tomlin, I had a visitor sitting on the roof across the alley from the Pickled Hen. I couldn’t see clearly, it it looked like a cross between a person and a wolf.” “A werewolf?” “Yes. And it told me quite plainly ‘He is mine’ before taking off across the roof tops.” “Could be Roi.” Mayor Anathema was playing the perfect devil’s advocate, for which Chris was grateful. “No. A Druid in Wild Shape cannot talk. And why would he be possessive of someone? I’m assuming that my visitor was referring to Tomlin, of course, but he’s the only one I had visited at that point.” Chris sipped some more tea, gathering her thoughts. “Roi gave me another clue, inadvertently. When I visited him, he was suffering from an illness called Polypox. Only shapeshifters can get it, and it is rare because it is transmitted by blood. We deduced that he got it from a stirge that had previously bitten an infected shifter … possibly a werewolf.” “What does this have to do with Solaine?” “Symptoms of polypox include forgetfulness, as well as the loss of control over shifting from one form to another. Have you noticed how scattered and forgetful Solaine has become?” The Mayor considered for a moment before nodding reluctantly. “I even had to send for her when she almost missed Maybelline’s funeral. But, this is all a set of weak links to Solaine.” “I know, but think about it as the only way that the pieces fit together. We probably have a werewolf in the vicinity. Something fitting that description showed up to warn me that Tomlin belonged to it. Solaine is one of the few people who had a reason to kill Maybelline.” Chris sat back and fitted one last piece into her argument. “And the dead of Langston are rising, despite the presence of Solaine in the Radiant Temple. Which suggests that she has set aside or broken her vows … or maybe the curse is weakening the protective magic.” “You said ‘one of the few ….’. Who else could have committed the murder?” Chris-Tien smiled and nodded at Anathem. “Well, you have motive, but the manner of the attack does not fit.” The mayor looked quizzically at the paladin; so she elaborated. “You are a warrior and veteran of battles. And I have seen the war axe over your fireplace. A single blow from a half-orc would have been fatal.” The mayor nodded in agreement, “But what about Tomlin?” “Oh, you noticed how quickly he moved on to a new girlfriend, did you? I suspect that he felt rushed into the marriage for some reason, but I’ve seen the man fight. He’d be more likely to poison her than attack directly, I think.” Chris shrugged. “If we find no hard evidence against Solaine, we could consider him a suspect..”

Where does the weekend go???? Of course, Saturday is the puttery day of the weekend .... so, I mostly did chores yesterday. Temps have dropped to just above freezing for the highs. I have some more trimming to do, but I'll wait to do that (and plant daffodil bulbs) until it warms up a bit now. Lose Weight Got a walk in the woods AND I ran. The FitBit and the iPhone disagreed on how far I ran, but I felt good. I'd gotten the clothing layered correctly ... always a challenge as the seasons change. We went out for lunch. I didn't cook anything, but hubby did. Build Muscle I was glad that I took time off of CrossFit. I haven't really done a lot of those workouts - in a group environment - for years. My quads feel a lot better today. Socialize Nothing other than casual encounters while grocery shopping. I put a reminder in my calendar for next week. I can go to a knitting group on Saturday morning at the local yarn shop. NaNoWriMo I didn't write as much as usual. I'm still above the target curve, although I didn't make the daily word count goal. I knew that would probably be the case when I sat down to write, but like exercise, I figured some was better than none.

It seemed that, as soon as Chris’ head hit the pillow, the sun rose in annoyingly brilliant splendor on a day that did not promise breakfast. Nothing was left outside her door this time, which probably meant that the innkeeper had also been out on patrol last night. Alard had seemed to be organizing every land and business owner into patrols to rotate through the town and neighboring farms throughout the day and night. With the two new corpses, everyone was becoming increasingly worried. For their own sake, Titch and Horace had better be far away from Langston by now. Chris descended into the common room to find the Mayor sitting beside a clean bowl and a pot of tea under a tea cozy. She nodded to the pot of oatmeal beside the banked fire. “You’d better get a good breakfast before we get started.” “You heard the news, I assume?” Chris-Tien poured tea and added a big spoonful of honey before tucking into the porridge. It was likely to be a long day, especially if she could convince the woman in front of her to go along with a revised plan of action. “I did.” Mayor Anathram’s frown accentuated her lower tusks. “I admit that I had not anticipated this outcome, however. A sensible person would have run …. Or possibly hidden. These murders make no sense … at least, none that I can see.” “You assume that we are dealing with a sensible person.” Chris pointed with her spoon. “Those gashes were made by someone in a rage. With Maybelline’s death, I thought I had a reason for the rage. These last two …..” Chris shook her head ruefully. “… Maybe she is simply losing control ….” “If you know who did this, we need to complete the proclamation and make the arrest.” “We need to arrest the correct person. If I am mistaken, we could end up with more bodies tonight.” Anatham considered for a moment, frown deepening. “What do you need?” “I need a guard and a few people whose word you … and more importantly, the town folk … trust. I need to search the Radiant Temple.”

Giving up sweet liquids is hard .... you might want to wean off gradually. Weight loss is never on schedule .... so enjoy the net loss and the fact that you are so close to the desired curve. You got this.

Friday was a pretty good day. The weather has turned cold ... more typical for late October, and we may have snow for Halloween. 🌨️ Lose Weight I'm having a little difficulty in getting myself out to do the last of the fall garden chores, but I did walk in the woods yesterday. With the wind and the rain, most of the leaves are down. I'm just going to have to concede that the biking season is over for us duffers, and put the bike down in the basement for the winter. Riding on wet, leaf-covered pavement is not something I'm comfortable in doing. Didn't cook anything from scratch. I did make eggs in the microwave, which I don't count as 'cooking', and we went out for Oktoberfest at dinner. An old-time concertina band played German folk and polka music. And they served a buffet of German pub foods with beers on tap. It was fun. I haven't had cucumbers with dill sauce since I came home from a high school exchange trip. Eating out is one of the Shadow's best weapons, and I need to keep defending against this. Build Muscle I elected to skip CrossFit. The bench press would have been fine (and I need to work on it!!), but the KB swings didn't seem like a good idea. I could walk and sit, but my legs were definitely in DOMS city. So, I went to Anytime Fitness and used the chest press. I could only get up to 60 pounds .... short of my 70 PR .... but I was also mixing chest press with shoulder presses (db), triceps extensions (db), and lateral raises (db). Still ... I went and I worked out! Today's WoD is a team effort. I hated gym class because of team workouts in which I slowed everyone else down ... so, that's a hard NOPE!! Socialize Oktoberfest NaNoWriMo I've hit 10K words and am enjoying the process. I do recommend reading/playing the Wolves of Langston from Obvious Mimic. It's been fun to play the solo D & D adventure. Occasionally, it's been a little confusing because details need to be suppressed in sections because of the multiple potential paths. We are nearing the end of the story, and it won't take 40,000 words to get there. I'll finish it off for you all here and plan to add material and rewrite the draft to flow better. If I manage to tweek this tale enough to be its own story in truth, I'll put it up in Google drive.

I've noticed a difference in taste in grass-fed beef vs. conventionally raised beef.

Yes, and I think I need to read some more of it. For a while, things seem to be going well and I forget .... and then .... BOOM!!! Now, they are starting to nitpick about things like how I put on a diaper. 🤦🏻‍♀️ We contacted hubby's youngest sister about Thanksgiving. It's one of those situations in which she says "You're welcome any time...." so we checked to see if she really means it. Yeap. So, Thanksgiving is arranged and we know what we are bringing. I'll have to see what Christmas service involves the adult choir and then figure out what we're doing, but we have time for that.

I'm so sorry and glad you're in a better relationship now. They pull this on us during the holidays, and we end up planning around them .... only to be stood up and missing out on other opportunities to see friends and family. Not sure how to avoid it this year, but ..... just gotta stop repeating the pattern.

As Chris-Tien descended the stairs from the town hall, she could hear shouted orders coming from the General Store. Men and women in homespun clothes, bearing improvised weapons and farm implements, were gathering around a stout man who stood on a platform of empty crates. “Alfie, Jessica, and Oliver, you take the northwest from High Street and Water to the wall, “ he gestured at a trio standing near him who nodded in response and started walking together in the indicated direction. “Jack, Ruby, and Jimmy, take the southwest.” Another group moved off. “Now, I’ll need a patrol to start at the temple and cover to the cemetery ….” The gathered crowd seemed to edge away from the makeshift podium, as the man organizing the militia sought out members for the next group. His eyes landed on Chris as she walked up to introduce herself. Jumping down, he quickly shook the paladin’s hand in obvious gratitude. “I’m Alard Dunn. I run the general store and the local militia, whenever we need it …. Not too often, I’m glad to say.” “Chris-Tien Jinn. I just briefed the mayor …. Could you use a hand?” “Aye,” Alard replied with a wry grin. “And a sword if you’ve a mind to bring it with you. It would do everyone some good to have a paladin patrolling with us … particularly the cemetery.” “I can do that. I need a couple of strong hands and stout hearts to help me and Solaine restore order to the place before anyone else goes as far as the graveyard.” The head of the militia nodded and briskly picked out a few people who had not drifted too far away yet. “Charlie! Harry!! This here is Paladin Jinn. Get your gear and go with her to the graveyard. You’ll patrol with her tonight until the moon sets. If you need anything, see Grace in the store before you head off.” “Gentlemen, you can just call me Chris. Let’s get some shovels, and we can make short work of this ….” After reburying the skeleton and restoring Maybelline’s corpse to peaceful repose on the white altar, Chris’ patrol returned to the Radiant Temple, hoping to find Solaine and ask her to bless the reburied skeleton. Maybelline’s twice-attacked body would be prayed over and blessed tomorrow at the internment, but all three of the cleanup party wanted to ensure that the skeleton would not rise again. Chris was equal parts relieved and annoyed to find Solaine had left the front hallway and its tapestries. “Let’s see if we can find her. I’ll take the library.” As she headed north, Charlie and Harry each picked a hallway and headed off in search for the cleric. The library was unexpectedly large, containing several reading tables in the middle of a room packed on three sides with shelves of books and scrolls. Only one table seemed to be in use at the moment. There was a small stack of books and scrolls relating to religious texts and rituals, which Chris assumed had been Solaine’s research in preparation for Maybelline’s funeral, but there were some texts on history as well and a text on the treatment of common curses. Only one thing seemed to be out of place … a single book, bound in some sort of black-dyed skin sat off to one side. The book’s cover had an odd feel to it, similar to most leather, but rougher and slightly oily to the touch, but ones hand came away dry after touching it, although the smell of sulphur lingered. The book was normally clasped with a tarnished metal lock but it had been left unsecured. The book made Chris’ skin crawl, but it was unfortunately written in a language she didn’t know. Out of context, the images of a black sun, corpses, and ghouls feasting on the dead were ominous. Even more worrisome was a note that Chris found tucked in a section that read “this one” marking an entry that seemed to be about animated corpses. Was Solaine looking for explanations for the failing magic? “Paladin,” Harry’s call interrupted Chris’ puzzlement, “We’ve looked through the rooms …. No one is here.” Reluctantly, Chris took another quick look around the library with its secrets before turning to the two men. “Ok. Maybe we’ll find her in town. Let’s return these shovels and see what we can find for proper weapons for you two.” The evening and night spent patrolling the graveyard passed without incident until near midnight when the alarm sounded in the town square. Patrols had come across two new victims with wounds similar to Maybelline’s. Deep gashes raked their upper bodies in seemingly random, chaotic strokes. Just as before, the cuts were jagged and criss-crossed, but this time, Chris was able to pick off bits of rough hair or fur. Grey-tipped brown, they reminded her of wolf fur, but no pack of wolves would have attacked these people in such a pattern. It was perplexing, and the lack of sleep was not helping solve the puzzle. After reporting to Alard, Chris took herself off to her room at the inn, falling into her bed as soon as she had removed her armor.

OMG, this would be tempting to serve to certain dinner guests who would arrive late and complaining to Thanksgiving dinner .....

Have FUN!!!

Kindness to cats at 3 am is definitely supreme virtue

Well ..... Thursday was an opportunity to do better .... LTL was a busy boy but also very congested (still has a cold or has a new cold or ?? ) We had fun. He walked 5 steps from the couch to me and was very pleased with himself. But he had trouble sleeping, and we couldn't get out for a walk because it rained all day. Lose Weight No walk. I didn't cook anything, and dinner ended up being cancelled at nearly the last minute. I was not happy,* but at least I hadn't made a big meal. We went out for fish tacos .... and Moscow mules. Plural for me. Build Muscle Exercise snacks: carrying 20 pounds for much of the day, squats with 20 pounds, and plenty of crawling and walking backwards while bending over. Socializing Family and wait staff at the club. NaNoWriMo I didn't write, although I did spend some time thinking about the next major section of the story.

Busy day today, but I thought I'd log before we turn on a movie .... hopefully, I'll stay awake long enough to go to bed! Lose Weight Took a walk in the woods. Cooked blueberry crisp for dessert. We had take out for dinner since I really wanted Moo Shu Pork. Build Muscle Went to CrossFit and really enjoyed it again today. We did back squats, and I am easing into them again. I'm sure that I did a larger load, but I didn't have my paper notebook. So I went by the last time we did them at my old box, using the digital record in the app. 8 x 40 lb, 6 x 45 lb, 4 x 50 lb, 4 x 55 lb. After that, we did a partner workout. Splitting it evenly, my portion was 10 cal skierg, 20 lunges, and 30 jump rope .... for three rounds. I am tired. Social CrossFit. NaNoWriMo Wrote the scene above. And joined in some NaNoWriMo social media groups. Between my daily writing and pulling in what I wrote last challenge, I might be done with 50,000 words just after Thanksgiving.