Daily Update, April 29, 2023

    Yesterday now, I posted the day before's daily update where I hadn't done so yet after breakfast. Then I called Uber, and a nice driver took me to Life Care Center. There, I had physical therapy. My therapist is happy I'm keeping up the exercises better. Even better yet, during part of the half circle taps to salsa music, and part of the double turns to salsa music, I got them pretty much in time. I didn't manage the whole time for either, but this is the first time I got even some. Thie was my best time yet with both new moves. {SMILE}

   Next, I called Uber and went to my church for my priest's baby shower. I found the packages of nuts I'd taken a couple weeks ago and set them out on the table. They had lots of food, and some odd, baby themed games, too. Oh! And some pages to make an alphabet and number book. I ended up making King for K, because someone had done Queen for Q, so it was only fair. Interestingly, I think about one fifth of the folks who attended were guys -- a lot more than the occasional rooster at a hen party. I noticed some even enjoying the baby games. {Smile}

   I rode home with the Kubos afterwards. The mother of the family lives a little way up the hill from me, so it's easy for them to drop me off on the way. I was out roughly six hours between therapy and the party, so Val was particularly relieved to see me home again and didn't leave my side long until dinner and again afterwards. {Smile}

   I had a nice phone call from auntie Barbara after dinner, too. I learned that she and her son and daughter-in-law are feeling better, and she learned about the baby shower. {Smile}

   I ate breakfast and dinner with Mom, but not lunch, because that was at our priest's baby shower. I read to Mom before dinner, too. First, I read scripture and thoughts about it. After that, I read more from her niece's long family Christmas letter from 2021. Then, I read more entries about dragon riders from People of Pern by Robin Wood. Next, I read "Mali Gives Elephants a Fighting Chance," and "Indian Couple Buys Land for Tigers to Roam," both from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. Then I finished with the April 29th story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom liked the readings and the pictures too. {Smile}

   No more exercise after physical therapy - that was plenty. {Smile}

   I got home barely in time to do a little paperwork on City of Heroes: Homecoming before reading to Mom and dinner, so I didn't really look around there until I got back on after dinner. There, I found Mistress Aegis. WE chatted a while, then we teamed up, along with DarKThough1. We were still getting ready when my RWBY friend came on, so he joined us, too. The three of us did one complicated mission before my RWBY friend left for bed. Darkthough1, Mistress Aegis, and I did two simpler missions before they, too, left for bed. Then I did some paperwork that had developed on the character I'd been playing, my second-best badge collector, and some more than worked towards a couple of badges, especially one. Then Kitten came on finally - they'd appeared to be on all evening, but they were unresponsive - turned out to be napping while in a place where you won't get kicked off for being inactive. We wondered about teaming up, but Kitten had found another movie they really wanted to watch with me - more than even working on some madges that admittedly will take quite a bit of work. So, we watched that, with a couple of breaks: one to feed Val and such, and the other because the place we were sharing suddenly stopped running the video. I went back to the paperwork but only for a little before Kitten came back. Then we backed up and watched it until the end. After that, I snuck in a little more paperwork, so my second-best badge-collector got the easier of the two badges the work I was doing applied towards. I also slipped in a tiny amount of comic reading and took enough notes for this update to make it easy to write now, the next day. {Smile}

Daily Update, April 28, 2023

    I stayed home, and mostly took it easy. That did include a few phone calls and text conversations.

   I phoned the Vet's office, and ordered more medicine for Val. They said it will be ready tomorrow, but I don't need it that soon, and between physical therapy and our priest's baby shower, I think I'll be busy enough without trying to get that before they close. Surely Monday or Tuesday is soon enough. {Smile}

   I tried calling my financial advisers a few times but got their answering machine every time. I did leave a message, but I'd better plan to follow up on that. {Smile}

   I had a brief text conversation with Auntie Barbara. She and hers are feeling better again! I'm so glad to learn that! {SMILE}

   I ate lunch and dinner with Mom and read to her before dinner. I started with scripture and thoughts about it. Next, I read more from her niece's long family Christmas letter from 2021. After that, I read about the entries about dragon riders and another person in the dragons' Weyrs from People of Pern by Robin Wood. After that, I read "Celeb Cena has Granted 800 Make-A-Wish Requests," and "First Black Female Confirmed to Supreme Court," both from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. Then I finished with the April 28th story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom liked both readings and pictures. {Smile}

   I did my walking, head, and arm exercises, pretty much like the therapist wants. For the arm exercises, I used the goal weights, but only did 10 repetitions each. I should ask if that's better, or starting lower, and possibly more reps. I also should check about the goals this therapist thinks I should aim for. {Smile}

   I read comics in the morning and over lunch, around the phone calls and personal chores. Then I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming and found Kitten finishing up a badge run for a badge they didn't have. Then they were in a league - a group of allied teams - for some badges they already had... so when they filled just before I could join, they stepped out to make room for me. I got two badges from that - the last two I could get on my best badge collector for that high-level trial. Then I ran another high-level trial and got one of three badges I needed for it; that one has three mutually exclusive badges (you can only get one of the three per run), and I got one of them. After that, I think Kitten fell asleep; they certainly disappeared. So, I worked on some badges, especially anniversary badges. I started calling up one character after another because there's an anniversary badge available to any character who checks in during the anniversary event. I also bought old anniversary badges my top two badges had missed, so lots of badges for them. I was getting pretty bored with that when my RWBY friend came on. So, I stopped to chat and team up with him, doing a few missions together before it was time to read to Mom. I also chatted briefly with Soothing Darkness. {Smile}

   After dinner, I hopped back into City of Heroes: Homecoming, and found Darkthough1 on. I started to team up with him and Aegis when my RWBY friend came back on and joined us. We ran a few missions, and I started chatting with Soothing Darkness again, so I invited her to join us. She did, and we ran a whole lot of missions together until it was time to feed Val and do my exercises. I'm afraid that I missed the fact that Darkthough1 wasn't as far into the arc as I was, so he didn't get credit. If he lets me, I'll run them with him later. I chatted with folks around my exercises, and then started writing this afterwards, looking at comics a little, but not reading them, and checking the last several characters in for that badge. {Smile}

Daily Update, April 27, 2023

    I had a counseling session this morning, right after breakfast. It was our second session on HMSA's own system. I had to sign in twice, because the first time they couldn't find my insurance plan and were going to charge me even more than I paid for Zoom. They found it on the second try and charged nothing. We got cut off before making another appointment, so we finished up by text. I suggested next time, schedule the next at the beginning of the session, so we know we'll have time for that. {Smile}

   The housekeeper came today, right after counselling. That was nice. I do enjoy talking with her, and the house is definitely better for her attentions. {Smile}

   In the middle of the afternoon, I went to my dentist. He only gave a quick look; I was primarily there for cleaning. I really have to do a better job. There was a lot of swelling with my gums. They made some suggestions, and I'm thinking about how to handle this. I'm sure I can improve. {Smile}

   I had a nice conversation with our former nurse. He called a while before dinner, which worked nicely for both of us. {Smile}

   I ate dinner with Mom and read to her before that. I read scripture and thoughts about it first. Then I read more from her niece's long family Christmas letter from 2021. After that, I read about the Weyrs, the homes of dragons, their riders, and those who support them most closely, and two entries about dragon riders from People of Pern by Robin Wood. After that, I read "Damage to Notre Dame Cathedral Not as Bad as We Thought," and "Denver Hires Homeless; Now 100 Have New Jobs," both from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. Then I finished with the April 27th story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom liked what I read to her, and the pictures I showed her as well. {Smile}

   I did my head exercises. They're the exercises I'm supposed to do every day I don't actually have physical therapy. {Smile}

   After counselling, I finished yesterday's daily update and shared it by email, Facebook, and my Blog, https://aeb-anne.blogspot.com then read comics over lunch, and then got ready to go. I'd hoped to have time to peek in the game before going to the dentist, but I didn't. When I got back, I remembered to share yesterday's daily update on the chat server, so I didn't get onto City of Heroes: Homecoming until after five. I found my RWBY friend there, we chatted a little, and quickly teamed up for one mission together before they left for bed, and I left to read to Mom. {Smile}

   After dinner, I hopped back into City of Heroes: Homecoming, and found Darkthough1 on. We chatted a bit and did a mission together. Then I noticed Phonso advertising the two high level task forces which are usually done as a pair. We joined that, with me on my third best badge collector. We still didn't get the one badge from that that she doesn't have, but I'll just keep trying. I also chatted a bit with Nox before they went to bed. After the task force, that group split up, and Phonso left, so Darkthough1 and I did one of my missions before Darkthough1 left for bed. I did some paperwork, read a few comics, and wrote this up. {Smile}

Daily Update, April 26, 2023

    Today I had physical therapy. I called Uber, and a nice, fairly chatty driver took me over. There, when I got in, the receptionist scheduled me for every Wednesday and Saturday next month. She also warned me that they have Covid in the nursing home, so I was okay in outpatient physical therapy, but stay there. My therapist explained it was mainly in one wing and shouldn't last much more than a week longer. I know Dad hated quarantine, which the nursing home would go into every time someone got sick. patients would be confined to their wing and their room as much as feasible, which was pretty boring for Dad. {resigned smile}

   The session went well. I even got the turns and half-circle taps almost in time to LaBamba, the slowest Salsa Dance tune I've found. Also, my therapist was happy with me starting to get more exercise at home and encourages me to keep it up. 

   After therapy, I went home with a chatty driver who seemed newer to Hilo than most. I enjoyed our trip home... and I actually remembered to tell him about the trip around to avoid the road that gets clogged when school lets out, since there's one right on the way home. The navigator never seems to understand that that road is gridlocked going up, but pretty free coming down. {Smile}

   I ate dinner with Mom and read to her before dinner. First, I read scripture and thoughts about it. Next, I read more from her niece's long family Christmas letter from 2021. Then I read a few entries from People of Pern by Robin Wood. After that, I read "Police Dog Fired for Friendliness, Now Has a New Job as a Greeter," and "Texas Investor Uses Gains to Help Sick Kids," both from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. Then I finished with the April 26th story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom liked both what read to her, and the pictures I showed her, too. {Smile}

   I got all the exercise I needed in physical therapy today. {Smile}

   I read some comics before going down to physical therapy, and more over lunch. Then I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming and found my RWBY friend online. We didn't see any of our usual friends on, so we did a video call to read the last chapter of the first volume of the Cursed Princess Club bound graphic novel. He's considering subscribing to the website host, especially when he earned it's not just cheaper, but has a lot more of the story than the books currently will any time soon. then we went back into City of Heroes: Homecoming, where we found Darkthough1. The three of us teamed up and did most of a low-level story arc until time to read to Mom.

   I read more comics after dinner, then hopped back into City of Heroes: Homecoming, and found Darkthough1. We teamed up to finish the story arc we'd started with my RWBY friend before dinner. then, my RWBY friend came in as we were finishing, and joined us to do the next story arc together. It was one we'd all been looking forward to but wanted to clear the other stuff first. We were just finishing that story arc when I noticed Phonso was on. He invited us to a strike force. We did a couple of hunts which started the next and final story arc in the current line of story arcs we're doing while deciding that Dark was ready to go to bed, while my RWBY friend and I weren't. So, my RWBY friend and I joined Phonso for the strike force. Then my RWBY friend and I ran a couple of mid-level missions before breaking for bed. I thought I'd left enough time to finish this update before bed, but had to make notes for half of it, and finish it late the next morning. {Smile}

Daily Update, April 25, 2023

    I didn't go out or get any special calls, but I had a short text-chat with Auntie Barbara. I also had a nice text chat on Discord with my Welsh friend, who I hadn't heard from in a while. We actually had a short text chat yesterday that I forgot to mention in my last daily update, but this one was a bit longer and more involved. {Smile}

   I ate dinner with Mom and read to her before it. I started with scripture and thoughts about it and read more from her niece's long family Christmas letter from 2021 next. Then I read a few entries from People of Pern by Robin Wood. After that, I read "The Cost of Insulin Capped at $35 by House," and "Pakistan to Plant Billions of Trees Using thousands of Unemployed Workers," both from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. Then I finished with the April 25th story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom said she enjoyed what read to her, and the pictures, too. {Smile}

   I did my walking exercises, and over 20 minutes of salsa dancing, including warmup and less structured dancing. At least I got some, and just a little more than usual. I'll work harder at getting more. {Smile}

   I finished yesterday's daily update after breakfast, then read some comics over lunch. Then I hopped into city of Heroes: Homecoming. I did some paperwork and found my RWBY friend on. we were deciding what to do when Kitten came on. They joined us, and we did some missions together. I think some of us switched characters at some point, but we teamed until my RWBY friend was tired, and I was thinking about reading to Mom. {Smile}

   After dinner, I read a couple of comics, and hopped back into City of Heroes. I found Darkthough1 and Mistress Aegis, and we started to get together when Phonso spoke up earlier than usual, inviting us to a strike force. Mistress Aegis and I joined, and my RWBY friend came on, so they joined, too. We ran it, and my RWBY friend left afterwards, heading back to bed. Then Phonso did a task force that we joined, too. Then Heartsever, another friend of mine, spoke up while we were running that task force. I chatted for a bit with Nox on the chat server, too. Mistress Aegis and I switched to our little villains, and Darkthough1 joined us, too. Kitten came on again and joined us stayed with us, and Heartsever joined us partway through the first of a few missions we did. We broke up early enough for me to do my walking exercises in addition to the salsa dancing. I chatted with Kitten on the chat server, and even got together to get them a few badges for their new character around the salsa dancing and writing this update. {Smile}

Daily Update, April 24, 2023

    Today I didn't do much out of the usual. I read articles that actually felt like they were worth the time it took to read them in the morning. I did have a short text-chat with our former nurse, which was nice. {Smile}

   I ate dinner with Mom and read to her before that. First, i read scripture and thoughts about it, and next I read more from her niece's long family Christmas letter from 2021. Then I read several entries from People of Pern by Robin Wood, since some were short. After that, I read "Billionaire Launches Drug Company Dedicated to Low-Cost Generics and Transparency," and "Jet blue Caps Flights at $99, Helps Citizens Escape Hurricane," both from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. Then I finished with the April 24th story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom enjoyed what read to her, and looking at the pictures, too. {Smile}

  I did all five head exercises. I'm supposed to do them, and my arm and walking exercises two days after physical therapy, but the others didn't happen. I need to get much better about these. {rueful smile}

   I finished yesterday's daily update in the morning. Then I read comics over lunch. After that, I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming. I did a little paperwork waiting for someone to come on. Then Darkthough1 and Mistress Aegis did, and we teamed up for some mid-level missions a character of mine has out levelled, but still had the contact for. Dark and Aegis got the missions, and did them, and I tagged along for credit. My RWBY friend joined us partway in. Kitten came on but decided to sleep instead of joining us. My RWBY friend, Dark and I switched characters to do the long mission we'd gone up to yesterday. that took us right up to time to read to Mom. 

   After dinner, I read a few comics, and hopped back on City of Heroes. Then I went back into City of Heroes: Homecoming and did some paperwork when I found no one on. Kitten came on, and then Darkthough1 joined us, and we teamed up for another moderately low-level story arc. Phonso invited us to a task force when we thought we were halfway through. We would have been if the last mission hadn't gotten stuck. We fixed it, but only after a few tries. Then we joined Phonso for the task force, which gave my second-best badge collector another badge. I chatted with Nox briefly before they went to bed, too. Then Phonso started a different task force which we joined. My RWBY friend came on and joined us to, and Kitten switched, and got a couple of badges, including one they needed for a badge which will improve their character. Then I helped Kitten get most of the rest of the badges for that special badge before going to bed. I forgot three, two which I remembered later, and one which Kitten had to track down themselves. {Smile}

Daily Update, April 23, 2023

    Today was Sunday, so I took Uber down to church. I got Alan, so we had a nice chat, getting caught up with each other on the way down. There, a lady who lives up the hill from me offered to start taking me to and from church... but not today, her son said, because he had to fetch her car. Auntie Barbara wasn't there like I expected, but I found a text from her saying she wasn't coming after all. {smile}

   The service was nice, as was the lunch and conversation afterwards. Lindsey and Laurie took me to Safeway to pick up a prescription, since I was fully out of test strips for testing my blood sugar. I got there just as the pharmacy was closing for lunch, so i waited about forty minutes, browsing their very minimally stocked book collection, and found a book by Brian Feehan, the son of the much better-known Christine Feehan. I bought it when I picked up four prescriptions they were holding for Mom and me. Then I called Uber, and chatted with that driver as I went home. It was a fellow I also know from his main job at Clinical Laboratories of Hawai'i. {Smile}

   I ate dinner with Mom and read to her before it. I started with scripture and thoughts about it, and then read more from her niece's long family Christmas letter from 2021. I followed that with more entries from People of Pern by Robin Wood. Then I read "Rapper Declares $1 Million Donation to Chicago Public Schools," and "Perry Pays All Senior-Hour Groceries," both from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. Then I finished with the April 23rd story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom said she liked everything I read to her and opened her eyes to look at each picture. {Smile}

   I also had a little text-conversation with our former nurse. That was nice. {Smile}

   Today, i did all five head exercises, just like my therapist suggested I do the day after physical therapy. I really want to make a stronger effort to do the exercises he recommended. I know I've been slacking off, often only getting some done, not all. {Smile}

   I read a few comics after I got home, then hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming. There, I found my RWBY friend on a low-level toon and got one not much higher. We teamed up, and started a story arc my RWBY friend was almost too high level for. Darkthough1 joined us a couple missions in, and we finished together. Then, the three of us went on to another story arc that Darkthough1 and I needed to catch up with my RWBY friend. We started the story arc my RWBY friend had started and began running missions we could all get credit for right before we took a break so I could read to Mom. {Smile}

   After dinner, I read a few comics, then went back into City of Heroes: Homecoming. I found my RWBY friend and Darkthough1 still on, and we teamed up to continue the story arc we'd been working on. We were just reaching the last mission in the arc when Phonso invited us to a task force. My RWBY friend declined because he was too tired to continue either our arc or the task force and left to go to bed. Darkthough1 and I did join the task force with Phonso. During it, I quickly said goodnight to Nox after they'd gone to bed, and answered earlier messages from them I'd missed, too. {blush} After the task force, which had gone longer than we expected, Darkthough1 said goodnight, and he went to bed. After he left, I did some paperwork on my characters, and read comics until later than I meant to. Then I tried to write this up and got half written/half notes before bed. {Smile}

Daily Update, April 22, 2023

    Today I had physical therapy at Life care Center. I took Uber over, with a nice, chatty driver. There was a ship in, and he was happy at the prospect of making money with the tourists. {Smile}

   At physical therapy, we had a good session. I liked chatting with my therapist, both about therapy and other stuff. I learned that he recommends working up to 30 minutes a day for daily, like before, but also think that if I could do 40 minutes one day, I could take the next day off. This sounds like a nice alternative; I'll have to start working harder at doing more salsa dancing when I do it. {Smile}

   Afterwards I'd hoped to pick up a prescription at Safeway, but it looked too close to their pharmacy's lunch break when I finished. Besides, I was more tired than I expected to be. So, I went straight home by Uber. The driver was pleasant, and chatty, and I got to rest sooner. {Smile}

   I ate dinner with Mom and read to her before that. I started with scripture and thoughts about it first, and then read a card from her cousin, and started her niece's long family Christmas letter from 2021. I followed that with more entries from People of Pern by Robin Wood. Then I read "Farmer Studies law for 16 years and Beats Polluters," and "Ghanian Teacher Teaches MS Word on Board, Gets Computer Donations," both from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. Then I finished with the April 22nd story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom liked everything I read to her, some more than others. {Smile}

   No exercise beyond physical therapy today. That left me quite tired enough. {Smile}

   I started writing the parts of yesterday's daily update that weren't done yet over breakfast, and continued through the morning, getting it finished and shared just before it was time to go to physical therapy. That felt like an accomplishment. Then I read comics over lunch and afterwards. {Smile} 

   I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming around 2 pm, and found Div, Darkthough1, and Mistress Aegis on. I chatted a bit with them. Then Div, Darkthough1, and I teamed up to help Div with a mission they had. Then we did a couple more missions. My RWBY friend joined us somewhere along the way. Then Div left, and my RWBY took lead, and finished the story arc we'd started yesterday. Then my RWBY friend admitted he was dozing and went off to bed. Darkthough1 and I continued to do missions, and Thecyberchill joined us for the last mission. {Smile}

   After dinner, I hopped back into City of Heroes: Homecoming, and found Darkthough1 and Mistress Aegis on. I showed Darkthough1 a character he'd inspired and helped name. He liked the dress she was wearing, that I'd tweaked again last night. He got a similar character, and we teamed up for a couple of missions. I also chatted with Nox a bit before they went to bed. Darkthough1 went to bed a while after, and I started doing paperwork for City of Heroes, reading comics, and writing most of this, except for a little I got done around diner time. {Smile}

Daily Update, April 21, 2023

    Today I went over to Hale Anuenue to visit the friend of the family, who's still there, recuperating. I checked on Anita, but despite them giving me a room number, our family friend said she left yesterday, and her mattress had no bedding on it when I passed by her room. I sat with our family friend and chatted for a good bit and handed her a picture book for seniors with some memory loss. She wants to borrow it, but says she'll give it back. 

   I asked our family friend how her daughter is doing, since I know she's in the same nursing home. Our family friend asked if I was going to see her. I found out her room number, and went to visit her for a short while, because our family friend said she doesn't like long visits except from one sister she really gets along with. {Smile}

   After that, I called Uber to go home. however, I realized when the driver turned the wrong way that I'd somehow ordered it for the vet's office, not home. Fortunately, the driver helped me fix it, and took me home. {Smile}

   I ate dinner with Mom and read to her before that. I read scripture and thoughts about it first, and some old Christmas cards, including one from a friend, another from her nephew, and a third from her niece. I followed that with more entries from People of Pern by Robin Wood. Then I read "Kids Finally Get a Permit for a Lemonade Stand, Then Sell Out," and "Finland Offers New Dads as Much Paid Leave as Moms," both from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. Then I finished with the April 21st story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom liked everything I read to her, and enjoyed the pictures I showed her, too. {Smile}

   Over and after lunch, I read comics. Then I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming. There, I found my RWBY friend on. We hopped back out to read Cursed Princess Club together. It was good to get back to that. Then we hopped back into the game. We found Darkthough1, and teamed up for one mission, the first in a story arc, which was all I had time for before reading to Mom.

   I hopped back into City of Heroes: Homecoming after dinner. Both Darkthough1 and my RWBY friend were still there, so the three of us teamed up to finish that story arc. Then my RWBY friend left for bed, and Darkthough1, Mistress Aegis and I teamed up on a set of "little villains that we have. We did several missions together, going really late for Darkthough1 and Mistress Aegis. I also slipped in a short chat and goodnight with Nox on the chat server. After Mistress Aegis and Darkthough1 left, I read a few longer comics, and got this ready to finish up the next morning. {Smile}

Daily Update, April 20, 2023

    Today - well, yesterday - I stayed home. I did have a few phone calls, including one from our former nurse around dinnertime. I did enjoy talking with him. I also got a phone call with Auntie Barbara after dinner, which was lovely. And I got another phone from our former nurse a bit before bedtime. {Smile}

   I ate dinner with Mom and read to her before that. First, I read scripture and thoughts about it and then continued with Christmas card from her niece, and a birthday card from her sister. After that, I read the five more entries in People of Pern by Robin Wood. Mom seemed to like the pictures, and hearing about different characters in Anne McCaffrey's Pern series. After that, I read "Girl Bullied for Collecting Trash Wins Global Award," and "Hacker Fixes People's Routers so They Can't Be Hacked by Others." from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. Then I finished with the April 20th story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom liked everything I read to her, and enjoyed the pictures I showed her, too. {Smile}

   I did two of my five head exercises. I meant to do all of them, but only the first two actually happened. I'll have to try harder. {rueful smile}

   I read articles in the morning, more than I really meant to. I'll have to learn to control this better. then I read comics both over lunch and afterwards, as well as later in the afternoon. Around 2, I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming and started chatting with Darkthough1, Kitten, and soon my RWBY friend, when they came on, too. We four and Mistress Aegis teamed up and did a few missions to help Kitten get a badge that will actually help their character. This took us right up to time to read to Mom. {Smile}

   After dinner and the phone calls that happened around that time, I hopped back into City of Heroes: Homecoming. I chatted with RWBY friend and Darkthough1. Darkthough1 was too distracted to team, but eventually my RWBY friend and I teamed up with Kitten. While we were figuring out what to do, Phonso came on, and invited us to do a strike force with him. We joined that, and I got two badges on my second-best badge collector. Then my RWBY friend left. then Phonso, Kitten, and I did a fairly high-level task force, and my second-best badge collector got a third badge for that. Kitten and some of our teammates helped my character get a fourth badge after that. I also said goodnight to Nox, with a little talking, but not a lot. I ended the evening by trying to help Kitten with a badge that will help their character be more resilient. This involves getting badges that contribute to the big badge that makes them more resilient. We made progress but didn't get any more badges for Kitten's character.

Daily Update, April 19, 2023

    Today I had physical therapy. I called Uber, and went over there, with a somewhat chatty driver. At physical therapy, I had a good session. I got tired slightly easier, but its been a week and a half since my last session. It was a good session. My physical therapist was very pleased with how the salsa steps are coming in particular. He wants to try them with music on Saturday. {Smile}

   He also liked my ideas for my story. He's a physical therapist, not any other kind, but he likes fantasy, and local stuff, so me working on trying to do a fantasy with strong local flavor is interesting. He also seems to know something about what fantastic creatures have actually made it over here. {Smile}

   After therapy was over, I called Uber, and a chattier driver took me home. That was nice. {Smile}

   I had a nice phone call with our former nurse later. I really enjoy talking with him. {Smile}

   I ate breakfast and dinner with Mom and read to her before dinner. I started with scripture and thoughts about it and continued with a long Christmas card from a friend. After that, I read the beginning of the introduction and the first two entries in People of Pern by Robin Wood. It's a collection of picture Robin Wood drew and painted of the characters in the earlier books and stories in Anne McCaffrey's Pern series. After that, I read the twelfth story from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_ It was "Chinese Woman helps 20 Families Find Mission Kids, then Finds Her Own." Then I finished with the April 19th story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom liked everything I read to her, and looked at the pictures I showed her, too. {Smile}

   No exercise today, at least beyond physical therapy. I got plenty of exercise then. {Smile}

   In the morning, I read articles and finished writing my daily update before physical therapy, but I only shared it in the places where it's quick. because it was later than meant to start out. After lunch, I finished sharing my daily update, and read some comics. Then I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming, and found Kitten, and soon my RWBY friend as well. We three chatted and teamed up. We did a few missions together, before my RWBY friend left, because he had an early morning the next day. Then Kitten and I ran a story arc together, which left just a little time to talk before reading to Mom. {Smile}

   After dinner, I hopped back into City of Heroes: Homecoming. I found Darkthough1 on, and discovered he was teamed with Mistress Aegis. Kitten was also on. The four of us teamed up and did several missions together. Then Darkthough1 and Mistress Aegis left because they needed sleep. Next, Kitten and I did another story arc. I also chatted a bit with Nox on the chat server, before they went to bed early. After the story arc, Kitten and I figured out how to watch a video together on the chat server. It was tricky because Kitten needed to share their screen with me. We watched a My Little Pony episode of the new series. Neither of us feel it's as nice as the just-previous series was, especially once it hit its stride, but it's early days yet. We'll have to see how it goes. {Smile}

Daily Update, April 18, 2022

    I expected to do the monthly picnic today, but it must have been cancelled because the leader is on a trip. I'm not as disappointed as i might have been, because I needed time to get medicine for Val. A while after breakfast, I called up Uber, and a nice, chatty fellow took me down to the vet. The driver spoke of waiting, but I was a lot longer in there than I expected. I eventually came away with a couple of weeks of medicine, so that was okay, but he was gone when I got out. So, I just called up Uber, and a different fellow picked me up. He was chatty, too. {Smile}

   I had a short text conversation with our former nurse before going to the vet. He'd spoken of maybe taking me there or home or something if he wasn't busy, but of course he was busy right then. We had a nice phone call between reading to Mom and dinner tonight. I do enjoy talking to him. {Smile}

   I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner with Mom and read to her before dinner. I started with scripture and thoughts about it and continued with three cards, from Mom's niece, her sister, and me. After that, I read the last few pages of _Music stars 1940-1960 Memory Lane_ as well as the back of the books. it was a little short, but I just let it be short. After that, I read the tenth and eleventh stories from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_ They were "Teen's Uplifting Notes on Bridge Save Six Lives," and "Budweiser Misses Superbowl: Uses Marketing Money for Vaccine Awareness Instead." Then I finished with the April 18th story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom was dozing when I got there, but she woke up when I settled in, and seemed to like it all. {Smile}

   I did over 20 minutes of salsa dancing tonight, including both warmup and less structured dancing. {Smile}

   I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming after lunch, looked around, and saw my RWBY friend, but they didn't respond when I tried to talk to them. So, I joined a fairly high-level task force that helped me work on the badges I worked on last night - it was the same task force. Then I tried to talk to folks again, and even tried talking to my RWBY friend on Facebook messenger. I ended up doing the paperwork the task force had made. Then I looked around, and joined the later long, large-group event. After it had started, my RWBY friend came in and said hi. I encouraged him to join us, which he did, since we still had a fair bit to do. We talked afterwards until it was time to read to Mom, since it was close to that time. {Smile}

   After dinner, I hopped back into City of Heroes: Homecoming. I tried talking to a few friends, but they were unresponsive. So, I ended up doing the paperwork from the later long, large group event. Then I tried talking with folks again, and did begin talking with Azurette in the game, and Nox on the chat server. I joined Azurette, who'd joined a group that was doing a whole bunch of one-off missions. I talked with Shen Dragon in the game for a bit, too. When the one-off missions ended, half the group stayed for the fairly high-level task force. I ran it with them again, and it finished just a little before I needed to start my exercises. The others went on to do something else, but I started salsa dancing instead. {Smile}

Daily Update, April 17, 2023

    My hearing aids had an appointment today, so I called Uber, and a nice, chatty driver took me to take them in. I'm happy to say the audiologist put two new ear bud casings on, both in the old style I've used for years that have never gotten stuck, never gotten clogged with wax, and never collected old, dead skin, all of which the last pair of earbuds did. 

   Next, another call to Uber brought a different driver to take me to Longs Drugs. (Yes, Hawai'i still has Longs Drugs. When the company was bought out, that name was well enough known and liked in Hawai'i, and the new parent company was pretty much unknown, so they didn't change the name like they did elsewhere.) Finding the medicine took me longer than i expected, but not nearly as long as waiting in line did. {Smile}

   I called uber again and had them take me to the veterinarian's office... to discover they were 20 minutes into their one-hour lunch break. I was not inclined to wait 40 minutes, and the Uber driver said he wouldn't either. He let me get back in the car and call Uber. They connected us again, which they aren't quite guaranteed to do - you cannot request a particular driver with Uber or Lyft - but since I was sitting in his car when i requested another ride, he thought it should select him, and it did. He took me home, with another nice talk on the way. {Smile}

   I had a nice phone call from our former nurse after dinner, too. I do enjoy talking with him. {Smile}

   Our relief nurse came in today, and will be here tomorrow, and leave on Wednesday. She usually works Thursday/Friday/Saturday, but she has personal business late this week that keeps her away. {Smile}

   I ate lunch and dinner with Mom and read to her before dinner. I started with scripture and thoughts about it and continued with a long Christmas letter from a friend. After that, I read the next few pages of _Music stars 1940-1960 Memory Lane_. After that, I read the ninth story from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. Mom seemed tired, so I went straight to the April 17th story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom seemed to like it all. {Smile}

   I did over 25 minutes of salsa dancing, including 8 1/2 minutes of warmup and over 25 minutes of less structured dancing. No, it wasn't the 30 minutes i hope to do, but the second piece in the middle was the extra fast one. I didn't really expect to have energy for even 5 more minutes, yet I did! So help me, I'm a little proud of this. {SMILE}

   After lunch and cleaning up, I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming. I found Div winding down. We had a nice chat, but he was done play8ing for the day. My RWBY friend came in, and we had a nice chat too. After Div left, my RWBY friend and I decided to read another two chapters of The Cursed Princess Club. That was a nice video phone call. Their cat even got involved. I got a very good view of his sides, head, and most especially the tail. The tail got waved at the camera for an extra special view. Amazingly enough, Val did not come to contribute. When we and the cat were done, we stayed on the line so we could talk while we played. That went pretty well, too, as we got a mission and two "talk" missions done before it was time to read to Mom. {Smile}

   After dinner and the phone call with our former nurse, I hopped back into City of heroes: Homecoming, and worked on a little paperwork. Then I joined the pair of particularly high-level task forces on my third best badger. She didn't get the one badge she still needs this time, either, but if I keep trying, some day she should. Then I tried to join a not quite a high-level task force, but the leader didn't accept me because others met his requirements first. However, that task force broke up, and some gathered for another of the same taskforce. i got into that one easily. I was hoping it would help me with a couple of badges, and it did help, though I will have to run it at least once more. After that, I chatted with Nox and Kitten on the chat server, and I did a little paperwork, especially after Nox left for bed and Kitten quieted down. {Smile}

Daily Update, April 16, 2023

    Today, I got up ever so slightly earlier, and did the morning routine without the hiccups that will happen some days and took Uber down to church a bit earlier than usual - so early, I got settled in before the service. Auntie Barbara and Michelle weren't in evidence, but Auntie Barbara came over when she saw me, to tell me she'd be busy with the children running their nursery-and-Sunday-school. She is one of two or three older ladies who are bound and determined to get the nursery up and running before our priest gives birth, because we will need it when they babies are born. She was also not staying for lunch after church because her daughter in law was expected later today, and she wanted more time to get ready. I think her son is coming tomorrow. i think she'll be very busy visiting with them this week. {Smile}

   The service was morning prayer because our priest is on a trip to attend her brother's wedding and visit with family. I guess the supply priest fell through, but they promise to have one next week. I sat with other folks to chat, since Auntie Barbara left early. One lady, I guess realizing everyone else had either left or was staying for the vestry meeting, offered to take me home when she realized it wasn't too far away. We had a nice talk all the way home. {Smile}

   I ate dinner with Mom and read to her before that. I started with scripture and thoughts about it, and continued with two cards from Helping Hands Healthcare, the nursing company we use, and a card from a cousin's granddaughter. After that, I read the next few pages of _Music stars 1940-1960 Memory Lane_. After that, I read the seventh and eighth stories from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_.  I forgot the April 15th story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year, so I went back to read it after writing this up. Mom seemed to like it all, especially the picture book. She seems to love looking at the pictures. {Smile}

   I did over 20 minutes of salsa dancing, with both warmup and less structured dance. {Smile}

   After I came home, I wrote up and shared yesterday's daily update, then read some comics before hopping into City of Heroes: Homecoming. There, I found Kitten upset because they'd missed something they had tried hard to catch. I tried to comfort them, but there was only so much I could say. I also found Div, and we started teaming up, and got Kitten to join us. Then my RWBY friend joined us, too. My RWBY friend left after a while, and Div left a bit later. Kitten and I stayed together until it was time to read to Mom. {Smile}

   After dinner, I found Kitten, and we teamed up. We tried the next low-level story arc, but it turned out to be solo, so we ran the one after that instead. That was longer than I expected, but it actually worked out nicely. it turned out we were right at the end when Phonso invited us to run a task force with him. I also chatted with Nox on the chat server a bit before they went to bed. The task force ended at a nice time to let me wind down a bit before starting my salsa dancing. {Smile}

Daily Update, April 15, 2023

    After breakfast, I took Uber over to Hale Anuenue to visit our dear family friend and Anita. I chatted with the driver, who was happy to get away from downtown, where the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival made it hard to get around. {Smile}

   At Hale Anuenue, I first went to visit with our dear family friend. I gave her Dewey, a book about a library cat that I had two copies of. I thought of it immediately when she said she liked stories without too much excitement. Anita came in while we were visiting, and I gave Anita a Guideposts Daily devotional book that's a couple of years old. She'd asked specifically about Guideposts, so when I found it, I knew she had to have it. Shew as happy with it and stayed to visit a while before going back to her room. I stayed to visit with our dear family friend a bit more, chatting about a variety of things, then went on to visit with Anita a bit. She said she'd already read today's and yesterday's entries in the Guideposts. We chatted a bit too, before I left.  {Smile}

   I called Uber, and went home with same driver. I tried sitting at one of their tables to wait, while I did some stuff on my phone, and realized he was waiting for me. I think I'd rather wait more actively. {Smile}

   Our former nurse called during dinner but hung up before I could answer. I meant to call him after dinner but remembered far too late. {smile}

   I ate breakfast and dinner with Mom and read to her before dinner. First, I read scripture and thoughts about it, and next I read four cards from family, church, and the last was my Easter card from this year. After that, I read the first several pages of _Music stars 1940-1960 Memory Lane_. After that, I read the fifth and sixth stories from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_.  I finished up by reading the April 15th story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom seemed to like it all, especially the picture book. She seems to love looking at the pictures. {Smile}

   I did more than 20 minutes of salsa dancing, both warmup and less structured dancing. {Smile}

   I hopped into City of heroes: Homecoming about mid-afternoon, since I wanted to clean up after lunch. There, I chatted with Div, who had stopped playing for the day, and was winding down. I also started chatting with Kitten, who wanted to visit a friend's base, since they were holding an open house as a grand opening, hoping to make it a public base for people to use, especially role-players. I got Div to join us for a look around, since they do enjoy looking at other folks' bases, as well as building their own. Div left after a while, but Kitten and I kept exploring the base. After a while, some player-versus-player (PVP) stuff started happening in that base. I think being able to do that in bases is new. They asked that folks keep it to an arena they have in the middle. I mostly watched, and tried to help my friends - Jag and Kitten were both fully involved in the PVP. When I left to read to Mom, Kitten insisted we should do something else after dinner. I was happy to agree. {Smile}

   After dinner, I found Kitten teaming with some friends from the base. I joined their team, and we did a few missions together. Then they left, and Kitten and I did a lower-level story arc which contributes to a couple of badges we want. I said goodnight to Nox again, as the went to bed before I got around to starting a conversation. Our RWBY friend came in while Kitten and I were in the middle of that story arc. I hoped we were close to the end, but it turned out we had three more missions. We eventually finished, and my RWBY friend was still there, so we teamed up, chatted a bit, and then squeezed in one mission together before I started my dancing. {Smile}

Daily Update, April 14, 2022

    I called the vet, and mentioned Val isn't eating his medicine well, but they don't have a good alternative, so we're continuing the same treatment. {resigned smile}

   The housekeeper came today, and the house is better for her attentions. Val didn't like her messing up his living room, but we laugh about how he never does. I'm glad our housekeeper understands about pets having their own opinions about things like that. {Smile}

   It was too late to call our former nurse when I remembered a while after dinner, but we had a little text conversation this morning, which was nice. {Smile}

   I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner with Mom and read to her before dinner. Or I tried to. She said she didn't want me to read at first, or sing to her either, so I started with a few pages from _Movie Stars Memory Lane_, which she liked. Then I read scripture and thoughts about it, which she also liked. Next, I read the Easter card I gave her, and a birthday card from church, but she wasn't so sure she felt like hearing them. She wasn't interested in more reading, so I went back to _Movie Stars Memory Lane_ and read the last few pages. I finished up by reading the April 14th story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year, emphasizing the color picture that went with it, since she seemed most interested in pictures today. Mom seemed to like the pictures the best. {Smile}

   I did over 20 minutes of my salsa dancing, both warmup and less structured dancing. I was surprised how tired I was after the second set. {Smile}

   I meant to visit the parishioners in the nursing home, but somehow, I read enough articles and comics, I didn't finish yesterday's daily update until it was almost lunch time, so I think I'll try tomorrow. I don't have physical therapy again until next Wednesday, because my therapist is out this week. {smile}

   After lunch, I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming. Kitten was waiting for a high-level trial to start, and Div had a mission that helps with a badge that actually helps improve the character, so I teamed up with Div. We ran that mission, and a couple more missions after that. Then Kitten joined us, and I think we teamed for one more mission before Div left. We might have run some more after that, then my RWBY came, and we got him to join us for some more missions, taking us to time to read to Mom for me. {Smile}

   After dinner, I read some articles, and got back into City of Heroes: Homecoming. I teamed up with Kitten, who wanted to work on badges, but Phonso invited us to a task force, and I really wanted to do that, so we did. Then Phonso suggested a second task force, which we also did. I said goodnight to Nox after they left for another early night; I wonder if they have another early morning, though that seems less likely on a weekend. Anyway, Phonso left after the second task force, and my RWBY friend came on. We started chatting, and ended up watching a video together before I started my dancing. Kitten picked a My Little Pony video, since they love that series, and it's near their birthday. Then Soothing Darkness joined us, and my RWBY friend led them on a mission while I started my dancing. Then he left, and Kitten, Soothing Darkness, and I have been talking about eh skiing mini-game in City of heroes while Soothing Darkness and Kitten try to improve their record times. I've also been writing this. {Smile}

Daily Update, April 13, 2023

    Today, instead of our usual Zoom appointment, my counselor and I had our appointment over HMSA's Online Care. HMSA is my health insurance, and free is a good bit better copay than what I was paying for the Zoom appointments. We had a good session too. I told how I'm calming down about my future, and we talked about writing possibilities, too. {Smile}

   I also had a nice phone call with our former nurse after dinner. He wants me to call him tomorrow, too. I'm looking forward to that. {Smile}

   I ate lunch and dinner with Mom and read to her before dinner. First, I read scripture and thoughts about it, and next I read the last of her niece's long family Christmas letter from 2022. After that, I read the first several pages of _Movie Stars Memory Lane_. After that, I read the third and fourth stories from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_.  I finished up by reading the April 13th story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom seemed to like it all, especially the picture book She was looking at all the pictures while I read that, so I read a bit more than I planned to at first. {Smile}

   I did over 20 minutes of salsa dancing tonight, with both warmup and less structured dancing. {Smile}

   After lunch, I read comics, catching up on some I've recently had trouble accessing. I figured out that a different browser used a different search engine that wasn't having trouble. Ot was a relief to figure that out. I've been having trouble for a couple of weeks. {Smile}

   After that, I hopped into city of Heroes. I quickly found my RWBY friend, and we started talking. We teamed up, and did one mission before hiding our characters so people wouldn't be disappointed we were unresponsive and started a video call. We read two chapters, with him doing the first, me doing the first part of the second, and him doing the rest of the second, because the second was a lot longer than the first. After that, we teamed up for two more missions while chatting. That took us to time for me to break to read to Mom. {Smile}

   After dinner and the phone call, I hopped back into City of Heroes: Homecoming, and looked around. Not much seemed to be going on, and folks weren't on much, either, so I decided to play solo to get a badge on my second-best badge collector. Once I did that, I looked around for something that would give my best badge collector a missing badge but didn't find it. The I saw a pair of high-level task forces advertised and tried to join. They didn't get many interested, and switched to another, longer task force. I also finally remembered to turn off the hiding. I warned the leader that I didn't have as much time for as i thought, so I needed to start soon. So, we did, even though we had half as many as a team can hold. It went well, though. I also chatted with Nox on the chat server until they went to bed. I also read comics and did a bit of research as well as writing some but not quite all of this up before my own bedtime. {Smile}

Daily Update, April 12, 2023

    Today, my hearing aid's earbud got stuck in my left ear before breakfast. I asked our nurse for help, but he couldn't even see it, so he couldn't take it out, but I could feel it. So I called my audiologist, but he was in Kona across the island today. The secretary suggested urgent care or the hospital emergency room, but it was on the edge of pain, so I didn't care to wait.

   So, after dinner, I went down to urgent care. I think I spent about an hour waiting in line to check in. Then I checked in and waited to be called. When they finally called me, the nurses didn't wait for the doctor, but got a large syringe, and a cup shaped to fit snugly against my head, and squirted syringe after syringe of warm water in my ear. It did push it further out, until it got far enough out, they could take it out with tweezers. The doctor came in and looked, but they'd taken care of it by then. I have the bud, but it's not going back in my ear. I'll just wear my hearing aid without it. I have an appointment with the audiologist for Monday; he can fix it then. {Smile}

   Around lunch, I tried to get my Account with HMSA's online care sorted out, so my counselor and i can use it tomorrow instead of Zoom. I ended up calling HMSA's Online Care's Customer Service line - yes, they have a dedicated number for that, and they helped me get it set up. {Smile]

   I ate dinner with Mom and read to her before that. I started with scripture and thoughts about it, and then read more of her niece's long family Christmas letter from 2022. Next, I read the last few pages of _1950's Fashion in Pictures_. Then I held up the two other picture books I gave her for Easter. She looked at _Movie Stars Memory Lane_, so I read the blurb from that book, and plan to start it tomorrow. After that, I read the introduction and the second story from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_.  I finished up by reading the April 12th story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom seemed to like it all, especially the picture books. {Smile}

   I did 8 1/2 minutes of salsa dancing warmup, but in addition to getting started late, I was tired when it was time to do more if I was going to. I think it was just too big a day, with all the stuff earlier. {resigned smile}

   Around and after lunch I read some comics, too. Then I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming. Div was just leaving but agreed to run one mission with me. He stuck to one when it was short. Then I worked a bit on some badges my two best badge collectors needed. That stopped when my RWBY friend came in. We teamed up and ran a few missions together until I had to read to Mom. {Smile}

   After dinner, I read some more comics, and hopped back into City of Heroes. At first, I just worked on badges on my second-best badger, mostly by myself, but then I started talking with Azurette. Seh showed me some things she was trying out in a test base she has. Then I spotted Phonso, and he invited us to do a Strike Force (a villainous task force). Azurette was game so we joined. It was slow getting going, so I invited the four friends who were on my list as solo. Two refused, and one didn't respond, but they fourth joined us. Recruiting picked up as it filled, and we ran the strike force. I also talked with Nox on the chat server until they left for bed. The strike force got out even later than last night, so I was even later doing my warm-up, but I was also tired, and my balance wasn't as good, either. I looked at articles, but mainly worked on this after the dancing, so it looks like I might actually get it done in time. {Smile}

 

Daily Update, April 11, 2022

    Well, Val threw up this morning, before breakfast. I think I found him just afterwards. So I called the vet right away to let them know. the doctor prescribed an anti-vomiting medication. After breakfast and some article and comic reading, I took Uber down to the veterinarian to get the medicine. I turned in some old medicine he's been taken off of, and they refunded me over twice as much as the new stuff cost... but they only sold me 8 days' worth, and I don't think it's temporary. However, this will help, and it will let me see how it works on him before paying a lot at once.

   I took Uber back and got a much chattier driver than I got on the way down. {Smile}

   I ate dinner with Mom and read to her before that. I started with scripture and thoughts about it, and then read some more of her niece's long family Christmas letter from 2022. Next, I read the card I gave her for Easter again. After that, I read the next few pages of _1950's Fashion in Pictures_. Then I read the blurb and the first story from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. I finished up by reading the April 11th story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom said she liked it, or hoped she did, and seemed particularly interested in the picture book. I think the hoping she did is because I tend to say i hoped she liked it, and it's easier to echo me than come up with new stuff to say. {Smile}

   I did over twenty minutes of salsa dancing, including both warmup and less structured dancing. I was slightly late because the stuff was doing in City of Heroes was late, but not badly so. {Smile}

   I read comics and articles on the net in the morning. Then I finished writing yesterday's daily update over lunch and shared it around. After that, I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming, where I found Kitten ready to team, and my RWBY friend busy with the early long, large group event. Kitten was more interested in doing moderately low-level story arcs, so we did one of those instead. My RWBY friend came free just as we were doing the last mission, so he joined us for the next story arc in the group. That ended barely earlier than I usually break to read to Mom, so we split up there. {Smile}

   Around dinner, I worked a bit on this update. Then I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming and found Kitten busy on a team. So were Azurette and Soothing Darkness. I said hi to all three, and Azurette invited me to a giant monster fight that was half over already. I joined it, and Soothing Darkness invited me to a story arc. I finished the fight first, then went to join Soothing Darkness. Kitten got done with what they were doing and joined us just as we were getting ready to start. We sped through a story arc I've taken days to do... it was a challenge to get into each mission before they finished, but they made sure we did on the last couple, where the credit for getting particular enemies happens. I already had them on the character I was on... I kind of wish I'd realized before we started, so I could find a character who needed that, but maybe I'll remember to check next time. {Smile}

   Nox said goodnight surprisingly early, but they had something they had to go to early tomorrow morning. After that story arc, Soothing Darkness, Kitten and I ran the next fairly low-level story arc. We were going to do another, but Soothing Darkness spotted a contact none of us remembered actually doing the content of. She didn't like the introduction enough to want credit for it but tagged along when I wanted to start it. My RWBY friend came on and joined us in the second mission or so. there were four or five mission in all, and we actually managed to do them all before I started my salsa dancing just slightly late. then I wrote this up, and I chatted with both Kitten and my RWBY friend around the dancing and the writing. {Smile}

Daily Update, April 10, 2023

    Today, I did a bunch of work that had piled up. First, I called my credit union, Hawai'i Federal and State Federal Credit Union, and juggled money in my accounts. Then I paid a bill. I called the vet about Val not eating well while taking a new medication but didn't get instructions about what to do. Then i called my dentist when it looked like I'd just missed an appointment, but apparently, I hadn't gotten down a change in time. I took down the time they had me down for later this month instead. {Smile}

   I ate dinner with Mom and read to her before dinner. I read scripture and thoughts about it, and then some of her niece's long family Christmas letter from 2022. Next, I read the card I gave her yesterday for Easter. After that, I read the next few pages of _1950's Fashion in Pictures_. I finished up by reading the April 10th story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom said she liked it and seemed particularly interested in the picture book. {Smile}

   I read comics and articles around the phone calls and other chores in the morning and hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming around three in the afternoon. There, I found Kitten and my RWBY friend, and the three of us teamed up. We did a series of missions until it was time to read to Mom. {Smile}

   I didn't get around to writing up yesterday's daily update until around dinnertime. I tried writing up some in the late afternoon and before I read to Mom, but the computer lost most of that. So, I rewrote the part I lost, finished the rest, and shared it around after dinner. {Smile}

   I didn't go into city of Heroes: Homecoming after dinner until yesterday's daily update was done and shared. There, I started a giant monster team when I found a giant monster. I continued with three more giant monsters, two of which can be summoned, and the third is easy to find. Phonso joined us for the last two. He meant to join for only the last one, but he came to help with the second to the last when I found we had a bit too few, and advertised for more. I advertised for more with the last, too, and Kitten joined us for the last one. Then Phonso wanted to do a task force. Most left, but Phonso, Kitten, and I stayed, as did a player named ThornRune. I also chatted with Nox while running the task force. Thankfully, the chat server lets us chat slowly while doing other things. After the task force, Kitten, Thorn rune, and I stayed. ThornRune and I established contact so we may keep in touch. Also, the three of use worked on some badges. We got a few, then tried a story arc to get some more, but it didn't get as many as we hoped. When it got too close to bedtime, we agreed to try again. {Smile}

Daily Update, April 9, 2023

    Today was Sunday, so I called Uber, and went down to church. The driver was okay about it being Easter, but really excited that it was the kick-off day for the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, so we talked mostly about that. {Smile}

   I made it to church well into the service, but still before the section with the communion had even started. It was during the Prayers of the People, if that means anything to you. What I saw of it was a nice service. {Smile}

   I stayed after church for lunch, eating with Auntie Barbara and Scott. It was Scott's last church service before leaving for the mainland (USA) for the summer. He'll be back next winter unless something happens. That's his schedule. {Smile}

   Next, Auntie Barbara offered to take me home, if I didn't mind if she stopped at Island Naturals on the way. This sounded particularly good to me, because I still hadn't gotten back to get more dried cranberries. So we went, and I got some dried cranberries, and some candied ginger, too. Then she took me home, and we both went inside. Auntie Barbara wanted to visit with Mom and tried singing with her. Mom was happy sing, so Auntie Barbara, Mom, and I sang four songs together. That was really nice. {Smile}

   Auntie Barbara suggested it was a good day to call Aunt Valerie, Mom's youngest sister, so I did try after she left. However, Aunt Valerie didn't answer, and her mailbox was full, so I couldn't even leave a message. So next, I tried to call Mom's niece, Kim, Aunt Valerie's daughter. She answered, and we started chatting. I told her about Mom having a good day and asked if she wanted to talk to Mom. She said yes, so I did try. Mom listened when Kim talked, but she wouldn't talk back. So, I took the phone back after a while, and Kim and I chatted a fair bit more before we hung up. {Smile}

   I ate dinner with Mom and read to her before dinner. Before reading, I gave her the Easter presents I'd gotten her: some artificial sunflowers, and four books: 100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors, Music Star (1940-1960) Memory Lane, Movie Stars Memory Lane, and 1950's Fashion in Pictures. Then I read scripture and thoughts about it, and then some of her niece's long family Christmas letter from 2022. Next, I read the first several pages of _1950's Fashion in Pictures_. I finished up by reading the April 9th story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom said she liked it all. After all that, I found a card, and wrote to wish her a Happy Easter, and tell her how much I enjoyed the time I spent with her today. {Smile}

   I did all five head exercises, though I almost let it go too late to do them. Still, I did get them done, just like my therapist wanted me to. {Smile}

   I went into City of Heroes: Homecoming after my phone call with Kim. I found Div on, and my RWBY friend came on shortly. The three of us teamed up and did a few missions that my RWBY friend and I had been working on. Then Div left, and my RWBY friend and I finished the story arc together and did another mission that followed. The I discovered that I hadn't finished the arc, only my RWBY friend did. I hadn't called in one mission, so I still had the last mission to go. I noticed Shen Dragon on, and invited him to join us, especially since this mission is one many like to get because it's one of a few that open access to certain powers. It took the three of us two tries, because the first time, some of my settings made the final boss too tough for us. I noticed that they were tougher than when we did my RWBY friend's mission, despite other settings of mine being lower. I fixed the settings, and the three of us got it without too much trouble the next time through. {Smile}

   After dinner, I read a few comics, and hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming again. I did the paperwork that had piled up with our earlier play. Then I did a "pick-up" task force with folks I didn't know that I saw being advertised when I looked around for someone to team with or something to do. Next, I worked on the paperwork that had made until Phonso came on and invited me to do a different task force. I did that, and it was a long one. By the end, I was ready to write up this update, but somehow, I did paperwork and read some comics instead. I'd missed my chance to talk to Nox by being too caught up in the second task force, and I didn't finish this until after dinner the next day, because of how that day went.

Daily Update, April 8, 2023

    Today, i took Uber over to Life Care Center. The driver wasn't chatty, so I enjoyed the scenery on the way over. There, I had a nice session. I explained about not having an appointment, and my therapist pretty much said they have this problem a lot. I had a good session, as well as a nice chat with my therapist. I took Uber back home. This driver a bit chattier, but not a lot. {Smile}

   I ate Breakfast and dinner with Mom and read to her before dinner. I read scripture and thoughts about it and then some of her niece's long family Christmas letter from 2022. Next, I read "Frog Goes Exploring," about a frog who built a boat and floated down the river to a pond. He realized the journey was more important than the destination. Then I read "The Cowardly Lion," about a lion who hated to fight, but saved a puppy and the jungle from a fire. Both of those stories were from 365 Animal Stories and Rhymes. I finished up by reading the April 8th story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom said she hoped she liked it all. {Smile}

   I didn't do any exercise beyond physical therapy, unless you count a small chore. {Smile}

   I read comics and articles over lunch when I got back, then hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming, where I found Div. We teamed up for a few missions. They left earlier than yesterday, but they usually do. They said they'd been playing all day, so I understand wanting a break. After they left, i got busy with paperwork in the game until I noticed it was just about time to read to Mom. {Smile}

   After supper, I read a few long comics, then hopped into the game. I found more paperwork and joined a pair of high-level task forces. then a little more paperwork before my RWBY friend came on. We did a mission or two together before Phonso invited us to do the same high-level task forces I'd done earlier. I was on a different character who needed them, so when my RWBY friend wasn't initially interested, I asked if we could do it, promising to come back. Phonso's went pretty weel, but at the end, my RWBY friend headed off to bed. I continued with paperwork and started talking to Nox on the chat server. Taht went well. I felt like it made up for missing our chats so much this week, at least partly. When they left for bed, I got into exploring comics, and trying to research something for my writing, and then writing this. {Smile}

Daily Update, April 7, 2023

    Today, I took Uber to Hale Anuenue Restorative Care Center, a nursing home across the street from the hospital. I'd gone there with Auntie Barbara last week to visit our dear family friend. This time, I went to visit Anita and our dear family friend, who are both there now. I tried to take palm crosses and palm leaves from Sunday, which was Palm Sunday, but I lost one of the leaves. So, I gave Anita a palm cross, as a little piece of church coming to her when she couldn't go there. I stayed... I don't know how long. Long to have a fairly wide-ranging conversation about a few different things. I learned she likes to read religious stuff, mostly. {Smile}

   Next, I walked across the hall to visit our dear family friend, since she was just across and down a door. It was a different room than last time. A gal was there already, giving our dear family friend some presents she'd brought. I recognized her last name and told her how she got Dad's family going to our church, though most of the other kids left as adults. I stayed and gave her the palm leaf and two palm crosses, which she loved. We talked, and I learned she likes religious stuff not-too-violent stories. One of her daughters came in, and left to check on her sister, who is in the same nursing home. Then a fellow from church came in, and the three of us visited a while before I to go home to a distinctly late lunch. {Smile}

   I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner with Mom and read to her before dinner. I read scripture and thoughts about it and then some of her niece's long family Christmas letter from 2022. Then, I read a little bit from Cotillion by Georgette Heyer. Next, I read "The Billy Goats Gruff" from 365 Animal Stories and Rhymes. I finished up by reading the April 7th story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom said she liked it all. {Smile}

   I did over 20 minutes of salsa dancing, including both warm-up and less structured dancing. This was on top of the walking I did at the nursing home. {Smile}

   I read a few comics in the morning, before going to the nursing home. Then after lunch, I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming, and found Div. I've often missed them this week. I got a character close to Div's current level, and we teamed up, and started doing missions. Then Euclidean came in, and we started talking. They were lower, but I checked with them and Div, and they joined us, too. (City of Heroes has a system that lets disparate levels team up. The Heroes call it Sidekicking and Exemplaring.) We actually kept going for several missions, for this turned out to be quite the congenial group. We only broke up when it was time for me to go read to Mom. {SMILE}

   After dinner, I hopped back into City of Heroes: Homecoming, and found my RWBY friend. We started chatting, and teamed up for a couple of missions, which we did in a way where we both got full credit. Then he had to go to bed, but we actually talked a bit on Facebook Messenger before parting fully. Then I joined a Giant Monster hunting team and helped them take down a giant Monster. It looked for a few more, then half left before I talked them into trying one more. It's a little trickier than some, but I think it's fun. they got me to lead it, and I recruited more. We started with four folks, and ended with around a dozen, which is a nice number for that one. Then I broke early but slipped in a short story arc just before starting my salsa dancing. I said goodnight to Nox on the chat server, again missing chatting earlier. {Smile}

Daily Update, April 6, 2023

    Today involved a bunch of phone calls. First, I called Life Care Center, since late last night I found a message about me mission my appointment yesterday. I got them easily with the number given and confirmed that I can use that number in the future. I also explained that I didn't have appointment yesterday written down for them and did find out the rest of the appointments this month. This Saturday, then skip a week because the therapist will be unavailable. Then Wednesday and Saturday appointments for the rest of the month. {Smile}

   Next, I called the Vet, and after some confusion, managed to explain that he'd thrown up Monday and Tuesday, and used the box a lot Tuesday, then not much Wednesday, and then he was back to normal. If nothing goes bad again, they say to start him with the next medicine tomorrow. {Smile} 

   I left another message for my doctor, and their office finally called me back. They asked about my symptoms, and determined a yeast infection matched them better than a UTI. They're going to prescribe medicine for me to treat it, but for now, they'll continue the medicine which lists infections as a side effect. {smile}

   I ate lunch and dinner with Mom and read to her before dinner. I read scripture and thoughts about it and continued with three cards, from church, a friend, and a nephew for assorted holidays. Then, I read some from Cotillion by Georgette Heyer. I finished up by reading the April 6th story from 366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year. Mom said she liked it, though it looked like she'd fallen asleep during Cotillion. {Smile}

   I did do some salsa dancing today, since my leg seems to be recovered. I did 8 1/2 minutes of warmup, and over 10 minutes of less structured dancing. Did didn't do more because I started late and ran out of time. Besides, my legs tired a little faster than usual. I wonder if that's related to yesterday's cramp. {SMILE}

   I read a few comics and some articles between phone calls and after lunch. Then I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming and found my RWBY friend already waiting for the early long, large-group event. I joined it, too, and we ran it together. He hoped he gained the level need to start the really exciting content, but he was just shy of that. Still, he got a power exciting enough, he wanted to run a mission immediately to try it out. So, we did, and we were both quite impressed with that power. He really likes it. Then we shifted to a video call so we could read a couple more chapters of Cursed Princess Club. I notice the chapters each cover more of the story than the issues online, as well as having more detailed pictures and more complex panel layouts. It doesn't have the background music it has if you read it on a phone, but I like to read it on my computer, with the larger screen, and that doesn't have the music anyway. After the comic, we went back onto City of Heroes: homecoming, and joined Kitten for a low-level story arc. Then all three of us joined an April Fool's Raid. That took me up to time to read to Mom. {Smile}

   After dinner, I went back into city of Heroes: Homecoming. There, I got together with Kitten, and they helped me do a story arc I needed for a badge. I also started talking with someone who goes by Euclidean. They'd been away, and just returned. i told them about the April Fool's Event, whose raids are supposed to end tomorrow. They asked us to help them with a low-level big-bad, then all three of us joined a couple of April Fool's raids, the second of which was why I started my exercises late. {Smile}