Daily Update, June 27, 2023

    Well, I called Alan the Uber and Lyft driver who's taken Val to the vet, to reserve a ride for Thursday. Except he's going to be on O'ahu until late next week. So, I called the vet to talk about medicine... and yeah, they want to see him before they start his heart medication. I'm pretty sure he needs more. He started breathing heavily when they took him off it, and he's having more trouble getting around. I don't really want to wait until next week Friday - the next day both Alan and I should be free. I am nervous about taking him just by calling Uber; I don't think every driver is happy about having a pet in their car, though some have assured me they'd do it if he was in a carrier, which he will be. I'm not trying to carry him around without one outside - too easy for him to get away. So, the vet assured me that I won't get a cancellation charge if i do have reschedule at the last moment due to a lack of a ride. They also assured me I could bring him early or late that day, and they'd fit him in, just not during their lunch break. {bite lips} I went to bed thinking this is as good a safety net as I'm going to get for trying Uber with a pet. {bite lips} but the next day, i thought of asking friends for help. I'll explain more in the next update. {Smile}

   I had dinner with Mom and read to her before that. I read scripture and thoughts about it first. I continued with a Christmas Card from her niece, and a card from her cousin, and another Christmas card from her cousin's granddaughter. Next, started reading _Authentic Everyday Dress of the Renaissance_. I showed her the pictures, reading the short captions underneath them. She didn't respond as much as she often does, so I'm tempted to change to something else, but I'm not sure yet. Then, I read "Maine Dog Missing Five Days Found Alive in Snowbank," from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. The dog was found five pounds lighter, but otherwise healthy in a place they'd searched earlier in the search for her. Then I finished with the June 27th story, or rather poem, "Three Pink Pigs," about three pink piglets who didn't take their sunhats with them to the beach like their mother told them and got very sunburned. They tried to cover their sunburns with flour. It was from _366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year_. Mom enjoyed what I read to her, and also the pictures I showed her. {Smile}

   I did over 25 minutes of salsa dancing before lunch. Yes, that early I was winded after the second set, and a bit winded after the last piece, so I figured enough was a enough. Then I did my walking exercises and started my arm swinging exercises after dinner. However, my shoulder started twinging enough on the fourth exercise, I thought I'd better stop. I'll see what my therapist recommends and do that in the future when this happens again. I really should have done my head exercises, and a couple of arm exercises that use the shoulder minimally, but it's too late now. {rueful smile}

   I read comics over and after lunch. Then I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming around the middle of the afternoon. I started with paperwork and talked to bowlofdro and Soothing Darkness. I learned they'd be doing a task force one of my characters needed. I waited for them to be ready on another character, working on a badge with her. i figured I could switch to the character I wanted when they were ready. Soothing Darkness invited the character I was on to the team, then handed it to bowlofdro. I switched, returning to find him giving my spot to someone else, though I was just gone the moment I had to be while switching characters. He didn't realize I'd left the team to switch. He tried to give me my space, but before I could even explain that ruined my chance to play with him, someone else must have left, because he invited me. We ran the TF, and my character got the rewards I wanted for her. Perogies came on partway through. When it was over, I joined him for a couple of hunts. They were all I had time for before reading to Mom. {Smile}

   After dinner and the exercises, I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming. I started with paperwork and solo play. Mollymauk, the fellow who runs the strike force I often run late at night, invited me to a Roman task force with all one kind of character. I found one character of the type who was pretty maxed out and ran it with the team he got together. Then we repeated that task force with all of another kind of character I didn't have a maxed-out character of that type, but Molly said my highest was good enough. Then we switched to the usual late-night strike force and did two runs with mixed groups. I ran it both times, on character I often bring to it. Afterwards, I chatted with Owl Girl a little. She answered a question I had as best she could and directed me to a group of Mollymauk's that might know more. I checked with the group, did some paperwork, and started writing this, switching to making notes to write it up from the next day when I realized how late it had gotten. {Smile}