Daily Update, March 27, 2023

    Today I had physical therapy, so a bit after breakfast, I called Uber and got Cody, a driver I've ridden with several times. He was in a particularly chatty mood, so we chatted all the way over. {Smile}

   Physical therapy went great. I think my therapist and i were both a bit surprised when he passed my double fast turns in the same direction as safe to do at home. I was expecting it to take a little longer to get down, and I think he was too. My double fast turns where I reverse direction were better, too, but he still wants to watch when I do them, I don't think he actually steadied me, but he reached out in case a few times. So, I'll keep working on them. Maybe I'll get them, too. {Smile}

   I called Uber and got a different driver on the way back. He was less chatty, but not a lot less chatty. {Smile}

   I came back to see our housekeeper busy cleaning the house, which was great. It is so much better for her attentions. {Smile}

   I had a nice, chatty call with Auntie Barbara after supper. We're planning to meet at church, sit together, and such. {Smile}

   I had dinner with Mom and read to her before that. I read scripture and thoughts about it first and continued with more from her niece's long family letter from 2019. Then I finished reading and showing Mom pictures from _Memories 1950's_. Next, I read "Nine-Year-Old Collects Cans and Donates Proceeds, All on His Own" from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. I finished with the May 27th story from _366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year_. Mom said she liked what I read to her, and she seemed interested in the pictures, especially the fashion and movie star pictures. {Smile}

   No exercise today beyond my physical therapy. That was a lot right there. {Smile}

   I read a sample beginning of a kids' novel I found on Amazon over and after lunch. Then I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming. There, I found Perogies farming, and met a new character of his on a brand-new second account, though I didn't realize it was a second account at first. We chatted, and then Kitten came into the game and joined us. Then Azurette invited us to tour her base through Perogies, so we went. She's really done some nice work on it, though she admitted to me afterwards she was frustrated with us running all over the place. I need to remember she wants to guide the tours; Div prefers to let visitors find things for themselves. This tour took us all the way up to time to read to Mom, and when it did, Perogies left for bed, too. {Smile}

   After dinner, I hopped onto City of Heroes: Homecoming, and found Azurette teamed up with someone, and no one else around. I tried talking to her, but she was busy base building... or base decorating, as she explained later. So I dropped a note on the chat server, letting Kitten know I was online, and tried to do some paperwork, and find something to get into like last night. Then Kitten came in, and we did a midlevel story arc together. Just as we were finishing, Perogies came in. We got together a bit after that, then I noticed that Owl Girl was leading a giant monster team, so we joined, and ended up making it a league. that did help a character of mine who needed a prize most giant monsters drop. Then it went down to one team - though that was by one person leaving to make room for Perogies. We ran a couple of missions, and Owl Girl left, and Perogies's new account joined for a couple more. Then the team broke up, and Kitten, Perogies and I chatted a bit before first Perogies then Kitten left for bed, giving me time to do some paperwork and finish this update. {Smile}

Daily Update, May 26, 2023

    This morning, after breakfast, I finished writing up yesterday's daily update. Then, instead of looking at comics or anything, I called up a story that's mostly done, and started looking it over, meaning to work on revising it in hopes of getting it where I can be happy trying to publish it. I got as far as reading the first scene and into the second, and realized I wanted a notebook that I'd been keeping track of the characters and other details in. Somehow searching for that took me up to lunch time, but I eventually did find it, so I can use it in the future. At least I've started working on it again. So help me, I'm a little proud of that. {Smile}
   I had breakfast, lunch, and dinner with Mom and read to her before dinner. I started with scripture and thoughts about it, and continued with more from her niece's long family letter from 2019. Then continued reading and showing Mom pictures from _Memories 1950's_. Next, I read "Get That Styrofoam Out of the Big Apple!" from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. Then I finished with the May 26th story from _366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year_. Mom said she liked what I read to her, and she seemed interested in the pictures. {Smile}
   I did my walking, arm swinging, arm weight training, and head exercises. I did them right after dinner, before getting into City of Heroes: Homecoming, so I could concentrate on them and get them all out of the way quickly. {Smile}
   I read a few comics in the morning, but not many. Then I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming after lunch. I saw Perogies and a few other friends in an MSR, but Kitten seemed to be solo. They were responding slowly and admitted to being tired. They still wanted to team, and as we were starting, Perogies came to join us. So, we restarted to team up with them, too. Then Azurette asked for help while we were doing our first mission, so we got out and joined her just as she was getting ready to solo because I was so busy checking with them, I forgot to tell her we were coming. We debated what to do afterwards. Kitten went off on their own, and Perogies and I joined Azurette in another story arc that sort of follows this, but pretty indirectly. Perogies left after a while, and Azurette and I finished the arc. Then she left, too, and I did some paperwork until it was closer to time to read to Mom. I started slightly earlier than usual, but not really early. {Smile}
   After dinner, I did my exercises and then hopped back into City of Heroes. None of the folks I usually team up with were on... well Azurette, but she left pretty quickly, and no one else came on for a while. So, I started checking the Looking For Group channel, and sooner spotted a low-level task force being advertised. It earns credits, which one character is trying to do, so I joined it on her, and did the sequel afterwards, with much of the same team. We had a new player who needed some extra guidance. I tried, and so did some of the others. I hope we helped them. I also added a different player to my list of friends in game... we'll see if we start playing together. Their handle is Arctic Hawk. After that, I did some paperwork and chatted with Nox for a while. After they left, I did more paperwork and started writing up my daily update. Then Perogies came back, and we chatted as he set up some low maintenance play. We chatted a lot, but I seem to be managing to finish writing this up, though not with much time to spare. {Smile}

Daily Update, March 25, 2022

    Today, I had an online counselling session at 9:30, half an hour early. It began when I was only half done with breakfast. However, just when we started, I got a phone call. It was my doctor's office. The doctor was feeling pick himself, so they needed to reschedule the appointment that had pushed this counselling session earlier. We tentatively rescheduled it, and I called back after the session to confirm that I didn't have a conflict with the time, since my main calendar is on my phone, and it doesn't let me check these things without hanging up. {Smile}

   The counselling session went well. My counsellor was pleased with some developments, and really, so am I. {Smile}

   I got a phone call from our former nurse before dinner. That was nice. I had a short one yesterday that I forgot to mention, but it mainly promised a longer call today, and yes, it was longer - long enough to catch up a bit with what we've both been doing. {Smile}

   I had lunch and dinner with Mom and read to her before dinner. I started with scripture and thoughts about it, and then read more from her niece's long family letter from 2019. Then started reading and showing Mom pictures from _Memories 1950's_. Next, I read "Irish Teen Wins Science Contest Revealing Fake Videos," from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. Then I finished with the May 24th story from _366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year_. Mom said she liked what I read to her, and the pictures, too. {Smile}

   I did my head exercises, which are the only ones my therapist wants me to do the day after physical therapy. {Smile}

   I read comics before and after lunch, then hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming. There, I saw Perogies and some other friends. Perogies and I chatted slowly as I did some paperwork. Then I realized some of my friends, including Perogies, must be in the early long, large group event, so I joined it. I hoped to team up with Perogies afterwards, but Perogies disappeared. So, I soloed on the character I'd soloed on yesterday, working on more badges. I actually did get another badge, but somehow the badge it also contributes to didn't note that I had it. I reported the problem but got no response. Perogies came back on, and we teamed up on the villains again. We finished the story arc we'd done the first mission for yesterday. that almost took me to time to read to Mom, so we chatted while I did something particularly simple. {Smile}

   After dinner, I hopped back into City of Heroes: Homecoming, and found Darkthough1 on. We started to team up, and Perogies came back on and joined us. Perogies wanted to work on a villain, so Dark and I got villains a bit lower than earlier. We started a story arc both Dark's and my characters could get. Perogies left a few missions in. Then Mistress Aegis joined Darkthough1 and me, and we finished the story arc. Then we chatted until they left for bed. I also chatted with Nox for a while until they went to bed. I then soloed on the character I'd played in the evening until I wrote the first part of this, and made notes for the rest, while doing a little more soloing than I really had time for. I really need to watch that. {rueful smile}

Daily Update, May 24, 2023

    Today I had physical therapy, so I called Uber, and dashed inside to grab a book I'd need, because the car they found was three minutes away, and I'd called 3/4ers of an hour early in case the car was 20 minutes away instead. I got a reasonably chatty driver, so the ride over was pleasant. {Smile}
   I waited until our actual time to start. because my therapist didn't come in until then, which is fair enough. I had a nice session, and a nice talk with the therapist, both about therapy, and other things. He asked about my writing, since I've mentioned some that I want to get ready for publication. I really need to get back to working on that. {Smile}
   Then I called Uber, and another driver took me home. He was pleasant enough, though I don't think he was as chatty as the one on the way over. {Smile}
   I had dinner with Mom and read to her before that. First, I read scripture and thoughts about it, and continued with more from her niece's long family letter from 2019. Then I finished reading and showing her pictures in _Memories 1940s_. There weren't as many pages left as I thought, so I continued with the front and back covers of its sequel, _Memories 1950's_. Next, I read "Youth Prefer Watching Earth Programs to X Factor," from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. Then I finished with the May 24th story from _366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year_. Mom said she liked what I read to her, and the pictures, too, at least when we got past the sports page. Ball players just aren't her thing, but the next page was fashion, which she showed distinctly more interest in.  {Smile}
   No exercise beyond my physical therapy today. {Smile}
   I read comics over lunch, and a while after that, too. Then I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming. I found Perogies, and we chatted, then teamed up on a couple of our villains. Well, villain is a strong word for my character. She's just the product of a corrupt foster care system who learned to watch out for her own interests because nobody else was doing so in there and isn't too concerned about whether that involves breaking a law on occasion. I think we ran around 3 missions before he had to leave. At that point, I only had half an hour or so before reading to Mom, so I did some badge collecting on the character I was on until it was time. {Smile}
   After dinner, I hopped back into City of Heroes: Homecoming, and found Darkthough1 and Mistress Aegis. they didn't want to stay as long as they have been doing, so we teamed up, finished a story arc we'd been working on, and chatted until we lef.t Then I worked on paperwork, first on the character I'd been teaming with them on, and then on a character who is working on a project that involves a lot of paperwork. After that, I went back to my former foster child, and got a few badges that together got a badge that improves her abilities. Then I started working on the last badge like that - there are four, and she already had two - but I have more to do with that. {Smile}

Daily Update, May 23, 2023

    It was another quiet day. I thought about going out, but I've got physical therapy tomorrow, and online counselling and a doctor's appointment Thursday, so I will be getting out this week. {Smile}
   I had dinner with Mom and read to her before that. I read scripture and thoughts about it first, and more from her niece's long family letter from 2019 next. then I showed her more pictures in _Memories 1940s_. After that, I read "Colorado Granddad Comes Out of the Closet at Age 90," from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. He first admitted in the memoirs he wrote when the pandemic started, and then shared it online, too. I finished with the May 23rd story from _366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year_. Mom said she liked what I read to her, and the pictures, too.  {Smile}
   I did my walking, head, and arm weight training exercises. I also did over 20 minutes of salsa dancing. I just got started to late to do more, with the pauses I need between sets. {Smile}
   I read comics in the morning and over lunch. then I hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming and found Perogies on. Perogies was slow responding. Then I realized he was in the early long, large-group event. I picked a character and did get into the zone, but the league was full, so I had to tag along solo. I hoped a spot would open up, but none did. Perogies and I teamed up afterwards, and Kitten came in and joined us. We worked on that badge, since Perogies picked yet another character who needed it. Then Perogies's mouse died, so he left for dinner, saying he'd try to fix it after dinner. So Kitten and I switched characters and ran a story arc that helped with a different badge. About the time we finished, Darkthough1 came on and joined us for a couple of not-too-long missions before I left to read to Mom a little later than usual. {Smile}
   After dinner, I hopped back into City of Heroes: Homecoming, and found Darkthough1, Mistress Aegis, and Kitten all on and active. We teamed up and did some talk missions in preparation for a story arc. Then Phonso came on and invited us to join a task force. We did, switching characters as appropriate, and when it was done, he ran the same task force on a different character, which we ran open the same characters, despite rewards being lower for a repeat. I got a little chat with Nox in on the chat server, too. Then that team split up, and we tried the mission we'd been planning to do before. However, we could not find the last character or characters we were supposed to rescue. by then Kitten was unresponsive, so it was tricky to abandon that mission, but I hope I figured it out. If not, we'll work things out one way or another. The search, abandoning the mission, and saying goodnight took us into my salsa dance time, though the other exercises I did got slipped in earlier. That is why I didn't do more than 20 minutes of salsa dancing. However, Perogies came back on just as we were saying goodnight, and said good morning, since he was still waking up. {Smile}

Daily Update, May 22, 2023

    Today, I stayed home and took it easy, pretty much. No outings, visitors, or even special phone calls. {Smile}

   I had dinner with Mom and read to her before that. First, scripture and thoughts about it, and next come more from a niece's long family letter from 2019. After that I started showing her the pictures in _Memories 1940s_. Mom responded a bit more, but not like with the fashion, Vogue covers, and maye pictures of cats. Then I read "Turkish Mom reads to Blind Daughter, and then Gets Honorary Degree," from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. She helped her daughter, who's vision is impaired, with reading and writing for four years she needed to get a bachelor's degree. Then I finished with the May 22nd story from _366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year_. Mom said she liked what I read to her, and the pictures, too.  {Smile}

   I did my head, arm swinging, arm weight training, and walking exercises, which are what are wanted two days after physical therapy. {Smile}

   I read comics in the morning and over lunch and hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming after lunch. I found both Kitten and Perogies on, and we teamed up to help Perogies get a badge that would actually improve his character. Most don't, but this one does. It involves getting a few simpler badges. We got the easy ones, and worked on the hard two until it was time to read to Mom. My character - who had four of the five needed already - got the last one, and Perogies got a lot closer. Even kitten's newest character already had it, so they were just tagging along and helping for general rewards. {Smile}

   After dinner, I hopped back into City of Heroes: Homecoming. I found Darkthough1, Mistress Aegis, Kitten, and Azurette on. Azurette didn't respond, but the others did. Phonso came on while we were getting going, and immediately invited me and my friends to a Strike Force and a Task Force. Kitten thought they'd join, but then decided they'd better go sleep, because they were just too tired to make it through, especially after a busy weekend. Darkthough1 did join us. Owl girl was already there when we got there. Phonso filled the team, and we ran the first one. We lost one along the way but finished nicely. Then some left, and Phonso filled the team again, so we could run the second. We really had trouble towards the end, until we followed Phonso's directions more carefully. Then we finally got it. After that, Phonso and most of the others left. Darkthough1, one new person and I stayed and talked for a while. Then the new one planned to be absent for a while. Darkthough1 and I left that team, switching characters to team up with Mistress Aegis to do a few more missions. Then we chatted until they went to bed. I also said goodnight to Nox. We missed a chance to talk beyond that again. I also chatted with Azurette, who finally responded to my hello hours earlier. She'd been busy making a piano in a supergroup base. After Darkthough1 and Mistress Aegis left, I went to visit to admire it, and we chatted a fair bit before we broke up, her to bed, and me to my walking exercises. {Smile}

Daily Update, May 21, 2023

    Well, I went to church, even though the service started at 9 am, and I didn't get out until 9:40 am due in part to a hard to shell egg. The Uber driver was 10 minutes away, and nicely chatty on the way down. I got there after holy communion had started but was able to sit down before they got to my row, so I was able to go up normally and get communion, at least. {Smile}

   I got lunch and had some trouble finding a place to eat it. They expected us to eat in a tent on the grass, and my balance doesn't like the grass, though their lawn is hard enough packed, it's not impossible, at least. But AJ and another got me a chair on the patio, between the tables of the ministry fair. AJ offered to take me home and was ready to go while I was still looking at the tables. i tried to be efficient in getting stuff from the rest of the tables. Fortunately, at the first table, a friend showed me a thick folder full of the plan and said it should be good at figuring things out. also, I found a warm reception at the choir's table, but I'll have to wait until Labor Day to join. Next week is their last week before summer break, but they plan to return for Labor Day. the gal who I was talking to even offered to take me home if I couldn't find another ride, which is very reassuring when I'm out after dark. So I'll talk to the organist sometime during the summer about joining. {Smile}

   AJ and his mom took me home when I was done, but not before we'd been shown some old pictures a friend had set up, including one of Dad, and one of AJ when he was distinctly younger. {Grin}

   Oh, and our main nurse is so impressed with our plumber/handyman, he got their number from me today. {Smile}

   I had dinner with Mom and read to her before that. I started with scripture and thoughts about it, then continued with a bit from a niece's long family letter from 2019, followed by this year's Mother's Day card from her sister. Next, I finished showing her the pictures in _The Picture Book of Vintage Vogue_. It has pictures of Vogue Magazine covers from when they were all a particular style of painting. Mom seemed to perk up, and said a few times that she liked particular pictures, so I didn't stop as soon as I expected, but covered the rest. Then I read "A man Helps Grandma Fight Dementia with Jelly Drops," from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. They help with hydration when dementia makes folks forget to drink enough. Then I finished with the May 20th story from _366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year_. Mom said she liked what I read to her, and particularly liked the Vogue Magazine covers.  {Smile}

   I did my head exercises, which is all that's asked the day after physical therapy. {Smile}

   After getting home and assuring our main nurse that I really had had an early lunch, I read some comics. Then I hopped into City of Heroes homecoming, checked some badges, and found Perogies on. We teamed up and ran a few missions together. Then they wanted to watch a science fiction movie together, called _Arrival_. We got roughly halfway through when I asked to stop and continue another day. it's giving me a lot to think about, and I think I got enough from the first half for one day. After that, we chatted a while, until he left for bed. I did some paperwork and read some more comics to fill the half hour left before I read to Mom. {Smile}

   After dinner, I hopped into City of Heroes. Not finding anyone, i read some more comics, even catching up on some my computer was having trouble finding. Then I noticed Darkthough1 and Mistress Aegis had come on. We chatted, and teamed up to do several mission, finishing one story arc and getting well into another. Then Phonso invited us to a task force. We debated, continuing what we were doing for a while, then Darkthough1 and I joined. Phonso did not get more interest than us two, and the others weren't interested in a small task force, so we gave up. Mistress Aegis and I stayed in the area, chatitng, while Phonso went elsewhere, though we didn't bother to disband the team. Then Darkthough1 and I commented when we noticed three other characters standing near the contact, which some people will do when they want a more popular task force. Phonso came back and found one of them eager to join. Another disappeared, and the third didn't join us. We started recruiting, and finally got enough interest for Phonso to be happy running it. Darkthough1 and I talked a bit during the task force, and more afterwards, until I went to fed Val, and discovered I'd forgotten to give him his last feeding. no wonder he acted hungry! Well, I fixed that with a snack when I headed to bed. Darkthough1 left while I was feeding Val, so I worked on paperwork, read more comics, and wrote much of this until bed, making notes to cover the part I hadn't finished writing up. {Smile}

Daily Update, May 20, 2023

    Today I finally got back t physical therapy. I called Uber not long before leaving the house, I thought, but found them waiting in the driveway for me. I don't think they were waiting long, though, and they took me right over to Life Care Center. We had a nice talk on the way, too. {Smile}
   I enjoyed physical therapy, and catching up with my therapist, talking about this and that. Adn he passed my half circle taps for home use! I didn't expect that quite this soon. We'll still use them in therapy. They seem to help my double turns and makes the dancing a lot more interesting. {Smile}
   I had a different driver take me home. He wasn't quite as chatty, but still nice. {Smile}
   I had breakfast and dinner with Mom and read to her before dinner. I started with scripture and thoughts about it, then continued with a Christmas card from her cousin's granddaughter, followed by this year's Mother's Day card from her sister. Next, I started reading - or showing her the pictures in, since there aren't any captions - in _The Picture Book of Vintage Vogue_. It has pictures of Vogue Magazine covers from when they were all a particular style of painting. Mom said a few times how much she enjoyed this. Then I read "Kellogg's Turns Rejected Cornflakes into Beer," from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. Apparently, Kellogg's has teamed up with an English Brewery to use some of the too large, too small and overcooked cornflakes in beer. Then I finished with the May 19th story from _366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year_. Mom said she liked what I read to her, and particularly liked the Vogue Magazine covers.  {Smile}
   No exercise today beyond my physical therapy. I'm a bit relieved to finally get a night off again. {Smile}
   After lunch, the plumber came. Replacing the bad tube and unclogging the drain were easy. The door was more complicated. He'd gotten a doorknob, but it too wide and not tall enough for the hole in the door for the old knob. So he worked on the old knob and got it working better. I'm happy with the results, and so is our main nurse. {Smile}
   I read comics in the morning and after lunch, then hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming. There, I found Perogies, Darkthough1, and Mistress Aegis on. I chatted with Perogies and Darkthough1. Then Perogies and I teamed up for a mission. Then I wanted to do another mission, but Perogies really wanted to improve his character, and I wasn't high enough to get any of those missions, but I was high enough to help him hunt for some enemies we needed to get for a badge that would help him. Darkthough1 and Mistress Aegis joined us for that. We worked on it until it was time to read to Mom... when another friend joined us, one we suspected would want to roleplay with Darkthough1 and Aegis.
   I hopped back into City of Heroes: Homecoming after dinner. Darkthough1 and Mistress Aegis were roleplaying with the friend I'd met briefly before dinner. We chatted a bit, but it didn't sound like something I'd be comfortable joining in on. Then Perogies came in, and we worked on our characters some more. Mine gained a level, which finally let us run a mission good for getting some of the enemies we still needed. Then Perogies left, because he was tired, and needed sleep. Next, I did some paperwork. Then I noticed Azurette and Owl Girl on. I checked, and Azurette was giving Owl Girl a tour of the base she's getting fixed up. I joined them. It's really coming along nicely. After the tour and some chatting, Owl Girl went to do something else elsewhere in the game. Then I wanted to team with Azurette, who wanted to join a task force that was being advertised. Just before we started, the leader said it would move fast. Azurette said she normally prefers that, but I really couldn't keep up, and ended up complaining about that longer than I meant to after we were done to both Azurette and Darkthough1. Then Azurette left because she was tired, and Darkthough1 and Mistress Aegis ran one last mission so I could join them. Afterwards, I chatted with them for a while. Then I did paperwork after they left.

Daily Update, May 19, 2023

    Today, I got a call from our financial adviser. We worked out what I should do with a couple of things I'd gotten in the mail recently. So that went pretty well. {Smile}

   I called the plumber before lunch, and sked him to come over, mentioning that the tub backs up, and since he also does some handyman work, the back door needs help, too. He called late afternoon, apologizing for going to the wrong house - he went to Diane's house down the street, not Anne's house a little higher. He figured out which house was mine and came up. I showed him the tub that's partially clogged again, and the shower which the nurse said is leaking where the hose attaches to the hand-held sprayer, and the back door, whose knob works better in one direction than the other. He plans to come do the work tomorrow after lunch. I figure I'll be back from physical therapy then. {Smile}

   I had breakfast, lunch, and dinner with Mom and read to her before dinner. I started with scripture and thoughts about it, then continued with two Mother's Day cards from this year, one from me, and the other from her sister. Next, I finished _A Picture Book of Cute Kittens Vol. 1_. She did like the pictures of kittens and the occasional older kitty. Then I read "How to Stop Hate with Kindness," from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. That was about a Black Blues singer who deliberately makes friends with Ku Klux Klan members, drawing many away from the racist organization. Then I finished with the May 19th story from _366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year_. Mom said she liked what I read to her, and the pictures, too. {Smile}

   I did my head, arm swinging, and two of my six arm weight training exercises tonight. The head, arm swinging, and arm weight training were again during lulls in I also did over 25 minutes of salsa dancing. Yes, five more minutes than usual, though not the full 30 I hope to get back to someday. I was a bit tired for the last piece, but not so much that I was off beat, so I kept at it. {proud but slightly tired smile}

   I read comics around lunch and the phone calls, then hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming a bit after lunch. There, I found Perogies. We chatted and teamed up. Perogies wanted to work on a lower-mid-level character, so I found one of a similar level. He liked one mission of mine, but I was only a couple of missions into that arc, and he hadn't done it, so we started his. We did two missions together, and found we had the same mission next. However, Perogies realized we could get in on the later long, large-group event if we worked fast. So he took his character there, and I switched to a character who wanted it, and we joined in. That and a little after event chatting took us up to time to read to Mom, so we said goodnight. {Smile}

   After dinner, I hopped back into City of Heroes: Homecoming, and found Darkthough1 on. We started chatting, and teamed up, along with Mistress Aegis. We did a couple of one-off missions, then finished a story arc I thought I was nearing the end of. Maybe I was, but I wasn't as close as I thought there were at least three missions more, not counting talking to various nonplayer characters. We finished, but close enough, we just chatted a bit before heading out, to start my salsa dancing, in my case. I did say hi to Nox, too, but so late, they were leaving, so we mainly said goodnight. {Smile}

Daily Update, May 18, 2023

    Today I stayed home. I did call my financial adviser twice, but both times I got office staff who told me she was in a meeting but would call me back. The second said if not today, she'd call me tomorrow. So, I guess I wait. {smile}

   The housekeeper came today, too, with apologies because the text she'd tried to send me last night hadn't gone through. Things worked out fine, though, and the house is definitely better for her attentions. She'll be back next week. {Smile}

   I had lunch and dinner with Mom and read to her before dinner. I started with scripture and thoughts about it, then continued with two cards from her sister. First was this year's birthday card from January. Next was the Mother's Day card that arrived yesterday. Next, I started _A Picture Book of Cute Kittens Vol. 1_. She did like the pictures of kittens and the occasional older kitty. Then I read "Lebron James Works to Boost the Black Vote," both from _100 Uplifting Short Stories for Seniors_. Then I finished with the May 18th story from _366 Stories for Bedtime: A Tale for Every Day of the Year_. Mom said she liked what I read to her today, and the pictures, too. {Smile}

   Nox very gently suggested that I seem to be stuck at doing only 20 minutes of salsa dancing and a little of my other exercises, and that maybe I should work harder at doing more. So tonight, I started doing my head, arm training, and arm swinging exercises during lulls while playing City of Heroes after dinner and managed to get them all done. Then, I did some salsa... only a bit over 20 minutes still. I tried to start more but somehow; I just wasn't in time with the music. So, I did my walking exercises instead. I was still 10 minutes short on the salsa dancing, but at least I got all my other exercises done. {Smile}

   I read comics in the morning and hopped into City of Heroes: Homecoming after lunch. there, I found Perogies on, and eager to join the early long, large group event, which was in progress. So we did. Then Kitten came on right about the time we finished, and the three of us teamed up. We ran the next, slightly higher story arc in the bunch we've been doing for badges. That, mixed with watching videos each to her shared, ran us close to time to read to Mom. Through much of the afternoon, Nox told me about a game they're playing now, both the game in general, and the particular one they're starting. {Smile}

   After dinner, I hopped back into City of Heroes: homecoming, and was surprised to find Perogies still on. Kitten came back on very shortly, too, so the three of us teamed up. While we were deciding what to do, Darkthough1 and Mistress Aegis came on, too. Darkthough1 joined us, and I suggested running a task force with just us. Mistress Aegis joined us, too, for a group of five. We took it more slowly than the "Pick Up Groups" usually do, waiting for everyone to reach the door and such, so it took most of the evening, but we all enjoyed it. We did move fast enough to keep Kitten awake. Then Perogies left, and Kitten, Darkthough1, Mistress Aegis and I chatted a bit, then ran one of... I think it was Mistress Aegis's mission, though it might have been Darkthough1's. I chatted with Kitten a bit between salsa sets, and looked at some videos in between, too. {Smile}