News

Saturday

Saturday I played D&D with my new campaign. It was a good time. I did some housework. Dad took us out to Outback Steakhouse. Then Aaron and I let IL7 DM his own campaign. He is very creative, but it’s mainly us watching him play with his LEGO.

Sunday

Sunday, D16, IL7, my friend Liz, her nephew, and I went to Olive Garden. Then Liz’s nephew and IL7 played Minecraft at home for a quite a while. 

IL7 had swim lessons, then Aaron and I started a puzzle with D16. Afterwards, IL7 wanted to provide an opportunity for me to relax, so he invited me to hang out in his room in the dark for the rest of the evening.

Monday

Monday, IL7 was home sick, but I needed to renew my driver’s license. So at 7:30, I left him sleeping (Aaron was downstairs working), and drove to driver’s licensing station. Success! Got back before he woke. 

Dad needed to go to the gym, so I dropped him off and picked him up. And I also had a video appointment with a provider. I played Minecraft with IL7, and we relaxed in his room a bit. D16 went to crew for the high school play and M14 played cards with his friends.

Tuesday

Tuesday, I took IL7 to an appointment. Then my friend Liz came over and we all watched Doctor Who.

Wednesday

Wednesday, I was pretty sick. Luckily, an appointment was cancelled, so I only had to get Dad to the gym and back. I slept a few hours.

The plumber came and replaced our broken garbage disposal, which was under warranty. A couple came and picked up the last two kittens – now we’re out of foster kittens.

Dad took us to Red Lobster for dinner.

Thursday

Thursday was a mess. I still had a cold, so I stuffed my pockets full of toilet paper, then took Dad to the PCP for his followup after the “TIA” last week. He was fine when we walked in. I sat there reading a book, and finally the nurse came out and called him. But he was sitting there unresponsive. I shook him. The nurse shook him. I suggested 911. The nurse called out the doctor. The doctor took his blood pressure. It was crazy low. Finally Dad woke up. This all took at least 5 minutes, and I don’t know how long he was like that before I noticed. He went to the hospital by ambulance. After all day in the ER, they determined that he didn’t have a stroke, a UTI, a heart attack, or pneumonia. They decided the incident last week probably wasn’t a TIA.  They sent him home and will mail a heart monitor soon. The last time he had one of those, he tore it off after a few days and sort of threw it (it landed on the bed, and they got a little data). 

After the ER, I logged into the D&D game by phone, but didn’t full-on play. I just made suggestions for my character and they rolled for me. I was too tired for full-on playing.

Aaron and IL7 were at Cub Scouts when I returned home.

Friday

I had cleared out my appointments on Friday because I thought Dad was going to be in the hospital. That was for the best, because I was miserably sick. Rather stupidly, I kept going – I made bacon, took IL7 and D16 to the movie Forgotten Island, and watched IL6 program in Scratch. In the evening, my headache was mostly gone, but I didn’t feel comfortable reading lest the headache come back. But Aaron washed the dishes for the third day in a row, which was nice. 

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• Empress of Time by Kylie Lee Baker
• Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
• Mr Ballen podcast
• Systematic Theology: Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, by Wayne Grudem
• Shadowed Sun, by N K Jemisin

Reading to IL7

• How to be a Pirate by Cressida Cowell
• Mega Mole Girl Digs Deep by Thomas Flintham
• AI Told You So, by Andres Miedoso
• The Eye of the Thunder Dragon, by Tracey West

IL7 reading

• Super Rabbit Boy’s Super Jump Between Worlds by Thomas Flintham

Media Completed

In this second book of How to Train Your Dragon series, the Hairy Hooligans rush into a dangerous treasure hunt. Just as cute as the first book.

News

Saturday

Saturday, IL7 and I made a strawberry shortcake for Aaron. Well, IL7 decided it was for the birthday of one of his stuffies, but it was really for Aaron. Aaron spent the morning taking the carpet off the stairs, since it was a tripping hazard.

Then, IL7 wanted to sit in his room in the dark, so we did that for 6 hours, so I got some reading done and put away his laundry. At the end of the day, we watched the live-action How to Train Your Dragon. 

Sunday

Sunday, IL7 had swim lessons. He got his head wet, but did dunk. We ordered pizza for dinner – that was nice. We tried family D&D, but M14 and D16 were apathetic, so we stopped. I’m going to try to recruit my friend Liz and her nephew L11 (who is good friends with IL7, despite the age difference). L11 has expressed an interest in D&D, but IL7 and he together would take a lot of patience.

Monday

Monday was long. I took IL7 to an appointment. I was on my way to the gym with Dad, when we decided he probably had a TIA, and, instead, we drove to the ER. After 9 hours in the ER, we got the diagnosis of “it was likely a TIA.” Dad wanted to stop by Perkins on the way home. I was unable to go to work – no time.

Aaron stepped up and picked IL7 up at school and brought D16 to her appointment. He also stopped by the hospital to bring me food and a charger.

Tuesday

Wednesday I took Dad to the gym and then took IL7 to an appointment. I also got IL7 a haircut. 

Wednesday

Thursday, I took M14 to an appointment and then stopped by the local licensing center to get a new driver’s license. Only they don’t do driver’s licenses there. I drove to the neighboring city, where they have a DVM, but it was “temporarily closed.” I gave up for now. I ran some other errands. I went to an event at D16’s school. It’s a pretty cool school. Lots of fun opportunities. I played Minecraft with IL7 and Aaron.

Thursday

Thursday, I took M14 to an appointment and then stopped by the local licensing center to get a new driver’s license. Only they don’t do driver’s icenses there. I drove to the neighboring city, where they have a DVM, but it was “temporarily closed.” I gave up for now. I ran some other errands. I went to an event at D16’s school. It’s a pretty cool school. Lots of fun opportunities.

Friday

Friday I met a nice couple who wanted to adopt two of the foster kittens. They will take them on Wednesday.

I took IL7 to an appointment. I took Dad on an errand, then to the gym. The evening was low-key.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Systematic Theology: Introduction to Biblical Doctrine by Wayne Grudem
• Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
• Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West by Tom Holland
• The Passage, by Justin Cronin
• Essays of Montaigne
• Empress of Time, by Kylie Lee Baker

Reading to IL7

• How to be a Pirate by Cressida Cowell
• Super King Viking Land by Thomas Flintham
• Super Cheat Codes and Secret  Modes by Thomas Flintham
• The Haunted House Next Door by Andres Miedoso
• AI Told You So by Andres Miedoso

IL7 reading

• Super Rabbit Boy’s Super Jump Between Worlds by Thomas Flintham

Media Completed

Persian Fire is an excellently-written overview of the Persian empire up until they invaded Greece. Holland’s writing was engaging and informative. Definitely recommended for someone interested in the topic.

News

Saturday

Saturday was fun, mostly. It started with me getting up at 5am and driving home to water the lawn and take care of Dad for the morning (mostly Dad, I could skip the lawn). I got back to the campsite at 8:30, and Aaron and IL7 slept till 9:30.

After sitting around for a bit, we went to the playground for a while, then out to Subway/McDonald’s for lunch (to make us solidly mini-glamping). We went to the beach, sat around some more, and played flashlight tag when it was dark.

Sunday

Sunday was much like Saturday. I drove home really quickly at 5am. We went to the playground and beach mid-day. Had a fire in the evening. Played flashlight tag after sundown. It was a little cooler than Saturday.

Monday

On Labor Day, we broke camp at about 10:30 and headed home. I kept myself busy the rest of the day getting this-and-that done. Aaron tried mowing the lawn, but the mower wouldn’t start. I played Roblox with D16 and IL7. Dad took Aaron, IL7, and me out to Red Lobster.

Tuesday

Tuesday was busy. D16 had a procedure in the morning. Following that, Aaron, D16, and I went to Perkins. In the afternoon, I ran a bunch of errands, then took Dad back to urgent care for the boil. They gave him an antibiotic that I’ll have to give him 4 times a day. Ugh. 

In the evening, my friend Liz came over and we all watched Doctor Who.

Wednesday

Wednesday, I took Dad to his last PT appointment. (Now will be the work of convincing him to continue the exercises.) I ran an errand, then went to the gym with Dad. I sat in the sauna, then went on the treadmill. 

When we got home, I made 6 phone calls, watered the lawn, boiled a dozen eggs, and cooked 3 pork chops – all in a little over an hour. I picked up the kittens after their surgery. I played Roblox with IL7. Then, I helped IL7 draw a cat on the computer.

Thursday

Thursday, I took Dad to see his vascular doctor, who told us to stay the course. Then I chugged two 2L bottles of soda (minus a little that Aaron took) for IL7’s Cub Scout meeting. He built a bottle rocket.

Friday

Friday I took IL7 to an appointment and played Minecraft with him. Dad treated us to Outback Steakhouse. 

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
• Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West by Tom Holland
• Fifth Elephant, by Terry Pratchett
• Mr Ballen podcast
• Systematic Theology:  An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, by Wayne Grudem
• Apocalypse Great Courses, by Craig R Koester
• Essays of Montaigne

Reading to IL7

• Minecraft: Stories from the Overworld, by Mojang
• Treasure of the Gold Dragon, by Tracey West

IL7 reading

• Super Rabbit Boy’s Super Jump Between Worlds, by Thomas Flintham

Media Completed

Vimes is sent off with Lady Sibyl to be an ambassador. Angua runs away from Carrot. Several Igors are involved. Funny and fun.

News

Saturday

Saturday Aaron, IL7, D16, and I went to the apple orchard, but the Upick wasn’t open until Labor Day, so we went back home. Aaron and I took IL7 to the McDonald’s PlayPlace, instead. In the evening, Dad took us to Olive Garden.

Sunday

Sunday, I made chicken stew for Aaron’s lunches over the coming week. We did our grocery shopping, and I took IL7 to swim lessons, where he dunked 3 times!

Monday

Monday I ran some errands, worked out while Dad was with his personal trainer, took D16 to an appointment, and watched How to Train Your Dragon (animated) with IL7.

Tuesday

Tuesday morning started with a trip to the urgent care for Dad. He had a very painful boil that they gave him antibiotics for. He cancelled his gym appointment because the boil was so painful, so I spent some extra time relaxing. It’s hard to hold a book in one hand and blindly pet 3 kittens with the other, but I managed. After dinner (meatloaf), I took M14 to get an X-ray.

Wednesday

Tuesday, I took D16 to an appointment in the morning. In the afternoon, Dad wanted to go back to urgent care because he was in so much pain. In the evening, I helped IL7 with his show-and-tell bag – he was supposed to put in 5 special-to-him things to share about. I asked him which cat he wanted a picture of – he wanted them all. So I put in pictures of all 8 cats, plus the two that have passed. He wanted a picture of me. His stat block for one of his D&D monsters. One of his favorite crafts, which is named Coffee. And a picture from his favorite YouTuber. 

Thursday

Thursday I got a bit of cross-stitch done. That was nice. I took the kittens to the rescue for getting fixed. Then I spent 3 hours taking D16 to an appointment I was told she needed, but that she didn’t need. Three hours of my life I’ll never get back.

Friday

Friday after work I took IL7 to an appointment. Then I cooked some jambalaya for Aaron’s lunches and pork chops for M14’s dinners. In the late afternoon, I took IL7 to the library. Then we went camping with Aaron. We had a fire and then played flashlight tag.

Reading to myself

• Brothers Karamozov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• Shadow Rising, by Robert Jordan
• Mr Ballen podcast
• Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West, by Tom Holland
• The Killing Moon, by N K Jemisin
• Apocalypse Great Courses, by Craig R Koester
• Fifth Elephant, by Terry Pratchett

Reading to IL7

• The Sleepwalking Snowman, by Andres Miedoso
• How to Train Your Dragon, by Cressida Cowell
• Battle of the Supper Rabbit Boys, by Thomas Flintham
• Dragons are the Worst, by Alex Willan

IL7 reading

• Super Rabbit Boy’s Jump Between Worlds, by Thomas Flintham

Media Completed

In this lovely, humorous book that is nothing like the movies (better, as far as I’m concerned), Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III tries to train his dragon Toothless without yelling at him. He also wants to prove himself to become full-fledged member of the Hairy Holligans. Fun, cute, perfect to read to IL7.

Jemisin creates a world of necromantic magic, complete with war, platonic love, and back-stabbing. Very good world building. Stands alone, despite being the first in a duology.

News

Saturday

Saturday was busy. I did have time to write a letter as alone time. Otherwise I was social all day. I played my first session of my new D&D campaign. One of the players was my friend, Liz. The DM and I decided to surprise her, so I popped in right when my character was introduced. Liz handled the surprise quite calmly, lol. 

After that, I watched a strange horror movie about a refugee couple that moved to England and got stuck in a haunted house – but they couldn’t change houses due to the rules of their probation. 

After that, I played Roblox with IL7 over Discord, so we could hear each other. When I finished with that, Dad had already gone to bed, even though he hadn’t done his stretches, and I hadn’t gotten the sheet and mattress pad back on after washing them. I had to wake him to take his meds, and I made his bed. 

Then I read to IL7 over video call.

Sunday

Sunday, I kept myself busy. I had to prepare the house for the new cats (inside) and for painting (outside). In the late afternoon, I went to pick up our 3 foster kittens: Cinnamon (ginger), Thing 1 (tuxedo), and Thing 2 (tuxedo). I went to pick up my family at the airport, then we went to Perkins, where IL7 and I ate a crayon, much to the consternation of the rest of the family.

Monday

Monday was busy, as Mondays sometimes are. It started with an appointment for IL7. I then took Dad to the gym. I worked out on the treadmill. He decided to switch his workouts from 30 minutes, three times a week, to 60 minutes, three times a week. I don’t think he can handle it. Neither does his personal trainer. But we let him do what he wanted to do.

Then I had a virtual appointment with one of IL7’s providers, and we discussed IL7’s improvements. Yay! Lastly, I took D16 to an appointment.

After I cooked dinner (spaghetti), our new cat’s foster mom delivered him. Unfortunately, he’s very scared and hissing, so we left him alone as much as possible. I am confident he is really sweet generally from the meetup at his foster home. His new name is Rasputin. Pronounced like the song, because that’s funny.

D16 has decided that the tuxedo kittens will be named Thing 1 and Thing 2, since they are nearly identical. Now we need to figure out which one is which.

Tuesday

Tuesday wasn’t the best day in some places, but I got through in a reasonable mood. First, I was stood up on a video appointment. Then I had to go to Walmart, which I hate. I took M14 to an appointment. In the evening, my friend Liz came over, and Dad took us all out to Red Lobster. When I got to work, there was no water.

Wednesday

Wednesday, I took Dad to the gym and to a hearing aid appointment.

I sat with Rasputin, and he actually asked for cuddles! D16 sat in there with him for a while, and he sniffed her. He also sniffed IL7. When I took IL7 in to see the kittens, Cinnamon didn’t hide like he usually does, so that was nice. Thing 1 and Thing 2  are generally out, so that wasn’t a big deal.

I played Animal Hospital Anomaly with IL7 as a reward for something, and D16 became interested and started a game of her own. She wants to play with us next time we play.

M14 went to his freshman orientation with Aaron, and decided he didn’t like his English teacher because she was too bubbly and will assign him a writing notebook. I told him every class will get a writing notebook. He argued about it. Suck it up, buttercup. You’re in high school. It has more work than middle school. I feel no sympathy.

Thursday

Thursday, I ran a few errands, took M14 to the orthodontist again, and took IL7 to his school’s open house to meet his teacher. She seemed nice. Aaron took D16 to her open house, too.

Rasputin purred for me Monday. Thing 2 got stuck in the ceiling twice.

Friday

Friday, I took IL7 to an appointment, then took Dad and IL7 to the gym. IL7 worked out, then sat in the sauna. That was about 45 minutes total. For the next 30 minutes, we played Roblox. I wanted to use up some of the time that he has earned for good behavior.

Aaron and I tried out Dominos pizza for the first time, since we had an unlimited coupon for buy-one-get-one-free. The pizza was reasonable-tasting. Worth the $20 discount, anyway.

Then I played Animal Hospital Anomaly with D16 and IL7. Followed by reading to IL7 to midnight. (We actually read till 12:15 because I wanted to find a stopping point in my book.)

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Brothers Karamozov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• Killer Moon, by N K Jemisin
• Shadow Rising, by Robert Jordan
• Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, by Wayne Grudem
• Persian Fire The First World Empire and the Battle for the West, by Tom Holland
• Historical Jesus Great Courses, by Bart D Ehrman
• Mr Ballen podcast

Reading to IL7

• How to Train Your Dragon, by Cressida Cowell
• Who Wants I Scream, by Andres Miedoso
• The Vampire Ate My Homework, by Andres Miedoso

IL7 reading

• Super Rabbit Boy’s Jump Between Worlds, by Thomas Flintham

Media Completed

In this set of lectures Bart D Ehrman discusses criteria they use to decide whether information about Jesus is likely to be historically accurate. It covers a variety of topics and is quite fascinating.

News

Saturday

Saturday morning, I dropped Aaron and the kids off at the airport to fly to visit Aaron’s family in Oregon. I am staying home with Dad. I got some reading, housework, and cross-stitch done. Dad and I went out to eat, then watched the first two episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I played some Roblox with IL7 (over Discord), and read to him.

Sunday

Sunday, I got a lot done. I weeded at least 2 bin-fulls (I need to fill it up again on Wednesday ), grocery shopped, made sausage stew for Aaron’s lunches, read, wrote a letter, watched 3 episodes of Percy Jackson with Dad, and played Roblox with IL7. Then I read to him till midnight.

Monday

Monday, I ran a few errands, worked out while waiting for Dad at the gym, played Roblox with IL7, and watched 3 episodes of Percy Jackson with Dad.

Tuesday

Tuesday was fun. I went to lunch with my friend Liz, then we went to Barnes and Noble. I escaped with only a present for D16. Aaron and the kids were at the beach in Oregon, so I didn’t play Roblox with IL7. I went to dinner with Dad, then we watched some Percy Jackson.

Wednesday

Wednesday I had a video visit with a friend in the morning.  Dad cancelled the gym, so I spent some extra time writing. I played Roblox with IL7 and watched 3 episodes of Percy Jackson with Dad.

Thursday

Thursday, I took Dad to physical therapy. Looks like we only need one more appointment. Yay! I watched Percy Jackson with Dad, played Roblox with IL7, and wrote a letter. D&D was cancelled, so I relaxed before work. 

Friday

Friday, Dad and I went grocery shopping and to the gym.  We went to Olive Garden for dinner, then watched the last three episodes of Percy Jackson Season 2. I read to IL7, but only made it to 11:40pm before needing to sleep.

Reading to myself

• Time Thief, by Terry Pratchett
• Brothers Karamozov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West, by Tom Holland
• Ghost Garden: Inside the Lives of Schizophrenia’s Feared and Forgotten
• Historical Jesus Great Courses, by Bart D Ehrman
• The Shadow Rising, by Robert Jordan

Reading to IL7

• Catwings by Ursula K Le Guin
• How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
• Zombie Family Reunion, by Zack Zombie

Media Completed

This mainly tells the story of one woman with schizophrenia and how her family coped. It also has several short blurbs about other people the author knows. It was interesting to hear this view on mental health, and I agreed with a lot – but not all – of what Doherty said.

When the Auditors try to stop time, Susan must team up with a unique time-twisting individual to save the world. This one is my favorite Terry Pratchett so far.

News

Saturday

Saturday IL7 had his “best day ever” at Cub Scout camp. He did several fun educational projects, rode a one-eyed pony, and shot arrows and a B B bun. He even participated in open program this year – he was too over-stimulated for open program last year.

Sunday

Sunday was fun, though IL7 was tired during the lesson on the compass. However, there were two other kids who were just as frustrated with the session. It was a lot after a full day on Saturday. After skills lessons, they had the bouncy pad and crafts. IL7 loves crafts.

IL7 wanted to stay for lunch because he was earning points for a prize by going through a meal without using the phone. Then we went home. 

After unpacking, Aaron played Minecraft with IL7, and I cooked dinner. When I opened a big bag of potatoes, several were rotten and covered in maggots. Yuck! I threw it all out and washed the area. We’d had a problem with about 6 flies a week or so before – I had finally bought some Zevos and thought the problem was over. I’m just glad I caught this on time. 

Monday

Monday didn’t go quite as planned, but it was a good day. It started with a video visit appointment for all three kids, followed by an appointment for IL7. 

IL7 did something really cool during the appointment that I needed to reward him for, so I cancelled a mid-day appointment so I could keep IL7 home and play Roblox with him. Dad also cancelled his gym appointment, so I spent a couple hours playing Roblox with IL7. 

In the late afternoon, I took D16 to an appointment, then Dad took us all to Red Lobster. IL7 and D16 played Roblox after that.

Tuesday

Tuesday, I voted in the primary, took Malcolm to the orthodontist, and cross-stitched. M14 played Roblox with IL7. D16 spent 5 hours cleaning her room. Aaron and I watched an episode of Wednesday, Season 2.

Wednesday

Wednesday,  I took Dad to the gym and took IL7 to meet a cat that we might adopt. I wanted to know how it would respond to IL7. It actually loved IL7 – went right up to him and rubbed against his legs and sniffed at his hands.

Thursday

Thursday, I had no appointments! I ran some errands, did some cross-stitch, read, and played D&D. We had a virtual tour of the house as part of the adoption process to the cat we saw Wednesday, and I was told it was too messy to house cats. I feel very judged. I agree that the house is a mess, but the cats are fine.

Friday

Friday, I worked on preparing Loki for his trip to Oregon – packing, etc. I took Dad to the gym, and worked out while I waited. I took IL7 to Michael’s to buy googly eyes and cross-stitch floss. Then D16, Aaron, and I went out to Buffalo Wild Wings, then to Barnes and Noble. I got myself a book about the Assyrian Empire. Much to my surprise, the rescue decided we could have the cat, despite having a messy house.

Reading to myself

• Ghost Garden; Inside the Lives of Schizophrenia’s Feared and Forgotten, by Susan Doherty
• Mr Ballen Podcast
• Books that Matter The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, by Leo Damrosch
• Persian Fire The First World Empire and the Battle for the West, by Tom Holland
• Brothers Karamozov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, by Wayne Grudem
• Historical Jesus Great Courses, by Bart D Ehrman 
• Essays of Montaigne
• Liches get Stitches, by HJ Tolson

Reading to IL7

• I’m Your Biggest Phantom by Andres Miedoso
• How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
• Max: A Little Axolotl, by Joey Spiotta

IL7 reading

• Super Jump Between Worlds by Thomas Flintham

Media Completed

One day, Maude wakes up as a lich. All she wants to do is hang out with her cat and sewing. But people won’t leave her alone. This humorous dark fantasy is fun and amusing, if a little plot-light.

News

Saturday

Saturday D16, IL7, and I went to the zoo. We saw the bird show, which the kids really enjoyed, and IL7 rode the camel.

Sunday

Sunday, IL7 and I went out to Olive Garden with my friend and her nephew – his friend. Then they played Minecraft for a while. I took IL7 to swim lessons, then the family went out to Outback Steakhouse.

Monday

Monday, I took IL7 to an appointment in the morning.  Dad wasn’t feeling well, so we skipped the gym. I used the time to make a bunch of calls. In the late afternoon, I took D16 to an appointment, then cooked dinner and played Roblox with IL7.

Tuesday

Tuesday I took D16 to an appointment, then spent a while filling out a few forms. (I still have 3 more.) I ran an errand. In the evening, my friend Liz came over and we watched Doctor Who with D16 and Aaron.

Wednesday

Wednesday, I got to go to order my new glasses. I’m really excited to be able to see again! I hope they help. Dad and I went to the gym.  I took IL7 to an appointment.

Thursday

Thursday, I took Dad to PT, then he treated me to Perkins. I made some phone calls and took IL7 to the pool. He dunked, so I took him to the McDonald’s PlayPlace. Afterwards, Aaron and I played D&D.

Friday

Friday I was in a rush all day, and I felt a little hypomanic. That meant my mind was racing, and I was making impulsive decisions. For instance, I applied to foster some kittens. They would stay in D16’s room. I also signed up for a D&D campaign, which will just make me busier than I already am. 

After taking Dad to the gym and cooking some jambalaya for Aaron’s lunches next week, Aaron, IL7, and I headed off to Cub Scout camp. All we did that night was some welcome activities.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Brothers Karamozov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett
• Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, by Wayne Grudem
• Ghost Garden: Inside the Lives of Schizophrenia’s Feared and Forgotten, by Susan Doherty
• Mr Ballen podcast
• Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West, by Tom Holland
• Liches get Stitches, by HJ Tolson
• Mr Ballen Podcast

Reading to IL7

• The Big Brain Storm, by Andres Miedoso
• How to Train Your Dragon, by Cressida Cowell
• Super Rabbit Boy vs Super Rabbit Boss, by Thomas Flintham 

IL7 reading

• The Super Jump Between Worlds, by Thomas Flintham

Media Completed

Susan and Death solve a dead Hogfather problem. Very amusing.

News

Saturday

Saturday, IL7, Aaron, and I were going to walk in the Leprechaun Day Parade with the Cub Scouts. IL7 really wanted to do it, but wanted to do it alone – not with the Cub Scouts. We made it almost to where the parade started, and IL7 decided to turn around and go home. In the evening M14, Aaron, and I played a game of Pandemic. We lost.

Sunday

Sunday, Aaron took IL7 to swim lessons while I made artist’s training cards with my friends Liz and Laura.

Monday

Monday, I took IL7 to an appointment, Dad to the gym, had a video appointment on my own, and took D16 to an appointment.

Puck was repeatedly throwing up, was having trouble pooping, and refused food all day. I made a vet appointment for Tuesday.

Tuesday

Tuesday was a tough day. I took Dad to an appointment that he thought was pointless, and I had to listen to him bitch and moan. Then I took D16 to an appointment, but they wanted us to make an appointment with a specialist.

I took Puck to the vet because he had stopped eating and was repeatedly vomiting. They ran a test and found that his kidney function was really bad. They gave us some medicine, and said that if it doesn’t perk up his appetite in a couple of days, we should consider euthanization. Aaron and I gave the medicine, but Puck was afraid of me for hours afterwards, and didn’t eat any more than he had been, so I decided not to give him more meds Wednesday since it made him so miserable. That means euthanization on Thursday.

Wednesday

Wednesday, I took Dad to the gym. I sat in the sauna, then worked out. I took IL7 to an appointment, then he, M14, Aaron, and I went to the pool.

Thursday

Thursday was a hard day. I spent a good deal of it petting, and saying goodbye to, Puck. He was euthanized in the afternoon.

Friday

Friday, I took Dad to see the orthopedic doctor, who said Dad’s hip implant could be replaced. He said we should consider surgery, but agreed that it might not be the best option for us. We opted for physical therapy. We will keep track of how often the hip stops him from walking, compared to the claudication, before we decide about surgery. Then I took Dad to the gym. I worked out and sat in the sauna.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Brothers Karamozov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• Keeper of Night, by Kylie Lee Baker
• Ghost Garden, by Susan Doherty
• The Stand, by Stephen King
• Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
• The Week: Fire Starter
• Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett
• Persian Fire, by Tom Holland

Reading to IL7

• The Big Brain Storm, by Andres Miedoso
• How to Train Your Dragon, by Cressida Cowell
• Escape from the Roller Ghoster, by Andres Miedoso

IL7 reading

• Super Rabbit Boy’s Super Time-Jump, by Thomas Flintham

Media Completed

In this “classic” horror story, a bioengineered flu kill most of the population of the world, leaving a person here and there. An epic (supernatural) battle ensues. I loved this movie as a kid. I was in the mood for a long book, so I picked this one. I’m generally not a Stephen King fan, but it was pretty good, except for some caveats. Treatment of developmentally disabled and deaf people was very 1980’s. Plus, a lot of the bad guys were black, and the color of their skin was repeatedly pointed out. To make up for it, the saintly elderly woman was black, and, as far as I know, the demonic man was white. But still, it bothered me.

When Ren – a half reaper half shinigami, has a disastrous accident in London, she runs to Japan to hide from the reapers. There, she goes on a mission to fit in. This was a creative book, with good character and world building. Recommended for people who like dark fantasy.

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Saturday

On Saturday morning, I got up at 5:30 and rushed home to water the grass and feed the cats. When I got back, Aaron and IL7 were hanging out at the campsite. We sat there for a few hours, then went to the beach for a few hours. IL7 and I hid rocks from each other. 

When we went back to get our towels and shoes, a couple had sat down next to our stuff and put their stuff on top of ours. We had to move their stuff to find ours. Luckily our bag was peeking out, so we were sure our stuff was there. They watched passively as we moved their stuff to dig out our shoes. The only reason I can think of to do that is to steal our stuff, but why didn’t they just walk away with it?

After Aaron cooked dinner, I drove back home to water the grass and feed the cats. Then we played IL7’s zombie game near the amphitheatre. 

Sunday

Sunday, we packed up camp and were back home by about 10:30. Aaron kept himself busy: mowing, shopping, picking up D16 at her mom’s. In the evening, Dad treated us all to Outback Steakhouse. 

Monday

Monday was a busy day. It started with an appointment for IL7. Then I dropped Dad off to the gym instead of staying and exercising because I had a huge amount of stuff to do and little time to do it in – like emergency laundry. After picking up Dad, I took Sake to the vet, then went to work 5 hours early for a 4 hour meeting.

Tuesday

Tuesday, we got some maintenance done on our car – but they couldn’t finish in one day, so the car goes back the next day. Dad’s new portable oxygen compressor was delivered. My friend Liz came over and we watched a silly rom-com.

Wednesday

Wednesday, I took D16 to an appointment, Dad to the gym, and then went to an appointment myself. In the evening, I took IL7 to Red Lobster for our “private chat” that he wanted so badly. He was on my phone the whole time.

Thursday

Thursday, I was brain-fried again. But I had a reasonable day in the end.

I took D16 to an appointment, then she had a video appointment. M14 had an orthodontist appointment. Then I went to Walmart to order new glasses. But they didn’t take my insurance, so I stopped at Subway to drown my sorrows.

When IL7 got home, he wanted to play in his room, and then he fell asleep, so I sat in there with him and chatted with a friend. Then Aaron and I were supposed to have D&D, but we were the only players that showed up.

Friday

Friday, I took IL7 to an appointment, and then took Dad to the gym. I walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes and sat in the sauna for 15. I read in New Scientist that heat (like the sauna) can help delay, or even prevent, Alzheimer’s. I don’t know if that’s true, but I can totally get behind that.

Reading to myself

• Mr Ballen podcast
• New Scientist: Extreme Heat
• The Week: The Endless War
• Paper and Fire, by Rachel Caine
• Keeper of Night, by Kylie Lee Baker
• Ghost Bride, by Yangsze Choo
• Brothers Karamozov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky
• Historical Jesus (Great Courses), by Bart D Ehrman
• The Stand, by Stephen King

Reading to IL7

• Zombie Goes to Camp, by Zack Zombie
• The Bubble Gum Blob, by Andres Miedoso
• The Shine of the Silver Dragon by Tracey West
• The Big Brain Storm, by Andres Miedoso
• Beast Mode Unleashed, by Andres Miedoso

IL7 reading

• Super Rabbit Boy’s Time-Jump, by Thomas Flintham

Media Completed

In this second book in The Great Library, our small group of friends discovers a secret they must uncover. They rebel. This is a novel concept, and a good follow-up. There are both slow and fast moments, and sometimes I feel the author should have thought more about continuity (for instance, a character was injured in one chapter to the point of hardly being able to walk, then an hour later he was acting out athletic feats of derring-do.

Li Lan is asked by her father to be the bride of the rather annoying ghost of a rich family. She embarks on a mission to save herself from this fate. This was a very satisfying book, though the attempts to educate readers in Malaysian-Chinese culture felt forced sometimes. Not bad enough that it annoyed me, really, just enough that I noticed.