I picked up some red velvet cupcakes to share. It is hot and humid here in the NC Piedmont, as well.

I had a bad morning. I found myself a mile and a half from home and was unsure how to get back. Thank God I had my phone in my pocket. I used Maps to get home. I do not dare to get help, except from relatives. Someone might turn me in to social services, and they could make me leave my home because I live alone. I would not like to go through that. I am okay the vast majority of the time. When I have these episodes, I seem to have the common sense that keeps me safe. I think this episode happened because I missed two of my brain meds for a few days; the VA was slow about mailing my refills.

I am excited to learn that NASA is planning an Explorer 3 mission. It will be a mission specifically to explore the heliosphere, where Explorer 1 is presently located. The Explorer 3 mission will reach the edge of the heliosphere five times faster than Explorer 1 did, using the Sun to slingshot it at a much higher speed. It is years away, but I love the idea. I am genuinely thrilled by the prospect!

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I hope everyone is well. I brought some red velvet cupcakes and mint tea with me today.

I wish I could watch the All-Star game tonight, but I only have streaming services. I spent about $180 on MLB.com/ESPN to watch every game this year, but the fine print has screwed me over. It does not include blacked-out games based on geography or other contracts. Major League Baseball sold exclusive rights to FOX for the All-Star Game.

I have been outlining a dramatic family storyline and will probably start writing the story later this week. While outlining the story, the antagonists seemed so stupid, with no emotional maturity or self-awareness. When I talked to my son, he reminded me that most people today do stupid, foolish, and selfish things. Maybe it will be more realistic than I thought. I am basing it on a real occurrence that I have personal knowledge of.

Happy 250th birthday to the United States of America!

I am proud of America, the great experiment. I always laugh at the many people who call me unpatriotic because I often disagree with our government, do not fly an American flag, or wear patriotic pins or other paraphernalia. But throughout all of these people who have even called me a traitor, when I asked if they had served the USA in some capacity, only three had served. One in the military, another as a police officer, and the last on a city council.

After I recounted my twenty years of military service, two of them rethought their position and apologized. The police officer doubled down, saying that if I did not support the government 100%, I was a traitor.

Part of being a responsible American is to disagree and even protest against bad policies and decisions of our great country.

Everyone, have a happy, safe, and prosperous 4th of July.

BTW, I heard somewhere that Canada was going to join the USA as our 51st state. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Here in the NC piedmont, it hit 35 °C (95°F).

Hi, Jeff. I hope Talia is feeling better soon.

Jeff, that is great news!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

My Niece gave me a cake with pineapple and cherries. I cannot remember what she called it, but it was very good and will last me all week. It reminds me of making ambrosia for my family, years ago.

Thanks, Jeff and Gill. I am doing as well as I can. My Parkinson's disease is only at stage II, but my dementia has reached stage III. That does not prevent me from enjoying the pleasures in my life. Carpe Diem! Suck the marrow from the bones of life!

Good afternoon. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

This afternoon, I went to the movies with my sister and brother-in-law and watched Supergirl. It was not what I expected. On a scale of 1-10, I would rate it as a 6. I will give any spoilers.

Supergirl, Kara Zor-El, Superman's cousin, was played by Milly Alcock. Early in the movie, I was disappointed with her portrayal of the character, but as the story progressed, I had to reevaluate my previous thoughts. After understanding the character arc of her role, I believe Ms. Alcock did a fairly good job.

If you know some of DC's history, you will appreciate that they brought in the well-known comic book character Lobo, played by none other than Jason Momoa. He was perfect for the role! He played the character like Yo-Yo Ma on a cello!

The villain was Krem of the Yellow Hills, expertly played by Matthias Schoenaerts. The antagonist was evil, vile, disgusting, and very powerful. The only problem with Krem was that his interpretation was of a two-dimensional evil villain. In most of today's entertainment, antagonists have reasons for their actions, even if those reasons are wrong, like Thanos in the Marvel universe.

It had the usual fights, battles, and explosions. The special effects were good, and the CGI work was about 90% as good as Disney/Marvel, but still acceptable.

I have always enjoyed the movie theater experience, and knowing what I do now, I am glad I went. It helped that the theater in this small town is really inexpensive, and I cannot get out of the house often.

Hi everyone.

The last month has been a bit disheartening. I have been so fortunate that my dementia has not been a steady decline. Still, my cognitive abilities will suddenly decrease over a period of weeks and then level out for several months or years. After almost three years, I have gone through another drop and seem to have leveled out again, which is great news. My neurologist thinks this recent steep decline may be attributed to the prolonged stress from my ongoing divorce from hell. Despite all of this bull shit going on, I remain hopeful for the future. Without the support and love from my family, I would be homeless and broken. Both of my sons, my brother and sister, and all four of their families have gone out of their way to help me. God bless them all!

I hope you do not take this as me being depressed, discouraged, or looking for sympathy. This is just letting the friends I have on SS know what has been going on in my life over the last few years while I was absent from this space. Since I have been back, I have recognized how much I had been missing in my life over these last few years.

Hi. Gill! It is always a great time when distant relatives are with us. I am so glad everyone is healthy again. Injury or illness of friends or family is so stressful and taxing.

Bad weather has never bothered me. I spent three years in tornado alley, in Oklahoma. I lived through five major hurricanes, three at sea and two ashore.

I brought a big German chocolate cake my niece made for Father's Day, and sun-made sweet tea.

Everyone, please have a safe and productive day. But do not forget to have fun along the way!

Scott, that storm seems serious!

BTW, Happy Father's Day for all you dads! My son gave me the same gift I get every time a gift is appropriate: a 2-liter bottle of Mountain Dew and a Payday candy bar.

Hi Verbal, I am glad to see you are still here on SS. I have always enjoyed astronomy. I am still upset about the disrespect shown to Mercury. And yes, it is a planet!

Scott, I hope you are well. I often use honey on my ice cream, especially if it contains bits of comb.

Here in Albemarle, NC, on Wednesday afternoon, we had a huge thunderstorm with gusts reaching almost 130 kph. A huge tree branch in my backyard broke off and landed on my neighbor's raised deck and a small gazebo. This branch is thicker than a phone pole and probably weighs nearly two tons. I feel so distraught about the damage to my neighbor's property. I have already got my insurance company started on making everything right. This is the first time, and hopefully the last time, I have dealt with a big insurance claim. If the company tries to penny-pinch on my neighbors' claim, I am ready to step in and put a stop to it.

Good morning! I had some mint tea and brought some orange cream ice cream with an orange-cinnamon topping for anyone who wants to indulge.

Scott, I miss work so much.

Good morning, everyone. I hope you all had an enjoyable weekend.

Scott, I have a hard time recognizing which day it is. They are all the same to me except Mondays. Sunday is always my busiest day with church and family events. Monday is my day of recovery.

I brought some red velvet donuts. Help yourself to a couple. Donuts are always best in pairs!

The other day, at my sister's house, we were watching a TV show. The actor was playing his role way over the top. It was so bad that everyone was making fun of it. I made the comment that he trained at Curly's school of acting and slapped my head repeatedly, making the sounds Curly would have made. My sister, brother-in-law, and their kids laughed in agreement. The four grandkids present, ages 15-23, stared at us and asked, "Who's Curly?' We all went quiet for a moment, then laughed even harder.

I just felt so old!

No. Due to health concerns, I live near family.

WYE eat chocolate-covered grasshoppers?

Love hearing from you, Gill! Sorry to learn about your difficult times. You and your family are in my prayers. I hope your son's visit brightens your spirit. I spent about a decade in the Chesapeake Bay area early in my Navy career, and I enjoyed the area tremendously.

HI Scott! I have seen Mia Asano. They have the same kind of explosive artistry. I do not remember if I have seen that video you posted, but watching it was marvelous. Two women of extraordinary talent, drive, and beauty.

Sorry to learn about your losses, Cora. For many people, a pet is part of a family. Their passing brings great sadness and distress. I hope the best for Sasha.

Scott, your taste in music is as eclectic as mine, but over the last 15 years, I have moved more towards instrumentals like Tina Guo's.

I have a doctor's appointment with G.I. at the VA hospital today, and there is no probing involved!

Have a great day, and may God bless you all.

As far as skydiving goes, I have jumped many times in the military, including HALO jumps. Halos are unbelievable! If you have not done one, there is no way to actually explain what it is like! After my initial HALO, the first thing I said was, "That was better than sex!"

Then there is camping, which I greatly enjoy. The only electronic device I would miss is my computer. I only use desktops. Believe it or not, in my present physical condition, skydiving is possible, but a long camping trip, especially alone, is not.

WYE run a half-marathon?

I would enjoy trying the raspberry black tea, and I brought some donuts, plain and chocolate. I am just trying to survive the tailspin of my Chicago Cubs! But I know (hope) they will make a big comeback and make the playoffs.

Yes, I would! I love the sea.

WYE go skydiving?

Hi, Scott! Great to know that you still drop by occasionally. I come to this forum post almost every day.

Cora, that looks so tasty! Yum... yum! I would like to try all of them. Pull up a seat and join me. I brought mint tea.

I would love to! I retired from the US Navy and love the ocean. But alas, my health would not allow for such a wonderful adventure.

WYE Go camping alone for two weeks deep inside a national park with no electronics? (No smartphone, laptop, or tablet.)

I do not know why, but I woke up at 11:00 am this morning. I usually cannot sleep that late into the day. I am drinking Mountain Dew today and eating two bagels with honey. I hope everyone is having a great day!

JamesPBear, glad to hear you are well. What type of non-fiction are you writing?

Good luck with your proposal!

I guess I am the first patron for June. I am just going to have some green tea and a red velvet donut. I hope everyone is doing well!

Quote by Mendalla

Vibes, mate. I remember seeing the footage at the time and being appalled. To actually be doing search and recovery there? Wow. I can't even imagine.

My statement was a little misleading. After rereading it, I stated, "30 years ago was the Oklahoma City bombing." The bombing took place on 19 April 1995. 30 years ago, is when the bombers were indicted on 10 August 1995. Sorry for the mix-up. My brain wanders between thoughts sometimes. Reading an article about the indictment pushed my brain back to that terrible day in April of that year.