I recently finished reading the 'Foundation' series after watching the TV series. I liked the TV show, but I forgot how wonderful the books are.

I met my new 'Shrink' yesterday. She seems OK, but she will only be doing my meds. I can hardly wait to get my new therapist. I see how useful my sessions are after missing them for six months.

I have some candy corn if anyone wants some.

Fly. I cannot drive.

Baseball or Football

The Wedding was great. One of my nephews is a preacher in our church, and he led a beautiful and inspiring ceremony. I was happier than I have been in a decade.

@WriterGirl

Both covers look great, but I like the 2nd one the most.

Quote by JamesPBear

I know you know this, Gillian, but there is absolutely no reason to feel guilty, and for several reasons. First, and most importantly, you did the best you could for him – really, the best that anyone could do. There is no reason to regret that, and if there's blame to be assigned, blame the disease, not you, nor him.

And second is the simple truth that you can't give what you don't have. If you burn out, it won't help him. Indeed, it would make his life worse. So take care of yourself so that you can take care of him as best suits his current situation.

My younger brother is going through Alzheimer's, about middle-stage at this point. He's a brilliant man, far smarter than me (though it burns me to say so), and it's heart-breaking to speak to him and hear the things he's losing.

But he has an amazing woman as his wife, and two of his three grown children live nearby, and are being actively helpful.

Yet it still hurts.

So, take care of yourself, take a deep breath, and let go of the guilt. It doesn't help either of you, and it certainly hurts you.

And there's a big Bear hug waiting for you – if that helps.

You are so right! That is great advice.

My youngest son, Raymond, brought his girlfriend (Stephanie) and her two lovely children (Sylar and Alexander) from Phoenix to NC to get married! Stephanie is delightful and insightful. Sylar seems smart for his age, and Alexander has a question about everything. Both children are already calling me grandpa!!! They got here Monday and are getting married tomorrow at 10 am. I am so excited!

I have an interesting idea for the competition, but I write so slowly these days. I will try to finish it in time. Can I enter it on the 1st or before the 1st?

The All-Star game was such a disappointment. Deciding the winner on something that has no substantive bearing to the game of baseball.

Quote by Mendalla

AI research has to happen. Regardless of what we think of things like ChatGPT and Gemini, AI is a powerful research tool. Already, Google's labs have vastly improved our ability to generate models of protein folding, critical for improving drugs and other biochemistry. Scientists are feeding large data sets into AI models to more quickly and efficiently analyze them. Basically, it's the old computer adage: "Garbage in, Garbage out". Used with a meaningful, useful dataset, AI can work wonders. Used with something like the Internet, which is a mixed bag with lots of meaningless, useless, and sometimes downright harmful data, it pukes out garbage. And research is how we are going to deal with it properly. Now, whether this bill actually helps with that research is another whole issue...

(and that's James the Bear you're responding to, by the way)

The BBB has provisions that block any laws from being passed to regulate AI.

Remember that the AI we are using today is not, by definition, Artificial Intelligence. They are just very sophisticated programs.

Cubs baseball and TV show 'Grimm'

cold and blustery.

hamburgers or hot dogs?

I had a great 4th of July with my oldest son, sister, BIL, and their kids and grandkids.

Yes, Scott, there is a lot of stuff in that bill. Check out the status of AI research and protection of AI for the next decade.

I am looking forward to the 4th of July celebrations. I have been absent from stories space for a while, but I am enjoying the new stories.

Glad to have you back, Mendalla. I hope you enjoyed your vacation. I saw a couple of videos about 'free men of the land' from the Ontario area. It is nice to know Canada has ignorant, crazy people too.

I did the ten-word story challenge today.

I hope everyone is doing well this holiday weekend.

I won twice last night at bingo, but no one won the big prize of $9,000. I hope to get a chance to win it Wednesday.

Ferocious predator silently stalks its prey. Cozy kitten attacks toe!

Verbal, that seems great! I hope you finally finished your pee. BTW, Jeff McNeil should enjoy this year. With his bat control and limited infield shifting, he could do better than his league-leading AVG. from last year.

I love Friday the 13th! 13 is my lucky number.

Good afternoon to all!

Aaron, my grandson, Is fine. However, he will be wearing a knee brace for a couple of weeks. Thanks, Verbal. I was a well-scouted catcher in high school until I broke my kneecap. A year later, I completely recovered. But no one scouts young catchers with knee injuries. I am sorry, Verbal, but I forgot your favorite baseball team. Who is it?

Gillian, the medication should be alright for a year or two past the expiration date. They set a date of 80-50% of the actual average date to be safe for drugs that do not require special handling. It is almost as bad in hospitals with that trifecta of respiratory diseases as it was at the worst of Covid.

Peace and health for everyone! JLYSDI! ❤️

In December, I saw 'Violent Santa.' It is a cross between 'Home Alone' and 'The Vikings.' It will bring a lot of tummy laughter and knee-slapping funny. My whole family liked it. We also watched the DC universe 'Black Adam.' One of the better DC superhero movies.

A week ago, Liz and I viewed the new 'Avatar' movie in 3-D. It was quite a good film. The vistas and world were absolutely amazing. It had exciting character development. It is what you expect from a three-billion-dollar movie. The weakest part was the idea that caused the conflict.

I am here at home waiting to hear about my grandson, Aaron. The school called earlier, informing us that he had a dislocated knee. Her mom went to take him to the hospital. We have not heard anything from them yet.

Kat, I hope you get better. Have you tried a dab of honey, a pinch of cinnamon, and a shot of whiskey? I recommend Jack in the black. 💖

So many people are going to the dentist. Just do not think about what the dentist could do with those instruments in your mouth. 🤣🤣

It is a bad day today. My brains are all mush. I could not get out of bed until the afternoon. The worse thing of all is I missed BINGO last night at the Maple Tree bar. JLYSDI!

It is a typical cold day in the Chicago area. I was up very late watching C-SPAN; that was a cluster duck. I have been binge-watching 'Supernatural' with 4-5 episodes a day. Have a great day, everyone.

The Chicago Cubs have made a few interesting moves in the off-season. They may even have a winning record in 2023.

I wrote my first sci-fi story in high school, and it was set far in the future... 2023.

City. I do not care for beaches.

Travel by plane or car?

with gale winds

It is nice being someplace where people know about Yogi, Quick Draw McGraw, and Baba Looey.

May your 2023

Be good for thee!

Happy new year.

Hi, my friends.

I was in the hospital for ten days and got home on Friday. Today is the first day I could get online.

I hope everyone is well. I wrote about my time in the hospital, and then today, I read it while having a semi-normal mind. Gosh, it was awful! I could not understand half of it myself. Maybe I should post it entitled 'The Ravings of Madness.'

Tomorrow, I am going to NC for my father's funeral. He was cremated, and they were waiting for everyone to get well and be able to show up. I am lucky I got out of the hospital in time.

I hope you all are doing well and have a wonderful weekend.

My better half has cooked salmon tonight. Yummy! James, I finished reading 'The Bear and the Girl.' I greatly enjoyed it.

Peace and love to everyone!

Quote by Ping

Quote by Mendalla

Quote by Ping

LBD?

Lewy Body Dementia, I think.

***

It’s called levity. 

Anyone who’s dealt with dementia knows how challenging it is. I do. Currently dealing with it too. Moving someone in a supportive care home today. It’s brutal. I also know trying to make someone smile is better than trying to embarrass them or shut them down.

BTW, in high school, I was a thespian. I wore dresses on several occasions, including once in a black dress with a pair of gorgeous black six inches heels. With the prosthetics, I looked fabulous!

Hope you continue to mend, Sara. 😃

Everyone, have a great day. 🍺

Hi, everyone! 🍷

Sorry for my long absence. After the news of my father, My brain was pretty messed up. I had more than a week of bonkers and many bad days after that. I fell and broke a tooth which had to be pulled. I have an irrational fear of dentists, so that was a real struggle. My doctor found a suspicious mole on my neck that I will soon be excised. All of this may seem bad, but the real problem is the progress of my LBD. It has multiplied any real issues. I have had a hard time getting to SS.

My LBD has made the transition to the new site difficult. My whole life runs on a set schedule and routine. Dealing with change is difficult, yet I am trying to get used to the new format.

I have sorely missed your companionship in my daily life. I continue reading your stories, though slowly.

BTW, I have shaved off my rather large 'Santa Clause' like beard, and my youngest grandson took almost a week before he recognized me. It was pretty funny seeing everyone's reaction to the appearance of my face. I certainly hope it was not fear or disgust. 😀

I hope you all stay healthy and happy. ❤