It really was not a day marked with anything too memorable, but my study is 98% finished in being moved into and organized. It feels great. I am hoping that on Friday and Saturday, I shall be able to finish my bedroom and then swap the closets.

Several have asked if I am “overdoing it.” Of course, I am. And it feels terrific. While my body aches and I am tired, I feel empowered because I can still do things for myself and take on challenging tasks such as this major room swap. I need these little moments of accomplishment to keep me boosted.

Tonight, I shall be guarding The Winter Garden at the Schuster Center for several hours before the Children’s Parade begins at 7 PM. I may try to grab some Chinese food while I am downtown, providing I can get through the madness of the crowds, as well as the parade.

On this date in history: (1998) Queen Elizabeth II, speaking at the annual ceremonies opening the British Parliament, announced that the right of hereditary peers to vote in the House of Lords would end, though compromise legislation later allowed 92 hereditary peers to remain in the Lords. (1990) British author Roald Dahl—who was best known for his irreverent children’s books, which included James and the Giant Peach (1961) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964)—died in Oxford, England. (1971) A man later known as D.B. Cooper hijacked a plane shortly after departing from Portland, Oregon, and later parachuted out of the aircraft with the ransom money; despite an extensive manhunt, he was never identified or caught. (1963) Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby fatally shot Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. (1947) The Hollywood Ten, a group of motion-picture producers, directors, and screenwriters who appeared before the House Un-American Activities Committee in October 1947, were found in contempt of Congress. (1874) American inventor Joseph Farwell Glidden patented the first commercially successful barbed wire. (1859) Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection was published. (1832) A special state convention in South Carolina adopted the Ordinance of Nullification, which declared two federal tariffs null and void within the state; it sparked the nullification crisis, which ended in favor of the federal government.

Make it a great day!