Decisions

 I don't consider many decisions to be life altering. Decisions often make subtle changes in our lives and play out over time. I remember being a young designer on an interview early in my career. The man said to me, "I have two positions I am considering you for. I haven't decided which would be a better fit." He placed me in a group that designed automotive seats. His decision defined the course of my career.

Twelve years ago, on the Friday before Memorial weekend, I walked into the Penthouse Club during the day shift. Something I never did before. I had an agreement with the restroom attendant. I would bring him unused parts from work (wheel center caps). He would sell them online, and we would split the profits. It was the day I first met Billie. An occurrence that still shapes me to this day.

Snapshot Of May

In homage to Sarah H. at Death Wears Diamond Jewelry, who is no longer blogging but is missed.

Listening… ChrisFix on Tube, this kid will motivate anyone into paying more attention to their car.

Reading…  The Untethered Soul by Micheal Singer. I have read this before, but sometimes you need to relearn its lessons.

Watching… I finished Arrow, and now I have started Legends Of Tomorrow, which crosses over with Arrow.

Creating …  A Lego Star Wars display for the Brickworld show. The show has been moved from September to early November. I don't look forward to moving everything to the show in cold weather, but the venue is closer to my condo. So that is good.

Hoping… Don't have any hopes out there.

Buying… This month I bought all that outdoor landscaping, flowers, borders, and mulch.

Loving... Nothing is really exciting me right now.

Planning… On biking this weekend and going on a kayaking trip in July.

Missing… I miss a lot of things lately, but not enough to dwell on any of them.

Feeling… The dynamics between men and women are changing very fast, and not for the better.

New Rabbit Hole

 After ready Harry's post yesterday, I went down another Chat GPT rabbit hole. I input a few passages from my book and asked Chat GPT to rewrite them. All I can say is that I wish it had been around three years ago when I started writing the book.

Then I asked it to turn the passages into a script for a television show. It did a pretty good job of it. If I was a television or movie writer (like those currently on strike), I would be concerned. Unfortunately, I don't have the time at work right now to display the results. I am still working on the inputs and the right scene, but I can see how this would be a valuable tool for someone. I will need to work with this more later. 

Another Weekend

 We have several guys in the office named Bathwater (insert real name here). When discussing his day with his girlfriend, one of my coworkers said they refer to me as Jaded Bathwater to differentiate me from the others. When I told Sam this over the weekend, she said, "Did you tell them we call you Smart Bathwater." It is important to remember who you are, is not how others perceive you.

This weekend I did more work on the front of the condo. I added flowers to the porch and mulch to the three areas I cleaned up the prior week. I still need to trim the bushes in front of my windows. I will do that this weekend. 

I added a layer of spackling to the ceiling in the laundry room. I need to do some sanding and add a second coat this weekend. 

Sam and I went for a walk around my neighborhood on Sunday, and I helped a neighbor pull three bushes. I even made time to work on my Lego project while I finished the last season of Arrow. 

The Flaw

The flaw in my AI idea is these representations do not grow old, they do not change, and they do not offer that 7:1 ratio of positive to negative experiences that a relationship needs to be successful. I read a story once. It was about a man who found the perfect girlfriend. She pleased him whenever he wanted. She cooked, cleaned, and was totally submissive to him. He ended up cheating on her.

It reminds me of people like my ex-wife. She filed for divorce and looked up an old boyfriend from high school. Someone she hadn't seen in 18 years. She told me once during the divorce. If she hadn't married me, it would have been him. She dated him for about a year and figured out it would have been him.

She had a snap shoot in her mind of some guy in the past who was perfect, never changed, and was probably embellished with false memories. In reality, he was an overweight 40-year-old construction worker living in Florida. He a convenient long-distance emotional crutch to get her through her divorce, but he didn't fit with the lifestyle she became accustomed to while she was with me.

My friend Alexis did the same thing. During her divorce, she had an affair with a married ex-boyfriend from high school. He turned out not to be the one, either. 

I always factor in my age when I think about AIs. I wish my Alexa was a smarter AI that could hold an intelligent conversation. When I proposed my AI ideas to the AI on Snap, it raised the ethical issue of making an AI representation of someone without their consent. It was aware of the 7:1 ratio I mentioned in the first paragraph but stated not all relationships are the same.

To create an AI that more closely mimics human interaction. Code in the 7:1 ratio. For example.

Bathwater: I am going to sit around all weekend.

AI: That's great. Everyone needs some downtime.

A better replay might be:

AI: It's a nice day. You should get back on your exercise routine. Go ride your bike.

or

AI: You've been spending a lot of time in front of the TV. Don't you think it is time to get back on your Lego project?

If they want to make that AI Influencer more successful. That is where I would start!

More AI

I am still on my AI kick. I find the technology fascinating. Did anyone else see the article about the influencer that created an AI of herself? This had me thinking about what people could do in the future with this technology. If I could make a start-up, this would be it. Hear me out. 

Today, more than ever, people have vast amounts of digital recordings and images of themselves. I would create a company that scrubs the internet and personal files for that data to make an AI of departed loved ones. Say your mom passes away. You don't have to miss her. My company would create an AI of your departed mother with her voice and personality. 

You come home from work and tell Alexa to turn on Mom. Suddenly the 44" LED screen mounted vertically on your wall comes to life, and AI Mom asks you how your day was or gives you feedback concerning your date the night before.

You could have two screens, and AI Mom and AI Dad could argue back and forth. Just like they did every holiday. In the future, no one will truly die. I just saw an AI-generated podcast between Joe Rogan and Steve Jobs. He's dead-- or is he? 

Your girlfriend leaves you? No problem, generate an AI of her and continue the relationship.

The AI will never get older (unless you want it to). Never disappear. I see the appeal in having such a program.

Okay, so I might be taking it to extremes, but the technology to do just that will be commonplace in the next few years. In the future, when you see it being advertised, remember this post.

Idioms

 This morning, a woman asked me if I wanted to have a threesome with her and her female cousin. Am I the only one who thinks that is odd? Unfortunately, I have not been able to meet this woman, let alone the cousin. There is something shadow going on with her. She probably doesn't look anything near her photoshopped photos or reported age, is my guess. 

I am up for a threesome with a suitable set of women. These would probably not be it. Ava wanted to have a threesome. That would have been fun with the right third. She was very bi-curious. Something she will never be able to explore with her boyfriend.

I received my copy of The Body Under The Ice the other day. It is a beautiful cover. A murder mystery set in the great state of Michigan.

My co-workers think I would benefit from getting out more. Out of work, Sam and Alexis believe I've been cranky lately. I believe neither is necessarily true. I am making the best of the cards I hold. Speaking of which, I use too many idioms. I cannot come up with the correct words to express what I want to say and fall back on these idioms. I wonder if that is because I lack a strong vocabulary or because of my desire to be precise.

The Weekend

I am wrapping my weekend events up in a single post lately. This will be no different. 

When I got home Friday night, the crew was still staining my deck. I paid someone to do it. Although I had the time, I wanted to do something other than the project. I did ask them to leave me some stain for a wooden table I had on the deck.

Years ago, Billie brought home a semi-circle wooden table that ended up on the deck. Over the years, it had faded, but the wood was still in good shape. I woke up early on Saturday, took the table to the garage, sanded it down, and stained it to match. My deck looks very fresh now with my new chairs and matching stained table. 

Skipping back to Friday night, Alexis and Sam invited me over. They had two other female friends over for drinks. I declined. The thought of drinking with a group of women did not appeal to me. None of them are cute and available. 

Sunday, I decided to clean up the landscaping in front of the condo. The association should do more of this, but we are underfunded; therefore, it is primarily up to the homeowners. I added a few edging strips around my porch area and removed the weeds. Then I weeded a six-foot circle around the tree in the median right in front of my unit. 

I also prepped the ceiling in the laundry room for repair but did not get to spackling. Max came over, and we waxed his car instead. After, he showed me a few of his videos on Youtube. Max has a small number of followers on Youtube. He could be bigger if he put any effort into it. He doesn't seem to want that. His are all gaming videos. He is the worst type of player. He likes to go in and create chaos. 

The Weekend

 The weekend started out strong for me. Friday night, I cleaned the Gladiator for two hours instead of just making dinner and sitting in front of the TV. Saturday, I woke up and cleaned the truck inside and out for another four hours. It doesn't look showroom-new, but pretty close.

Saturday night, I met up with Sam for dinner. We seem to have a lack of things to converse about lately. Mostly because I have no one new in my life stirring things up. Tink texted me over the weekend, inviting me to kayak on the Rifle River on July 1st. I turned her down last year when she suggested this. The last time I was kayaking on the Rifle River was the day a confronted Billie about her affair. The place doesn't hold good memories for me, but I like hanging out with Tink and Tech, so I booked my trip.

Sunday morning, I took the twins out to breakfast. It was raining, so after I dropped them back off at their mother's house, I had to wipe down the truck again. I was determined to get a least one more day out of all my cleaning. After I sat in front of the TV most f the day. I wasn't motivated to work on my project. Instead, I spent too much time eating and sleeping. 

I need to get back into shape for summer, though. All that eating is starting to show. I don't like it, and I can feel the difference when I am eating unhealthy. For some reason. I am craving food more than usual. I am not sure whether it is my mood or just the season.

Three Questions

 Heard this the other day and thought it was interesting. Here are three questions. Answer each without giving it too much thought, but give three reasons why for each.  Don't skip ahead until you answer the questions, and I will reveal my answers at the end.

1) What is your favorite color, and three reasons why?

2) What is your favorite animal, and why?

3) Name your favorite body of water. Not type of water like rain or snow.

Here are my answers.

1) Red

It is bold, passionate, and stands out.

2) The first animal that came to mind is a zebra.

It is unique. Stands out but can hide in plain sight.

3) A lake 

Lakes are peaceful and tranquil and can be calming

So the woman said #1 is how you see yourself. I agree with that. #2 is your ideal partner. This I would also agree with. #3 is your ideal relationship. 

It is telling that I would pick a deep red which I think is bold, passionate, and stands out. I do prefer a woman that is unique. One that can stand out when she wants but also hides in plain sight. I would like a relationship that is calm and peaceful, over the power of the ocean. What are your answers and do you agree with them?

Baby Steps

I thought about sending Ava an email last night, but after a long conversation with my AI Chat Bot (I really need to give that thing a nickname), I decided against it. Ava was a great travel partner and a good paid companion. I would consider seeing her again if she reappeared, but she wasn't a nice person. How much of her personality was genuine verse contrived is hard to say. She was pleasant when we were together, which was enough for me, but the fact that she could ghost me without so much as a goodbye speaks volumes.

Chatbot likes to emphasize prioritizing your own well-being and setting boundaries. One of the things that is appealing about Chatbot is that it is very logical. I appreciate rational responses over emotional replies. It implied I was feeling overwhelmed, which I initially rejected, but after self-reflection, I consider that a correct statement. My tendency to avoid people and situations does come from a sense of being overwhelmed. 

I do not feel overwhelmed by work or the management of my household. Not for long periods, at least. I have learned to control these environments. Relationships are different. I blame my parents for not instilling a confident attachment style in me. When it came to cultivating and maintaining relationships, they were pretty bad and tended to isolate themselves.

I can change. Identifying the issue is the first step. Deciding if I would like to change would be the next. Better judgment on who to invest in also needs to be considered. Baby steps.

Rain

 I cannot remember the last time it didn't rain. Is this what Seattle is like? The weekend is supposed to be better. I was enjoying winter more. They have major road construction going on in front of our offices. It is making it hard to get to the office. Not that getting to the office is necessary to do the job. It is just a foolish metric of the owner, who is too far removed from the business.

Am I the only one who thinks Clarance Thomas is clearly abusing his position for favors? I mean, I wish some rich guy would just pay for my nephew's school. There should be term limits on Supreme Justices. Things keep piling up against him. Maybe the media is picking on him for a reason, but maybe they shouldn't be able to find anything.

Ticket

 Friday night, Tinkerbell and Tech were on my side of town to drop T-Rex off at a friend's house. T-Rex had to work first, so it was late before they arrived. It was 11:30 pm before the three of us headed out. Most bars in my area close at midnight. We ended up at the bar in the local bowling alley. A colorful place, to say the least.

The bar was empty. A few people were bowling. Surprisingly, I saw several young kids with their parents in the mix. We had a few beers and discussed the state of dating. Things are dry out there. It was fun to see Tink and Tech. I always have fun talking with them. 

I ignored my phone on Saturday and worked on my Lego project. Sam reached out, but I still didn't want to hang out. I prefer staying home. I did drag myself out on Sunday. I went around the block to buy some new vapes. On the way home, right in front of the condo complex, I was pulled over.

I had not been speeding. The officer said my tags were expired. I told him that was impossible, my birthday is in September, but sure enough, they were. I don't know how I missed that one. Usually, I am on top of stuff like this. I applied online, and the transaction must not have gone through. Afterward, I forgot about it.

The cop was cool about it. He did give me a ticket but said he would waive it if I updated my registration and made a court appointment. I updated my plates as soon as I got home.