AI Continues Slopping

This one made me snort-laugh:

I didn't even bother with the text. The thought of Monanio really consumed all of my brain.

AI of course has opened cheaper avenues into ragebait. People comment on the slop, the sloppers earn income, and all is wrong with the world.

This one is worse, but in a subtler way:

I don't know what's worse: the thought of both Peppermint Patty and Charlie Brown serving in 'Nam, or Snoopy's Bugs Bunny ears.

FIRST CONTACT

From Isaac:

Good Morning,

I have officially arrived at the Provo MTC! Yesterday was drop off day and day one of my in person MTC experience. It was a good full day to say the least.

Day one was really closer to day 1/2, as my district's arrival time wasn't until 1:00pm. Upon arrival I was given all of the MTC swag, shown my room, and then promptly left to my own devices. I am pretty much settled in, but the beds here do make me miss the scout camp mattresses...and the same goes for the showers. All in all, however, this first small taste of the MTC has been a positive and spiritual experience.

Unfortunately, there isn't much to report, seeing as we are only in day two and today is P-Day, but I would like to leave you all with this:

While our natural instincts are to focus on our own doubts, fears, and insecurities, I've found that as I redirect my attention to the needs of others, those same doubts and fears are diminished. We need to lose ourselves in our service to others, and let the Lord take care of the rest.

I love you all and miss you all dearly,

Elder Davidson

District 12-D (minus Elders Adam's, Monahan, and Ware)

It's Official

 

And he's gone. Plopped into a parking garage at the MTC, a hug for Mom, a few photos snapped by a missionary practicing Japanese, and we were off.

Almost home now. Happy for him but feeling like the car is a little empty.

It's (Almost) Official

We're lazing about in a hotel in Ogden, getting ready to drop Isaac off at the MTC. He has to be there to meet his district (and Elder Palmer, his companion, with whom he has merrily klonked heads for the week of home MTC). It's odd to think the time has come, and I think this morning the import of the moment is hitting Isaac a little hard. He's been subdued and quiet.

Or maybe just tired from the day before. We did a session at the Logan Temple, then had a $170 dinner at Maddox in Perry before we stopped in Ogden for the night.

Side note: The Logan Temple was much more modern inside than I was anticipating for a Pioneer-era temple. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but I certainly know the Idaho Falls Temple has survived remodeling efforts with much more of its 1940s Art Deco intact.

More to come . . .

Another Little Project Done

Michelle painted the stairwell and the stair rail last year. Just got the rail back up today. And I did *not* use drywall screws to fasten it to the wall, thankyouverymuch.

I did this scientifically, since she puttied over the holes in the drywall as she painted. I measured the basement rail height, figured out which end of the rail went where, and then with the assistance of Isaac, busily preparing to depart for the MTC today, got the rail put up and back into the actual studs.

That's one of those things you do when you're taking a much-needed day off work for a trip to Utah but need to burn off some nervous energy before the trip begins.

AI: Used Car Writing

More fuel here for folks like me who don't want AI to write or think for us.

It's the automated rush to mediocrity that bugs me. I mean, I can be a mediocre writer on my own; I don't need technological help to be so.

The worst part: Most AI acolytes don't care. Writing is a chore to be taken off a checklist, not anything to be done to help increase one's abilities or make their brains work.

I get it -- writing is hard. I've been working on a novel for years. Reading is one thing, writing is completely different. It's like saying "Hey, I like cars. I can drive them. I'm going to build one myself." Two completely different worlds.

But this AI writing for us isn't us writing, it's us going to the used car lot and buying the blandest piece of machinery on the lot. . .

Dear Elder Davidson No. 1

 Hello Isaac,

Thought you’d enjoy having a bit of mail in the mailbox when you got to the MTC. That is if this letter beats us there. We’ll see.

I imagine you’ll find your time at the MTC going fast. It went fast for me, as I recall, and I was there for 2 ½ months. You’re going to be busy there – and that’s a good thing.

If I can offer any advice, it would be this: Take what they teach you there seriously. I know you’re going into the mission full-bore; I expect nothing less from you. I’ve always admired your dedication and enthusiasm. Keep it up. There may be times, even in the two weeks you’re there, that you’ll feel discouraged. That’s normal. Just remember you’ve got a huge support group there, and we’re all rooting for you at home. More importantly, God called you to serve, and He’ll do everything he can to help you succeed as long as you’re doing your part. That you’ll do that I have no doubt.

Your personality and charisma will be tremendous assets to you in the mission field. God expects you’ll channel that into good. I saw charismatic missionaries accomplish great things. I also saw them lead other missionaries into things they shouldn’t be doing. Don’t do that.

I’ll get off the soapbox. You know what you’re facing, and you’ll hear plenty of advice from all sorts of people in the MTC and in the mission field. Just remember to listen to the spirit and you’ll do wonderfully.

As you serve your mission, you’ve inspired me to re-read my mission journals and letters. Maybe I’ll send you a bit of stuff here and there and you might relate (or not) to experiences the old man had on his mission. I won’t promise you any Naked Ninja moments, but as I recall my folks did build a new house and move while I was on my mission, so the opportunity was always there. Dad wanted to keep the new house a secret, but Mom was always bursting to send any news she could. Roles would be reversed for your Mom and I, as I’m the one who likes to blab.

Journal writing (soapbox comes back out): Do it. You’ll see the value in it as you go. I don’t know that you need to do it daily, but certainly record things that happen to you. Record promptings from the Lord. Record the good stuff and the bad stuff. I know when I re-read the entries from the days when I was feeling low and lousy it helps me keep perspective on how I dealt with the bad, and how I could certainly have dealt with it better. The more we record, the more we’re able to recall and ponder on. The Book of Mormon in many parts (I’m thinking particularly of Enos and Mormon/Moroni) are dudes like us recording their ups and downs. There’s a lot of value in what they wrote, and while what we record won’t necessarily become scripture, it can still hold a lot of value for us. And remember that the incidental things you write – emails, letters, etc., can double as journal entries. I haven’t journaled on paper in years but put a lot of stuff on my blog. If I have something significant I want to keep, I save the file on my computer. We’ll do what we can to preserve the emails and letters you send, so they can supplement your own journal writing. Just find a way to record your memories and thoughts (backs off the soapbox again).

I just really hope you enjoy your time, have fun with your companions, and can look back on your mission years with fondness. Missions are a lot of work, but as with life, they can be a lot of fun as well. I know you know how to find fun and how to make things fun, so as long as you’re doing things in a way that keep you and your companion safe and keep the spirit with you, you’re going to do great things.

I’ve babbled long enough. I’ll end this letter and let you get back to the MTC thing.

Love, Dad

Hey, I *Know* That Name

So I'm reading J. Golden Kimball by Claude Richards and learned an interesting interaction he had with James Kearl, one of my mother's relatives.

A few caveats:

There may be other James Kearls, but in looking at the timeline and genealogy, I can confirm James Kearl lived in the area Kimball lived in. They're also contemporaries, so the chances of this being my relative are good.

The event itself is not that exciting; I just thought it was fun than an ancestor's name popped out of the  book at me.

The story:

About 1887 my brother Elias and I loaded a sleigh with provisions and started for Evanston, Wyoming, enroute to Salt Lake City, where Elias was to attend the Utah Legislature as a representative from Rich County. We took our mother along. Elias was on crutches, as he had a severe cut on the foot. We had four fine horses. It was snowing, but we were accustomed to snow storms. We left our home in Meadowville and, after we passed through Lake Town, we wended our way to the canyon. A severe blizzard, with a terrifying wind, set in. We plowed our way through banks of snow. We reached the top of the mountain; night set in and we discovered we were traveling in a circle as the horses could not face the storm. We found a cabin, owned by our friend James Kearl, and entered. Tearing up the floor, we built a fire and camped for the night.

I can't imagine James Kearl was all that happy to know a cabin he owned lost a floor to some wanderers, but I'm certain he wouldn't have mind as it likely saved their lives. They did eventually reach Salt Lake, after other adventures involving other ranchers and other cabins.

A Few Updates

I offer a few updates after a busy week.

Update 1: Isaac sold his truck, thus the pile in this photo.

I was low-key worried we'd either be making payments on his truck during his mission or that some jerk would try to steal it away from him, but he ended up selling it to a missionary freshly-returned from Costa Rica whose Dad arrived in a vehicle bought at the same small dealership Isaac bought his truck from.

There wasn't even any dickering on price. I don't know how he avoided that. Maybe because it's a good truck, in good condition, and the used car market is so screwed up anyway.

Update 2: Home MTC is going well, though he's convinced it could be done in just a few days. There's a lot of slack time built in, and that's driving him nuts. He's so much like his mother in that he loves being busy. No matter. We'll take him down to Provo next week, where the real action begins.

Update 3: My car is still in the shop. Not the end of the world as we have a fleet to choose from at home, but I do miss it. Hopefully soon.

Verdict on The Gun Seller: Good.

A while back I wrote a post about this book, saying that if I found it was good or entertaining or some combination of both, I'd be upset at the polymathical talents of Hugh Laurie, actor, pianist, singer, writer, and novelist.

It's good.

So I am upset.

But in a good way. Though the book was a bit predictable in parts, the story is entertaining, and the last 30 or so pages I had to finish in a gulp because the tension built nicely and the bad guys get their comeuppance and it doesn't really matter all that much if there were so many characters, many of whom blended together, I kinda forgot who some of the bad guys were even at the end. That might be this novel's biggest fault, and something I should learn for my own writing. We don't need to make all of our characters zany and Gentry Lee-esque, but we should certainly strive to help them be memorable enough when their names are mentioned again long after they're introduced we remember who they are. And maybe that's my fault; sometimes I'm not the most observant reader. But this book is no Dickens character fest, either.

It's not the best spy spoof or whatever that I've read, but it was a fun read nonetheless.

I can't recommend it to my wife, to whom I pass many a book, because there's plenty of swearing in the story. I don't mind an occasional cuss, but this kind of went beyond the pale. True-to-life dialogue it might be, but it certainly makes the characters a lot less memorable when all they can do is drop an f-bomb rather than say something clever.