Today, my extraordinary wife, Janelle, celebrated her 50th birthday. At the suggestion of a friend, I presented Janelle this morning with a tiara that had the number 50 on top. She was hesitant about wearing it, but Katrina encouraged her to do so. Hearing that encouragement, Irene asked to see grandma's crown. When Janelle asked Irene if she should wear the tiara all day, Irene told that she should because it was pretty. 

As I am pretty bad about getting gifts, and Janelle usually picks up what she wants, I only had one gift (which she already knows about) coming in the mail for her. I ordered it back in November, but I foolishly did so from one of those Facebook ad companies, and the gift is taking the LONG way from Belgium (seriously? Belgium?). Still, I wanted her to have something from me today, so I decided to pick up fifty roses for her.

I also decided to select a different color for each of our children--ten of each color ... except they come in bouquets of a dozen, so we instead have 60 flowers. I compromised by putting 50 flowers into two large mason jars as the main gift and a separate group of 10 in a smaller vase as an "extra" present. While I have nowhere near the floral skill of my sister Katie, I'm still pretty happy with the result. Meanwhile, Rowen mixed, baked, and decorated Janelle's cake (with Janelle's supervision), and Connor made street tacos for dinner. 

On a different front, Julian (my newest grandson) came home last night. Thus, Irene and Alistair had their first chance to interact with their new brother. Alistair, especially, seems to need some time to adjust to no longer being the baby in the family. However, he shows some signs of being a helpful brother as Katrina and Peter sent us pictures of Alistair giving Julian back a pacifier that he had spit out.

I think that the gift that Janelle is most looking forward to "opening" is getting down to Michigan next week so that she can finally hold Julian (and everyone else) herself.

Today's Gospel reading begins with John the Baptist saying, "Behold, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." This comes from the first chapter of the Gospel of John, indicating the importance that the apostle, John, placed on this particular title. In our discussion on the Bible after mass, we talked about the importance of Jesus fulfilling the role of sacrifice in order to expunge the debt of sin brought by Adam and, in doing so, mirroring the roles of Isaac and Moses in the Old Testament.

The symmetry of the Bible is quite remarkable. The promises made in the Old Testament are fulfilled in the New--even if not in the ways that people had come to expect. To me, that makes the New Testament even more powerful as it is able to unite what seemed like disparate stories into a unified whole that brings about the redemption of the world. Such is true in our own lives, as God does not work in the way that we might necessarily expect, but instead has a plan far beyond our understanding.

John the Baptist seemed to be surprised that his cousin was the one whom he was supposed to proclaim. However, once he saw that Jesus had the Holy Spirit dwelling within Him, he did not hesitate in making his announcement. I wish that I had that same confidence in making similar professions of my faith. It's easy enough to do in a church filled with people who hold similar beliefs, but I need to work on how I act outside of the walls of our church.

Homer's DDF tournament was an excellent experience. Our team didn't have any debate competitors which, although I would like to build a debate team in the future, made for a bit more relaxed of a tournament than the last two that I attended. Well, that and the fact that I didn't judge any of the events this time around due to the overall smaller number of students and the outpouring of community judges.

The Homer coach who organized the event also included a few "classes" during the debate rounds (as only students from the Homer team were participating in the debates). Two that I attended were led by a particularly vivacious octogenarian woman who had studied how to be a mime in France under Marcel Marceau. I particularly enjoyed the second class where she had us practice using nearly our entire bodies, with the exception of our faces, to convey emotion while practicing the rhythm of that emotion as well.

Our team had a strong showing. Certainly, there were fewer schools involved, but my Readers Theater team still managed to get third (out of six teams) for their performance of "Witches and How To Build Bridges out of Them" from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. One of my foreign issues extemporaneous speakers managed to take second place overall, while one member of our team managed to attain win two placements for this, her first tournament. Most impressively, she was ranked third overall in the highly competitive category of extemporaneous commentary (which had eleven other competitors). 

The best part was that everyone had fun. I felt like our team, small as it is, deeply bonded during these past two days. I am also quite glad that our drama teacher, who agreed to help chaperone, had a great time as well. A clear sign that everyone enjoyed the experience is that all of them are planning what they want to do at the next meet--which is only three weeks away.

I really don’t like writing on my phone, especially when my blogging website is giving me difficulties. Thus, I’m going to keep this short and just say that the first day of the DDF tournament went well for my team (even if they all don’t feel that way) and that my new “wallet holster” drew a lot of comments and odd looks. I am happy to say that I am going to sleep content on both counts. 

As it took me longer to get home than I had planned today, I considered not keeping the sledding appointment that I made for myself. With that temptation to bow out in mind, I'm glad that I wrote about my sledding appointment earlier so that I had more of a reason to keep it today. In fact, I even took some pictorial and video evidence of some of the experience. Note that my comment of having to wade waste deep in snow was not much of an exaggeration. I certainly got a workout. 

Janelle had ordered a complete surprise for me that arrived in the mail today. It is quite close to one of my long-ago stated desires: the wallet holster. Technically, it's called a "men's motorcycle waist pack thigh drop leg bag" and is a bit bigger and more decorative than I envisioned, but it seems to work. I plan on trying it out for a longer duration throughout the school day tomorrow and this weekend's DDF tournament. 

Speaking of which, I picked up some travel treats (a wide jar of low-salt peanuts, a bag of gummy worms, and a box of snack-sized packages of Pringles) and packed up my bag for tomorrow. Janelle is never happy when we swap vehicles, but hers is the best-suited for taking multiple people on an hour and a half road trip. Aside from disappointing her, I'm starting to feel really positive about this trip.

Finally, we were once again frustrated in our attempt to watch a show on Disney+. That streaming service has been rather touchy ever since we switched our Internet provider over to StarLink. StarLink was even up the whole time with a few interruptions of less than a second, but that seems to be enough for Disney+ to stop the video while allowing the audio to continue. I would prefer if it just paused entirely while it buffers. Weirdly, it's worked just fine from time to time. Unfortunately, this means that we have not been able to watch the final episode of Willow; however, as Netflix has given us no such trouble, we decided to watch an older season of the Great British Bake-Off and were quite happy with it (It's the season with Liam--who is now a host for the Junior British Bake-Off).

Due to bussing costs and the small number of students coming with me to this weekend's DDF tournament in Homer, I and a fellow teacher are driving them down in our own vehicles. The trip is a short one in comparison to our longer trips to Anchorage and Chugiak, but one student still brought up the subject of travel snacks and how he has some favorites that he likes to get when he goes on trips with his family. Thus, I've spent a little bit of time considering the types of snack that I like to bring along on a drive, as well as those that I would prefer to avoid.

On the subject of avoidance, oranges are near the top of my list. I love eating oranges, but on a drive and even pre-peeled, their stickiness requires a moistened towelette rather than just a napkin or piece of paper towel. The same is true for most cheesy chips, but especially Cheetos (which I otherwise love). Basically, anything that leaves behind residue that a swift finger licking or hand wiping cannot cure is something that I want to avoid--especially when driving.

Chocolate items find themselves in a sort of middle ground. A lot of my preference will depend on the temperature, the type of chocolate, and the amount of time that I would have to spend holding the chocolate while eating it. In general, the cooler the temperature, the darker the chocolate, and the fewer seconds that I have to hold it all make me happier when dealing with a chocolate snack.

Otherwise, my primary travel snacks include the following items. Number one are Pringles in their original, sour cream and onion, or ranch variations. Bugles in original or ranch are also quite nice. Some kind of not-too-tough jerky is good if I want something more substantial. Particularly for the purpose of staying awake, my go-to food is lightly-salted peanuts--I don't know why they work for me, but they do. As a special treat, I also like gummy-sorts of sweets. Baby carrots might make it on the list if I'm trying to pretend some semblance of healthy eating.

As I think about it, I'm going to need to stop by the store tomorrow.

The weather here for the next week or so is near perfect. With highs in the twenties, lows in the teens, mostly sunny skies, plenty of snow on the ground, and almost no wind, this is nearly my favorite kind of winter weather. It's cold enough to play in the snow without getting soaked, yet not so cold that I wouldn't want to stay out for long. 

The problem is that I have not been able to push myself to go out and enjoy it. Today, I even got home a bit earlier than usual, and I even contemplated pulling on my snow pants, grabbing a sled, and making some paths down our hill. However, the idea exhausted me just thinking about it. By the time I got inside, all thought of going back out to enjoy myself were muffled by the blanket of weariness that seemed to drape over me. 

I'm a bit irritated at myself for the missed opportunity. Due to various obligations, I won't have the chance tomorrow, Friday, or Saturday. Thankfully, that leaves Thursday in the open. I've set the appointment in my calendar and the goal of a minimum of five full runs down the hill (trudging up through the waist high snow is going to be real exercise here). I'm not going to miss another chance while the weather is so nice.

I'm truly interested in the powerful possibilities that this heuristic system brings about. Sure, there are ethical debates in regards to academic dishonesty, but I also feel that it could be a powerful tool when used for the forces of good. As an example, I have been stymied by a story scenario (called Dark Side Station--the title is my favorite part so far) for almost a decade now. I decided to type in a request for help with it to ChatGPT and was quite impressed by the responses.

My request was: What could be some plot points in a short story about a researcher who is at a station on the far side of the moon who detects and can translate the broadcasts of an alien civilization?

This is the response I was given on the first attempt:
​Here are a few possible plot points that could be included in a short story about a researcher on the far side of the moon who detects and translates the broadcasts of an alien civilization:

1. The researcher initially discovers the broadcasts by accident, while working on a routine project at the station.
2. As the researcher begins to decipher the broadcasts, they become increasingly convinced that they are hearing messages from an intelligent, extraterrestrial source.
3. The researcher struggles to keep their discovery a secret, as they are unsure of how the rest of humanity will react to the news.
4. The researcher becomes obsessed with translating the broadcasts and uncovering their meaning, causing them to neglect their other work and their personal relationships.
5. As the researcher continues to listen to the broadcasts, they begin to uncover clues about the alien civilization's history, culture, and technological advances.
6. The researcher faces a moral dilemma when they realize that the broadcasts contain sensitive information that could be used for both good and evil purposes.
7. The researcher is eventually forced to reveal their discovery to the world, leading to a global debate about how to respond to the news.

On a second attempt, this was the slightly altered response: ​

1. The researcher, who is working at a station on the far side of the moon, becomes excited when they detect a series of unusual signals coming from deep space.
2. They are able to determine that the signals are being broadcast by an advanced alien civilization, and they become obsessed with deciphering their meaning.
3. As the researcher works to translate the broadcasts, they begin to uncover clues about the nature of the alien society and the challenges they face.
4. The researcher becomes increasingly isolated as they focus on their work, and they begin to feel a sense of disconnection from their colleagues and the world back on Earth.
5. As they continue to decode the broadcasts, the researcher realizes that the aliens are facing a dire threat and are desperately trying to find a way to prevent their own extinction.
6. The researcher must decide whether to reveal their findings to the world, knowing that it could have far-reaching consequences, or to keep their discovery a secret in order to protect the aliens from interference.

I am amazed that the AI was able to come up with these plot specifics (and their order), but I noticed that it did not really account for my setting the story on the far side of the moon--which indicates that (as of 2021, anyway) this particular idea is not yet part of our online collective consciousness. I also found it interesting that both sets of plot points include an element that focuses on the researcher's personal life. This is a fantastic tool that has a great deal of potential.

In today's Gospel reading, I was struck by the role of King Herod. He tells the Magi that he wants to know the location of the new "King of the Jews" so that he can go and worship Him. He fakes faithfulness for his own political gains.

I have been frustrated with the King Herods in our world today. Russia's leader claims that his bombing of Ukraine is part of a holy mission. Hungary's president has used "Christian values" to create draconian policies that curtail his citizens' rights. Multiple governors in the U.S. have claimed to follow "Christian ideals," but have then shipped immigrants to other states without ensuring that the naked are clothed, the hungry are fed, or that the strangers are welcomed. 

Like Herod, they claim that they go and worship Christ, but then they use their power to do the exact opposite of what Christ would want. Meanwhile, mini-Herods support them. They vote for them and repeat their lies because it is the easier path. 

Unlike Herod, the Magi demonstrate that the true believers of Christ are willing to travel vast distances and face many obstacles to do what is right. Are we set to go the distance for Christ? Or do we support those Herods who feign worship of Christ as a means to get what we want?

I've had the recent 2021 movie Cyrano on my "to watch" list for a little while. As a fan of the movie Roxanne, and the original work that both that movie and this one are based, I have also been a bit hesitant about watching it as well. I both liked and feared the fact that it was a musical (and an adaptation of a Broadway one, at that). Seeing it, both my hopes and my concerns were affirmed.

I genuinely enjoyed the movie, but I don't know how often (if ever) that I might see it again. The songs were moving, but not truly memorable. The production was artistically done, but perhaps too much so. The actors were all wonderful even if their characters were more like caricatures. Despite both being a musical and changing Cyrano's physical affliction from that of having a long nose to being extremely short of stature, I felt that this movie was quite true to the original play--almost to a fault. One thing that I deeply appreciated in movie Roxanne with Steve Martin was how well it was adapted to the 1980s, but this film tries to the recreate the late 1800s play in the time of the 1600s with the writing of the 2020s.

Still, I did enjoy the film. For me, Peter Dinklage--who plays the titular character--has yet to disappoint, and Ben Mendelsohn has become one of my favorite actors who plays characters that I love to hate. Haley Bennett and Kelvin Harrison Jr. both shined as Roxanne and Christian with magnificent voices to match. Thus, I recommend the movie if you have not seen it. 

When faced with change, most people's gut reaction is to raise their defenses and retreat to long-held positions. In religions and philosophies, this often leads people to regress to their "fundamental" positions or beliefs. Meanwhile, some people quickly embrace the change, remolding their view of the world around new ideas--sometimes without fully contemplating the consequences of their actions. In between, there are those who embrace the changes that they can handle while holding to traditions as a guideposts to make sense of the world.

In general, the world tends to make better progress when syncretism is in ascendance, while it often regresses when fundamentalism takes hold. Freedom of ideas allows for more creativity and questioning which can often lead to greater innovation. It's through the blending of ideologies, philosophies, and cultures, that we learn to treat one another better with mutual respect and love.

Today, Epiphany, is a celebration of that. A child born to an insular religion has three powerful men from far away lands bring Him gifts. This indicates that Jesus was to be Lord of all people, not just a chosen few. This event foreshadowed Christianity's willingness to embrace older traditions from other cultures as a way to grow its following. 

The world is better when we focus on mutual understanding rather than our differences. 

I had more lapses in my thought process than what I feel are normal. This started at breakfast--and, ironically, even though I know that's when it started, I have not been able to remember what it was (which has been typical of today). I then forgot to pick out my clothes for the day (which I usually do the night before) and bring them into the bathroom before I took my shower. Following that, I discovered that I hadn't brought everything in my lunch that I thought that I had packed.  

This continued through the day. I kept mishearing things my students (and even some of my friends) said. If I thought back on it, I would remember their questions or statements correctly, but only after I would say something in response to the version that I had misheard. 

More than once, I completely lost the connection to what I had just been working on due to a brief distraction. Usually, I have sticky notes to help guide me to the items which are most crucial to complete, but I apparently forgot to write them too. I got to the point that I decided to not stay at school nearly as long as I have been in the habit of doing. 

My mind has a lot of thoughts running through it due to the various "plates" that I have "spinning" at the moment. Things aren't going to calm down for me for a couple of months, so I can expect more of these mental lapses in the coming weeks. I should probably double-down on my use of sticky notes. 

I played around with ChatGPT, an AI (artificial intelligence) system that can generate authentic-sounding and unique human-like writing based on a single prompt.

As an English teacher, I am constantly keeping an eye on the latest trends in technology and how they might affect the way I teach and the way my students learn. One trend that has been on my radar for a while now is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) systems in writing.

On the one hand, AI systems like ChatGPT have the potential to revolutionize the way we write and communicate. For example, ChatGPT can generate coherent, human-like responses to prompts, making it a potentially valuable tool for writers looking to get feedback on their work or brainstorm ideas.

On the other hand, the rise of AI systems like ChatGPT raises some serious concerns for those of us in the writing and teaching professions. For one thing, there is the question of whether AI systems will eventually be able to replace human writers and editors. While it's unlikely that AI systems will be able to completely replace human writers any time soon, it is possible that they could eventually take over certain tasks, such as proofreading and fact-checking, that are currently done by human professionals.

This raises the question of what will happen to the jobs of human writers and editors if AI systems are able to take over some of their responsibilities. Will we be left with fewer opportunities to work and make a living in our chosen field? Or will we be forced to adapt and find new ways to use our skills and expertise in the face of this technological disruption?

As a high school English teacher, I am also concerned about the implications of AI systems for education. While AI systems like ChatGPT have the potential to make learning more efficient and effective, there is also a risk that they could be used to replace human teachers in the classroom. This could have serious consequences for the quality of education that students receive, as well as for the livelihoods of human teachers.

In conclusion, while AI systems like ChatGPT have the potential to change the future of writing in many ways, they also raise some serious concerns for those of us in the writing and teaching professions. It is important that we stay aware of these developments and consider their potential impacts on our jobs and our students' education.

[Note: aside from my title and first sentence, the rest of this particular blog post was generated by ChatGPT based on the prompt "Using my personal writing style, create a blog entry about how AI systems (such as ChatGPT) will change the future of writing while raising concerns about its implications to my job as a high school English teacher."]