Friday, January 6, 2023

7 Quick Takes about Showering in a Timely Manner, Candlepin Bowling, and Joking Around with Artificial Intelligence

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?

1


Every year, we swap meeting times with the other ward (congregation) that meets in our church building. We had the coveted 11:30 position in 2022, but this year we're meeting at 9AM time, and that started right on Sunday, January 1st.

Happy New Year.

It felt really early and I'm not going to say it wasn't a struggle, but we made it there. And as we sat there listening to the beginning of the service, my 6-year-old leaned over with a grin and whispered "I haven't taken a shower since last year."

2


Usually we don't check grades in any online portal too much, but my 14-year-old got a little behind in his seminary class (that is what our church calls the early-morning scripture study class for high schoolers) so he's been in there a lot monitoring his progress, with our oh-so-gentle reminders to do so.

Apparently the online system was having some issues between semesters, though, because I asked last weekend "How are you doing in seminary?"

He checked it online and came back to report: "It says I have a negative 20,000 percent."

I think there may have been some bugs to work out for the new year.

3


With New Year's Day it was time the moment the kids all looked forward to. We gathered the faux gingerbread houses my kids had made, rounded them up into a village, admired them... and then smashed them with a meat tenderizer.

Our best-looking village yet, I think.

Every year, the kids get older and the houses get a little better. The smashing part also gets a little less scaryif you can envision a preschooler wielding a meat tenderizer like a club I think you'll understand what I mean.


4


Before the week was up, we wanted to go candlepin bowling as one of our Christmas experience gifts. I included a picture for the non-New Englanders, who won't have a clue what that is.


The pins are a cylindrical shape, which actually makes it harder to get a strike (and totally explains why I bowled a 72), and you actually get three rolls per frame with a smaller ball that you just kind of cup in your hand.

5


My 11-year-old, who is a complete packrat, was decluttering some of her things. I thought a few of the things in her discard pile were possibly worth some money, so I handed her the phone and showed her how to list them on Facebook Marketplace.

With the listings posted, I went to go do something else and I guess she just started scrolling around. Just as I was leaving the room I heard her exclaim, "Oh my gosh, there's a free couch on here!"

And that's when I realized I may come to regret having introduced Facebook Marketplace to a hoarder.

6


We were talking about how people from different areas pronounce words and one of my kids asked, "Do you say pe-CAHN, PEH-cahn, or PEE-can?"

"Who says PEE-can?" my 18-year-old laughed.

"Mom found a pee can," was the answer.

It was true. Earlier that day we went on a walk and I picked up some litter that had blown up against the side of our yard, including a water bottle that definitely had frozen urine inside it. A pee can, if you will.

7


Phillip was playing with a new AI chatbot online. Some of the answers it gave were pretty good, but comedy was not its strong suit.


While it was mildly amusing, it wasn't really that funny (or logical) so Phillip asked it again:


This AI is sounding more and more like a 1st grader making up his own jokes

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1 comment:

PurpleSlob said...

Love the gb town smash! Ooh, 9:30 is quite early! Congratulations on making it to church!