Chat GPT on Me

 

Back to Chat GPT one final time....  I typed in:  What is the blog  "From Pencil Box to Keyboard" by Nan Mick all about?  Actually I asked that question in two different ways. One Chat GPT result  (the one I like best of the two it offered before I could take a my next breath) is ...

...the blog is best described as a celebration of curiosity, creativity and lifelong learning through writing.

Rather than focusing one one subject, the blog weaves together essays about:

• The joy of discovering new ideas, often in unexpected ways.
• Reflections on everyday experiences that reveal larger life lessons. 
• Reading, writing, and the creative process.
• Personal growth, resilience, and finding meaning in ordinary moments.
• The transition from childhood wonder -- the "pencil box" -- to sharing thoughts in today's digital world -- the "keyboard"

The writing style is reflective and conversational, inviting readers to slow down, notice the world around them, and appreciate that learning doesn't end with school.  Many posts use analogies, storytelling and gentle humor to encourage readers to see familiar experiences from a fresh perspective.

The title itself symbolizes a lifelong journey; from the simple tools of childhood learning to the modern tools of communication, while emphasizing that curiosity and imagination remain the most important tools of all.

Who knew?  And here I thought, that for the last twelve years, I had been merely writing some thoughts that I might share with other Boomers  -- sometimes serious ... sometimes making fun of myself ... and ... sometimes trying to be funny in a world that is sometimes/often very not funny. 

I See You

Dear fellow Boomers...

There are a lot of wonderful things about being in our generation, but there are also some difficult bits and pieces. Every generation has them. Can't help here but think of that old expression -- We each have our own bag of rocks.... We need to remember, though, that we are in this together merely by living on this planet during the same time period. Shared experiences. We have grown up together -- seen the same things, face similar challenges.  We also have each other.  Perhaps we need to remember that once in a while and offer support to one another. Perhaps we even need to talk about the sad parts sometimes so that people realize they are not alone. The world can seem cold. Everything moves so quickly.

I hope that you all have the kind of joys and good things that I have and have had in my life.  Blessings too many to count.  But... that being said ... you know what? ... you don't get to the point where many of us are without loss. Some of life's blows are bone crushing.  Heart-rending loss is one of them. This is the process of life.  It's okay that we are sad to miss those who have passed on before us. It's okay that we have experienced the pain and struggles of various challenges.  We all have faced them. Too many types to even list.  We have made it this far and... we keep putting one foot in front of the other. Note... We have new challenges ahead.  Some of them will be hard as well.  We also have new joys ahead. Remember that.  

So if you find yourself crying at Hallmark commercials; it's okay.  If tears of joy are close to the surface; it's okay.  If watching kids play ... and try... and perform bring tears to your eyes; that's okay too. It's even okay to feel sorry for yourself once in a while. The phrase sentimental old fool is based on a real phenomenon. Maybe it helps to know that others are going through the same things. Maybe it helps to know that you are not alone in a sometimes indifferent world... a world that seems to be leaving you in the dust as it surges forward. It's hard to keep up. Yet... we are in this together. Perhaps we need to reach out to one another once in a while. I am reaching out in this blog. It's a Boomer support system.  You are not invisible even though it may feel like it sometimes. 

 I see you.

Play It Again #8: "Things in Common"

First posted in November of 2014

                                 Things in Common

It is wonderful to find a connection with other generations, but it is not quite the same as having a conversation with someone who remembers a Buster Brown X-ray machine or Bucky Bucky Beaver and at least part of the words to the IPANA toothpaste song that starts with "Brusha Brusha Brusha... with the new IPANA. It's dandy for your teeth."  Or ... remember Farfel's "OH... N-E-S-T-L-E-S, Nestles make the very best --- chocolate"?  (Bet when you read that you were singing it in your head. I know my sister would be.)  Anyway -- when you have things like that in common, it is no wonder that you can communicate with others of your vintage by facial expression or a roll of the eyes. Perhaps each generation has its bonds that tie.  Boomers have a lot more serious bonds than those mentioned above, but today I am thinking about the "you get it" look.

The other day I was talking with an classmate of mine from the high school class of 1967. He is a good guy. We were chatting away and suddenly in mid sentence, I totally forgot what I was saying or where I was going with the idea if I could have remembered what it was.  We just looked at each other and said nothing. I knew that he knew. We both "got it". I am thinking that you may get the drift as well.  After a short silence, we both smiled, and he said quietly, "Yep..."  It's nice when other people understand, when you don't have to explain.   Yep....  
I have convinced myself that the forget in mid-sentence thing is totally not age related. Rather it has to do with running on overload -- so many things to think about -- too much information bombarding at once. I read somewhere that it is called "benign forgetfulness."  I am hanging onto that thought. I love my age...well.. most aspects of it. (It is interesting to step outside of yourself and take a good look at the "aging" process, but that is a discussion for another day.)  What I really like is having a connection with old friends where no explanation is necessary.  It's comforting in a world where a part of the younger generations are beginning to look at you like you are some kind of a dinosaur with wrinkles and white hair.  If they only knew.... They will...before they know it.  There is that.

Play it again, Sam

 

I am taking a bit of a break from writing this weekly blog because I need to catch up on some things for the next month or so. The most important of these is time with family. The "out of towners" arrive tomorrow. Fun times! That said -- for the next few weeks "blogwise", I am going to repost some of the more popular blogs since its beginning in 2014.  From Pencil Box to Keyboard has been viewed over 25,000 times now. With readers mostly from the US, but also from Canada, Europe, Scandinavia, South America, and, surprisingly to me, from Russia which, I just recently relearned, is part in Europe and part in Asia. It fun to see where in the world people are accessing my rambles. It is also fun to see which blogs, for whatever reason, have been the most read. Lucky for me, BlogSpot, which hosts my blog, keeps track of all the stats. 

That being said, here is "Play it again... #1"

                                    Purring Grandma

Recently I was chatting with a good friend of mine.  She was telling me about time spent with her Mom during the previous week..  They had spent several days together planning and working on a project. ( I was exhausted just listening to all that they had accomplished.) Anyway --  at one point her Mom, who is a young 88, sat down, put her feet up, closed her eyes and shortly thereafter began to purr softly. (That whole scenario makes me smile.)  My friend found this to be amazing and wonderful at the same time.  The thing that surprised her was not just the purring, but that her Mom actually stopped to take a bit of a nap.  Now I personally don't find the desire to take a bit of a nap at all surprising.  In fact I find it hard to believe that there are people who never nap and seem to take great pride in the fact that they don't.. I do believe them when the say they don't even feel the need, but I still find it necessary to "suspend my disbelief", if you know what I mean. Anyway -- I decided to take an informal poll.  I discovered that many people, including a random sampling at the local Walmart as well as of some of my friends, highly recommend napping on a regular basis. There are those who use strong terms like "power nap". Others just mumble as if napping needs to be a confession of some sort.   Actually there are many terms that people use in reference to napping.  It is sort of like areas of the country that have twenty-seven different words for snow. The more important the subject, the more words to describe it.  I was talking with my  three-year-old granddaughter just the other day about the importance and benefits of napping. As I was looking at her and gabbing away, she closed her eyes and tipped over on me sound asleep. I guess she doesn't need to be convinced. She is, after all, a fourth generation "napper". As I watched her sleep the sleep of a three year old, I wished that she too did a little soft purring. There is something so nice about that.  

Another brief list...

 

Sometimes I have a hard time thinking of an idea about which to write, and when that happens, I sometimes make lists of questions for which I want answers or of ideas I don’t understand.  That being said, and since we are so close to a big holiday and all I want to do is goof around, I am going to write down a list of a few things I don’t understand completely or about which I am thinking.  You know – from a Boomer’s point of view – not that Boomers all think alike, because for sure we do not.  How boring it would be if we did. Right?

So first of all, I don’t understand the word meta.  If meta refers to ”when something refers back to or is about itself, like a book about books or a meme about memes”, then why did Mark Zuckerberg rename Facebook "Meta"? Hopefully there is another meaning or.. it seems Zuckerberg is saying that everyone of Facebook is about one's own face or about him or herself alone and that isn't my experience on that platform. Some research is required.  But then also…  how does "metaverse" fit in with all of this? Further... how do Snap Chat, Twitter, Rumble, and Instagram, etc. actually work? Do I need to know this? I find it all as confusing as Bitcoin.

Along similar lines, why is a podcast called a podcast?  I get the cast part, but not the pod.  Moving on....

Who is making the most money by continuing to generate and fan the fears of global warming, and/or another global pandemic?  What kind of a person is it who is all about control of others? It must be lonely to have no friends.

Why is it that some people have no concept of safe and unsafe places in the world? Why is it that some people have no concept of stupid?

Why is it that the pronouns he and she are no longer enough and why can they not be used in gender-fluid situations? Further – what exactly does gender-fluid mean? There is a whole language in this realm -- all totally new to me and which I do not understand. 

On a related matter – why is it that no matter how hard I try, I cannot always remember what letters come after LGB? Honestly -- I don’t think about it a lot, but I know it matters to many people, and think I should be able to rattle off all the letters fluently like the "talking heads" do and better yet -- maybe even know what they mean. It is PRIDE month after all. That I do know.

Finally -- is television on the way out? 

This particular list now at an end – hopefully I will put together a better blog for next week. Or perhaps I will take a vacation.  In the meantime, Happy 4^th!  Celebrate America! It is the land of the free where diversity and tolerance count. Right? Now that is worthy of celebration. We need to hang on to those values. We need a break from intolerance, hatred and violence.   All of us.  

Again... wishing you a peaceful and happy Independence Day. Celebrate that on this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence established for the first time in world history a new nation based on, among other things, the rule of law, specific unalienable rights, limited government, and equality. Thankful here to live in a United States of America founded on these principles. I wish you safe and happy celebration.

Things in common...

It is wonderful to find a connection with other generations, but it is not quite the same as having a conversation with someone who remembers a Buster Brown X-ray machine or Bucky Bucky Beaver and at least part of the words to the IPANA toothpaste song that starts with "Brusha Brusha Busha... with the new IPANA. It's dandy for your teeth."  Or remember Farfel's "OH... N-E-S-T-L-E-S, Nestles make the very best --- chocolate" ?  (Bet when you read that you were singing it in your head. I know my sister would be.)  Anyway -- when you have things like that in common, it is no wonder that you can communicate with others of your vintage by facial expression or a roll of the eyes. Perhaps each generation has its bonds that tie.  Boomers have a lot more serious bonds than those mentioned above, but today I am thinking about the "you get it" look.

The other day I was talking with an classmate of mine from the high school class of 1967. He is a good guy. We were chatting away and suddenly in mid sentence, I totally forgot what I was saying or where I was going with the idea if I could have remembered what it was.  We just looked at each other and said nothing. I knew that he knew. We both "got it". I am thinking that you may get the drift as well.  After a short silence, we both smiled, and he said quietly, "Yep..."  It's nice when other people understand, when you don't have to explain.   Yep....  

I have convinced myself that the forget in mid-sentence thing is totally not age related. Rather it has to do with running on overload -- so many things to think about -- too much information bombarding at once. I read somewhere that it is called "benign forgetfulness."  I am hanging onto that thought. I love my age...well.. most aspects of it. (It is interesting to step outside of yourself and take a good look at the "aging" process, but that is a discussion for another day.)  What I really like is having a connection with old friends where no explanation is necessary.  It's comforting in a world where a part of the younger generations are beginning to look at you like you are some kind of a dinosaur with wrinkles and white hair.  If they only knew.... They will...before they know it.  There is that.