December Questions for Sunday Stealing

Here are some December Questions for Sunday Stealing.

1. My plans for December 

I’m happy that the church choir is singing in person again regularly. We did sing in late 2021, but it was sporadic; half the choir sang one week, then just the soloists, then the other half, then the soloists. It wasn’t easy to get a musical rhythm. We all did sing on Christmas Eve.

2. How energized I feel at this point in the year. 

It’s cold, and it’s darker for longer. But it’s not awful.

3. The best things about the holiday season 

Music. Singing it, listening to it. BTW, my bud fillyjonk linked to a great piece by the Monkees!

4. Something that changed my perspective on life 

The whole year has been a series of Plan B moments.

5. What I seem to get the most comments about 

Evidently, I am a very expressive singer. Even strangers have commented on it. 

6. The changes I’ve made to my style 

I have no style. Or, more correctly, I don’t care about style to be concerned enough to change it.

7. What gets in the way of my success 

Overcommitting

The fourth estate

8. News sources I trust the most 

I look at LOTS of sources, even ones I don’t particularly trust. It helps inform me how people with different, even, IMO bizarre, thoughts about the world get their ideas. 

9. Fictional characters that would easily fit into my life 

I thought that certain iterations of Peter Parker, the seeming schlub who is unappreciated, would be a friend.

10. My relationship with spirituality 

You’re almost certainly wrong if you think you’ve got it figured out. Mainline churches have liturgies that repeat every three years because one should be taking something new from the stories.

Of course, in my Bible group, we often comment that we’d like to see our pastors tackle some particularly odious passages. We’re in the middle of 2 Kings, some ferocious stuff. 

11. How I feel when I’m being retrospective 

Depends. Sometimes it is with great appreciation that I have good friends, some of whom I’ve known for half a century or longer. Other times it is with regret that I didn’t deal with someone better. 

Artificial intelligence

12. My thoughts on AI technology 

I went to DeepAI and used the prompt, “The french revolution was good.” Here’s the result:

the french revolution was good, I wish I could have played," says the former striker. "You don't go into Spain believing you can go there and play there but I think maybe that was the case.

"The pressure is intense at training because you've got to do everything you can to be successful, because in Spain these days a lot of people do that work and do everything you can to get yourself in top form. So I don't know why we haven't worked hard for some time but definitely the feeling has changed for me.

"The pressure on you in training is intense. I have to go out there and play every minute of any game and try to stay mentally sharp. It's nice to be back at home and feel calm in training or off in the dressing room after all these years."

I find some AI art interesting, but other pieces are rather creepy.

This gets into a whole series of philosophical questions about intellectual property. Plus, what is… knowledge/art/writing/creativity?

13. The odd/weird things I do when nobody else is around 

I don’t think it’s all that odd. I talk to myself, especially when I’m writing. It helps me think. 

14. What do I do when I can’t sleep 

Get up and play Wordle. Read newspapers. 

15. The winter/holiday season tasks I enjoy 

I like buying presents for people who are easy to buy for, such as my daughter. Conversely, my wife is terrible to shop for because she doesn’t hint well.