I thought today I might talk about the topic du jour, mostly for posterity's sake more than anything else. Maybe in the future I'll read this blog and think, damn what an idiot I was. I'm speaking of course about our overlord and savior, A.I.

I'm kind of a late adopter. I liken it a little bit to when Amazon first came out and people were flabbergasted that I didn't have an Amazon account and I literally never ordered anything from there. I went to the grocery store once a week and I bought everything I needed. Amazon was never going to replace that so the fact that I COULD buy paper towels or aluminum foil online, just didn't really provide me with any benefit, so I never did it. Now I buy things on Amazon like a bad habit. If I haven't received a package in the garage in a few days I start to get sad and look for a little present to cheer myself up.

I'm kind of the same way with AI. People are like, "You don't use AI?!" and I say, "For ... what?" Like literally anything AI can do I can do myself only better. Perhaps not faster. Don't get me wrong, I have started to dabble. Like the blog on my side company's website. I no longer write those. I still come up with the idea for the blog, but then AI cranks it out in 2 seconds because I couldn't care less about the quality there. And I've vibe coded some tools for genealogical purposes for my extended family's organization. But sometimes it's more annoying to vibe code, and takes longer to iron out, than just doing it myself.

I can see how some people use it for emails and shit. Because they don't know how to type. So that could be a major time saver. Just not for me. And also, guys, when you use AI to write an email or a congratulatory message on an ecard or something, it is glaringly obvious that you've used AI and that is a huge insult. So let's resolve to keep interpersonal communications interpersonal.

The bubble around AI is probably prone to pop soon. Not that it won't continue to be amazing and do all kinds of cool shit, but I think the hype is overdone and the financial ROI just won't be there. And then the stock market will come crashing down from its current record heights. Then we'll pick up the pieces and stop trying to shoe horn this shit into every nook and cranny of daily life where it doesn't below.

In the ever-evolving landscape of today’s modern digital era, it is crucial to remember that by fostering a proactive synergy and unlocking your hidden potential, we can truly delve into the heart of the matter—so, without further ado, that’s my two cents, folks! 🚀🌟✨ #Innovation #GrowthMindset

(I asked AI to write my conclusion.)

We are almost to the 21st Febrehab in history. This one I think is going to be relatively easy. I decided that the only things I'm giving up besides alcohol are caffeine and sugar. There's a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, I am about 8 lbs lighter than average. Turns out 18 months of health issues are a great diet! So I don't really want to lose weight.

Secondly, this year after having my gall bladder out and being advised to avoid fat, and then having a really bad kidney stone and being advised to avoid oxalates, I hired a dietitian. They were covered by my insurance and I figured that would be a lot easier than doing all the research myself and coming up with a new diet plan. I met with a guy on a zoom call and he seemed really knowledgeable. He laid out what he would do in the way of tracking food, balancing macro-nutrients, and increasing calories, protein, and calcium. Turns out I've been under-eating for years, and not getting nearly enough protein. And even though my kidney stone was made of calcium-oxalate, and I was advised to reduce oxalates in my diet, the other thing you can do is INCREASE calcium. Turns out more calcium in your diet binds up the oxalates before they can get to your kidneys.

Then the douche ghosted me. He never delivered a meal plan. He never spent one second thinking about me after our initial meeting. But ... what he did do was make me think, "Oh that's all you were going to do? I can do that." So I built a spreadsheet and started meticulously tracking what I was eating. Then I made minor adjustments to breakfasts, lunches, and dinners until a week of eating balanced everything out. That included having a protein shake every day, since it's nearly impossible to get enough protein without it. We both think we're seeing a change at the gym since we work out consistently, but perhaps were just starving our muscles previously, and now they are able to grow.

So, I don't feel like abandoning my new healthy balanced diet just to deprive myself for a month. This will be an easy Febrehab as a result. It's not without precedent, but they've been getting harder lately. And last year was the 20th anniversary, so I made it especially hard.

Speaking of 20th anniversaries, tomorrow is my 20th anniversary with Daniel. You believe that? I do. Love you, Daniel! Here's to the next 20.

I said before that I had migrated all of my social media content to posts on SideshoViD.com, but that wasn't entirely true. I had not posted any of my Instagram stories. To be honest, that's mostly because I didn't know I could. I thought that once they disappeared they were gone. But the other day I noticed my "Archives" on Instagram had every story I'd ever posted.

They made it basically impossible to access that content from my laptop, but on mobile, there was a button to click to download the photo or video. I was astounded at how quickly videos were downloaded to my phone and then uploaded to my website. They must be compressed or optimized somehow. It was literally as fast as I could click that they were done. As a result, it only took a few evenings sitting on the couch crunching through them to complete 2018-2024.

The cool thing about that is that there was a period of time, a couple of years even, where stories were the sole format I used. I liked that they were more ephemeral, less pressure, and felt more spontaneous or narrative. So now a huge chunk of time from around 2022-2024 that was previously unrepresented has some history here.

I also like that it took the topic tag for "squirrels" from obscurity to #6 most popular topic. Those were the primary years we spent getting to know Muffin and trying to get her to eat out of our hands. So that is all documented now for posterity. She's here right now in fact having a little breakfast before heading out to work. Look for her to pop up a lot more in the This Day In History section! 🐿

I always try to turn people I see on campus into internet celebrities. Usually I save them in my back pocket for slow days when I have very little to talk about. However, they've accumulated over time, so I need to introduce you all to four of my favorite new people...

The Bus Talker: This delightful fellow sports acne scarred skin, buzzed hair, and a lazy eye. He wears slacks that are 4 inches too short, and always sports some sort of free T-shirt. A real ladies' man. And as the name suggests, he never, ever shuts the fuck up on the bus. The worst part is, he tells the same story ... every day. I've now heard this story like 5 times. And he always sits next to the hottest girl on the bus and strikes up this conversation with her. He saved up for two years to earn $3,000 to go to Italy. While he was there he stayed at all 4 and 5 star hotels and ate in only the fanciest restaurants. He especially liked the shopping because he's a-really into-a the-a Versace. Oh yeah, he does it all with a fake accent deserving of a performance on Loony Tunes.

Medieval Friar: When I first saw this guy, I thought perhaps we should try to hook him up with cape girl, but upon second viewing and further inspection, I realized what he has on isn't at all a cape. It is indeed something you might expect to see an extra in the B version of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves wearing. He was also wearing a bandana on his head which just completed the look. I kind of wanted to engage him in a bow fight in the middle of a river. "There was a rich man from Nottingham..."

Bluehawk: I just saw this guy today for the first time and fell instantly in love. He's not really someone I want to make fun of, I more want to shake his hand. He has the best mohawk I have ever seen, and it is tall, and real, and blue. I thought he might be easy for you people with camera phones to spot.

Nerf Herder: This guy is better suited to be an extra on the digitally remastered Star Wars than a student at A&M. I wouldn't make fun of him if he hadn't made my morning a living hell. He is short, mentally and physically handicapped, only uses one arm, has the mange, and always hobbles around with a suitcase on wheels. This morning when the bus was completely packed shoulder to shoulder, he decided to stand facing me instead of the front of the bus. And he decided to stare at my face the entire time. Oh yeah, he also decided to not brush his teeth this morning and breathe on me the whole way. Luke, use the force, run to Degoba.

As with our previous characters Cape Girl and Padawan Boy ... neither of whom have been capture on film yet, I will pay cold hard cash to anyone who sends me any pictures of any of these people. This is not a bluff, I will totally pay you for pictures. Get out there and snap photos! Easy money! AAAHHH!