Radically Retired

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  • Stress Free Lesson Prep

    Stress Free Lesson Prep

    In recent years, I’ve been offering a free smart phone photography class for seniors here in our park.

    The class has been popular and teaching it has been a fun and rewarding venture for me.

    The only issue I’ve had is that as technology evolves and advances, prep for this course has always been tedious and time consuming.

    The 3-4 hour session is for both android and iPhone users. I shoot with strictly iPhone, but because there are many android users, I have to teach myself those camera systems too, so I can hopefully offer assistance to everyone in attendance.

    This year’s course is at the end of February, and I was dreading the prep.

    Hmmm, I wondered if ChatGPT could help.

    I entered what I was looking for, and after a couple of minutes of refining via the question and answer format of the app, voila!! I not only had the course outline complete with practice exercises for participants, but handouts were also created. All of this was returned to me in a printable pdf version.

    What usually takes many hours out of several days in preparation, took less than 15 minutes total this year.

    Thank you ChatGPT!

  • A Fitness Refocus

    A Fitness Refocus

    My next challenge for ChatGPT was to develop a new exercise program for me.

    Because I’d been power walking for over eight years, I think my body had become accustomed to it, so it wasn’t as efficient anymore in terms of maintaining fitness.

    It seemed my metabolism had stalled out.

    I entered my issues, my age, and my goals. Before too long, I had a program that I could live with.

    I’ve now switched from power walking to the Japanese walking method and have added strength training.

    ChatGPT outlined everything in detail, and so far, it’s going well.

    The Japanese walking method takes half the time of the power walking (30 mins vs an hour), but it definitely feels more intense. The frequency is five days per week with slower and/or longer walks or a rest on the other two days.

    The strength training is mild and done via light weights, resistance bands, and calisthenics. Right now the frequency is 3x per week.

    Today is day 10 and I’m already noticing improvements in terms of energy and how much better my clothes are fitting.

  • Only OK

    Only OK

    Once I was finished with ChatGPT assisting me with indoors, I decided to take it outside to see how it would do with landscaping.

    On the positive side, the app was able to follow my directions: compact growth, drought resistant, minimal care, hardy in zone 10a, and starter plants available nearby.

    Where we ran into issues was: The first rendition wasn’t even our house in the background.

    The next issue was that once our actual front was back in the photo, the labels on the plants were skewed and all wrong.

    Next issue was that I did not want a prickly pear because it’s not in the compact plant category. I’ve seen here how it takes off to become almost a tree. Also, the red yucca was too tall. When I entered these comments, this is what I got back.

    It was “just ok” but looked bulky to me.

    I then asked for a switch to potted plants.

    These were the suggestions:

    I didn’t mind these, but these huge pots, especially the Mexican Talavera ones (which I love) would cost me a fortune.

    Which of these five do you, my readers prefer?

    This project is down the road, as next year, the house is getting new siding, the soffit under the deck roofing will be replaced, and the deck will be jacked up to straighten it. All of that needs to happen before I even consider landscaping in this spot.

  • Velkommen

    Velkommen

    Those of you who have been following me for a while, may remember that I’ve been trying to learn Norwegian Rosemaling, a decorative folk art.

    My goal was to do some pieces using palm husks that I pick up here in south Texas after a strong wind forces them to shed the ground. The canvas is free, so what’s not to love about that?

    Although hubs is third generation Canadian, he’s of Norwegian ancestry – 100% on both his mother’s and father’s sides, as far back as they can trace their roots (which a family genealogist has done), thus my interest in their culture. When I came across Rosemaling, I fell in love with the colours, the sweeping scrolls and swirls, and the simple flowers.

    It looked easy. It isn’t.

    I’ve practiced and practiced in sketchbooks and finally decided it was time to try it out on a palm husk.

    To my eye, the end result (left in feature photo) was a disaster.

    I submitted the left photo to ChatGPT and asked for suggestions on how to clean it up.

    Not only did the app correct it perfectly, using my design as a guide, but with further questions from me, it provided step by step directions for the brush strokes of Telemark rosemaling – my style of choice. I’ve watched YouTubes and researched other step by step tutorials, but the one provided by ChatGPT gathered the information quickly and provided exactly what I needed, based on my skill level (or lack of skill).

    Velkommen means welcome in Norwegian, so I wanted to make one of these husks for the back patio of our home.

    I think now, that I’ll follow the design sent back to me by the app, but make the background sage green.

  • Uncomfortable Wall

    Uncomfortable Wall

    The wall in my feature photo has bothered me for some time.

    It was uncomfortably out of balance and felt awkward. I knew the basic thing that needed to be done (changing the elevation of the things on either side of the TV), but even when I did that, it still felt wrong.

    I submitted the photo to ChatGPT, and with the suggestions it gave me, I was able to come up with an arrangement I could live with.

    The pieces on the right are palm husks that I’ve painted.

    These photos were taken at a different time of day (feature photo daytime with natural light coming in from the sides and this one early evening with light from table lamps coming from the front), thus the colour difference.

  • According to Richard

    According to Richard

    As promised in a previous post … in a few upcoming posts, I’ll document my experiences as a newbie to ChatGPT.

    Why the title of this post?

    In a phone conversation with my sister, who encouraged me to give the app a try, (and with very convincing reasons), I decided it would be fun to give my virtual assistant a name (more on that in a future post)

    My first mission was to choose paint colours, countertops, and backsplash for my kitchen and dining room.

    I noted in the ChatGPT app that I wanted to soften it, but not have too much of a feminine feel (because hubs lives here too), to have it go well with the new light oak LVP flooring we’ve had installed, and a compliment to the Tex Mex theme I have in our South Texas winter home.

    It asked me about budget and general location, so I said I didn’t want to break the bank and that we’re in the Rio Grande Valley.

    I was amazed at the quick and perfect response. Not only did it give me a mock-up of the end result, but it told me the paint brand and colour, the name of the backsplash tile, and the type and name of the countertops. It advised me which stores in the RGV carried all of the needed supplies, and it calculated the total cost of the project.

    This experience alone sold me on the app.

    My feature photo is before and after of a the big, outdated China cupboard in the dining area adjacent to the kitchen.

    Here’s the before and after of the kitchen.

    I can’t wait for the photo on the right to be our reality

    All I had to do was submit a photo, explain what I wanted, give my general (not exact) locale and my budget, and the rest was taken care of in minutes.

    Sold!

  • Addictive

    Addictive

    Everyone, both here in the blogosphere, and among my family and friends back home have been talking about ChatGPT.

    I’ve been resisting… until two days ago when my closest sister posted on Facebook, the cutest caricature of herself.

    I called to ask her how she made it, and of course, it was through ChatGPT.

    I succumbed and downloaded the app.

    I spent the next several hours making caricatures and laughing so hard at the results.

    I then submitted a photo of my kitchen here in south Texas, and asked for ideas for cabinet paint and countertops.

    Before I knew it, I was asking for a printed schedule for my hourly and weekly activities.

    Every single experience was interesting, fun, and rewarding.

    I can see how people can get addicted to this stuff … because after just two days, I already am.

    More on that in an upcoming post.

  • Iconic in the Valley

    Iconic in the Valley

    Pharr, Texas is four miles down the road from where we winter.

    Hubs’ favourite street in Pharr is Cage Blvd because of the iconic cowboy welcome sign that sits high above the entry to the street. Hubs says it reminds him of the famous neon “Welcome to Vegas” cowboy.

    My fave spot is up a couple of blocks on the corner of Cage Blvd and Kelly Ave.

    Although weathered and missing an A on one side of its tall vertical column sign, this place just begged to be researched

    The long vacant Texan Hotel and Chung Mei Kitchen restaurant has always intrigued me.

    Through looking for some history of the hotel, I learned that the welcome to Pharr cowboy originally sat on top of the Texan Hotel sign.

    Web Image

    In 1984, Du Ong Lee, long time owner of the hotel and restaurant was featured in a local newspaper.

    Now, it’s my mission to visit the Pharr Memorial Library. Isn’t it funny how once we start researching, one curiosity often leads to another?

    It was fun to learn that the two things that hubs and I love most about Pharr have a strong connection.

  • Salty Squadron

    Salty Squadron

    After seeing a group of 15 Javelinas coming up from salt flats near here (another post coming about the flats), I learned that a group of these characters that look like wild pigs, but are another species altogether, is called a squadron.

  • KRINGLA

    KRINGLA

    Like hubs, our neighbour here in South Texas has Norwegian heritage.

    The day that we made Lefse, she stopped by to see how our recipe differed from hers.

    Yesterday, she stopped by with a gift of several Kringla cookies that she always bakes to perfection.

    We’re so very blessed to spend our winters in a diverse, loving, and caring 50+ community.