ABSILVER's World

Things that were on my mind, yesterday. The Bible Study group that showed up at the coffee shop with a box of donuts, and most of the members are drinking water. The coffee shop may be fine with it, but it strikes me as odd, and a bit selfish. People who consistently complain and act like they want advice seem to enjoy complaining. I try and fail, occasionally, not to complain about things I don't want advice on or don't want to resolve. Most of the time, my complaints or anger are internal to me, as there is something I did and shouldn't have or something I should have done, and I need to focus on my behavior.   People assume that because we live in a small town in a red state, we must have small minds . It would help if more blue-state people to spend time occasionally in a red-state. They might be surprised that our differences are not as great as they might think, and it is important to understand people with different perspectives than their own Frank and I joined tw...

Good morning, from Longview, Texas on a sunny and cool Saturday morning.  I sat at the Silver Grizzly, drinking coffee, and reflecting on an unusual but great week. Imagine the year is 2044, and we are reflecting on the eclipse of 2024, sharing the experience with family, friends, and children. I will hopefully be a healthy 79-year-old. Today that makes me 59 and actually 59 1/2, which, in terms of tax laws, makes me past potential retirement, as I can take money from 401Ks and other retirement accounts without penalty. It is not that I feel older than I did a year ago, or maybe even ten years ago, but there is a recognition that I can't call myself "middle-aged" anymore. I am also in an odd time, as the colleagues I work with daily are more than a bit younger.   We live in a world and time where age, and more importantly, young age, is more recognized as valuable, and it does make me wonder if I am young at heart or ready for a calmer pasture. On the one hand, I am chall...

  (All images courtesy of ChatGPT) I sit here at the Silver Grizzly, drinking coffee. The day before Christmas Eve, as Christmas is Monday.  I have been struggling all week for the top ten predictions for IT. It has been hard to get to ten when the top 9 are all AI-related.  However, I will share more this week. The other change in my life was when I turned 59 a month ago.  I don't know how this snuck up on me.   It's not my birthday because it is on or near Thanksgiving.  So, it would be hard to forget or miss. I carefully hide this from the public and am truly grateful that it is around Thanksgiving.  There is a great holiday to share, and my birthday can easily slip unnoticed.  The older I get, the number goes up, the happier I am about this. That said, 59 is an odd age.  I see celebrities celebrating their 70th birthday, and my reaction is much different as I can see 70 a lot clearer than 40.  I can't say I am mid-life when the ...

It has been twenty-two years since 9/11, and as we look back on one of the moments in my life I can remember exactly where I was, who I worked for, what I did, and how the country and city I worked near responded. This is a blog I wrote about 9/11 22 years ago.  People say where were you? It is not perfect. No Grammarly applied, no ChatGPT analysis to make it perfect, or even format improvements.  Because, as 9/11 should seem like yesterday, twenty-two years is not that long ago. I don't feel healed, and honestly not sure the country has either. I am in Las Vegas for an IBM conference, something I have done numerous times since and before 9/11. As Frank kindly drove me to DFW, we saw a sign on a Whataburger that said we remember 9/11.  I wonder if they remember 9/11 and the immediate aftermath. A country in the horror of attacks that spanned more than the Twin Towers, as well as the Pentagon and Pennsylvania.  A country that forgot who was a Democrat or Republican....

Behold:  To be or not to be Bald! Sitting here on a Sunday, after a nice brunch near Longview and an extra cup of coffee, I am left with a smirk.  We picked up Frank's stepmom, Norma, and went to Brunch.  On the way, with his sister Leslie to pick Norma up, we saw a man watering his yard standing there naked.  This was not his first time, as there were no tan lines.  It made us all chuckle, and we were concerned on the way home that we may see the other half, but we did not. This also made me think about other entertaining ideas, and one started in my head this morning.  There is much discussion about being bald.  There is much investment in the issue of the lack of hair.    There are a number of different treatments, such as Rogaine, hair transplants, and even the odd toupee.   So, I decided, as a bald man, to share my top reasons I am happy that I am bald and the five reasons I wish I had hair. If you read to the bottom, you will ...

  We live in a time when we feel we don't have much control over our lives.  We can't change the weather.  Can't change the electors, can't change managers. I spend, possibly too much energy, focusing on things I do control so I can respond to those things I don't and surprises.  Here are a few things I remind myself, and you may also want to consider: 1) I control what pictures I post on Facebook, Instagram, or any site or text.  If I don't like a picture of myself, I don't share it.  If it makes me look old, sad, or mad, or the few hairs I have are a mess, I choose to share or delete. Why? Because these pictures have a long, long life.  How often do I see a suggestion from Facebook or Google about pictures in my past that are memories I wish were forgotten? 2) I control what I eat.  Sometimes this is good for me, and sometimes it is not.  The Kroger here some days puts out individual donuts in the case, and sometimes not, quite unpredictabl...

  I would like to do an odd top ten. It has been a long time since I have done one, so here it goes.  I didn't start with a theme in mind, but as you read it, you may notice a theme after all. 1) If you think turning on your turn indicator while turning is the point, you are wrong.  Or, more importantly, you have yet to be a pedestrian crossing that intersection.  The point of using your turn indicator is not to show off as you turn but to let us all know what you will do ahead of time to keep us all safe. 2) If you want to complain to me but don't want to solve what you are complaining about, please don't.  I have spent most of my career trying to fix problems and move the ball forward.  Nothing is more frustrating than hearing complaints, giving good advice, and realizing that all the person wanted to do was complain. 3) Generative AI, led by ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Meta's LLAMA2, creates a unique moment in history.  It will change the jobs of whit...