Current military service members make up roughly 1% of the United States population. Our Veterans who served and are currently serving make up 15 million of our 340M population. Our Veterans should be treasured for their sacrifices and experiences in their military careers. I am blessed to be in a country that appreciates military service and I am thankful I made the decision to enlist back in March ’99. It has been a heck of a ride! Every year Veterans Day rolls around, I look at all the free things and think wow, celebrations and gifts have certainly expanded in the last 25 years! The Goverment Shut Down did put a damper on things but, we are on the up and up! What are your thoughts and views on Veterans Day? Military service? Should military service be mandatory? I am blessed every day, I hope everyone has a great Veterans Day and a blessed Thanksgiving!
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Today, I finally achieved a “W” using AI! I was diving deep into data, and AI came through with some insight. It was not a 100% solution, but I was like “yes” I am going to keep building on this. My kids use AI to improve their answers on school work (I know because I asked and got a slow eye-roll answer). I looked at them both and made sure they were not using AI to just find the answer. Both were pretty defensive, so I left them with the “I am always watching” tone. Is AI the answer insert (Allen Iverson) jokes as only my generation would understand… AI can streamline anything data or task related. The trick really is how to ask AI correctly. In my limited experience, AI has different programs that control how it creates a solution to your question. Chat GTP is pretty accurate when I ask something, but it is expensive! Lesser versions of Chat GTP like Chat Smith are ok for the cost and use the same “engine” as Chat GTP, yet I do not get the same quality of answer from the same prompt. How are you all using Chat GTP or AI? Just reading online, if you have knowledge on how and what to prompt AI, the possibilities are endless. I think back to 2003, when I had to write my first performance reports as a supervisor and this was the process: receive blue folder with routing slip and blank floppy disk, draft report, save to disk and print out report to put in folder and sign routing slip. Next, you put the folder in a real outbox for a human to pick up and deliver to the next reviewer. Flash forward 22 years later, and those same reports are on a cloud-based website where reviews, corrections, and submitting for approval can happen digitally in minutes… If you had told me this 22 years ago, I would have said “no way”! How have you all adapted or in the process adapting to changing tech? Part of me takes pride in writing award packages and performance reports without AI yet, I do feel pressure to leverage it to give me time back for other tasks. We will see how to navigate this evolving tech. Thank you all for reading my random blog, I appreciate the time! Please leave a comment and subscribe, promise I will keep this blog on track and post consistently!
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My worst fear as a spouse is letting my partner down and not providing for my family. Maybe my views are a little “old school” as the husband, I feel that pressure to provide and hit the mark 100% on every aspect of marriage and raising our kids. Sadly, I miss that mark, or I make mistakes. Missing the mark can always be made up, but making a mistake in a marriage takes time and patience to renew the bond. I speak from experience, and I am not a perfect husband. I have made mistakes along my 16-year marriage, and my biggest mistakes are not communicating. Not communicating my feelings, not communicating my finances, and not communicating my physical state. I keep it pinned up, I shoulder things and keep going. It is this military type mindset I have framed for 26 years, I need to begin to get out of that mindset for the sake of my marriage, sake of my sanity, and ease my future retirement transition. I have lived my worst fear as a spouse a few times: letting my partner down. It is the worst feeling ever. I take my partner’s feedback, and I do not make the same mistake, but everything marriage revolves around communication. Please let me know what your worst fear is. What do you work through to not let your spouse down? Thank you for taking the time to read and have a blessed day.
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What fitness routine works best for you? I have worked out consistently since my late teens, usually after work, unless we had Unit Physical Training. Now, I miss having a daily routine. I attempt to “block out” a 2 hour window daily on my Outlook Calender with zero luck. With hectic work demands, it seems the “Golden 2 Hour” lunch window has shut. If you can not get in a workout during lunch, do you carry over with hopes of getting it in after work, or do you roll it over to the next morning? Do you feel any kind of energy difference in morning vs. afternoon workouts? Please leave a comment and let me know. How do you work around busy schedules? I am about 5 years post-op from a left hip resurfacing procedure, and normal activities are pain-free, jogging, or a quick hike bothers my upper left leg/hip area. I see an orthopedic Dr. next month to look at 5 years of x rays and determine any possible treatment. Still serving in the military, my teammates’ energy keeps me going and motivated to improve my fitness. I could have retired over 6 years ago, but I enjoy what I do, and my family and I are in a great place. Whichever time of day you prefer to get in that workout, give it 100%. Thank you for taking the time to read, and please leave a comment.
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What is your favorite hobby or pastime?
Over the course of my life, I can definitely say my taste in hobbies has changed over the years. I really enjoy fishing, not fancy boat fishing, bank fishing with camping chairs, and rod holders. I fish for anything that swims. As demands rise and my energy drops, I now spend my “hobby” time fixing things around the house while keeping our vehicles maintained. I am blessed to and enjoy what I have, beautiful family, great job, home, and my stuff. Sometimes, as parents, we really do stress on providing and go down those “rabbit holes” of deep thought. One deep thought: do I have a good balance of home/work and hobbies? I am guilty of not having an “off switch” work, which is always in the back of my mind. Family and hobbies help keep work thoughts away. Another hobby thought: “I need to find a hobby that my kids are into” they are growing up too fast! Please leave a comment, I hope I am not alone on getting older, and changing up hobbies to better prioritize time and energy. What concerns or motivates you? Please feel free to share, and we can discuss.
Mid-Life Living 