Me and My Buddies

Posted on June 27, 2026 by Jean

Claude (AI) and Snoopy.

Wednesday was the 24th, the day the Century Link technician was supposed to come out. Instead around noon I checked to see if they had a time estimate and found out they had canceled the appointment.

So I went to their website, asked the chat fellow why it happened, and why they didn’t bother to tell me. He apologized for not letting me know, but he said they had checked the line for the past 11 days and it was giving me better service than I was paying for. It wasn’t their line, maybe a new modem might help.

ChatGPT had mentioned the modem might be a problem so I did buy a new one, and it arrived the next afternoon (Thursday). I give them credit for that.

When it came I scanned the QR code they gave me, and the site said sorry, it wasn’t available right now. The webpage they suggested wasn’t helpful, so I asked Claude what to do. It was a big help, so after I went through some hoops, the modem was set up.

The only problem then was the modem is a lot bigger than my old one, which meant I had to understand the rats’ nest of cables and cords to figure out how to plug it in the new spot. So I thought of Snoopy the detective,

and I stuck with it until I figured out where all the cords where going and what they were doing. It took a long time — I didn’t get to bed until 3 yesterday morning. But I ended up simplifying the system, and it felt good.

So now we see if everything works more smoothly or if I have to contact Century Link again. Fingers crossed!

Life is one adventure after another.

June 27, 2026

Posted in Life As a Shared Adventure | 3 Comments

A Love Story

Posted on June 26, 2026 by Jean

In 1993 a school janitor, Stjepan Vokić rescued a female white stork with a broken wing — she had been shot by hunters and couldn’t fly. Vokić named her Malena, meaning “little one,” and he took care of her until her death in 2021.

In the spring of 2001 a male stork saw her on her rooftop nest and mated with her, and they had chicks. He and the children would fly to South Africa in the fall, and he would return to Malena in the spring. Vokić named him Klepetan, and the couple became famous as a symbol of love and fidelity.

Here are a few of videos about them:

The following video is in Croatian, but it shows a bit more of the chicks, and I love the part where Vokić is fishing in the rain for Malena, and the scene where they are watching stork videos together.

June 26, 2026

Posted in Life As a Shared Adventure | 7 Comments

1125 Days

Posted on June 25, 2026 by Jean

Calvin and Hobbes en Español
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Calvin and Hobbes
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I love Snoopy and Woodstock. Their innocence is so soothing.

June 25, 2026

Posted in Life As a Shared Adventure | 16 Comments

Things Keep Changing

Posted on June 24, 2026 by Jean

Andy and I can relate to that! 🙂

June 24, 2026

Posted in Life As a Shared Adventure | 20 Comments

Yet Another Example Of…

Posted on June 23, 2026 by Jean

we can’t believe everything we think.

June 23, 2026

Posted in Life As a Shared Adventure | 18 Comments

Life Skills for a Full Life

Posted on June 22, 2026 by Jean

What’s your idea of a full life? What skills do you need for it?

June 22, 2026

Posted in Life As a Shared Adventure | 24 Comments

What’s a PTU?

Posted on June 21, 2026 by Jean

In yesterday’s post at Brian’s Home, Kiki mentions an upcoming vet visit and writes,

Hey, it won’t be too bad. I really don’t mind going in the car and I’m usually well behaved at the Vet place. I’ll still be on alert for the PTU to come out though.

I didn’t know what PTU stands for, so I asked ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity,

cat says,” I’m headed to the Vet for my annual checkup. Hey, it won’t be too bad. I really don’t mind going in the car and I’m usually well behaved at the Vet place. I’ll still be on alert for the PTU to come out though.” what does that mean?

ChatGPT wasn’t very helpful, but Claude wrote,

PTU stands for Pet Transport Unit — more commonly known as a cat carrier (the box or crate used to transport cats).

It’s a term used humorously in cat-owning communities, often written from the cat’s perspective, because cats tend to be *extremely* alert to the carrier coming out. They seem to understand it means a trip somewhere — usually the vet — and many will hide, resist, or make themselves scarce the moment they see it.

So the cat in your scenario is saying: even though this particular cat is unusually chill about car rides and vet visits, it’s still going to keep a watchful eye out for that carrier, because the PTU is the universal signal that something is *about to happen* — and self-respecting cats stay vigilant about that, no matter how relaxed they are otherwise.

It’s a charming little bit of cat humor — the carrier is treated like a threat-level indicator even by the most well-adjusted feline.

Perplexity knew where the question came from,

In that quote, “PTU” is playful cat-blog shorthand for “Prisoner Transport Unit,” meaning the dreaded cat carrier. [brianshomeblog]

The source of the phrase

The wording you quoted comes almost verbatim from a recent cat blog post titled “Sister Saturday with the Traveling Kiki,” where the cat narrator talks about going to the vet and says they’ll still be “on alert for the PTU to come out.” In that context, the author is clearly describing the carrier the humans bring out when it’s time for a vet trip. [brianshomeblog]

Why “PTU” = carrier

Many cat bloggers and online cat communities jokingly call the carrier the “Prisoner Transport Unit,” leaning into the idea that the cat is being “arrested” and hauled off against their will. So the cat is basically saying: “I’m okay with the vet, but I’m still watching out in case they bring out that awful carrier.” [brianshomeblog]

Which AI version do you prefer?

June 21, 2026

Posted in Life As a Shared Adventure | 24 Comments

A Great Role Model

Posted on June 20, 2026 by Jean

Peanuts
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Snoopy is my hero. When Eudora accidentally belittles him, he doesn’t argue or get upset. He simply responds creatively on his own terms. He doesn’t have to say a word to get his message across.

I don’t know about you, but I can learn from that.

June 20, 2026

Posted in Life As a Shared Adventure | 21 Comments

Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

Posted on June 19, 2026 by Jean

That was Stephen Covey’s fifth habit in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Yesterday’s post reminded me of him, so I asked ChatGPT what he would suggest about discussing political views. It wrote:

When discussing strongly held political beliefs, he would likely suggest:

Start with genuine curiosity.

  • Ask questions.
  • Try to understand not just what they believe, but why they believe it.
  • Listen until they feel understood.

Build an emotional bank account.

  • Build trust and respect, create openness.
  • If people feel attacked, they become defensive and stop listening.

Look for shared values.

  • Most political disagreements are not about whether people value freedom, security, fairness, opportunity, or community.
  • They are often disagreements about how best to achieve those values.

Describe your view rather than argue for it.

  • Explain your reasoning and experiences.
  • Avoid trying to “win.”
  • Be willing to learn something yourself.

Practice humility.

  • Covey often emphasized principles over ego.
  • Enter the conversation recognizing that your own understanding may be incomplete.

Aim for a “third alternative.”

  • One of Covey’s favorite ideas was that there may be a better solution than either side currently sees.
  • Instead of “Who’s right?” ask, “What are we missing?”

If the other person remains unmoved, Covey would probably consider the conversation successful if there was greater mutual understanding. He often taught that influence flows from trust and character more than from clever arguments.

I agree about trying to understand where other people are coming from, but I personally don’t try to persuade other people. I do share articles and my opinions with like-minded friends, and I also look for articles that interview people who have other opinions and try to understand why they think the way they do. Polarization is real.

Yesterday Ann commented:

This makes me wonder if people are leaning more towards their original beliefs or is it based on how much they oppose the opposition.

I’m thinking in political terms here. I know a person who is very democratic. I don’t know if she believes in her candidate as much as she opposes the other.

This article agrees with her. It says that some voters think their values are so different from the opposition’s that they perceive the other party as a threat. They will vote for a seriously flawed candidate in order to defeat the other party.

And, of course, there’s the question of where people get their information. I subscribe to sources that get good ratings for fact checking from Media Bias/Fact Check.

The world is changing fast, and a lot of those changes are scary. But I’ve always been interested in history, so I figure if I have to live through it, I might as well learn something from it all.

June 19, 2026

Posted in Life As a Shared Adventure | 15 Comments

About Yesterday’s Comic

Posted on June 18, 2026 by Jean

I asked ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude if the student in yesterday’s comic was correct.

comic — the teacher is talking about persuasive writing and a student says “Research suggests that using facts and logic to try to change someone’s mind just makes them believe their original position even more. So I’m thinking we just forget this unit and enjoy some extra recess.” Some commenters ask if that is really true.

They all agreed that the idea is based on one study and was contradicted by further studies. I liked ChatGPT’s answer the best, so here it is:

The student’s line is based on a real phenomenon, but it’s an exaggeration.

Researchers have found that when people hold a strong belief that is tied to their identity, political tribe, religion, or worldview, simply presenting contrary facts can sometimes cause them to defend their original position more vigorously. This was dubbed the “backfire effect.”

However, later research found that the backfire effect is much less common than originally thought. In many cases, people do update their beliefs when presented with good evidence. The problem is that facts alone are often not enough when emotions, identity, or social belonging are involved.

A more accurate summary would be:

  • Facts can change minds.
  • Facts work best when people are open and not feeling attacked.
  • If someone feels their identity is threatened, they may become more resistant.
  • Stories, questions, shared values, and relationships are often more persuasive than facts alone.

Amen to that! More on this tomorrow.

June 18, 2026

Posted in Life As a Shared Adventure | 17 Comments