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June 21st, 2023 – Post #88
Looking back at my last post, that season of life, watching my mom suffer, seems so distant and surreal.
I haven’t had much time to write lately; but wanted to give a little update and say thank you for all of your love and support. I’ve been trying to get my bearings and settle into Wabash – mostly working on my tiny house cargo trailer conversion. Here’s a video of where I am in the process (tap on the picture to view):
The Hampton Inn – My Home Away from Homelessness
It was good to spend a few days in my trailer to get a better idea of how to configure things; but I have a lot of paperwork and logistics to catch up on, so I checked back in to another Hilton Brand Hotel to have access to Wi-Fi for a while. It’s funny to look at the room and realize how huge it is compared to my tiny house trailer.
“Travel Hacking” has been a helpful hobby during this season of perpetually moving from one place to the next, and I’m grateful to have racked up enough points for a free week at The Hampton Inn through my Capital One card. A few weeks ago, I had five free nights at Tru by Hilton through my Hilton Honors card.
I’ve had people ask me about how I get so much free travel on miles and points, so, I thought I’d share a link to the Hilton card I use, in case anyone is interested:
Apply for an American Express Card with this link. With your new Card, you could earn a welcome bonus and your friend could earn a referral bonus. Terms Apply.
I’m definitely not a proponent for carrying debt, so I only recommend these, if they will be carefully managed and paid off right away.
If you click here to apply, you and I will both get a sign-up bonus.
Please don’t let that subtitle about homelessness stress you out, I definitely do have places to stay – I’m just trying to get a little solitude to focus on tasks for a season. 🙂
Plankeye Publishing and Plasticback Books
When I decided to make a website, it was for the purpose of establishing a landing spot for the manuscripts I’ve been working on. I also hoped to use it as a resource for people who want help with writing and editing. I’ve been thankful for all of you who have encouraged me to continue to write, and I’ve been trying to get the details of my life in order, so that I can make that my focus.
I guess I’ve had my head buried in the sand in a lot of ways, especially the last six months. I kept hearing about “A.I.”; but had no idea of what a hot topic of discussion it has become, especially for the future of “writers”.
A couple of weeks ago, a “kid” (twenty-something) started telling me about an app called “ChatGPT”, saying it can write anything you want it to. I have to admit, my heart kind of sunk. It already feels pretty flighty to say, “I want to be a writer”; but now it seems technology is taking that opportunity away – like it did with Checkers at local supermarkets.
At least, that’s how it looked on the surface…
In my discouragement, my mind went back to the “Who Moved My Cheese?” book – a simple concept; but one which some of us miss, when we’re feeling stuck.
Anyway, instead of getting totally discouraged, I decided to start writing a series of posts about ChatGPT, along with other forms of A.I., and some of the ways they will affect our society, especially in the realm of storytelling. So far, I’ve only published one article; but if you’re interested, you can read about it here.
Heading to St. Louis Soon
Lord willing, I’ll be heading back to St. Louis in the very near future for about a week. My dad is planning to put their house on the market in August, in preparation for his “float trip”.
I’m wondering who will have more square footage – me in my cargo trailer, or him, in the bowels of that boat. There’s definitely a lot of cargo to go through before he sets sail…
Friends Cemetery – Wabash, Indiana
In my next post, I plan to share a video from the cemetery where my mom is buried. It’s beautiful – and sits on the same road where my mom was raised and where both sides of her parents farmed. I think that will give you a good taste of the kind of setting she came from.
Wabash, Indiana is a very special place.
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