AI Reality Check

    

This past week, we were expecting two of our good friends, Mark and Sarah Smith, formerly from Hoonah to come for a visit for a few days. We hadn't seen them for several years and we'd planned a few day trips locally, as well as a few hours at the bowling alley, totally humiliating ourselves, but having fun nonetheless. I was expecting to spend the better part of at least one evening looking over my stamp collection. When Mark was the Hoonah post master, he went out of his way to order the latest, most interesting stamps that became available. In a large part, I owe my fascination as a philatelist to him. He was a deep well of knowledge and we spent many  hours not only discussing stamps, but a variety of other subjects, both appropriate and not so much so while he was collecting a wage from the government. It was time well spent though.

There was some talk of a pod cast, though I don't know anything about those things or how they would work. No doubt it would require a considerable upgrade to my computer and perhaps other equipment would need to be purchased if we were to pursue it. If I made a million bucks it might be worth it, but I can't imagine anyone wanting to hear the banter that we engaged in, or at least not be willing to pay to hear it. I don't know.

Periodically we would discuss matters of great importance, at least to me. Things like having to get up frequently during the night to take a leak. Me, not him. No doubt as time goes on and his prostate ages with the rest of his body, it will become an issue for him as well. I thought that if only we could invent a urine proof sheet that would direct the pee through a tube into the toilet so that you could leak to your heart's delight without having to go through the trouble of getting out of bed and interrupting your sleep, wouldn't that be great? Thus the idea for the urine sheet was born. The US 5000. Of course it needs to be thought out more thoroughly, but unfortunately, before we could perfect the model, Mark moved away.

On occasion our conversations would drift toward politics. I discovered that we were on opposite sides of the political spectrum, and though we couldn't possibly agree to the differences that separated us politically, we nonetheless enjoyed some fine banter. That brings me to the posters above. I'm not entirely certain what Mark was trying say with these, but I am certain that I love the posters. I only wish I were as tough as these things make me look. They are supposed to be movie posters, though I'm not an actor, and no one would make a movie about me. When I spoke to Mark several days ago he was trying to explain about them, but I couldn't really understand the thought behind them. In part because of noise in the back round and in part because the connection was shaky at best. Perhaps the fact that I'm still using a flip phone played a part in that and also my hearing is less than perfect.

I liked the way he portrayed me in such a flattering way. My mustache looks like one Wilfred Brimley had. He was the actor from the movie Cocoon and the TV show, Our House. I always thought that guy was cool. He also played in an episode of Seinfeld as the post master general. Kramer had decided to return his mail and when confronted by Brimley's no nonsense approach, started crying. It was hilarious.

If you look closely, you'll see the phrase, Who Mentioned You? on the bill of my hat. That seems especially appropriate for an action movie character don't you think?  I actually have a T-shirt with that saying on it that my daughter Autumn had made for me. I think they should be sold internationally to keep pompous and arrogant  buffoons from feeling more important than they really are.

I wish that the posters reflected reality, but the fact is, that after I get done with this post, I'll probably struggle to get out of the chair. I'm a far cry from what the posters portray, but nonetheless, I love them. So Mark, I'm sure you're going to read this, so thanks so much. I love the posters but would have gladly traded them for a visit from the two of you. Lets shoot for next year.