Freedom is Calling - Page 20 of 25 - Blog about following the call of freedom

Catsitting and Big Paul

EW March 3, 2024

It has been a busy week. Fortunately, I had the chance to record some videos. Today, I took the time to compress the material into a couple of short video clips.

Last Sunday, we drove to a friend’s place to take care of her house and her cat. Poor thing, she would very much like to devour our meals, but all her canoodling did not work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMKvrs39ciY

Spring is approaching rapidly. In the morning, we awake to the call of birds. There are blackbirds, doves, magpies, tits and one kind that sounds like a squealing door hinge. You can listen to all of that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X29dcfJ4lK4

The yard of our friend offered a huge opportunity to work undisturbed on Big Paul, which we did to exhaustion. And hey, I installed my camera for your benefit.

Now you can see the results of our laborous week for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo93hygOmic

That’s it for now. More to come.

Be well and if you like share this post and

Working on Big Paul and a special Kind of Freedom

GEF March 3, 2024

Six hours drive from the winter wonderland of the Bavarian Alps into spring.

We started early in the morning in 15 centimeters of freshly fallen snow and temperatures around freezing, heading for the lowlands.

The Autobahn was busy, but traffic was rolling. Big Paul obviously liked the continuous flow of the moderate speed at about 100 to 110 km/h (about 65 mph) and happily purred along.

In the afternoon, we arrived in a paradise of daffodils and blackthorn blossoms. Down here, you can even see little palm and fig trees every once in a while.

This is „Rheinhessen“, the largest coherent winegrowing area in Germany. Near the river Rhine, spring comes early, summers are kind of Mediterranian and autumns mild and sunny – great for the wine to grow to full richness.

Great also for people who want to work outside, all around an old VW van. The nights are still a bit nippy now, but the days are warm and gentle and we are really making headway with restoring and equipping the car.

The perfect workplace for introverts

While our friend is spending her vacation on the sandy beaches of the lovely, colorful island of Lanzarote (Canary Islands), we are house-sitting and enjoying all the benefits her home provides. Perfect for introverted people like us.

Thick walls surround us as her property is an old winery from the 19th century, maybe even older. In the cellar you can still find old wooden wine casks, of course not in use anymore.

Her yard is fully enclosed and we can park Big Paul behind locked doors. No disturbance or distractions from the outside.

She also has a big workshop, so just in case we need a tool, it’s all there. Actually, my partner brought all the tools necessary, but it’s always good to have a backup.

Introducing the queen of the house

First task though was making friends with Her Majesty.

The cat.

Isn’t it funny, her name is Freedom?!

Yes, and as a matter of fact Freedom is calling. All the time.

For food, for opening doors, for closing doors, for caressing, for company. In a split second she integrated the two of us into her domestic staff.

Fortunately, I used to be a cat servant myself for a long time. So, I know how to please the queen.

In case you are not familiar with cats – they are all like that. Once you know how to take care of their special demands they are very amused and make lovely, patient and tolerant friends.

And they make excellent role models and teach you how to be authentic, self-reliant and determined while selling yourself to the audience with an ever charming and joyfull attitude.

Even queens have to face challenges now and again

But of course, there are certain limitations. Even for cats.

So, after a while, Freedom had to pass a real challenge.

When we came back from food shopping, we brought fresh rotisserie chicken along for a fast and tasty lunch.

The owner of the chicken and pork leg stand obviously was an expert on „fragrance marketing“. Leaving the supermarket, we hadn’t been able to resist, but followed our nose until we found him somewhere around the corner.

Freedom must have had a similar idea when she received us back, nose and tail high in the air, eyes big like soup bowls, purring like a steam engine.

And then we put the chicken on the table …

How this was handled, you can see on video (spoiler: it was not to the cat’s satisfaction).

Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X29dcfJ4lK4

Well fed and ready to work

After the delicious meal we could engage in the first task on Big Paul, which was the most awkward one:

Cleaning up.

I know, there are people who think cleaning is meditative and a good chance to calm down. Maybe you like it, too.

For me, it’s different. It’s Sisyphean work and stressful. I know right from the beginning, the pleasure a clean place provides won’t last long. Which is frustrating and usually makes me procrastinate the whole procedure.

With Big Paul though, it was a little different. We wanted to remove all the grime and dirt that had crept in the holes and cavities underneath the inside paneling. We wanted to get rid of the old stains and smells from 13 years of postal service. We wanted our Big Paul to rejuvenate.

So, we unscrewd and removed all the covers in the loading space – which sounded simple but took quite a while.

Then we cleared the floor and let the scrubbing party begin.

Hell, what a workout! My biceps is still complaining.

Anyway, after two days of hard work we could celebrate the result.
Big Paul looked and smelled (!) so much better.

Insulation and ventilation

Next big thing was the insulation. We decided to put the insulating material on the sides, the doors and the ceiling. This would not only help with the temperature but also have a certain sound absorbing effect.

Luckily, it didn’t take too long to cut and attach it.

Then the upper part of the seperating wall had to come off in order to get some ventilation in the loading space.

If you want to take a look how we did all this – here’s the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo93hygOmic

At the end of the first week, all preparations were completed. We were ready to compile all the stuff for the next milestone.

This is:

Measuring, cutting and hanging the wallpaper.

Don’t grin! We want a cozy atmosphere inside our van!

But first of all, we’ll take a break and continue next week.

That’s it for now. More to come.

Be well and if you like share this post and

Approaching the next Step

EW February 25, 2024

The weather forecast promises milder weather for next week. Spring is in the air. Snowdrops and liverleaves poke their flowers out of the brown ground and I noticed the first songs of blackbirds.

We’ve been busy buying “stuff” for Big Paul as we approach the next phase of our endeavor namely preparing the trunk compartment.

Materials had arrived one at a time and had been stored in the basement. Just now, we got them out of their temporary home and loaded them together with the required tools in Big Paul’s belly ready to drive off to a friend’s house where we will have space to start working. I’m quite exited.

That’s it for now. More to come.

Be well and if you like share this post and

What if AI wrote the Blog?

GEF February 25, 2024

Could ChatGPT do it better? Could it actually adopt the whole job?

Why take the trouble to write a regular blog, when AI is just around the corner?
How about delegating and saving the time for other things?

Well, questions like that come up now and again.

Writing takes time and focus. And for a regular blog it takes discipline.

Meanwhile, I have created an editorial calendar that gives me an overview. This is because we have decided to publish our posts every weekend. And there is so much more on our schedule.

With the calendar I can organize my work in such a way that it’s not overwhelming or confusing. I can prepare and preproduce blog posts, whenever I have time or I want to jot down an idea.

This collection is helpful. It works as a buffer and takes away the stress to produce under time pressure.

But still – I need to sit down and do it.

My partner and me are now on our way to the place of a friend.

She asked us to be „house-sitters“ and spoil the cat while she is on holiday. A great opportunity for us to work on Big Paul, because she has an enclosed yard and a workshop we can use.

So, could ChatGPT come to the rescue and take over, while I am working on the van?

I’m not convinced.

Because:

Its English may be better. Okay. But it can’t copy me.
Individuality is not a stronghold of AI. Even when it’s learning to adapt to my special wishes the more I interact with it.

I have worked with ChatGTP quite a few times now. None of the texts it generated came close to how I would have written them.

The advantages of AI

No doubt, Artificial Intelligence is a helpful tool.

It can work as a sparring partner for you. If you have a creative blackout and a hard time finding a topic to write about, ChatGPT comes up with all sorts of suggestions.

Sometimes you might want to integrate another view or variations of a topic. ChatGPT can specify and deliver so many aspects that you might not have thought of yourself.

It also can help you do research. Although you always have to re-check – AI uses presuppositions.

And of course, AI is absolutely second to none, when it comes to speed: ChatGPT does a writing job in seconds that takes me an hour or more.

How about irony?

The downside:

It can only put out what you have put in. It works according to its programming and your more or less clever prompting. That’s it.

When it comes to individual expression, unusual ideas and quirky style, let alone irony, ChatGPT is lost. At least for now.

For me, that’s good news.

Also, it’s just a machine.

Don’t you remember having a lot of fun watching the famous Star Trek episode, when Data, the „synthetic life form“ in human shape, who had superior logical qualities, finally wanted to „feel“ something and received the „emotion chip“ …

Well, my brain is just human, but can always come up with something original and fresh. I feel creativity, love and flow when I write.

What does AI feel?

A text generated by a program doesn’t have a soul, a friend of mine said.
I agree.

Moreover, human life (and maybe other life, too?) holds a treasure that is very special: Intuition.

It’s a team play of three intelligences, that meanwhile even science finds worthwhile studying: Brain intelligence, heart intelligence and gut intelligence.

You know it when you feel it. It just takes a split second and you know it’s right, although your logic can’t follow. It’s just true. Period.

Up to now, AI can’t copy this.

Will it ever?

Undoubtedly good enough for simple tasks

After all, Artificial Intelligence is a great assistant. And it gets better and better every day in thousands of aspects.

But it’s like in the kitchen – there is a distinct, feasible difference when the chef himself rattles the pots and pans …

One more thing:

I would not want to delegate or give up writing anyway – I just love it, no matter how much effort it takes sometimes.

Well, what do you think?
How do you use AI?
Does it make your work easier?
Or do you just let it fall by the wayside …

That’s it for now. More to come.

Be well and if you like share this post and