I had the chance to change things up yesterday, and I took it. The daughter of our friends, Cliff and Ashley (managers at Red Star Bar), celebrated her 18th birthday yesterday. It was a semi-formal affair that I initially didn’t plan to attend because I’d never met the daughter, and I’m not big on dressing up. But then I decided I ought to go and experience some Filipino culture that I’d not seen before. Apparently, turning eighteen is a big deal in these parts, and the gathering last night was more like a fancy wedding than a birthday party. Even though it wasn’t really my thing, it was impressive.

Anyway, my introvert nature kicked in after a couple of hours, and I departed before the buffet dinner was served. Heh, I guess I had had enough of the different for one day.

In other news, I had my first-ever encounter with an AI interaction via ChatGPT. For whatever reason, I have been unwilling to engage with the technology. Well, I’m pretty sure AI will be the end of mankind as we know it, but I expect I’ll be long gone by then. Anyway, it’s my pal Scott’s fault that I finally pulled the trigger.

We were seated together last night at the party, and I asked him about how it is done. He told me about the ChatGPT app and how it works. Well, I’d heard of it, but never tried it until this morning.

Our “conversation” started like this:

Me: Can you alter an image for me?

Sure — upload the image and tell me what changes you want made (for example: remove an object, change the background, make it look like a painting, adjust colors, add text, etc.).

So, I uploaded the image above and asked ChatGPT to make it more interesting. This is what I got:

I told ChatGPT nice job, and got this response:

Glad that version worked. If you want to push it further, I can also make it more dramatic or fun—like:

• cinematic travel poster style
• fantasy scene (floating islands, magical sky, glowing lights)
• adventure vibe (mountains, drones, dramatic clouds)
• funny edit (dinosaurs, UFO, giant Chocolate Hills in background, etc.)

Just say what style you want next.

I responded:

I like the fantasy scene idea…I am imagining heaven on earth.

We finished our chat like this:

Me: Thanks so much. This was my first time using ChatGPT or any AI tool.

You’re welcome — and honestly, this is a pretty fun first use case 😄

You basically just did one of the most common AI workflows already:

1. uploaded an image,
2. asked for an edit,
3. explored different creative directions,
4. iterated until it matched your idea.

That’s a big part of what AI tools are good at: helping you turn a rough idea (“make this more interesting” / “heaven on earth”) into something visual quickly.

Beyond image editing, you can also use ChatGPT for things like:

• trip planning and itineraries
• writing emails, letters, or captions
• learning topics or asking questions
• brainstorming gifts, hobbies, recipes, workouts, etc.
• organizing photos, resumes, or projects
• coding, spreadsheets, presentations, and study help

So you’ve only scratched the surface.

And now you’ve got a fantasy Chocolate Hills version of your photo as your first AI project, which is a pretty solid start.

Me: I’m off to a good start! I’ll be back to explore some of those other pathways.

Sounds good — drop by anytime when you want to experiment more.

You’ve already got the basic rhythm down: ask for something, refine it, then keep iterating until it feels right. That same pattern works whether you’re planning a trip, fixing a spreadsheet, learning something new, or making weird fantasy versions of vacation photos.

Enjoy exploring, and see you next time.

So, this old dog learned a new trick!

My daughter sent me a copy of my granddaughter’s resume. Damn, am I really that old?

Facebook reminds me that some wounds never heal with these photos of my dream retirement home in South Carolina. Dreams die sometimes before we do. Although in a way, I did die in order to be reborn into this life I’m living in the Philippines.

Now you have it, now you don’t. It still hurts.

It’s the last post of April 2019 in the LTG archives. What I found interesting was that I took a Sunday morning stroll, including a climb up the Kalaklan Ridge, on a hot day, and made it almost 14K before I was done. Today, I walked a flat 7K and was whooped. Well, at least I’m still alive and kicking, just not as much as before. Oh, and that photo from Alaska Bar was a surprise. The bargirl beside me is now the longtime girlfriend of a fellow Hasher. My oh my,

Today’s YouTube video explores the history of humans consuming alcoholic beverages. Beer has been around for 13,000 years. Hmm, maybe I’ll have enjoyed 13,000 bottles before I die. It’s good to have goals!

Humor me:

Yeah, I’d better stop now. Sometimes the road takes you places you didn’t want to go, but you can still enjoy the ride until you run out of gas.