Month: January 2025

A few weeks ago, I thought that I “should” write an ode to kombucha. Right now, I’m at my desk, practicing calligraphy, and again admiring my kombucha for coming into my life. I thought again about the ode. Then I thought of what it might be like to use AI to give me the technical information and how-to’s and I would just have the experience of the “writing of an ode.”

So, I asked AI, “How does one write an ode?” Perplexity answered as follows:

“Writing an ode is a creative and expressive endeavor that celebrates a person, object, event, or idea. Here’s a structured approach to crafting an ode:

Understanding the Ode

An ode is a lyrical poem dedicated to praising or celebrating its subject. It often conveys strong emotions and can be directed toward something absent, such as a beloved person or cherished object. Odes have their roots in ancient Greece and come in various forms, primarily categorized into three types:

• Pindaric Ode: Traditionally consists of three stanzas with a formal structure.
• Horatian Ode: Features one or more stanzas that follow the same structure.
• Irregular Ode: Lacks a specific pattern, allowing for more freedom in expression.

Steps to Write an Ode

1. Choose Your Subject:
   • Select something you are passionate about—this could be a person, an object, or even an abstract concept (e.g., love, nature) 13.
2. Decide on the Structure:
   • Determine which type of ode you want to write (Pindaric, Horatian, or Irregular). Consider how many stanzas you will include and how they will be structured 34.
3. Create a Title:
   • A typical title format is “Ode to [Subject]” or “An Ode to [Subject]” 24.
4. Generate Content:
   • Write down a list of praises for your subject. Include both broad themes and specific details that evoke strong feelings 4. Use vivid adjectives and verbs to bring your subject to life.
5. Incorporate Poetic Devices:
   • Utilize similes, metaphors, and hyperbole to enhance your expression. Repetition can also be effective in emphasizing key themes 34.
6. Write the Ode:
   • Begin composing your ode based on your notes and structure. Focus on creating a rhythmic flow—while rhyme is common in odes, it is not mandatory, especially in irregular odes 16.
7. Revise and Refine:
   • After drafting your ode, take some time away from it before revisiting for edits. Ensure that the language flows smoothly and captures the essence of your feelings toward the subject 34.
8. Finalize Your Work:
   • Once satisfied with your ode, give it a final read-through for any adjustments before considering it complete.

By following these steps, you can create an ode that not only honors its subject but also showcases your unique voice as a poet.”

Very interesting. I wonder if we all have a “unique voice as a poet.” This is recorded here as reference in case I decide to continue. My brain started shutting down at “Pindaric Ode.” But it made me think back to my 20’s to 50’s when I used to become interested in a topic and wonder where I could take a class. Then there was always the getting there and home (the city bus was my only option for many years) and having to do it at night after work. Ugh! So tiring. Look how lucky we are now to have technology. The answers are available instantly. I cannot imagine…nor do I care to imagine…what my life would be like without YouTube, Teachable, podcasts, Netflix. I have enjoyed so many more fun experiences since they all came along.

I was upset for a few minutes today when I read an article that was again pushing the “fear button” on the AI machine. I get it. We need to remain vigilant and informed, but the article provided zero assistance in how we might do that. This was my favorite line: “…it is becoming harder to mitigate unless people really start to think about reducing what they post online.” It sounds like he is blaming the victim. How about passing legislation that will prevent this from happening? From what I understand there are zero controls on AI right now. It’s the social media giants that need to take responsibility and not “use” humans to make more money. It seems to me that they would still be gazzilionaires from the money we would be willing to pay them to do things that we agree to and are not tricked into by capitalizing on our weaknesses. Okay, I’m done. And I’m going to read Vivek Murthy’s book, The Lonliness Epidemic.

Dinner last night for Holly’s birthday was divine. The restaurant was Nomad. It has apparently been here for years, and I never heard about it. Kathy, it’s right next to the Oasis where you and Dan stayed once. You’ve probably eaten there. I should have done a video. The ambience was truly heavenly: lush gardens, stone pathways, babbling brooks, lotus flowers, fireplaces, rock walls. And it made Holly very happy. She’s the one in the green.

Still watching Shrinking. I texted Dan and told him not to watch it. I don’t think he could handle it. He would cry too much. It even got me at one point, and I’m kind of a tough case…at least compared to him. This was one of my favorite lines today from Harrison Ford: “Babies are assholes.”

I was awake at 3:30 this morning, so I almost begged off, but I decided to join my neighborhood group for a hike. I’m happy I did. They said that they hike every Saturday morning at 7:30, rain or shine. We walked the Palo Alto loop, which is about 5.5 miles on back roads, some slight inclines, but mostly easy. Maybe Barbara can join us when her busy social life slows down a bit. It was a beautiful day. The rain has finally let up.

I finished watching Bad Sisters, and now I’m moving on to Shrinking. Let’s see if I can stay awake until at least 9 pm. Looking forward to a good night’s sleep.

I spent the afternoon at a lovely New Year’s day party at Betty’s. It was nice seeing Jude and Cheryl and Larry and Cathy. They all lived near me when I rented the Glass Cottage a couple of years ago. Also met some new people.

And then I came home to this sweet exchange on the Dreaming in Script calligraphy platform:

Hey you guys!

I’m sure you would have been seeing the dedication with which Christing Kunert is going through her ES practice! It is hugely inspiring to all of us here, and I thought of making this Nameplate for her as a token of my appreciation. 🙂 

Christine, believe me when I say, it’s not often at all when a Dreamer goes through the programme with such zeal and sincerity as you, much less the second time around! Not in my experience at least, which is ~4 years now. 😀

Thank you for being such an amazing motivator to pick up our pens and work a little harder on refining our scripts with each day of consistent practice! It has been fabulous getting to know you here! <3

—Sneha. (student mentor)

Beautiful! Hear, hear! Thank you for all of your hard work this year! Your script has made such incredible progress in the months you have been with us and I hope that you will continue to push yourself and your study for years to come. 🙂 

—David (DIS owner)

My response: Aww…you guys… :). What a nice surprise for New Year’s day. Thank you very much. As I have said before (and as Casey Stengel taught me), it’s only work if you’d rather be doing something else. There is nothing else that I would rather be doing (at least the majority of the time). Calligraphy in general, and this class in particular, have been such a gift. Thanks Sneha, David and Tony for always being so dedicated as well. Your feedback and interest go such a long, long way for me. I feel this is essential for a good, continued, guided practice. I couldn’t do it independently. 

I’m in the final strech for the graduation process. I just received my new pen and nibs, so I submitted a redo of my final “trained script.” It’s not a huge difference to the casual observer, but I sure liked it a lot better, even though there were a couple of ink blobs.

I retook the quiz and still got three wrong, which gives me a 94%. Not sure, but I think I need 95%. I’m waiting to hear from David. There as a bit of a snag. When David sent the email that I could retake the quiz, I couldn’t get it to work. I kept clicking on an answer, and nothing would happen. When I tried it the last time, it worked, but I hadn’t paid attention to the fact that there were two correct answers, and I only selected the one I was experimenting with. I explained to David what happened, and he said he would reset it again, since I got it right the first time, but when I finally took the quiz this morning, I intentionally answered the first question wrong because I felt like I was cheating.

So, we’ll see where I go from here. Happy New Year!!