Using AI To Plan A Cruise

We're fans of the Celebrity cruise line and, in particular, their newest Edge-class ships.  However, digging through their website, trying to find a cruise that might meet our date range and other requirements can be time-consuming and frustrating.  So I turned to ChatGPT and requested, "Find all the Celebrity cruises in January through April 2027 that are on Edge-class ships lasting at least seven days and have a stop in Aruba."

ChatGPT's response was:

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I found only a small number of Edge-class Celebrity cruises between January 1 and April 30, 2027 that are 7 nights or longer and include a call at Oranjestad, Aruba.

The Edge-class fleet consists of:

Celebrity Edge

Celebrity Apex

Celebrity Beyond

Celebrity Ascent

Celebrity Xcel

Matching Cruises

Sail Date         Ship                     Nights Itinerary                      

Jan 4, 2027 Celebrity Ascent 11 Southern Caribbean

Mar 8, 2027 Celebrity Ascent 11 Panama Canal & Southern Caribbean

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It likely would have taken me an hour to come up with this short list and ChatGPT took a few seconds. 

https://chatgpt.com

Avocado Toast

During a Memorial Day weekend visit, our daughter-in-law, Deborah, made the tasty avocado toast you see below.  She started with a slice of toasted multi-grain bread and topped it with a blend of smashed avocado, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  She medium-boiled eggs and mashed them with cottage cheese, which went on top of the avocado.  Next came the unexpected pickled onions, and finally, diced tomatoes.

That's some fancy, nutritious breakfast!

Ohio's Physiographic Regions

We stopped at one of Ohio's newly rebuilt Rest Areas along I-70 and spotted the infographic shown below.  It describes Ohio's five physiographic regions (classification of these landforms based on their geological structures and histories), which include the Till Plains that Dayton, Ohio, is part of.   It is characterized by gently rolling hills carved by glaciers 20,000 years ago during the last Ice Age.  

You can read more about all of Ohio's physiographic regions at the link below.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=286210

Big Green Tractor

We visited Jason Aldean's Kitchen + Bar in the North Shore district in downtown Pittsburgh (or "dahntahn" in Pittsburghese) during a recent trip.  Their signature feature is the green tractor you see below, which is part of the main bar.  Of course, that's a tribute to his 2009 #1 hit song, "Big Green Tractor." 

https://jasonaldeansbar.com/pittsburgh

The Grumpy Gardener

Southern Living magazine is packed with interesting articles, and Gourmet Chef Elaine and I enjoy The Grumpy Gardener the most, penned by the award-winning author, Steve Bender.  He offers up advice on a range of gardening issues, with a bunch of humor thrown in.  He's also the co-host, with Nellah McGough, of Ask Grumpy, one of the top-rated gardening podcasts, which airs twice a week.

You can read more about Steve at the following link and read some of his articles; however, the humor appears mostly reserved for the printed magazine.

https://www.southernliving.com/author/steve-bender

Using AI For Genealogy Research

I do a fair amount of genealogy research, and sometimes I get stuck finding a person's parents, as was the case with George Holmes and Bridget O'Donnell.  Since AI chatbots are trained using a huge amount of data, I decided to try a few different ones, and Grok came back with the most complete answer.  My question and Grok's response are in the screenshot below.  Be careful using AI for genealogy research, as I've found it can generate answers that sound reasonable but are fictitious.

https://grok.com

Asian Sesame With Ginger & Soy

We had lunch at Sky Asian Cuisine in Kettering, Ohio, a few months ago, and I really liked the salad dressing they used.  I researched a bit and found the closest thing I could buy is Ken's Asian Sesame with Ginger & Soy.  Then I bought a bag of broccoli coleslaw and poured some of the dressing on top.  Now that's how you get me to eat my vegetables (and like it!)

https://www.kensfoods.com/products/asian-sesame

Attractive Advertising

This eye-catching display of flowers and plants is brought to you by Highfield Door Sales on Stroop Road in Kettering, Ohio.  I really like the ramp that snakes up to the top of the sign, giving the display a unique look.  And the whole thing is so stunning, you might overlook the gas regulator/meter, which must always remain accessible to utility workers for readings and maintenance.

https://highfielddoorsales.com

Oversized Folding Camping Chair

Some time ago, we pitched our old, beat-up folding chairs and just recently purchased the new ones you see below.  They have a solid steel frame and are equipped with an Oxford cloth cup holder, 6-can side cooler bag, and a 25"×10" rear mesh pocket.  Best of all, they cost only $35 apiece, down $20 from their regular price, but the limited-time offer might expire by the time you get this blog.

Bring on the tailgate parties!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GR9MST5R

Fraze Flicks

The Fraze Pavilion in Kettering, Ohio, has added eight movies to its lineup of concerts and events.  Crazy Rich Asians, Grease, Song Sung Blue, F1, Wicked, Black Panther, Minions: The Rise of Gru, and Hocus Pocus are slated for Friday or Saturday evenings from June through October.   The movie will start at sunset, but the party starts several hours before with a live DJ, food trucks,  snacks, and drinks will be available at Ernie’s Concessions.  The cost is $10 per ticket in advance or $15 on the day of the movie.

https://fraze.com/category/concerts-and-events/fraze-flicks