I’ll answer the prompt, though I doubt it will be all that exciting. The last thing I searched for online was a name. Captain Barbosa’s name, in fact. There’s not much that’s more embarrassing for a writer than a misspell… I hate it when I do that!
It’s bad enough that I am a punctuation fairy, but everybody already knows that’s my thing. Plus, having a name like Wiwohka means that I, more than most, am used to mispronunciations, misspells, and butchered shortcuts… I get it! Names are important, I think, and how one spells their name is part of their identity. There’s that!
Anyways, I have to use Google quite often for name or phrase spell checking, as I happen to be a fountain of useless information; filled with pithy phrases, old wives’ tales, and well used sarcastic quips!
LOL… I just realized that I’ve actually turned into an old wife telling tales, for real!
Oh, and a cookie master! Can’t forget that accolade, can I …
I took the initial image that I’d begun with several months ago, combined it with some of the newer images, and asked the AI to create an updated version of our little troll.
These are the first images that were offered using the new character, asking for Peanut to be exploring a pirate ship, and suggesting that he wear a blue shirt and denim coveralls…
While Peanut looks rather cute, I wasn’t pleased with the AI’s freedom with changing up the shape of his face, willy nilly. The ship also looks as if it were crafted of either Lego’s or Lincoln Logs… ewww! No thanks!
I went back to the texting suggestions and asked that it give me a photorealistic image, only to be offered these next images:
Still getting images of a toy boat! If need be, I can always remove the background later, or place Peanut in an entirely different image. Some days I get lucky with the first image, but other days cause me grief, but it is only AI and it’s only as good as it’s user! Though Peanut is rather cute in several of the shots, it’s hit or miss as to whether he’s skinny, chubby, or plastic looking.
The funny thing about the AI, is that it remembers. When I have those really good pics, I put a star on them and keep them in albums. My guess is that Norbert (I named the AI) can remember the images I liked, the ones I discard, and any changes I’m asking it to make. Over time, Norbert is able to create successful images without nearly the amount of failures as there were in the beginning.
So, I starred a few and asked for the same thing, but gave Norbert more freedom for creativity. I only lowered the slider bar about 5 percent, but was rewarded with a few much nicer images. Keep in mind that I’ll be transferring the little guy to a far more impressive pirate ship…
So, we know that Norbert is getting better at showing me an adorable troll, but what’s with the hands and feet? He either has too many fingers and toes, or they simply look like they belong on a doll. Luckily, I’ve a draft board that allows for correcting things like facial expressions, and/or mutated body parts like those ridiculous hands and feet.
First step, make Peanut look less plastic:
Not perfect, but much better, I think! Now to fix the ship…
However, that level of editing is not as easy as it seems. I spent over an hour with little to no success. This will take a bit longer than today’s post, so bear with me. At least Norbert, our AI, is becoming far more agreeable to preserving Peanut’s key features, so there’s that!
Stay tuned til next Tuesday’s Tinkering for the final Peanut, as well as, the reveal for our final ship naming ceremony. Hopefully, I shall see you there…
To this day, everytime I remember back on this show, I can remember the lyrics to the insurance add that ran during the commercials… Mutual of Omaha… people… you can count on when the goings tough…
I would spend every Sunday evening watching this show, as it played right before the Wonderful World of Disney. My parents would finish watching their line up of the Lawrence Welk show, and Hee Haw… finally relinquishing the entertainment box to the small humans. Back in the day, most families only had one television in the house.
Marlin Perkins was such a wildlife superhero to this little girl! I wanted to grow up to be a National Geographic journalist. I would spend most of my free time pretending I was out on that African safari, making friends with the baby Giraffes I saw onscreen…
Or I pretended to find wild baby Cheetah cubs, carrying my poor cat around in a blanket in the middle of summer… til he got hot and escaped my clutches…
While I’d love to spend my morning filling you in on all the goings on around here, I’ve only enough time to say that we’re all back aboard The Torrent, safe, sound, and headed home. It’s sort of funny, if you think on it, because when I say that we’re headed for the barn… we are literally headed for our barn, lol!
There’s far too much to do around the ship, at the moment, so you’ll just have to wait til we get home for more information regarding our tiny troll’s decision about where to live. At least, for now, Peanut has a desire to visit our barn. I assured him that we would assist him in finding his way, and that he could stay as long as he wished to do so.
If the weather stays fair and the winds hold, we should make it home by Friday. As a pirate would say, keep a weather eye on the horizon… or as Gandalf told Aragorn, “Look to my coming on the first light of the fifth day. At dawn, look to the East.”
Ok, well maybe it won’t be quite as dramatic an entrance as that, but I think you’ll get the idea.
My gut reaction is to answer “Daytime”, but it feels like I’m being played, here!
Like one of those pull my finger sort of jokes, or something. If I were to fall for such an obvious trick, it would be all over WordPress Daily news, which is right down the block from The Lobby.
I’d be too embarrassed to show my face out in the street, what with Oscar the Grouch’s garbage can perfectly placed right on the corner. You know, he can be very rude sometimes! On any given day, one might find him entertaining himself by reading the daily newspaper out loud, from his can. I know it doesn’t sound so rude, at first, but let me finish. Oscar doesn’t simply read the articles… no no. He shouts the words as loud as he can, and does so in the direction of whoever walks by his garbage can. See? Very rude, in my opinion.
While I do prefer the quiet of the morning, I’m not going to answer, on the grounds that it may incriminate me, somehow.
What I will do, however, is make a double batch of cookies for everyone, to make up for the ones I forgot the other day. Though you may not think it a big deal, I have a reputation to uphold. In the words of Captain Barbosa, “Don’t dare impugn me honor boy!”
May these cookies served to you, here, this morning, fulfill my duty to me ship, me WordPress family, and me crew!
Double fudge chocolate…
or,
Ok, so maybe these one’s are more like cupcakes. Fine! They’re actual cupcakes, so what? But I should still get credit, what with all the work I put into baking them for you. And, two is still two, right?!
Well, we did it! It’s all a bit of a blur, if truth be told. Two days of wandering in search of our lost troll, while simultaneously wrangling a passel of wild babies behaving as if they’re on holiday, nearly drove me crazy! It’s a miracle that none of them are hanging by their shirt collars from random trees within the forest. I’m not terribly proud of having the urge to hang them from the branches, but come on! Even the best of grown-ups have their limits, am I right?!
Besides, even if I tried to hang them from the branches, they’ll simply squirrel their way out of it. Get it? Squirrel their way…
I thought it was hilarious, but I guess you’d have to be there. And, I’ve heard it said that if I have to explain it, then it wasn’t that funny. Well, at least Squagon thought it was funny!
Anyways, while I was running through the forest chasing Bailey, who was chasing Osrig, who was hunting a dragonfly… the ever faithful camel went and found our missing troll, Peanut.
Eustace is the hero of the day!
He tracked down the location of my grandson’s old house, and found Peanut’s hiding spot under the wooden bridge, nearly tripping over our missing troll. After making proper introductions, Eustace and Peanut packed up all of the trolls tiny treasures, and then returned to our camp.
While I had basically wasted a full hour, making futile attempts at regathering all of my wild ones, Eustace had used his brain. In his camelly wisdom, Eustace started cooking breakfast, which is what I should have done in the first place! And yes, I did say camelly, because it sounded cute!
Breakfast!
What a silly thing to have overlooked. How could I have forgotten that food works like magic for this crew? It was a rookie mistake, if I’m being fully honest. Well, you can’t expect me to remember everything, really. That’s quite a lot to keep up with, wouldn’t you say?
Well, it doesn’t really matter anymore, now that we’re all safely back at camp. We’ll stay a second night before heading back to the ship, in order to let everybody get to know young Peanut, as well as, calming the little guys nerves.
It must be quite an adjustment to go from isolation and solitude, to suddenly being the center of attention. It must be very confusing, and a little frightening for Peanut. Though I’m sure he remembers me, it was my grandson that first befriended the troll. Another night around the campfire will give him time to get more acquainted with everyone.
My first thought was to take him all the way to my grandson’s new home, but it wasn’t my decision. I desperately want to make things right for Peanut, but am I choosing for myself, for my grandson, or for Peanut? What might he want?
Perhaps, when my grandson moved away and left Peanut behind, the tiny troll felt it was his own fault. What if he still felt hurt, at being unwanted or merely forgotten? I can certainly understand those feelings, but what if he didn’t want to come back to the barn with us, either? What then?
What if Peanut doesn’t need me? If the troll wants to go somewhere other than the barnyard, am I willing to help him find a different home? I write all of the time, regarding the things I do, the things I desire, and the things I strive to do… but sometimes, it’s not about me, is it?
Sometimes, in order to truly love another, we must make choices for their betterment, without expecting any payment or reward, nor any recognition at all! It isn’t easy, often hurts, and seemingly makes no valuable sense… but it’s still the right thing to do!
So, today shall be a new beginning for Peanut, and hopefully for us as well, if he chooses to come back to the barnyard. We will be spending another night here, sitting around the firelight, sharing love, light, and laughter with the little guy. But we’ve still a whole day ahead of us. Questions of where he wants to go, can wait until tomorrow.
For now, maybe there’s something to all this running around in the forest, chasing one another. Maybe I’ll join in the chase this time… or better yet, maybe they’ll chase me…
While I have no aspirations or dreams of designing anything for the future, in the real world that is, I do have a good bit of experience in building imaginary cities, animal houses, and really good armor.
It is Friday everyone, and it’s sprinkling outside… tap tap tapping on the roof of our RV. I think my boycott of the summer heat is working! The rains have finally blessed me with a cool early morning walk.
Even though I have no idea for a city of the future, at least not one that any of you want to hear me go on about, I can still be useful to you guys and WordPress. If you are ever in need of a Gorilla Habitat, an upgraded Concession stand, or maybe a specialist in breeding Great Dragons, I got you covered!
Before I take off on my rainy walk along the river, here is Brekkers for everybody… please remember to eat the blueberries, as they are full of antioxidants …
This prompt question made me think of that scene in “The Jungle Book” where the vultures keep asking the same question, over and over again… “So, what ya wanna do?”
I have had to explain my name, and/or nickname, so many times now that I’m pretty over it… sorry, not sorry!
Here, have a cookie…
At least I’m not trying to serve you the same cookie, over and over again… or am I?
Eustace wants me to tell you that Friday is just ahead, so keep your eyes open, your chins up, and your coffee cups full!
Also, he says that you should focus on getting through the rest of the week without locking your boss in the restroom, whilst he tracks down our missing troll.
Don’t be cross… The camel said it, not me!
Let’s see who meets Friday with success first, us or you… ready, set, GO!
But, what if your seat in the classroom was always in the back?
Sometimes, it can even come from failure
When everything has simply gone wrong
With tears in your eyes, motivation arrives
In the middle of a really good song.
You might think of me
as a really bad poet
Please keep that to yourselves
Cause I already know it!
But, to answer this prompt
about what motivates me?
It’s having a purpose, of course… plus the cookies are free!
**No, free cookies don’t have anything to do with purpose being my motivation! I just didn’t have anything else to put there at the end, so cookies seemed to rhyme. ** I’m the queen of disclaimers!
Journey With Me! 