Among all the amusing things I came across today, the idea of reopening Alcatraz prison really stood out. I can’t help but wonder how the project will turn out. One article mentioned that it “would be substantially enlarged and rebuilt.” Although the prison has been shut since 1963, it seems the planners are undeterred. During a visit, a tourist shared, “I think it’s one of the stupidest ideas I’ve ever heard in my life,” which seems to echo what many of our elected officials might be thinking.

When I was a kid, there was a wild prison break; I wasn’t sure how many inmates were involved. My mom and I were sitting on the grass at Aquatic Park, and we could all hear the gunfire from the area. It’s understandable to want to open it up after spending a billion dollars on repairs. That seems reasonable, especially since they already have signs prepared in Florida.

I’ve been fascinated by AI and how this will impact people sooner rather than later. I am particularly drawn to ways AI will change how we write. To test this, I opened one of the most popular AI applications and asked what some of the most prevalent challenges of Old Age are.

Wow, nearly instantly, the application gave me 3 paragraphs of examples. It’s an amazing tool, and had this been available in junior high, I wouldn’t have worn out the encyclopedias at our corner library (although they were very effective). Here’s a sample of advice for the first paragraph: “As the sun sets on the horizon of life, the journey into old age presents a unique set of challenges.” Gee, I already knew that.

So, while exploring AI applications was (and is) fun, I’ll continue my journey to older age with my best efforts to embrace and enjoy my twilight years with limited use of technology.

My dearest friend is a tenured professor, a teacher of early childhood development (which is why my antics don’t surprise her), and a librarian.

We both love to read; she knows I learned to read at a very early age, and I read everything that catches my interest. She’s somewhat critical of my fondness for a well-known newspaper based in New York City; however, we manage to respect each other’s preferences.

Naturally, we love book stores and libraries. One day, we were wandering through a well-known chain bookstore that, sadly, is no longer in operation. At one point, I said to her, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could take brand new books home, without buying them, returning later for more?” She turned to me and said, “You can visit your local public libraries more.” Now you see how valuable her early childhood development skills are to our relationship.

Nearly 2 years ago, my beautiful great-granddaughter Olivia was born. Of course, everyone in our family instantly loves her, and I am bombarded with pictures of her progress and activities. For my birthday in December, my youngest daughter (Olivia’s grandma) gifted me an Aura digital photo frame. It’s one of the best gifts I have ever received, and I now have nearly instant pictures of Olivia’s progress. It’s fantastic.

Now, our senior family member needed a name for her to eventually call us. The range of names went from cute to questionable. Olivia’s mom has always referred to me as a super grandpa. So wait for it – that’s what Olivia will eventually call me. I really have ascended to Superstar status.

This has to be a first, ever. It’s unclear how this happened; however, a man wearing a large metal necklace entered a treatment room in New York while the machine was operational. He was pulled into the machine and died shortly afterward. According to the article, an MRI machine has enough magnetic force “to fling a wheelchair across the room.” Who knew?

Believe me, when I am undergoing my subsequent treatment, I’ll think of this again when the technician reminds me to remove my St. Christopher’s medal and chain that I wear every day.

Thanks to my mom, I learned to read at an early age. A large part of her teaching included her reading of our morning newspaper to me, while she sounded out the words. By the time I began kindergarten, I was already a whiz at reading. While print newspapers are nearly fading away, I read several newspapers every morning. The New York Times has more digital readers than home subscriptions.

With everything being available online, reading in schools is no longer as important as it was in years past. I don’t think anyone in my family reads anything; no books or newspapers. While I understand why people don’t read, it seems to me they are missing a valuable part of knowledge as a whole.

It’s inevitable that the older I am, the more I think back to memories that have disappeared before my eyes. Not long ago, I read an article about how few children today know the words (or the meaning) of our national anthem, the Star-Spangled Banner. Even more troublesome to me is the thought that children likely don’t know who Francis Scott Key is. 

Our church has a weekly discussion group that ostensibly serves as a Bible Study group; however, we stray far and wide with the topics we discuss. Except for one young man, we are all ancient. This week, we began by discussing the Bible for about five minutes, then transitioned to how children were taught in the 1950s, which occupied the remainder of the session. Next week, I plan to steer our conversation toward events from the 1970s. How exciting.