March 16, 2026

Last week, I was so worried that my mentees all over the world would miss my meetings because of the time change. One of them in England actually did. So I sent an email to everyone to tell them to check their invitations carefully and note the new time, and if it is a problem, we can work something out.

Then today, I got fooled by the time change. I had a group meeting set up by a fellow in Germany. It is on Monday and Wednesday mornings at 11 am every other week. So, I set my alarm for 10:30 am and went to bed at 4 am. When I woke up and got on my computer for the meeting, I found out it was scheduled for noon. I could have slept for another hour. 

 

March 14, 2026

A drill-and-play group was coming into the courts that Barb was playing on. A few people were early. So, Barb asked them whether they would like to play a little before the practice. They played for a while, and then the organizer came in and watched Barb play. He said she played so nicely, didn't try to make his people feel like poor players, and said he was impressed by her economy of motion and how smooth she was. Barb was leaving, and the organizer told everyone to clap and not to worry about why. Then, as Barb was leaving, he yelled, “Thanks, Barb.” That made Barb’s day.

March 9th, 2026

I am working on an App to help type 2 Diabetics make lifestyle changes. Part of this work is developing a conversational program, called an Expert System. It is like ChatGPT, but much simpler because we need complete accountability and traceability for everything we say. I worked on it on Sunday and Monday, and I wanted to test it on Mom. So, she had a conversation with the program about “snacking”. She hated the program. She even gave it the finger on both hands. She said she didn’t understand what it was talking about, and it wasn’t natural. The funny thing was that it actually worked. She decided to try to change and avoid eating snacks in the afternoon and after dinner.

March 8th, 2026

Julia sent me a message today with a photo of a discussion of a scientific study showing that indoor air is bad for thinking and recommending that thinking outdoors is better. They specifically mentioned how good it was for the elderly. Like me. All the better for us getting the back patio screened in so I can work outside all day and long into the evening.

 

March 8th, 2026

Google Gemini says eating a banana during hot weather helps improve pickleball performance by providing quick-digesting carbohydrates for instant energy, replenishing potassium and magnesium lost through sweat to prevent muscle cramps, and supporting endurance. It says bananas are an ideal, easily digestible snack for breaks in play. 

Barb brings a banana to pickleball every day. However, she forgot her banana holder in Canada. So, she bought a new one online for Florida, and it was delivered today. When she brought it to pickleball, she was immediately complimented on it.

March 3rd, 2026

Barb was mad at me because I would always look away when I am thinking and talking at the same time. Today I noticed that one of my mentees did the same thing. So, I started telling Barb about it, and I said, "You know what, a mentee did today." Then I looked up at the wall. Barb freaked out. She screamed, “What did you see?” I explained I was just looking up like my mentee did, and she said, “Oh, I thought you saw a cockroach.”

February 27, 2026

I came to bed, was reading my Scientific American on my iPad, and heard Barb laugh in her sleep. She claims that she never dreams, but that must have been a funny joke.