An Eighth Shot of Espresso: Coffee and Creativity on Mum's Third Shift

Loving yourself before you can love others: there is a wellspring of affection that feeds back on itself. Knowing how to treat yourself gently: you can share that empathy and when you see those who need a kind word you can give it. Seeing that no one is perfect: the flaws that you have doesn't mean you are broken. And it doesn't mean they are broken too. Trying to keep all this in mind: when you endure so much and become jaded in spirit it takes effort to remember these universal truths.

Broken down, recombined into something you neither expected...or wanted.  Words broken down recombined into a pleasing appearance with no soul. When you release it to the world you let go of a part of yourself. You smile bitterly in pride and joy as it takes on a life of its own. But when that life is collected by hands twisted and spit out "Hey look what I've done!" A grotesque mockery of what it was a hollow reflection of what you accomplished. Congratulations your lovely creation has been destroyed by the soulless machine.

Crickets loudly chirp as the fireflies play the nightingale sings her shadowy song. Campfire crackles melted marshmallow hisses as it drips into the fire. Companionable silence but is not silent all around the world sleeps but some awaken. The night is peaceful but it is not without noise. So much happens just beyond your hearing.

I. Rabbit in the moon watching for an entire year it is all amused at mankind's quirks and foibles bathing all in silver light. II. Vigil is closing as the moon rises and sets others take the stage someone not so retiring and a boldness in the sky III. Yin flows into Yang Cycle builds ever upwards Wait with bated breath the soft coming of the dawn bright light glints on waiting scales. IV. No, not the Phoenix but the mythic companion Strong but always there to breathe the cleansing fire for those that came before it. V. The rabbit awaits the end of their nightly vigil greets the welcome light Nods at the wise old dragon and vanishes with the night.

     It's been a while, but I'm reviving this writing blog. I've been posting on Wordpress for about a year now, but with this recent news  about how both Wordpress and Tumblr plan to sell content to AI companies, I'm going to gradually migrate all of my writing back here to Blogger. I've changed my settings on WP to prevent third parties from accessing my writing, but better safe than sorry.      I've heard stories from other authors about AIs using their work to 'train' their programs like Chat GPT. As a former teacher, I've read my colleagues' complaints about their students using AI for assignments, despite being told not to use it. The news about WP is disheartening, to say the least.     The debate over AI extends to art, and I constantly hear about how other artists' work is used for these programs, usually without the artists' permission. As a result, I've also been more reluctant to post my art publicly, even with protection