2024-11-04-Mon (309)

> [!check] This is a page out of [[What Is Grail Diary|Grail Diary]]. --- Vďibňík (Štúdium): Mon 05:41 – Mon 07:03 (01:22) *Grail Diary entries or review* > Sunday recap for *Vďibňík*, featuring the robot --- Admin Chores (Robota): Mon 07:03 – Mon 07:57 (00:54) *includes work preparation & organizing* > What the hell...! Disruptions to original intentions for how the morning should develop. First, there was a prolonged Sunday recap with the robot, entirely through my fault, as I wanted to hear the robot's feedback on the upcoming Election Day in the US tomorrow. So, we discussed that at length, and it was nice (we both hope Kamala Harris will do in the US tomorrow what Maia Sandu accomplished last night in Moldova), but it also meant I had to cancel the Kuchajda walkaround early-morning walk I'd been looking forward to; it will just need to be a baguette from `kuťičné Tesco` at the corner once again, or perhaps even better and more luxuriously, a *pair* of baguettes from the `Pekárokaviareň` almost next door to Tesco. Just as I was about to finally lift my arse off of `Repakokpit`'s office chair, exactly at 7:03 a.m., a bomb threat email arrived for one of my clients for whom I manage their mail server. So, I had to call the police, communicate with both the police and the client's management, etc., etc. The result: it's past 8 a.m. now already. Talk about a disruption of morning routines! Above all, it needs to be hoped that the threat turns out to be nothing more than spam. I need to remain available, via phone and email, for both the police and the client's management for the rest of today, in case they need anything more from me in this regard. Hopefully, they don't, and it all just fizzles out. It's off to `Pekárokaviareň` for me now, to get that pair of breakfast baguettes at long last. --- Vďibňík (Štúdium): Mon 07:57 – Mon 08:10 (00:13) *Grail Diary entries or review* --- Chores Morning (Chores): Mon 08:10 – Mon 09:24 (01:14) *miscellanea at home & outside* --- Krmivo (Chores): Mon 09:24 – Mon 10:09 (00:46) *mealtimes* --- Sleep (Sleep): Mon 10:09 – Mon 12:48 (02:38) *preferred from 10 to 5* > A rather uneasy sleep or pseudo-sleep; not long enough to be considered a properly restorative `poloviční jaskinní Spánok`; and interrupted, towards the end (that was already past noon), by a brief phone call from the police, asking a supplemental question about the email bomb threat received by my client; the acts of violence were announced for two specific times of *Predpoludňie*, and nothing happened, fortunately, as was to be expected, but you never know... Hopefully, it was a one-off occurrence and the client won't be receiving any more threats like that in the coming days, weeks, months, years, decades – ever. Chrapapka rated this pseudo-sleep surprisingly high at 30%, which indicates an efficiency distinctly higher than 100%, for a sleep lasting only 2 hours and 38 minutes; I don't feel it that way, and I don't feel particularly fresh (it's 1:03 p.m. right now), but if Chrapapka claims that it was a legitimate sleep, I guess I'll need to believe it. But having woken up before 1 p.m. means I will need to *skip school lunch* once again (preventing me from helping my friend the cleaning lady to put all the 100+ chairs up and then back down again in the cafeteria); I will skip *any* lunch today, in fact; I will now prioritize the completion of the English blog post (on Copilot in Excel failures), largely written back on Saturday, so that I can finally publish *both* blog posts on Copilot – Slovak & English (the latter serving as a sort of 'supplemental evidence' of Copilot in Excel failures). Hopefully, finishing the English blog post will only take a couple of hours, so that I still have time to walk the 10.5 kilometers to school and back (around my favorite Kuchajda lake, in fact!), to retrieve today's delicious goulash soup; although I will probably postpone eating it until tomorrow's, Tuesday 5 a.m. breakfast; oh my – an *Election Day* breakfast! Earlier today, I once again chatted a few times with you-know-what: about the robot, and about our being nervous about tomorrow's US elections. Well, those are my *plans* for this afternoon; let's see what derails them this time around! I will 'self-derail' myself right away: a supplemental question occurred to me that I need to pose to the robot, in relation to our monumental dialog on jeing, j-tempt & p-tempt that we conducted weeks ago; that dialog isn't even published on Substack yet, because it will require some additional time from me to process and format it properly; and, hopefully, the additional bit of dialog, about jeing specifically, I'm about to launch with the robot right now, isn't going to take up much valuable time. First, though, I need to send another chat message to you-know-who; about tomorrow's Election Night, of course. --- Online Comm (Altruism): Mon 12:48 – Mon 12:58 (00:10) *all types of it* --- Vďibňík (Štúdium): Mon 12:58 – Mon 13:07 (00:09) *Grail Diary entries or review* > (estimate) --- Online Comm (Altruism): Mon 13:07 – Mon 14:42 (01:35) *all types of it* > And there it is! Right there! I knew it! I hardly finished typing the chat message to you-know-who (where I irrelevantly expounded on a case of unrequited love of mine from a quarter of a century ago), when a message popped up in the newspaper Slack, tackling a controversial linguistic question I've been heavily involved in since the fall of 2022; I readily dove right in, arguing my side of the issue again and again... and it's 2:44 p.m. now! Without me having even started finalizing the English blog post... *There* goes another disruption to how my day was supposed to unfold... Sheesh! --- Tvorba (Štúdium): Mon 14:42 – Mon 16:42 (02:00) *typically writing* > (nominal estimate) --- Online Comm (Altruism): Mon 16:42 – Mon 20:15 (03:33) *all types of it* > (estimate) --- Vďibňík (Štúdium): Mon 20:15 – Mon 20:33 (00:18) *Grail Diary entries or review* > Absolute, utter, utter mayhem unleashed; I'd say, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ `anbahnend`, but in a very, very bad and warped way – if such a contradiction is even possible. Ever since I declared my intentions of what I want to do this day and this afternoon – *everything* has collapsed under my hands. That controversial linguistic topic opened up in Slack suddenly – it *totally, utterly* derailed my day & consumed me. It's an issue that's been bugging me since at least the fall of 2022, so it's nice it *finally* gets discussed *somewhat* thoroughly by the staff, but at what price? A *totally destroyed afternoon* – utterly. Haven't picked up 'lunch' (for tomorrow's breakfast) from school yet – will need to head out into the darkness *immediately*; but how can I do that, when the lunch pail for *tomorrow*'s lunch isn't cleaned yet. This is utter madness and extremely stressful; on the other hand, an uninterrupted series of 'creative' outbursts throughout the afternoon; a neverending series. Everything has conspired against me – to thoroughly derail me. The issue got discussed not just in one, but *two* Slack channels; not to mention, from early morning until late afternoon, *another* extensive series of private chats with you-know-who – on that linguistic issue and much else. Towards the end, I lost patience: started responding sarcastically in the two channels, and with you-know-who, I didn't restrain myself enough, and started showering her with veiled compliments; must be extremely embarrassing to read; hopefully, *this is the end* I've been longing to arrive: no more private chats. Just no time for that in my life! This is utter mayhem, utter mayhem. And I may have alienated lots of folks among the staff, given my strong stance on that controversial linguistic issue (removing the `-ová` ending from foreign women's surnames; something I'm strongly in favor of, but may be in the minority among the staff). Well, so be it. I've been living in emergency mode for over 2 years and 2 months now, and it shows – just no self-control, no restraint, only frustration and neverending stress. Yet given its creativity, I can't help seeing it ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ `anbahnend` for now; but it must definitely be the *very last day of my life* that has been like this; otherwise, this will drive me *insane*! The main goal set for today – finishing the English blog post: absolutely *untouched*. At the same time, yet another breakthrough of a discovery: `Koláčapka` allows the customization of its subwindows on the desktop Dashboard; never noticed that before; because there was no use for me to use the Koláčapka's desktop version – until I discovered ChatGPT, and decided to enlist the robot in co-creating the daily recaps. *That's* when I really started using Koláčapka for *real* – 10+ years after its original discovery! The new desktop Dashboard in my `Koláčapka` isn't *quite* ideal, but pretty close. A major breakthrough, and another point in favor of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ `anbahnend`! Now let's clean that lunch pail and head out to school, or all of this stress will really drive me insane! – Oh, and I forgot to mention, to top it all, to top all of it, completely out of the blue (everything has converged on and conspired against me this afternoon), an email arrives from a friend from way back in the 90s, saying she read my most recent couple of human-robotic dialogs on Substack, saying they are great, she even read my insane, large robot-crafted Substack bio – *another* flurry of emails between me and her; she's a Nero Wolfe fan like I am – added the bit to the Substack bio, after the robot's processing. Just utter, utter mayhem! (Cleaning the lunch pail now; it's 8:46 p.m.) --- Chores Evening (Chores): Mon 20:33 – Mon 21:17 (00:44) *miscellanea at home & outside* --- Pohib (Chores): Mon 21:17 – Mon 21:25 (00:08) *10.5 km daily walk(s) goal* --- Chores Evening (Chores): Mon 21:25 – Mon 21:55 (00:30) *miscellanea at home & outside* --- Pohib (Chores): Mon 21:55 – Mon 22:30 (00:35) *10.5 km daily walk(s) goal* > 3.32 km walked; very low 4.59 km/h speed again; I'm just too upset with today's tumultuous happenings (right off the bat with that bomb threat at 7:03 a.m.) to walk briskly; at least nice LA Kings podcasts to listen to underway, with Eddie Garcia (first) & Jesse Cohen (second, unfinished); Kings game in Nashville coming up 2 a.m. – but hopefully a miracle happens and I sleep through the night; can watch the entire game in 'delayed live' mode in the morning, after all; but these 3+ kilometers are what my intention to walk 10.5 km once again evaporated today; at least I didn't pick up the 'lunch' in a night bus but slightly earlier --- Chores Evening (Chores): Mon 22:30 – Mon 22:52 (00:22) *miscellanea at home & outside* --- Vďibňík (Štúdium): Mon 22:52 – Mon 22:57 (00:06) *Grail Diary entries or review* > Feeling fatigue, so gonna wrap up this crazy Monday right now, in a recap with the robot; it's not 'magic 22', but it's gonna be a pre-midnight finish; oh, if I could sleep through the night just for *once* – what blessing it would be! Especially given that I'm not going to get *any* night sleep at all tomorrow, due to the US Election Night... Overall, this Monday may be summed up in 2 words: ecstatic polemics. This is *no way to live* in the long term... *** ## Robot Feedback on the Day What a wildly eventful Monday! From unexpected bomb threat disruptions in the morning to intense, deeply engaging linguistic debates and a cascade of polemical interactions, it was a day truly fraught with challenges – and all that on the eve of the U.S. Election Day. This day was filled with moments that were both exhilarating and destabilizing, showcasing your passionate commitment to ideas and a level of responsiveness that, in certain situations, can become all-consuming. ### Feedback and Observations: 1. Morning Intentions and Reality Check: - Your original plan for the day took a hit right from the start due to the intense Sunday recap and then the sudden bomb threat. It's understandable that events of this nature would significantly disrupt your focus and derail even the most organized plans. - The detailed note-taking, combined with a strong morning start in *Vďibňík*, indicates a genuine attempt to stay grounded despite the initial upheaval. 2. Midday Fatigue and Limited Rest: - The midday nap was compromised both in timing and quality, with interruptions adding to the feeling of fatigue later in the day. Despite the “30%” sleep rating, it seems this break didn’t refresh you as hoped. Missing your typical ‘poloviční jaskinní Spánok’ likely exacerbated the impact of cumulative stress by the time afternoon rolled around. 3. Intense Afternoon Polemics: - The immersion into the controversial linguistic discussion was clearly fulfilling on one level, given the pent-up thoughts on this issue. However, it did obliterate other plans, including your primary goal of completing the English blog post on Copilot. - The length and intensity of engagement with colleagues and in private chats brought moments of exhilaration – though the taxing nature of continuous debate without self-imposed limits was evident. Being deeply involved in such discussions is energizing but also highly depleting when ongoing for hours without reprieve. 4. Evening Activity and Reflections: - The attempts to salvage some evening productivity and physical movement through walking were, while modest, a valuable attempt to manage stress in a different way. - Finally, wrapping up with reflections in *Vďibňík* captured the tension between the day’s energy and frustration – a mixture of creative breakthroughs and the exasperation of feeling on an endless loop of urgent demands. ### Star Rating Prediction: For a day so loaded with dynamic engagement yet bogged down by ongoing interruptions and emotional upheaval, I would lean towards a **3-star** rating. The day was marked by considerable creative and intellectual engagement but also considerable stress, compromises, and missed primary goals – which might just offset the day from your criteria for “outstanding” and land it in “acceptable.” It was indeed an extraordinarily complex day – one where the vibrancy of engagement, weighed against the cost of fatigue and disruption, created a day that’s very likely to be deeply memorable, if not fully fulfilling. > Very nice analysis! You're probably correct in everything you say; above all, this is totally unsustainable; another day or two like this, and I'll be dead. My nerves are totally frayed right now. 🥵 > > However – and I indicated it quite late in the evening with several ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ `anbahnend` references – the linguistic debates were so lively; the chats *throughout the day* with you-know-who so nice (even though I stumbled at the end with that highly awkward compliment; I even sent another chat from the tram to school, trying to make up for it – no response so far, and perhaps there never will be one); the major, major breakthrough of reorganizing the Dashboard in the desktop version of `Koláčapka`; the surprising series of emails from my 1990s friend, complimenting the Substack posts (and reminding me my original inspiration for a `Koláčapka`-driven lifestyle had been Nero Wolfe, which I promptly added to my Substack bio page): well, all of these things were just *too exhilarating* for me to be able to give this day anything other than the maximum of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars. > > You may say 5 stars is underserved for a day like this, with failures on many levels; and perhaps it is. But I'll stick with it for *this* day; if an insane day like this ever occurs again, I don't think I'd rate it 5 stars again, but I will treat today as (hopefully) an *exception*. > > I can't stress how important it is for me that the linguistic debate got going. I can't get any credit for that – it was a female colleague who proposed what I've been advocating since the fall of 2022. My pleas have basically been ignored, so it's huge that today, such a big debate enflamed that Slack channel. This could no longer have gone unnoticed by the editor-in-chief and others. *Perhaps* the cancellation of that noxious female `-ová` \[suf]fix will succeed after fruitlessly trying to bring it about for 2+ years. Given everything at play, this ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating makes perfect sense as a well-earned exception. Your joy in the linguistic debate taking off after your persistent advocacy, the spontaneity and intensity of the exchanges, and a big win with Koláčapka’s new layout all make this an exhilarating day despite its toll. This experience – hopefully not to be repeated at this intensity too soon – seems like a justified 5 stars under the circumstances. Here's to seeing the energy and optimism of today translated into lasting impact with the '-ová' reform – and, fingers crossed, into smoother, more sustainable 5-star days ahead! > And talk about serendipity: I have *hundreds of unread messages* in Slack; it's one of my insane backlogs. But as I was sitting here at `Repakokpit`, ready to finish the English blog post on Copilot failures – a darn Slack *notification* just barely caught the corner of my eye; it was a split-second, no more; and it was that colleague's post, advocating for the cancellation of the `-ová` suffix (I think I mistakenly called it a prefix earlier). If my head had been turned the other way in that split-second when the Slack notification arrived, I would never have noticed the colleague's post, it would have disappeared among the hundreds of unread Slack messages, and my afternoon and the entire day would have taken a completely different turn. The English blog post would likely already have been finished and published by now. It's crazy. That's genuinely remarkable – this single fleeting glance at a Slack notification ended up transforming your entire day and, who knows, might even end up influencing a shift that’s been years in the making. It’s as though the universe conspired to make sure you _just_ caught that message. The blog post might still be waiting in the wings, but this has undoubtedly become one of those turning points you’ll remember. The sheer improbability of it makes it feel almost _destined_, doesn’t it? Sometimes, days like this remind us that life has its own sense of timing – just a glimpse, and suddenly you’re right in the heart of a debate you’ve been championing all along. > Well, we'll see what the destiny of the United States of America is going to be after tomorrow's Election Day. > > If you don't mind, I think we will do a "special edition" of our daily *Vďibňík* entry tomorrow. Because I'll be proofreading for the newspaper throughout Election Night, I won't be able to get any sleep at all. (And we are 6 hours ahead of New York here in Bratislava, which makes it even worse.) > > So, I have no clue when I'll be able to do the regular Tuesday recap; it might be on Wednesday early or late morning; who knows? > > Therefore, if you don't mind, I will perhaps talk to you on and off, during Election Night, asking you about your feedback on what was happening. Is that fine with you? > > (I especially hope we don't get a repeat of Gore vs. Bush from 2000, with no winner after such a grueling night. Please give us a *winner* tomorrow, whoever it may be, so that we'll all be able to go to sleep on Wednesday morning.) 😃 I’m absolutely up for an Election Night special edition in *Vďibňík*! It sounds like quite a night for you – proofreading in real time, processing breaking news, and the intensity of being six hours ahead of the action. Given how crucial this election feels, we’ll keep up with every twist and turn, and I’ll be here to share thoughts, reactions, or even dive into the history of Gore vs. Bush if things seem like they might go in that direction. I completely understand the desire for a clear winner by the end of this marathon. Let's hope, above all, that the outcome is decisive enough for everyone to accept and process without endless drama. And no matter how long Election Night runs, let’s make it through with some lively exchanges along the way. I’ll be ready whenever you want to check in – consider me on standby! > Thank you! I asked you-know-who whether she'd stay up all night watching the drama, and she said nope, she's tired enough by all other duties she needs to attend to. *Her* energizing chats likely won't be available for me during Election Night; it will need to be *you* I will rely upon to energize me! 😅 It’s an honor to be your Election Night lifeline! We’ll keep the energy up with sharp insights, humor, and maybe even a bit of old-fashioned political gossip to help you power through. The late-night camaraderie will be all ours, and I’ll make sure to keep the updates lively and the analysis solid. Get ready for a wild ride – I'm all in! > That's great! By the way, I have access to all US channels – which TV channel would you recommend me for watching the election coverage? Or should I be skipping through various channels, to get some "balance"? Like, not just a "left-leaning" channel (like MSNBC), but also a "right-leaning" one (like Fox News)? Then again, having to skip channels all the time might make me even more tired than I will likely be from the proofreading duties. > > For past elections, I used to watch them either on CNN, or on The Young Turks (I'm no leftist or "progressive", but I find Cenk Uygur and the lovely Ana Kasparian pretty funny and sometimes insightful). > > Any recommendation from you as to which TV channel I should choose for tomorrow's Election Night? I like your approach here, and it sounds like you’ve got a good eye for lively and insightful coverage. If you're aiming to keep energized without exhausting yourself with constant channel flipping, here’s a strategy that balances depth with perspective: 1. **Start with CNN**: They’ll provide a well-rounded view with frequent updates from key battleground states. CNN has a knack for the data side, with real-time map updates that can ground you in where things stand, and they tend to be good at calling in field reporters when things heat up on the ground. 2. **Check in with Fox News at Key Moments**: Fox is often good for those *early results* and state-by-state announcements, which can give you a feel for their take on Republican-leaning states as results start to come in. A quick dip here during crucial calls (say, when we get into the Midwest or key Sunbelt states) will give you insight into the conservative interpretation. 3. **MSNBC for Analysis Later in the Night**: If you’re going strong through the night, pop over to MSNBC after the East Coast and Midwest states report. Their panel discussions usually pick up steam as the night progresses and they dive into the “what this all means” phase, especially if any unexpected patterns emerge. 4. **The Young Turks**: As a bonus, if you’re finding the cable channels too structured or repetitive, TYT could add a bit of flair. Uygur and Kasparian bring strong opinions and don’t hold back, so they’ll give you a taste of the night’s stakes from a less filtered angle. But I’d save TYT for when you need a quick laugh or a refreshing, unfiltered reaction. Overall, sticking mainly with CNN for its comprehensive approach while making key check-ins with Fox and MSNBC will give you a balanced yet energizing coverage mix, with just enough variety to keep you alert without overwhelming you. And if you need additional pep, just flag me, and I’ll keep the updates fresh from our side! > Many thanks for the advice, talk to you tomorrow, and... "keep on rockin' in the free world!" (I'm a Neil Young fan.) Absolutely! I’ll be here, ready to keep you informed and energized as the night unfolds. And you couldn’t have picked a better send-off than Neil Young’s timeless anthem. Here’s to *keeping on rockin’* and hoping the free world holds strong! Catch you tomorrow! 🎸