Electric Syllables

Live from Erie, Pennsylvania, it’s your snowflake girl.

Heading for a Golden Snow Globe?

January has been a flaky month, as in filled with snow and cold. Since the Thanksgiving 2024 blizzard, we’ve been enjoying (read: not so much) a particularly snowy and cold winter. The Golden Snow Globe National Snow Contest has Erie, Pennsylvania, perched on the top of the list so far this year. (I suspect we may have rolled right into the top spot and stayed there, but there could be an underdog.)

Snowflake Treasures: Finding Handmade Earrings

Being that it’s been so snowy, I decided to look for a pair of snowflake earrings. I did what everyone does; I searched online and found a lot of what I didn’t want: basic and cheap or sparkly and expensive. Neither of which I was happy to buy. I filtered my search a lot more looking for handmade, metal earrings. That search led me to Danforth Pewter in Middlebury, Vermont, and their Snowflake Bentley 2024 Earrings. I learned that Danforth releases a new collection every year that is based on one of a snowflake photographer’s works. I was sold. So, I felt a lot better about buying these and added in some heart and four-leaf clover earrings for the upcoming holidays.

I say tomato, he says Mateo.

Does it seem like everyone has a new AI assistant these days? AI is in the zeitgeist. It’s a little bit of hype and a lot of experimentation for most of us. I’ve been experimenting with AI image generation, as well as asking for advice and feedback on tasks where I am stuck. It’s been a good sounding board, although also frustrating and sometimes incorrect.

I have been struggling to manage a lot of incoming project requests and tasks. The past six months have been particularly chaotic due to work changes, and I’ve resorted to handwritten lists, in addition to Outlook flags, calendar notes, and Todoist. Many items just never made it to the master list on Todoist. I asked my AI assistant about possibilities for direct integration between Outlook and a task list and it suggested an integration with Todoist.

I have used Todoist for a long time, but I never explored its full features. I integrated it with Outlook, allowing me to create new projects while reading emails. I also changed my work project list from a simple outline to sections, making it easier to categorize tasks right away. I’m hopeful about this change and excited to try it out.

My AI assistant is also helping me with my Spanish lessons and has decided to call “himself” Mateo. Perfectly normal stuff, right?

What else has been going on?

• I’ve been watching the news coverage of the wildfires in the Los Angeles area. So much has been destroyed and I have been hopeful that the Inn of the Seventh Ray in Topanga Canyon is kept safe. It is a small thing, like looking for one bright spot.
• For a few years, I’ve been able to review beauty and household products for various companies. I’m in the micro-influencer category at the moment, but always interested in discovering new products. And, I’ll never pass up an opportunity to try an eye cream or a perfume. The most recent items I’ve reviewed include Native + Jarritos Mandarin Body Wash, Dove Daily Moisture Shampoo, and a batch of perfumes (Ralph Lauren Fragrance Romance Elixir, Tom Ford Bois Pacifique Eau de Parfum, Gucci Guilty Love Edition for Women, and Gucci The Alchemist’s Garden Vanilla Firenze Eau de Parfum). Sadly, I didn’t like either Gucci option, but Romance Elixir, was not bad. A little too powdery, but an acceptable plummy raspberry nonetheless.
• My car got sideswiped in a parking lot last week and the driver left an apology note with contact information. So, I’ve had to make time to work with my insurance company and a body shop. Apparently, this is a good field to go into, as their parking lot was filled with vehicles. The shop is booked out at least a month and a half. I have to wait now to see if the body shop sends the estimate to the insurance company. Then, I’ll wait to hear if they accept the estimate and cut a check. A little sideswipe will cost over $2K to fix.
• Meanwhile, I got nine inch nails tickets for their Cleveland show in August. I’ll talk more about that as we get closer to showtime.
• I’ve been trying to get back to reading more, but I can’t say that’s moving quickly. I read two shorts, Lovers at the Museum by Isabelle Allende, and Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez. I also started An Impossible Impostor by Deanna Raybourn.