Purim 2024, Brought to You by ChatGPT

Purim 2024, Brought to You by ChatGPT

בס"ד

We wanted to come up with something funny for Purim and asked our son Yoni for help. He suggested letting ChatGPT Pro have a go. So we did. First, let me explain what ChatGPT is in case you don’t know. Chat is, well, chat. The GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer. Does that help? No. But Google gives a “simple” definition - “ChatGPT is a natural language processing chatbot driven by generative AI technology that allows you to have human-like conversations and much more.” Was that any clearer? Maybe not. So in my words, it’s an app that magically answers your questions. (The Pro version is much smarter than the regular free version.)

Back to Purim. We asked ChatGPT Pro for something funny for Purim. And it was crazy. ChatGPT produced a whole megillah of suggestions, in seconds. It took a little longer to generate pictures. But the pictures are the best!

Now normally, our Purim shtick is one page long. That’s when we have to write it. But using ChatGPT is a whole nother kettle of gefilta fish. I’m going to limit this to only 3 pages because I want to include a bunch of pictures but no one wants to read the dozens of pages that were generated by ChatGPT in five minutes. Also, I’m trying to keep the printing costs down. I have deleted most of the ChatGPT text to save space, but you’ll get the idea.

Question 1 for ChatGPT

Me:        We've got a leap month in the Jewish year - we need a good Purim spiel. Any ideas? Include pictures.

ChatGPT: Creating a Purim spiel (play) that celebrates a leap month in the Jewish calendar, specifically for a year with an added Adar, offers a unique opportunity to blend tradition with creativity. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. The Time-Traveling Megillah ·  Plot: The story follows a group of friends who accidentally discover a time machine and decide to use it to experience the original Purim story firsthand. However, they find themselves in the second Adar, creating a humorous confusion about celebrating Purim "on time." ·  Themes: Time travel, historical adventure, the importance of timing in Jewish tradition. ·  Key Scene: A comedic mix-up at King Ahasuerus's palace, where the friends arrive in costumes for the second Purim, only to find the palace unprepared. The first illustration, capturing the essence of "The Time-Traveling Megillah,"depicts the moment when the group of friends, dressed in their colorful period costumes, find themselves in front of an ancient-looking time machine with King Ahasuerus's palace in the background. Their expressions of bewilderment and the comedic confusion about arriving in the leap month are vividly portrayed.	2. Double Adar Double Fun ·  Plot: This play centers around a Jewish community that realizes they have a leap month and decides to use the extra time to double their preparation and celebration efforts for Purim. The community splits into teams, each responsible for different aspects of Purim, leading to friendly competition and hilarious mishaps. ·  Themes: Community, preparation, celebration. ·  Key Scene: A bake-off competition for the best hamantaschen, with judges hilariously unable to decide on the winner due to the high quality of all entries The second illustration brings to life "Double Adar Double Fun," showcasing a vibrant Jewish community scene. Teams are shown engaging in various preparations for Purim with exaggerated enthusiasm, from a comedic bake-off with mountains of hamantaschen to decorating with an abundance of streamers and practicing a humorous skit. The atmosphere is bustling, colorful, and filled with joyous competition, perfectly capturing the spirit of making the most of the extra Adar.
3. The Missing Month Mystery ·  Plot: In a small Jewish town, the announcement of the leap month goes missing, leading to confusion about when Purim should be celebrated. A detective duo embarks on a humorous journey to find the missing announcement, encountering various characters and learning about the significance of the leap month along the way. ·  Themes: Mystery, community cooperation, educational about the leap year. ·  Key Scene: The detective duo discovering the missing announcement in a humorous location, like the synagogue's lost and found, just in time to save Purim.		The third illustration for "The Missing Month Mystery" captures a charming scene in a Jewish town square, where a detective duo, humorously styled after classic detectives, are on the hunt for the missing leap month announcement.  Surrounded by townsfolk in festive Purim costumes, the scene is vibrant, filled with curiosity, and imbued with a festive spirit, perfectly encapsulating the whimsical adventure to uncover the leap month's mystery.

Question 2 for ChatGPT

We decided to add a few more parameters to the question… 

Me: We've got an extra month of Adar in the Jewish year this year, an extra day in the solar calendar, and a solar eclipse - we need a funny Purim spiel about it. Any ideas?

ChatGPT: Certainly! The inclusion of a solar eclipse and the concept of a solar leap year provide rich thematic elements for new Purim spiel ideas. Here are some creative concepts integrating these astronomical events:

ChatGPT came up with 10 scenarios within seconds. Here are some of the illustrations. These are a few of the titles- The Purim Paradox: An Eclipse Adventure, Shadows and Light: The Eclipse of Adar, When the Heavens Align- A Purim Extravaganza Like No Other! , The Great Cosmic Mix-Up, Time Twists and Celestial Quirks, Adar Again? A Cosmic Comedy of Calendars, Lunar Laughs & Solar Surprises, Shadows and Light: The Eclipse of Adar. And my favorite, “ Adar II, the Sequel

If you are observant (perceptive, (not referring to your level of religious observance)) you may notice in some of the following pictures that ChatGpt cannot spell, either in English or Hebrew. It’s not smart enough for that. Yet.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

There was much more stuff. ChatGPT created some Purim plays (re the Spiel request) including for each play: Summaries with a thematic outline, five acts with two scenes each, an epilogue, and a recap. Ridiculous. For example: Here's part of the thematic outline of a play called A Cosmic Purim: Leaps, Loops, and Lunacies , that ChatGPT says,“Could make for an engaging and humorous spiel”:

Act 3: Esther's Enlightened Intervention

·          Scene 1: Esther, learning of Haman's plot, decides to host a banquet under the solar eclipse, inviting Haman and the king. She plans to reveal her Jewish heritage and Haman's plot under the dramatic darkness of the eclipse.

·         Scene 2: As the eclipse occurs, Esther reveals the truth to Ahasuerus. The darkness of the eclipse symbolizes the potential doom for her people, and its passing symbolizes the light of salvation.

 

  To sum it all up:

  THE JEWS HAD LIGHT, HAPPINESS, JOY AND HONOR; MAY WE HAVE THE SAME

MAY THE ONE WHO MAKES PEACE IN THE HEAVENS, MAKE PEACE FOR US AND ALL OF ISRAEL

Happy Purim from Lill and Bob and ChatGPT 2024

Virtual Shalacmonos

I’m Back Blogging After Long Break ...

I’m back blogging after a long break.

Why the long break? Well, on our last trip, the “I Can’t Believe We Were Traveling For 9 ½ Months” trip, we were so busy, that after the first few months, I had no time to blog.

After that trip, we had planned to go to Israel this winter.

Then October 7th happened, and I didn’t feel like going anywhere or doing anything. So, nothing to blog.

But after 5 strange months at home, and while we were both still recovering from a bout of covid, we left NJ on Tuesday, February 6th, and came home on March 8th. A very short trip.

I posted “Photo of the day” pictures, as I did in the second half of the long trip, and have some ideas of blog posts for the recent trip.

Maybe I will even get around to writing them.

Happy Purim 2023! Fun and Ridiculous Stuff From Our Current Trip!

Here is some fun and ridiculous stuff from our current trip, for your Purim enjoyment. Also silly pictures! Not in any kind of any chronological order. There is a lot of stuff, you might say a Whole Megillah of stuff, cause we've been on the road a long time. 

1. Bob sometimes wears a Maine baseball cap. People always ask if he is from Maine. His answer always gets a laugh - No, I am from New Jersey but why would I want to wear a New Jersey hat?

2. Everyone has to comment on our NJ license plates. For example - NJ, huh. Where in NJ? I’m originally from NJ. My (insert family person here) lives in NJ or is from NJ. You’re a long way from home. Did you come all the way from NJ just to see (insert current location or attraction). Are you from the north, south, or the famous central NJ? Etc.

3. Early in our trip we took a 2 week Caribbean cruise from Tampa. One of the tour guides on a ship excursion was named Eliezer. He started to explain his name - Abraham’s servant who was sent to get a wife for Isaac - and we were, yeah, yeah, we know the story.

4. I went to the gym once on our cruise. The last day - to weigh myself.

5. A Wynn Dixie near Ocala, FL, labeled Wolffs kasha as “Grits” .

6. We were stranded in Pedernales State Park near Austin, TX for several days towards the end of January as the whole center of the state (including DFW airport) shut down for a week due to only ½ inch of ice and or snow.

7. We saw someone who looked familiar at a restaurant in Dallas. It took a while for us to remember that he was someone who had us for a meal on a Shabbos. But we couldn't remember which city. Bob had to check his email to see where it had been (Houston).

8. A Texas put down - He’s all hat and no cattle.

9. Texas has a great supermarket chain called H-E-B with 350 stores and a giant H-E-B sign at each one. The first time I saw the sign I thought the store was something Jewish, but the name is the initials of the founder, Howard Edward Butt. (Must be why he used his initials, not last name) Many of the stores do have a very nice kosher section though.

10. We always ask park rangers, tour guides, etc., for the stupidest question they have ever been asked. Here are some of our favorites from this trip –

a. The Cruise Director on our cruise had an irate passenger complain that he was supposed to have an unobstructed window in his cabin. She replied, “Just wait till we move away from the dock.”

b. A park ranger in a visitor center was once asked, “How long is the 10 min video?”

c. A Carlsbad Caverns Ranger was asked, “Is this underground?"

d. Another Carlsbad Caverns Ranger was asked, “How much of the cave is unexplored?”

e. A Texas State Park with a river used for tubing has a sign that says, “Once you leave the park, you won’t be able to walk or take the river back. The river does not run in a circle.” This reminded me of a guide on a whitewater river rafting trip in Massachusetts who told us he was once asked, “When do we get back to our starting point?”

11. There were clouds of biting midges in Big Bend National Park everywhere near the Rio Grande River. Every time we got into Our V, tons of the little pests got in with us. For some reason, they were attracted to the windshield. So, every time we got into Our V, we would spend a few minutes squishing the midges against the windshield. This was the first time I have ever had to clean bug smears off the inside of a windshield. 

12. We have spent a lot of time in the wilderness. And by wilderness, I mean No Internet Connection.

13. There is a kosher fleisching (meat) restaurant in Dallas called Milk and Honey.

14. The major of Lajitas, TX‘s name is Clay Henry. And is a goat. His campaign slogan is, “The World’s Most Honest Politician.”

15. Danger! Travel can be dangerous! We have seen signs warning us about: Flying Discs, Dangerous Banks, Historic Steps, Falling Rocks, Tornados, Water on Road, Rip Currents on Road, Flash Floods, High Winds, Wind Currents, Wind Gusts, Dust Storms, Blowing Dust, and Zero Visibility. And the dangers of wildlife such as Bears, Wild Bison, Wild Horses, Mountain Lions, Wild Alligators, Alligators, Snakes, Loose Cattle, and Crazy Tawney Ants. One campground helpfully included this sheet in their handout:

Miscellaneous  and photographic proof of some of the items on the previous list

Great quote seen in the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, New Orleans : "No Jew is ever the first Jew anywhere. There is always one before him." Jacob Rader Marcus, Founder of the American Jewish Archives.

Saw this in the Japanese garden of Bellingrath Gardens, Alabama. It looked like Hebrew but we couldn’t figure out what it said. That’s because the sign actually says, "Drink Coca Cola," in Japanese. We confirmed it with Bob's former boss Ito San. Walter Bellingrath made a fortune from having the only Coca Cola bottling plant in the whole southeast in the early 1900's.

We Were Like Two Cruise Ships That Pass in the Night

A Log Jam

Road Ends Here. Gee, I would never have noticed.

A Smoking Manatee, Homosassa State Park, FL

After they fixed the Smoking Manatee. Not sure this is any better.

Adult Supervision, Fort Desoto State Park, FL

HEB, TX

Wolffs Grits

The River Does Not Run in a Circle. In case you thought the river is an Amusement Park Ride. Clearly, and sadly, a lot of people need to be told this. Brazos Bend State Park, TX

Tree of the Year, McKinney Falls State Park, TX. It did really well in the talent competition.

Weird dollar amount. Ochlockonee State Park, FL

You never know what you are going to see on the road. Hope he doesn’t go over a bump. Somewhere on I-95.

You never know what you are going to see in the campground. The guy who built this was great fun to talk to. Emma Long Municipal Park, Austin.

World Famous Clay Henry, mayor of Lajitas, TX, posing for a campaign photo.

We Drove by This Artist and an Hour Later Passed her Again. Look at the paintings.

Don't Text and Drive

Numerous Road Signs (This is not a CAPTCHA)

More Signs

Happy Purim from the Lill and Bob  ©2023

Keeping Up With the Parental Units - Photos of the Day Part 2

Continuing with Photos of the Day... 

Rest area, Big Bend Ranch State Park, TX Feb 21

So many of these highway views look like painted backdrops. Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Feb 22

Carlsbad Caverns. We were here 38 years ago, and I have been a cave junkie ever since. Put this on the top of your bucket list! Feb 23

After well over a month in Texas, we are moving on! Feb 24

We drive into a blizzard near Tucson, on the way to see spring wildflowers. Feb 26.

Picacho Peak State Park AZ Superbloom - from a blizzard to spring wildflowers! Feb 26.

The temperature went up a few degrees and all the Poppies opened. Picacho Peak State Park - Superbloom AZ. Feb 27

Lost Dutchman State Park, AZ. View from our campsite. Feb 28

Bev and Ivan insist we pick some citrus in their backyard to take with us. Phoenix. Mar 1

Keeping Up With the Parental Units - Photos of the Day Part 1

Traveling the way we do, I don't have time to blog reliably. What I have been doing instead, because it takes no time, is to post “Photos of the Day” on Facebook. This way, at least any of my Facebook friends who are interested can keep up with where we are and what we are doing.

I’ll start posting some of those photos on the blog.

Going back a month…

Missing My Kids, Dallas Zoo. Feb 6

Caverns of Sonora, TX. I love caves! This one was one of the best ones with possibly the worst tour guide. Feb 12

The rest of these are Photos of the Day are from Big Bend National Park, where we were for a little over a week. A very tiring week.

Hiking in Chisos Basin. Feb 14

Historic Rio Grande Hot Spring building. Feb 15

Hola Desde Boquillas del Carmen! We took our passports and were rowed across the Rio Grande in a rowboat from Big Bend National Park, to Mexico then walked ½ mile into town. Feb 16

Texas Bluebonnets (lupines to the rest of us) Feb 17

Lost Mine Trail. Feb 17

Blue Creek Trail. Feb 19

We meet Randy and Georgia, aka, Windtalker and Mom, on this hike. Windtalker graciously gifts us with an impromtu performance on the Native American Flute. His music in that setting was magical!

Inside Santa Elena Canyon. Feb 20

Coming soon – From Big Bend to now