Jazzing It Up - Week of Sept. 23rd

"Life is a lot like jazz...it's best when you improvise." ~George Gershwin

We are fortunate that Cameron is maturing during a time when technology is at the forefront.  He uses his voice to request information from Alexa, Amazon's AI persona.

It may surprise you to know that the history of artificial intelligence (AI) can be traced back thousands of years to ancient philosophers. However, the term "artificial intelligence" was coined in 1956 by John McCarthy, a Dartmouth College professor, at a summer workshop on "thinking machines." This workshop is widely considered to be the founding moment of AI as a field of research. 

The technology can also be frustrating and sometimes Cam finds himself "butting heads" with Alexa much like our backyard deer shown in the picture.  However, Chris and his son are always looking for the next best thing in the tech world.  When he had Cam test another AI engine, we were all surprised how efficient it was in its understanding.  Additional testing and quality control outcomes will be scheduled.

We were able to see our cousin, David, on Tuesday.  Jane picked him up from the airport and he stayed for dinner prior to heading up north.  Cam considers David a "famous cousin" because he plays in multiple jazz bands and is featured on records, cds, etc.

Jane picked up Oma on Friday so she could spend the weekend with her family.  

Saturday was our action-packed activity day.  Everyone was ready on time to roll out the door for Cam's baseball game scheduled for 11am.  Even though it was cloudy, the rain held off and we eventually saw the sunshine.  

The GVSU men's baseball team were the scheduled volunteers for the WMML games.  The college students seemed very tall and brought a level of excitement.  Cameron was paired with two buddies and we noticed them all chatting in between plays.

We were able to catch up with a former coach for Brody and Cam, Ms. Michelle.  April, a longtime friend of Cameron's was at the game as a spectator only due to a recent surgery.  It was fun to see her and catch up.  

We finally snagged our son's picture on the scoreboard as each player's pic is displayed when they are up to bat.

After the game, Brody and his family met our fam at the nearest Culver's, conveniently located right around the corner.  We dined inside, sitting at two tables to accommodate our crew.  Cam's grandma and Brody's grandma sat together along with their grandsons.

We were off and moving again, this time in pairs.  Chris and his son were headed for haircuts while Jane and her mom took in a bit of ArtPrize since Oma hadn't seen any of it yet.  The winner was announced the night before (ArtPrize 2024 Winner!) and we were fortunate to be able to view it.  Upon arrival home for all of us, Cam indicated that he had some "good-smelling stuff" in his hair.  His grandma, Oma, promptly sniffed and declared it very nice.

After a bit of relaxation, we were headed out for our final activity.  Dinner and music awaited our group at The Old Goat, located in Alger Heights.  It's been open since 2015 and features live music every evening.  Cousin David was asked to play with a group called "Third Coat Swing" known as a classic jazz band with a French accent.

Dinner was most delicious! We started with an appetizer of homemade baked pretzels, which we all highly recommend.

Oma and Cam split their meal, which turned out to be the perfect decision considering the size of the sandwich.  David was able to hang out with his family on both of his two breaks in the evening.  We arrived at 5:30 and left just before 9pm when Third Coast Swing finished their final set.  The music we were fortunate enough to hear was the focal conversation on our drive home.

For those of you who aren't aware, Third Coast generally refers to the Great Lakes Region.  It is known as being an unofficial third coast in addition to the other two coasts: first (Pacific/West) and second (Atlantic/East).

Camology Quotes:

Like most older teens, Cam can be embarrassed by his parents. At The Old Goat, when the jazz music began, Jane said to her son:

"Should your dad dance with me?"

"Mom, this is not a dance floor.  Be a little reasonable."