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"Libby Flats" by Alan O'Hashi follows Elizabeth Steiner on a road trip from New Orleans to Boulder in 2006 to reconcile with her dying mother, Becca. At Becca's funeral, Elizabeth realizes she must resolve the differences between her father, Gary, and his estranged university friends, Jack and Avery, as they reunite after 38 years to fulfill a long-forgotten pact. This coming-of-age story explores themes of love, identity, rebellion, and the enduring power of friendship as the characters navigate their shared history and rediscover old bonds.The story is a captivating tale of a love triangle, conflicts around race and gender identity, youthful rebellion, and the enduring power of friendship. Becca Pembroke travels for a summer job on the Quiver Mountain Ranch near Lander, Wyoming, in the 1960s, fleeing her stodgy New Jersey lifestyle, including wealthy and egotistical Jack Middleton, whom her mother thinks is Becca's perfect match.While in Wyoming, she befriends Gary, the ranch owner's son, who is more interested in fighting in the Vietnam War than pursuing girls. The two end up working with another hand, Avery Meadows, from Jackson.Becca ends up establishing in-state residency and studying anthropology at the University of Wyoming (UW) in Laramie to pursue a lifelong interest in returning ceremonial artifacts back to Native American tribes, which leads to significant personal revelations that affect her family.Avery joins her at UW as a wildlife management major. They reunite with Gary upon his honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy. He enrolls at UW to study journalism rather than returning home to manage his family ranch.Becca's mother cajoles Jack into transferring from Princeton University to UW. His mission is to rescue Becca from the free-spirited Wild West. She shows more interest in Gary, causing a big rift with Jack, which is constantly mediated by Avery. Becca comes up with a Pact among herself and her three acquaintances to keep the peace until a big blow-up between Jack and Gary estranges the group.Gary and Becca end up getting married and have a daughter named Elizabeth. Thirty-eight years later, in 2006, Becca passed away at the Blue Sky Village cohousing community in Boulder, Colorado. Elizabeth reluctantly returns home to Boulder for her mother's funeral.Through the eyes of Elizabeth, Gary, Avery, and Jack, fulfill Becca's Pact at Libby Flats near Laramie by navigating their individual origin stories and memories of their lives, including their shared time in Wyoming interwoven with their reunion in Boulder.

My Chat with GPT is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Handbook for Cyber Citizens based on a personal conversation I had with ChatGPT about where computer programming and the human environment intersect. I'm a user of Artificial Intelligence (AI) but don't know much about how it works other than prompting GPT and asking responses to questions I posed.I recently gave an AI workshop at the Audio Video Expo in Denver, Colorado. Since the audience comprised people involved in digital technology, I presented about how AI affects individuals and the creative industries. Human error is the general entry point for bad actors infiltrating an organization's computer network. Those include opening an alarming email that releases digital entities, including AI, that enter and compromise operating systems.Over a few days, I went to the source and interviewed ChatGPT about some of my concerns about AI and its effects on everyday people.

"Views from Beyond My Bedpan" is a story about my life spanning seven decades, but imagined if I lived it in reverse. Rather than being born as an elderly infant, this story follows my life as if I died old, am reborn, and then transfigured to age in reverse.¿¿¿¿¿I've been thinking about aging and have recounted some of my experiences in the context of the American healthcare industrial complex paradox-that's a lot of Xs.Public and private health care providers are dedicated to keeping people alive and free of disease, but, at the same time, they must financially profit and maintain themselves. Nonprofit organizations can make money but are disallowed from distributing dividends to owners and stockholders.Meanwhile, the industry keeps its heart thumping and pumping based on continually expanding the number of patients who consume pharmaceuticals, visit doctors, and are tested by new machines. It's better that people stay a little bit sick than be cured, at least from a profit-and-loss standpoint.Now that I'm an old guy and have been sucked into hospitals and doctor's offices more than ever, I've grown increasingly distrustful of doctors and hospitals. Based on a health scare in 2013, I'm never sure if they make decisions in my best interests. I could have benefitted from additional healthcare and financial advocacy.The squeaky patient gets the bedpan. I've learned that going to the Emergency Room in an ambulance increased my chances of being admitted to the hospital by the ER doctors. Movies and TV shows have depicted ambulances and ERs as reserved for emergencies like rescuing car accident victims and triaging casualties from mass shootings.It's different now. ERs are the first point of contact for any patient needing routine or emergency care.So far, my life has been lucky when facing life-and-death situations. Over seven decades, I've had three close calls with mortality every 20 years or so. The most recent was after being admitted in December 2013, arising from my deathbed a few days before the 2014 Super Bowl, and recovering from an exotic lung disease I contracted because my immune system failed from working too hard.At last check, according to the Social Security Administration actuary chart, I have 10.4 years to go, which means I will be dead when I'm 79. My next meet-up with the Grim Reaper will likely be the last.We all have unique experiences as we move through life. Being at the top of my game has been hard work. I'd rather have a positive influence on others I meet rather than a negative one.Alan O'HashiBoulder, Colorado