Celebrating Art
Image by Neeqolah Creative Works @neeqolah
Celebrating [Real] Art
A recent social media post showed Elon Musk debating Keanu Reeves about AI.
It turns out, it was fake.
Which was disappointing, because Reeves’ (pretend) comments were so beautiful.
So here, without further ado, I give you things
Keanu Reeves did not say to Elon Musk . . .
“The real question isn’t whether AI can replace us [humans], but whether we should let it.”
“If AI-generated actors are truly superior, why haven’t they already replaced us entirely? Why do studios still choose humans? Because perfection isn’t what makes us connect—flaws do. Genuine performances aren’t memorable for technical precision but for their authenticity.”
“If AI is so superior, why do humans still surprise each other? Why do we fall in love, laugh unexpectedly, or cry at predictable movie endings? Because we are unpredictable, something no AI can truly understand.”
Musk then did not show a [non-existent] video, and did not state: “This was produced entirely by AI in under 24 hours. No actors, no costly sets, just pure technology. How can you compete with this?”
And Keanu Reeves did not then say:
“Will anyone here remember this AI-generated scene tomorrow? It looks perfect, but it’s empty. The greatest films aren’t remembered because they’re flawless—they’re remembered because they resonate. AI can mimic appearances, but it can’t replicate the soul.”
Let me just repeat
the best thing Keanu Reeves did not say:
“Perfection isn’t what makes us connect—flaws do.”
Though a beloved actor did not say it, I believe it’s true. Our flaws connect us to each other. And our attempts to strive for perfection in spite of our imperfection. And our need to care for each other and rely on each other because we are, all of us, deeply flawed, unable to survive without each other.
That’s where art comes in. I believe we forge connections through art. The misshapen sculpture representing the brokenness of the world is as powerful as the most perfectly-executed portrait. The story of the lost and the damned who find redemption, even momentarily, reminds us we’re not alone in our struggles.
Image by KT @ktphotographyx
Two Over Easy All Day Long News
Happy Birthday to Two Over Easy All Day Long! It’s been exactly one year since Golden Antelope Press published this labor of love, this work of my heart. Thank you Betsy and Neal Delmonico with Golden Antelope Press, and to all of you, my friends, for a lovely year!
I’m pretty darn excited, over the moon, thrilled, ecstatic, and any other synonym (brilliant or dubious—I’ll take ‘em all) to announce that Kirkus Reviews will be featuring its review of Two Over Easy All Day Long in the June 1, 2025 magazine. As the Author Consultant who shared the news with me pointed out, fewer than 25% of reviews are featured. This is such an honor!
Breaking News: There’s a new breakfast and brunch restaurant in Southern Oregon called Over Easy.
If you’re in the ‘hood, check it out! 21 North Bartlett Street, Medford, Oregon
(And maybe, just maybe, a signed copy of Two Over Easy All Day Long will be hanging out inside 😊)
Other News - An Invitation
As I mentioned in last month’s newsletter, I’d love it if you would consider subscribing to The Dogs of Looser Island: Who Laughs Last. The first episode launches 5/3/2025. If you’d like to know more, you can check out the updated website www.alaughingdog.com and/or hear me reading a preview on YouTube.
There are two options: paid subscription (full episodes and access to all archives), or free (partial episodes and access to occasional posts).
If you are on the fence
consider choosing a free subscription.
If you like what you see
but can’t or don’t want to pay for a subscription,
let me know.
I’d consider it a privilege to comp a paid subscription
for you and/or for anyone you know.
Episodes will be published and sent to your email on Saturdays and Wednesdays, for about four months.
These are mostly light-hearted stories, a distraction for difficult times, moments of calm before diving back into life. ***
And even if you’re not interesting in subscribing, I am collecting fur-friend photos for the website and the episodes, so if you’re willing to share, send me your photos, with any information you feel like adding. (Check out the Gallery to see what others have shared.)
Last but not least, if you sign up and find you’re enjoying the stories, please spread the word!
(*** About those asterisks: as I’ve mentioned in a previous newsletter, and on social media, for those of you who are familiar with my writing for kids I want to be clear that these stories are not appropriate for children. They contain occasional profanity, mild sex, and—though they are as promised mostly lighthearted—a couple of episodes do contain references to addiction and abuse. Those episodes will be flagged so you can skip them if you prefer.)
Book Reviews
I have a love-hate relationship with acronyms. On the one hand, they are an obstacle to clarity for those not in the know, and it’s unkind (at best) for people who do know what they mean to use them around the rest of us.
On the other hand, acronyms and obscure words known only to members of a group act as a membership card, and when the club is People Who Love Books, I’m happy to belong.
Here’s one acronym I love: TBR. Bibliophiles know that stands for “To Be Read,” as in: There are at least thirty books in my TBR pile—but I’m always up for more! Send me your recommendations and I’ll add them to the list!
And now, a confession: I’ve been reading one of the books in my TBR list, published in 2023, and was planning to share a full review here, but I’m realizing I’m “just not that into” the book. (All you book-lovers understand that phrase can be just as apt for a book as for a human relationship).
So today I honor my years in and connected to early childhood education, the child I was (buried in books to the exclusion of all else), and the hundreds of nights my own children and I slipped into the magical world of stories, the soft moment their eyes closed and dreamland took over. Instead of reviewing a recent publication for adults, I am sharing my thoughts on Sylvester the Mouse with a Musical Ear (1961) by Adelaide Holl (Author), and N. M. Bodecker (Illustrator).
Sylvester is a country mouse who loves to sit quietly listening to the sounds of birds and crickets and the gurgle gurgle glub glub of the nearby stream. He is forced to move when his field is dug up to make way for shops and houses and a highway. He travels with a tiny knapsack on his back until he finds a music store, where he moves into a home that makes beautiful music every time he goes into and out of the door. (That is, he moves into a guitar). The store’s patrons believe the guitar is haunted, and no one wants to buy a haunted guitar. But then along comes Tex, an aspiring musician who has no guitar. Tex and Sylvester become fast friends, and they travel around the country making beautiful music together.
If you have any small children in your life, find a copy of this sweet book and share it. (Thrift Books is one option)
This review is dedicated to the children
whose childhoods were taken from them in the recent spate of
ICE deportations of children.
May justice prevail for them before it’s too late.
