Quality Data

I saw a meme which said something to the extent of “if you put together all the receipts in your purse, you’ll have a book about why you’re broke”. As funny as this is, I made up my own: if you put together all the short runs, long runs, walks, and workouts, you’ll have a little book about why you’re in shape, feel better, are able to run after your children, can stand up without pain, and (fill in the blank).

Personally, I like my version better.

Do you think the programmers at Gummy Drop use AI to study patterns of play or how often a user swipes left versus right? Missed opportunity if they don’t.

Gummy Drop aka Gummies

Did you know there are dog behaviorists? It’s a thing. I saw one on a commercial whilst watching the Dog Show after the Thanksgiving Day Parade. At least, that’s what her title was. Maybe it was made up.

Speaking of AI and behaviorists because I know you’re in awe I somehow put these two random topics together – the news media stated police department policies are being implemented to prevent officers from using AI to write their reports, specifically in immigrant-related fields. It begs the question (from me anyway) why does this have to be stated? Oh I know. Because AI is artificial. Says so in the name. Tis not real. Tis fake. Well, not “fake” but definitely an interpretation of artificial. Basically, fake.

Several takeaways from this piece of news.

1. I understand the concept of work smarter, not harder. And I’d like to believe a well-meaning, overworked, underpaid officer(s) of the law justified the use of AI with the aforementioned attributes. However, how does one justify not knowing or understanding AI is an abstract medium which combines the entirety of the world’s thoughts with artificial interpretation? This means…it is fallable, it is inaccurate, it is just an interpretation subjected to human norms. Which means…it must be checked for accuracy. Period. It is not “fire and forget”. It is not “one and done”. In my opinion, it is more work to use chatGPT and similar programs because I must crosscheck it for meaning, much of which was not my intention.

2. The reliance on AI and the programs mentioned previously is widely concerning. Just me? Students have felt the negative effects of succumbing to AI-written papers. One does not achieve a phD using chatGPT. Trust me. All 6,000 pages (to include drafts, crap I had to remove, and sources) were from the corners of my mind, not a robotic rendition of what I thought I was typing. And if you think people cannot tell the difference between what you wrote and what AI wrote, you are mistaken. I see it a mile away – words not normally used in conversation, sentences much too perfect, similar words or phrases used excessively, and a general lack of positional stance, i.e., remaining too neutral. This is why I refuse to use it to write awards packages. It’s not me. Because it is not.

3. Let’s go back to immigration. Because I’m a scholar in this field and I believe it lends me integrity. What judge, lawyer, or human impacted by immigration wants to read a report entirely generated by AI? I don’t see any raised hands. We want the humanistic approach, the real officer who was on the ground, who encountered another human, child, or family. We want passion and beliefs. It does not matter the fallacy of an experience. It matters because people make decisions based on the entirety of it. AI cannot (at the time of this writing) imitate human experience, the very experience which made us human. Blows my mind.

4. I was not intending to include this but here we are. Working smarter as opposed to harder is misleading. Although I adore the catchy phrase, and am guilty of using it, I believe it encourages shortcuts never intended to become norms. Working hard is not a problem to be fixed. Dare I say we have gotten so far away from working hard that we now rely on something else to think for us. Haha tied it back in. Rather than thinking for ourselves or challenging our brains to come up with an accurate depiction of what we saw, lived, or shared, the reliance on artificial intelligence has made us dumb(er). So much for smarter.

And this concludes today’s very long-winded post. A notable takeaway: I wrote every word myself. From the very dark confines of my own mind. Aren’t you so glad you stuck around for it all? Also, I must have watched a lot of TV.

_____________________

I ask you –

Share you thoughts on AI.

(The post Quality Data first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Drugs and other spooky stuff

I had an entire thought for this post, something along the lines of a refrigerator or a shelf, but now it’s disappeared like my desire to work a non-paying job. Yet I’m still doing it. So I guess this point is moot.

Mini participated in all the themed days of drug free week. I’ve probably said this before but I thought for sure I would have been offered a lot more drugs in life. Where was my chance to “just say no”? Can I try it now? Eluding to my a) current position, b) addictive genetics, and c) will to live despite present circumstances, I’ll probably continue to say no. If asked.

Photo credit: #musemom

And, of course, there was Halloween. I make far too many jokes about full-sized candy bars for someone who doesn’t eat candy. I wish I liked candy. It sounds delicious. Although I am partial to Reese’s Pieces.

Tiny spiders

My costume was minimal…stamped black spiders on the sides of my face and hand. I believe it represented how many souls I’ve stolen. Or eaten. Or whatever fun analogy exists. Muse? Oh where art thou?

Final thought: for over 90 minutes, which is probably considered less than average, we walked mini around neighborhoods to trick or treat. Halfway through the jaunt, I realized how much I missed the past 3 years while working through my PhD. It was nearly impossible to enjoy anything outside of writing because I was incredibly stressed by the need to write. I’m sad because I know I missed a lot and I cannot get it back. The fact I recognize how much I missed because I can see it now is even tougher. It was worth it, but how do you quantify worth when you missed entire Halloween shenanigans worrying about what you could be doing instead? It feels as if entire years disappeared from my memory. On the bright side, drugs didn’t do this to me.

________________

I ask you –

What has been your favorite Halloween costume?

Also, name your favorite Halloween treat!

(The post Drugs and other spooky stuff first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Serendipity!

It’s a fun word with a few fun iterations. Serendipitous. It reminds me of the word Eureka! Not the vacuum cleaner. There was a movie with a scientist who yelled Eureka when he made a concoction. What was the movie?

Funny story about serendipity. It’s something I based my PhD thesis on. I was seeking serendipity, uncertain if I would actually have a moment to uncover it, much less recognize it. Spoiler: I did. And it was just as glorious as I had hoped. And, since thousands of people are furloughed, what better way to kill time than to read it? Have fun! Immigration Federalism in the United States: Texas Case Studies

Hold on, the show is tuning in. The rich kid. Big house. Bad guys. Not the Christmas one where the kid was alone. Home Alone. Right, not that one.

Interestingly, the word serendipity originated in 1754 from a fairytale. Now, it references a scientific or technological breakthrough. I just like it because it sounds fun.

Richy Rich! That’s it.

_________________

I ask you –

Have you experienced serendipity?

(The post Serendipity! first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Reading and To-Do List, in progress

Although I’ve already read the series below, I’m sharing them because they are really that good!

The Little Liar by Mitch Albom, a thought-provoking novel set during the Holocaust, chronicling the intertwined lives and stories of four individuals with Truth as the narrator.

The AJ Docker Series of 5 books by Gary Gerlacher. Imagine Harry Bosch meets medical nonfiction. Easy to read, intriguing, and can be read in any order. Thank me later.

Events / Travel in 2026

Run the Jailbreak: South Padre Island, TX

Handel’s Ice Cream in Plano, TX

_________________

I ask you –

Of the list above, have you tried any?

Recommendations?

(The post Reading and To-Do List, in progress first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Re-Post! Peace in your heart; Laughter on your lips

Re-post from March 4, 2024 – please enjoy while I’m out of office, out of my mind, out of…money whilst eating all the gelato!

‭‭Isaiah 55:11 NIV‬‬
[11] so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

The Scripture above is Jesus speaking; however, what if we spoke with this in mind, that each time words exited our lips, we fully understood our words have power to speak life, or death, over others. In a society saturated with people speaking and giving opinions, sharing with intentional life isn’t as prevalent as one would hope.

Lately, I’ve struggled with focusing on one task. I’ve been pacing, mind racing from one thought to another, unable to keep up with the flood of to-do’s. For a moment, I considered maybe this was a late life onset of ADHD. I’ve heard sometimes anxiety is mistaken as ADHD and vice versa – what if that was true for me. But I think I’m just feeling the magnitude of ending the preliminary portion of the dissertation process and considering what the next year will look like. Somehow it’s already here, what seemed impossible in 2022 is now in its final stage. It’s difficult to wrap my mind around that truth.

Focus, Kel. Trying to soak in all the things before writing takes me away from it is unfathomable. However, I did attend a game night where I managed to win at Rock/Paper/Scissors. First try, no less. Yes, I’m bragging. Funnily, when it comes to competition Rock/Paper/Scissors – I always win. No lie. Well….I’ve won 2 “competition-style” matches, if you will. The first was for a third martini flight which I absolutely should not have had, mostly because I was already 8 martinis in and definitely did not need 4 more. Consequently, I don’t remember much about that night except winning the game for another flight. Weird.

Any Way – focus, will you – I won a Starbucks gift card to fund my coffee and winning habit. Not a bad night. And, of course, my name tag says Parts. And, of course, hers said Spare Parts. Because all we do is laugh together.

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I ask you –

What does peace in your heart look like to you?

Have you ever been on a winning streak?

Tell me about your favorite game! Spoons.

(The post Re-Post! Peace in your heart; Laughter on your lips first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Brain & Body Health

I saw a funny Instagram post which basically said I didn’t realize I’d be navigating my daughter’s PMS while also battling perimenopause. I’m doomed. Although I suspect perimenopause is a recently concocted term for all the space and unknown leading to menopause, if this is it then it’s very real.

My memory has taken a nosedive downhill. We all attributed it to PhD brain, work stress, the usual. But when mini started commenting on how I couldn’t even finish a full sentence… yikes. Time to make some changes.

Insert brain vitamins! It’s still the first week, and maybe it’s a placebo effect, but I do feel more focused! Will report back.

Saturday evening I decided to pause my run plan. The past 2 weeks, Garmin has indicated my training status as “straining”. I thought it meant I was coming out of “peaking”, which I had been, but I also thought straining was positive. Ha. Wrong.

It has been struggle city. I haven’t hit any of the prescribed paces, constantly tired, not sleeping well…classic symptoms of overtraining. And perimenopause. All this to say, I’m taking a break. Literally and figuratively. I’ll be back soon.

_________________

I ask you –

What does straining mean to you?

(The post Brain & Body Health first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Order of Leaders

We could beat people when they’re down, but it doesn’t make us leaders, it makes us tyrants. Recently, a leader in my organization approached me without fanfare, without ulterior motive, to share a situation encountered unbeknownst to me. He was concerned, he expressed empathy. And although I knew of the logistics of the situation, I hadn’t known the full picture. He offered grace rather than condemnation. He offered care as opposed to vindication or punishment. That’s a leader.

It has arrived!

Although the photo is not inherently leadership related, and neither is the following story, it will get me there. Standby.

The past few weekends have been packed with conferences. One I spoke at, the other I did not. However, each brought together hundreds of people looking for connection and community, and offered an opportunity to share stories. One may never know what another is dealing with until their story is shared. There were several what not to do’s, also.

I have probably never shared on this platform the struggle with my name, but I find others with similar issues when I share. Even mini has expressed an issue with her own name and its similarities to a popular name which causes people to mispronounce it. She despises this. All this to say, we each have struggles. In an effort to overcome these struggles and become great leaders, we must listen first and act second.

_________________

I ask you –

How often do organizational leaders jump to conclusions?

Care to share a story of your own?

Tell me your best advice.

(The post Order of Leaders first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Authorship

I’m officially published!

You can read the full dissertation here: Immigration Federalism in the United States: Texas Case Studies. The next step is distributing the publication to the cities who participated in order to a) make good on my promise to share and b) hopefully produce valued change. Although only one of those is within my power, I’ll soon be applying for adjunct professor positions in hopes to share my knowledge of the policies and systems in place within local Texas communities. To say I’m humbled is still an understatement. Some days I am in disbelief my PhD journey has ended. While I continue to cheer on my friends who are deep in the throes of their own doctoral journey, I want to forever remain a valuable contributor to higher education.

The bound work arrived in the mail – all 6+ lbs of it. 6 POUNDS! It looks like it belongs in the Library of Congress, so said my spouse. If all else fails, I’ve created a massive paperweight.

This is also mini’s first year taking the standardized tests of all public schools. Right, wrong, or indifferent, I believe testing has a purpose yet after the anxiety-ridden day I experienced for her first of two tests, I’m beginning to believe and finally fully understand testing is even more difficult for the parents! At the time of this posting, she will have finished both tests and is officially free and clear to enjoy the final weeks of her school year. Then, we can do it again next year! When mini asked how many tests she’ll take in her life, I stated she would be continually tested…and tested. Tis the circle of life.

———————–

I ask you –

Do you experience test anxiety or discomfort?

What advice would you give a young student?

Tell me your most difficult test.

(The post Authorship first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

What to do now

In my unlimited extra time post-PhD, I’ve included a near daily yoga session into my morning routine. I feel amazing and I’ve almost mastered feet to knees.

Then there’s volleyball up to 3x a week. Sure, we haven’t won a single game but the fun levels of this team I am grateful to coach is unmatched. Off the charts…but not our scores.

I planned a skating party for my 9 year old. She was an infant yesterday. I don’t understand how this is happening. Spare Parts will be a grandma at the end of the summer while I have a 9 yr old. Still makes me laugh.

I’ve been researching adjunct professor positions; there’s a few leads. For now, I’m working through the process of publishing my dissertation to the university and public databases. I’ve also looked into some think tank-type work to impact immigration legislation. Policymaker stuff is my forte.

The comfy corner came together nicely. Mini reads her books there at night while I hoard the space in the early morning hours. My wake up time has only shifted by 30-60 mins yet somehow those precious minutes make all the difference in my rest levels. Most days, I’m a new person!

As time passes, I’m sure it will fill with other responsibilities, requirements, or space takers. No need to hurry.

———————–

I ask you –

After completing something which took a large portion of your time, how did you fill the space?

When did you last plan a birthday party?

Share your wakeup time! 0500

(The post What to do now first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Journey to an Anthem

Explicit warning – Star Walkin’ – Lil Nas X

Undoubtedly, the song I chose (it chose me) from the beginning of the PhD process to its culmination might be inappropriate. Like the time I thought the song Unholy just had a good beat.

Side note. Lyrics are important, Kel.

I’ve listened to the song at least once a week for 3 years. When I felt stuck in the suck of monotony, of writing another 30, 40, 50 page paper on a subject I wasn’t 100% in love with, my anthem came in handy.

Prove 'em wrong every time 'til it's normal
Why worship legends when you know that you can join 'em?

When I joined the Navy, I was told only 1% of the population has served in the armed forces. I’m proud to be part of the 1%.

Then, when I obtained a PhD, again I was told only 1% of the population have a doctoral degree. Despite questioning the accuracy of the numbers, my question now is how many present or prior servicemembers have a PhD? Food for thought. I’m only a legend in my own mind.

Never listened to replies, learned a lesson from the wise

From the start, I knew I wanted something special to commemorate this event in my life, a visualization of what this process took from me and, alternately, gave me. A token, if you will.

I kept the images to myself for over 2 years, afraid to admit I might be able to achieve a moment in time where it would be reality. Only last summer did I show anyone the photos, and only in a moment of excitement where it seemed I was embarking on steps I could never not finish. And only when I had returned from the border did I consider maybe I should actually consult with a jeweler soon because this process is getting real. Little did I know I would be finished in less than 6 weeks.

An incredible woman, Landri, somehow took my vision for a unique class ring and magnified it by a million. Her eye for beautiful things, her love for jewelry, and somehow her knowledge to ensure perfection is evident in the piece she lovingly crafted. Sure, it’s designed by me, but she turned a vision into a piece of art.

Don't ever say it's over if I'm breathin'
Racin' to the moonlight and I'm speedin'

The 6 tiny black gemstones (black spinel) represent academia, specifically higher education. Black is regal, it is effort, it is foundational. The 6 tiny blue gemstones (blue sapphire) represent water, ocean, and sky. I was fortunate to have the ability to use my GI Bill for the cost of this degree. My time in the Navy, in the ocean, with its perfect open water views is what I choose to remember of my time there. When I close my eyes, I can’t unsee the sun rising and setting across the ocean. The blue gemstones are homage to a tumultuous yet rewarding experience. Finally, the blue sapphire represents wisdom. From knowing when to start and stop, I don’t believe this path in my life was by mistake. I do believe there’s an element of divinity in everyone’s life. The sapphire is brilliant yet unassuming, beautiful yet not boastful.

I'm headed to the stars, ready to go far
I'm star walkin'

There were 3 of us. Three very different individuals who came together somewhere along this journey, who banded together to offer words of encouragement, venting, and overall support for something none of us had previously accomplished. I always felt like the hype man, the one who would definitely make it across the finish line, but unapposed to taking the final steps at the rear of the group. Life is funny. I wanted to watch them succeed from my vantage point in the back so I knew exactly what to do and how to do it. Somewhere, my self-designated position got mixed up and I ended up at the front, leading, doing what I do. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it now – it’s lonely at the top. Not alone, but lonely. Fortunately, my role as the cheerleader for our band of perfectionists is still intact. And I’m overjoyed to support them in the final stages of accomplishment.

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I ask you –

Feel free to share your thoughts here. No questions today.

(The post Journey to an Anthem first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)