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getting a life (or note to self: get a life)

This is an attempt at a clean slate to solve a number of problems.

for external / others' use 1: if you want to help

original start: 4 burner theory

I'll start this edition with the "4 burner theory" that goes something to the effect that it's very hard to keep work, family, friends, and fitness all "burning" or in the green or in a good place. X user @MetaPrime001's response was that the four burner theory "is fundamentally mistaken. Family, friends, work and fitness are not separate things. You can build a business with your family. You can workout with your friends. It is the separation of life into categories that makes it impossible to do everything" (4:06 PM [ET] ยท Feb 15, 2026).

Grok prompts

  1. So I've been barely not surviving on two small software dev projects. One of them seems to have died. I need to get a life. Let's talk this through. (2026/03/24 1:10am - thought for 46s with multiple (4) Grok 4.2 agents. It toggled into Expert mode from Auto.)

my commentary on Grok

The response to prompt 1 was decent. It was interesting to see it work. This was a case where I could see it thinking to a degree. It looked at my X posts, noted that I'm single and looking, suggested I meet some women. It noted that my X posts are not generally technical, but that I quoted Knuth a few weeks ago. It recognizes that my experience spans a long time but is on and off. Watching it think was more impressive than the response.

idea scratch pad

meta - self-referential re this page

It occurred to me that "getting a life" is an improvement for a filename. I asked Grok about this, and Grok agreed but said to use hyphens and not underscores. With a little back and forth, Grok convinced me to change my decades-long practice. Apparently there are SEO and perhaps other implications, including from the Big Evil Goo gorilla.

page history - motivation

I once again fear that my second software project is going to grind to a halt, so I need to get a life.

page history - change log

  1. 03/24 17:57 - I've messed with the page a couple of times. It's pointless to track all changes. Maybe I'll put this in Github.
  2. 03/24 01:18 - first Grok prompt and commentary thereupon
  3. 23:12 - before posting / release, file name change to getting-a-life.html from get_a_life.html
  4. 2026/03/22 23:03 PT EDT (UTC -4) - Creating page and should post soon.