Author: tompayne

Halloween 2024

The number of storage boxes I need to bring down from the attic for Halloween is quickly approaching parity with Christmas. Batty finally has some friends to keep him company. We move the candy distribution center to the bottom of the driveway so kids didn’t have to travel all...

Cartoon fun

I asked ChatGPT to turn this picture into a cartoon: Here are some early iterations: Interesting that is reversed the colors of his rash guard. We noted he was a ginger and got this: Then we said “make him more Irish” We kept pushing for “more Irish” but ChatGPT...

Dad’s Obituary (by Deb)

Thomas “Mike” Payne, Jr., 83 January 11, 1941-January 21, 2024 Mike was called home by God on Sunday morning, January 21st, after a brief hospital stay.  He suffered a ‘sudden cardiac event’ after being admitted for treatment for complications from pneumonia.  Mike was born in Brooklyn, NY, to Jean-Margaret...

Dad’s Eulogy (by Tom)

There have been a lot of jokes over the past couple of days about how my dad was a “grumpy old man”. While, over the past couple of years (ok, decades), I could sort of see what you meant, this is not the man I remember The Mike Payne...

Dad’s Funeral Video

We were able to stream dad’s funeral so close friends in Ireland could watch. I was able to capture it on YouTube:...

Tristan in Paris

Tristan visited France with his Horace Greeley French class and documented his trip on SnapChat. Fortunately, I took screenshots of the pictures before they expired!...

Family Photos on Facebook

I started a “page” on Facebook to share old family photos instead of having them sit in a dusty box. The reason I selected Facebook is because it allows for comments on the photos and stories. I hope this will let us crowd-source the identification of some unknown relatives...

Old Family Photos

I have been looking for a way to share old family photos and crowd-source the identification of many mystery photos. After researching a bunch of options, I think Facebook actually meets my requirements best. It allows for albums, some story telling and, most important, commenting on each photo. Check...