Yesterday I broke big news. Unless you know us personally (or you’re a savvy sleuth who figured out what I’ve been wrestling with for months, actually years, at this point), you just learned yesterday that we’re selling Rosslyn. By way of a follow-up cum champagne-to-the-bow ship launching ceremony, I’d like to reference my January 31, 2023 post which described “an AI chatbot weaving words into a midwinter mirage.” Also the post that preceded it. Also the first of several perfunctory intro’s — think preambulum (or simply “preamble” if that’s less off-putting, though I promise that there’s reason to my madness…) to subsequent “Dear Rosslyn” adventures.
Let’s start with the etymology of preamble.
Middle English, from Middle French preambule, from Medieval Latin preambulum, from Late Latin, neuter of praeambulus walking in front of, from Latin prae- + ambulare to walk (Source: Merriam-Webster)
Preambulum. Praeambulus. Walking in front of… Yes!
As a peripatetic thinker, this is especially appealing to me. Perambulation is the closest of cousins to contemplation in my humble opinion. Wandering. Wondering. Moving the feet moves the mind!
A preamble then might be a prologue to a prologue. Walking contemplatively in front of the main event. A forerunner announcing the prelude to the performance.
“Dear John” & ChatGPT
Back to January 2023. My AI inquiry — a sort of whimsical experiment really — had begun the day prior, on January 30, with a post that ended thus:
Perhaps like me, you’re a little wary of AI dabbling in the cultural and aesthetic arenas. An idea is percolating underneath my tangled mop, but I’m going to sleep on it. Morning might mature my perspective a few shades. And, so, without further ado, I’ll wrap up for the evening, inviting you to contemplate AI chat bots as fellow sojourners. (Source: A Place Where Stories are Told)
My follow-up post volleyed an idea back and forth with ChatGPT about writing a “Dear John” letter to a house as an exploration of meaningful catalysis and catharsis for the writer. You guessed it, I was obviously thinking about Rosslyn (the house) and yours truly (the writer). Through multiple iterations of ChatGPT’s responses, I considered how such an exercise might stimulate self-reflection, provide clarity, and possibly even lead to unexpected conclusions about my attachment to Rosslyn.
Barebacking a Mountain of Data
My post concluded inconclusively (what’s new?!), meditating on my relationship with Rosslyn and, more precisely, pondering whether it might be time to consider changing my relationship with Rosslyn (ie. selling our home and beginning to create a new one).
Not ready to let go. A shift in perspective. Differing conclusions. I’m trying not to lose sight of the fact that this is an algorithm barebacking a mountain of data. But this exchange is engaging and intriguing.
Recent days at Rosslyn have stirred up all sorts of questions. I’m brimming with wonder, both the wayward wandering variety and the introspective variety. And still-fresh conversations with friends have helped crystallize considerations that I’m tempted to share with ChatGPT. Matters that Susan and I navigate pragmatically whenever we’re away from Rosslyn become considerably less clear, for me at least, when I’m home in Essex. Three pairs of friends, three variations of the question: are you seriously considering selling Rosslyn? Years ago we conjured a metric for evaluating when we might be ready to offer our home to a new homeowner. Time to revisit. Perhaps with the assistance of artificial intelligence. (Source: ChatGPT & “Dear John” Letter Writing)
Susan and my consideration about whether or not it was time to untether from Rosslyn in order to compose a new chapter took the form of a running dialogue — sometimes debating and sometimes brainstorming — as well as reams of sketches and plans endeavoring to translate our ideas, our aspirations into a concrete vision for the future. We enlisted engineers. We presented a plan for approval. And then we reconsidered and revised. We iterated and reiterated.
Little by little we came to understand that we were ready to imagine our lives beyond Rosslyn. Curiosity eclipsed all that was familiar and comfortable. Questions pulled us forward…
Dear Rosslyn
As of yesterday I’ve shared our decision to proceed with selling Rosslyn. There’s no rush since we’re still processing the full weight of our decision. Sure, the choice is bittersweet, but we believe that the indefinite interstice between offering our home for sale and actually finding and finalizing a sale with the perfect next owner will ease us into (and through) this transition.
As for potentially employing AI as a tool for introspection and decision-making, I’m eager to extend my initial experimentation. I look forward to exploring this “Dear John” concept with further forays into large language modeling, extending the notion of an epistolary memoir between me and my home: Dear Rosslyn.
George we haven’t had the opportunity to meet in person as it’s been a bit since I’ve made it to Essex. But having spent my early years living there what you all have done to restore Rosslyn has been impressive and an absolute joy to watch. Thank you so much for sharing this experience.
Great to hear from you, George. Thank you for your generous words. It’s been rewarding adventure, for sure. We’ve absolutely loved living here! And telling the story has been a big part of what’s made this journey so interesting. Plenty of images, artifacts, and anecdotes still in store. Hope you’ll continue to follow the story.