2024–In Review

In this episode, 2024–In Review . . .

Wow, can you believe another year has passed? Time flies. I hope this year has been an incredible journey for you, too! Looking back at 2024, I’m so grateful for the moments I’ve captured On the Fly; without it, all those experiences would be a blur.

As we wrap up this year, let’s summarize some of the highlights of 2024.

We begin with a January post titled Childhood Revisited, which reminds us to embrace our childhood dreams and creative notions as a delightful escape from challenging moments.

February brought us the Netflix special The Greatest Night in Pop. This documentary beautifully shares the inspiring story of creating We Are the World and reminds us of how creativity, charity, and the power of music can truly uplift others.

In March, my colleagues and I enjoyed chasing whales. The weather in Dana Point was perfect for a delightful “three-hour tour,” and we enjoyed every moment without any island landings interrupting our adventure!

In April, we visited our dear friends Bill and Linda in Westfield, New Jersey. Then, we took a delightful day trip to New York City to revisit our favorite friends and memories.

May kept us chuckling as Netflix hosted the hilarious Jerry Seinfeld movie Unfrosted. The blog post "That’s Funny" sparked my enthusiasm for exploring standup comedy and what makes people laugh.

June: “Say hey—say, Wille.” The baseball world lost the incomparable Willie Mays. This post, More than Just Stats, highlights baseball of the 1960s.

In July, inspired by our friend John Prock, we bravely stepped out of our comfort zone to celebrate Lori’s milestone birthday! If you didn’t get a chance to join us, we’d love for you to check it out now!

August is my birthday month, and we did something special for this year's celebration: a hike through Griffith Park, one of my favorite places to visit in Los Angeles.

In September, after reading a series of science fiction stories by Isaac Asimov, I started writing The Silent Grid (Gridbot), which I intend to develop throughout the next year.

October was yet another adventure in the Sierras with my good friend Brendan. It was not my best adventure, but sometimes, things happen that you simply cannot control.

November, The Power of the Thank you note. It was an important reminder to cherish relationships with your neighbors.

And finally, December: Everything I Need to Know About Christmas–I learned from a Little Golden Book, this year's Children’s podcast; it summarizes all the audiobooks and poems we’ve created as unique gifts.

Listeners search for pball001 and click On the Fly to find embedded links to each episode.

Thank you all for your encouragement and well wishes for my creative endeavors. Remember, it’s not about my accomplishments; On the Fly is designed to serve as a simple example for everyone to explore their unique gifts.

I challenge you to become the best version of your exploratory self.

As my good friend Dr. Don Hanley says, “When you wake up in the morning, decide to have an enjoyable day; that is “life-giving.”

I'm Patrick Ball; as always, thanks for listening. Have a Happy and prosperous New Year. I’ll see you in the next episode.

Comments

Finding Our Place

In this episode, Finding Our Place: Hope and Humanity in the Age of AI . . . Yesterday, I overheard a conversation that echoed a question many of us are quietly asking: In a world increasingly shaped by algorithms, where do we , as humans, truly fit in? My younger colleagues, sharp and driven, were "joking" about AI taking their jobs. Their concerns felt valid, prompting me to reflect. Will machines really replace us? My answer, unequivocally, is No . And here’s why. What makes us uniquely human isn't merely our ability to perform tasks. It's our innate capacity for creativity and our deep-seated need to serve others. These aren't just abstract ideas; they are the very essence of what gives meaning to our lives and work. While AI excels at processing data and automating tasks with incredible speed, it cannot replicate the spark of human ingenuity. It lacks the empathy to truly understand unspoken needs or the intuitive synergy that fosters breakthrough solutio...

Chasing the Magic

In this episode, Chasing the Magic: How the Summer of ’98 Inspired the 'Ball Boys' . . . Do you remember that feeling? The late-summer air was thick with humidity, radios crackling on porches, the smell of fresh-cut grass and barbecue smoke in the backyard. Every evening carried a new kind of suspense—the country holding its collective breath after every pitch. “Did he hit one today?” became more than a question; it sparked a nationwide conversation. For me, and millions of others, the summer of 1998 wasn’t just another baseball season. It was theater, a movement, a time when the game recaptured something sacred. As sportswriter Mike Lupica said so perfectly, “No matter how old you are or how much you’ve seen, sports is still about memory and imagination. Never more than during the summer of ’98, when baseball made everyone feel like a kid again, when it felt important again.” Just four years earlier, the 1994 players’ strike had left the sport bruised...

Beyond Facts

✨ In this episode, Beyond Facts: Reimagining School–in the Age of AI . . . This week's podcast is a bit different; it's another example of how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can offer tools to creatively enhance your analytical presentation of information. We took this week's blog and copied it into Gemini with the question, “If a story is to work, it must, on some level, create an illusion of escape and also achieve a goal simultaneously. Does this apply to my blog post that follows?” What's created is not just an analysis of the writing, but an AI-generated discussion produced “On the Fly” - Enjoy! Did you know that the word "school" comes from the ancient Greek word scholē , which originally meant "leisure"? Not a rigid schedule or droning lectures filled with "facts," but free time for thinking and conversation. To the Greeks, learning happened best when life slowed down—when you had room to reflect, to ask questions, and to wrestle ...

Retirement Talk

In this episode, Patrick & Huck: Retirement Talk . . . We all get caught daydreaming sometimes, don’t we? Just like Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn might’ve done, lazyin’ by the river with a fishing pole in hand and the BIG wide world spinn’ in their heads. This morning, with coffee steaming and plans bubbling, I found myself driftin’ into a chat with none other than my imaginary friend–Huck Finn himself. Patrick: “Mornin’, Huck. Say, I’m mighty curious what you’d make of this retirement business.” Huck: “Well now, sit tight, ‘cause I’ve been thinkin’ on that too. Only thirty-one days 'til you're sixty-nine — whew! You're talkin’ ‘bout quittin’, hangin’ up your spurs, Givin’ the workin’ life its final good slurs. Ain’t got no debts, no mortgage, no fuss, Just clean livin’ and freedom waitin’ on the bus. Most folks’d throw hats in the air, cheerin’ loud and proud, But you? You’re starin’ out yonder, lost in some cloud. You're dreamin’ of cyclin' and books and guitar...

On The Fly

Search This Blog