Latest news with #Carolyn
a day ago
- Entertainment
Pilot pulls off pre-flight surprise for his grandmother
An unsuspecting grandmother got a heartwarming pre-flight surprise aboard her plane to go visit her grandson, who, little did she know, was already waiting in the cockpit to fly her there himself. Airline captain Justin Shurtz, a St. George, Utah-based pilot, told ABC News' Salt Lake City affiliate KTVX that although he wasn't originally scheduled to fly that particular route, he wanted to do something special for his grandmother's first trip out to see him. Shurtz found out his grandmother Carolyn's itinerary with American Airlines and took the wheel to help pull off a surprise aboard the final leg of her trip to Las Vegas via Chicago. "Part of that, I had to contact the crew that was operating the flight, so I called the captain, and I said, 'Hey, I have a question, and I need some help.'" Shurtz told KTVX. "She knew I was working. She was expecting me to pick her up in Las Vegas. She had no idea that I was going to show up on her flight," he added. A video shot by Gina Abinet, obtained by ABC News, captured the moment Shurtz delivered the special message over the intercom. "This is a very special flight for me," Shurtz said on the plane. "So, my grandparents raised me... they've done everything they could to help me get to where I am today." "This amazing crew that I'm flying with here today was able to help me pull it off to where my grandmother got the opportunity to fly with me to Chicago today," he continued. Shurtz said the moment she realized it was him was a moment he'll never forget. "She jumps out into the aisle and sees me standing there and the look on her face -- at that point, that's when I got nervous," he said. "I was extremely excited because it sunk in that this is real. This is actually happening." His grandmother Carolyn told the ABC News station, "I know how hard we struggled and how well they're doing -- so that was my biggest thing, just how proud he made me at that moment." He reiterated that the unwavering support of his grandparents got him to where he is today. "They supported me my entire life -- going through school, everything that we did in life, they were there backing us, pushing us to be the best of our potential, be who we could be," he said.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Carolyn Hax: Winning the ex-girlfriend back counts as self-improvement, right?
Dear Carolyn: About two months ago, my college girlfriend dumped me and described me as a 'martyr' — I took on a lot of things when I didn't have to, and would complain about them later (related to work and parent's divorce). She also said it 'felt natural' because of graduation. We are currently friendly, but we share a friend group and several of my roommates next year are close friends with her, meaning she is not yet out of my life. I adore her and miss her dearly. Even though I should move on, I still hold onto hope that one day we can rekindle. My plan is to improve myself — not for her, but for me, I am in therapy discussing coping mechanisms — and just hope that one day we can try again. Is this hope worth it? — Is It Over? Is It Over?: I couldn't possibly know whether the unspecified actions of a total stranger toward an unknowable future with another stranger will retroactively prove 'worth it.' But: No. For one thing, you can't go through this self-improvement work 'for me' and hold out hope of impressing her. The hope exposes everything else as lip service. Don't undermine your therapy with an opening lie to yourself. Plus, you're trying to accomplish three things right now: a post-college launch (right?), a post-breakup recovery and some therapeutically guided string-cutting. All of them are healthy for you. None of them will get very far if you're looking over your shoulder the whole time at a part of your past that wasn't healthy for you. That's also why holding out hope is exactly the path I wouldn't advise for rekindling a relationship — even if I agreed your ex is the woman for you, which I don't. In this case, your hope inhibits growth. It may seem counterintuitive, not to mention impossible ('Don't think about elephants'), but giving up on her entirely is the best chance you've got. Go finish becoming whoever you're meant to become. The graduation-timed breakup suggests she intends to do the same. In a few years, who knows, you two may have nothing left in common. Or you'll prove to be made for each other, or you'll enjoy catching up at a few reunions. I'll say this much: She was direct with you. If you can trust her to have meant it constructively, then, wow, what a rare gift from a friend. My advice is to slow down, breathe, appreciate the gift, make it yours. Don't squander it half-unwrapped on your dresser by chasing her down for more. Hi there, Carolyn: A friend is getting remarried; it's the second wedding for both him and his fiancé. He was, and still is, part of my close college friend group. I was there for his first wedding 13 years ago — the travel, bachelor party, all the bells and whistles. He is having a lavish second wedding and I'm finding myself resentful of having once again to pay for pricey accommodations, gift, etc. I am remarried myself and my second wedding was a low-key, courthouse affair. I'm going to go, to see him and the rest of my friends. But how do I prevent myself from being snarky and resentful over the details and expense of his second wedding? — Wedded Out Wedded Out: You own your decision like the adult you are. There is no Second Wedding Order of the Duly Chastened. If you wanted your re-wedding to be a low-key, courthouse affair, then that was the right way to go. If they want to splash out for theirs, then that's the right way to go. For them. Pooh-poohing the way people choose to celebrate their life milestones, likewise, is one way to go through life. If that's the one you prefer, then it's not for me to say otherwise. Unless you're inviting me to, in which case, I accept: Cut it out. I do sympathize with the unappealing choice you're stuck with when your friend group gathers at a lavish wedding. It's either pay up or miss out. (Or, I suppose, stay off-site, if there's a cheaper option nearby.) But once you decide to go, go with it. Grab your re-spouse and immerse yourself in a nice vacation with everyone from your close college friend group and impale your snark with an hors d'oeuvre pick. Or stay home. To go and judge and whine about it looks to me like trying to have it both ways, achieving neither — also known as a pricey and unsupportive waste of a trip.
Washington Post
5 days ago
- Washington Post
Carolyn Hax: Ding! Letting work interrupt their vacation doesn't work for spouse
Adapted from an online discussion. Dear Carolyn: On vacation, I put up my OOO message and am truly unreachable to co-workers, but my husband checks his email and Teams several times a day and encourages his co-workers to text him to keep him updated. It feels like his work phone and laptop are always dinging. I have become resentful. Our jobs are similar, by the way, and nothing at his workplace is ever so urgent that he can't take care of it on the next business day. It's just a difference in the way we approach our days off. I find that it interferes with our quality time, but I'm not sure whether it's an overstep to request that he stop doing this. — OOO OOO: That last sentence is decent framing to start the conversation. Beats screaming on the beach. Or you can skip the whole philosophical-exploration stage and suggest pragmatic compromise. Start by acknowledging that you're each entitled to your preference — but there is also your shared vacation experience, which warrants respect as well. Right? (Presumably he nods, 'Right.') So you're hoping he'll agree to clearly defined space for each: individual time, and paired time. And in paired time, you'd like to be unplugged. That can be an agreed upon time of day, or number of days when you're on vacation. So, each of you can be plugged in (if you want to be) till noon Wednesday, then you're unplugged the rest of the week — or plugged in till noon daily, then off the rest of the day. Or whatever. You get the idea. Good luck, and I'll think do-not-disturbing thoughts. For OOO: I've been your husband, and I've been you, too. Here is some food for thought. A friend of mine once said it's not just that you need vacation from work — your co-workers need a vacation from you, too. It's a great opportunity to allow your co-workers and direct reports to shine, make decisions and operate independently. It also sets a terrible precedent that vacation is really just air-quotes 'vacation.' Unless it's about you, in which case your co-workers are taking real vacation, but you never leave because you're special. Aarrgghh. Bottom line — the co-workers probably find this inability to step away really annoying. — Thought-Feeder Thought-Feeder: Pointy points, but fair ones, thanks. Dear Carolyn: What do you do when your husband tells you he can't live with you anymore because of how badly you behaved with your in-laws during a recent visit? To be clear, it's nothing I did or said to them. I was upset with his treatment of me when his family was visiting. I have since moved out because he insisted he couldn't sleep in the same bed with me and didn't want to inconvenience his mom, who's staying for six months. — Out Out: You get a good attorney, stat. As a reader pointed out, it's time to protect yourself and your assets with your decisions, starting with where you live. And it's time to count every day as a blessing that you're getting out of a three-person marriage with your husband and his mom. I feel for you more deeply than this advice probably conveys. No doubt you're hurt and reeling. But no matter what pain you're in now, and no matter what love you once shared, your husband's loyalties lie with his mother. That was always going to strand you emotionally, it was just a matter of when. I'm sorry. Look out for you now, and treat yourself with the respect and compassion you didn't get from your marriage.
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Health
- Washington Post
Carolyn Hax: To ‘failing' single mom, boyfriend's goals feel out of reach
Hi Carolyn: I am a single mom and full-time mental health professional trying to juggle life and a romantic relationship. I am also in my late 40s and navigating an ADHD diagnosis and perimenopause. I love my partner with all my heart. We connect in so many ways. However, for most of our time together, he has taken issue with how I conduct my day-to-day life. I struggle to meet the goals I set for myself, such as life-balance, getting my work notes done, getting to the gym, keeping up with household chores. He sees it as lack of follow-through, which I can understand.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
AI is used to cast Love Island
Artificial intelligence has been used to help casting in Love Island, it has been revealed. Dame Carolyn McCall, ITV 's chief executive, has suggested that use of the technology will increase as it has helped 'productivity gains' in the television industry. Speaking as the company announced its half-year results, she said: 'We will use AI in any way we can to make what we do more efficient. 'And a great example of that for me from [ITV] Studios is they're using a tool where it's a smart editing assistance and it's about speed and quality. 'And they used it for Love Island and casting this year,' she added. The popular reality dating series, launched in 2015, sees around 100,000 applications from members of the public for every season. It follows a group of contestants – known as the Islanders – who have to try and find love in the villa while avoiding elimination. It has become a ratings juggernaut for ITV since its launch. A spokesman for the company later explained that generative AI does not make any Love Island casting decisions, but is used to edit hundreds of hours of footage into highlight reels for members of the team to then watch. Dame Carolyn told members of the media that this 'productivity gain means that they can go and do other things, which is really, really good'. A spokesman for ITV added that AI 'simply assists with the editing of audition tapes during the casting period'. They explained: 'We get thousands and thousands of applications every year and we hold face to face auditions. 'When we get to the stage of narrowing it down to hundreds of prospective Islanders and we want to share audition highlights on a reel with the ITV commissioning team, to support the casting decision, we use the software to edit the hundreds of hours of footage into highlight reels. 'It means that the casting team can then spend more time researching and finding more prospective Islanders.' 'Latest round of cost-cutting' Announcing its latest results on Thursday, ITV said it had stepped up cost-cutting plans again following a slump in half-year profits. The broadcaster said it was slashing costs by another £15 million, on top of £30 million previously announced, with spend on content being trimmed. The group flagged using technology among efforts to drive the latest round of cost-cutting. It comes a week after Netflix said it had used the controversial technology in the production of one of its TV shows for the first time. Ted Sarandos, Netflix's co-chief executive, said visual effects were created by generative AI, which produces videos and images based on human-inputted prompts, in one of its original series titled The Eternaut. It was used to create a scene of a building collapsing in the Argentine science-fiction show. Mr Sarandos explained the technology had allowed the show's production to finish the scenes at a lower cost and 10 times faster than if they had used traditional special effects tools. The use of generative AI remains controversial in the entertainment world, however, with politicians and creatives fighting to protect artists' copyright amid concerns that AI will create content using others' work without their consent.
