Chapter 1: The Bot Check Challenge

In a world of bots and checks, I often find myself pondering a tale shared by Mike Butler about those pesky "prove you're not a bot" images. They serve to ensure we're not just a chorus of noise and distraction—akin to clicking on boats and buses.

I soon realized that my inability to distinguish between boats and buses was so pronounced that I frequently needed to repeat the whole "I'm not a bot" process. In my haste, I would hit the wrong buttons, leading to a comedic frustration reminiscent of navigating a convoluted pharmacy phone tree.

“Did you call to speak with the pharmacy? Press 1.” Why else would I dial their number?

“Press 2 if you’re a doctor. Press 3 if you’re a patient. Press 4 if you can multitask faster than I can get to an actual human being!”

What an ordeal!

As someone who often chats with herself, I found myself reciting the bot check out loud: “Boat, boat, bus, bus, boat, bus, bus.” My husband, overhearing this, quipped if I was taking a memory test.

“No, it’s just this ridiculous bot check! Aaaaak, you made me mess it up!”

He chuckled as I continued my mantra of boats and buses.

Now, the challenge has shifted. Previously, it was all about identifying water—yes, water! The blurry images of buses and boats were so poorly positioned that only the presence of water could confirm their identity. And what a variety of vessels they were! From pirate ships with grand masts to speedboats zipping across the screen, I would exclaim, “Water! (BOAT!)”

Chapter 2: The New Four-Legged Challenge

In this video, "A Nomadic Fleet: Bus, Van & Boat?? Which do we like best?", we explore the merits of different modes of travel—boat, van, or bus—and their respective adventures.

Now, the stakes have been raised with the introduction of animals—horses, dogs, cats, and even lions!

To pass the test, one must check for leg length: if they’re long, it’s a horse! No tricks here, even if it’s a foal, those legs give it away.

Horse! Horse! Cat! Lion! Horse! Lion! Dog! Horse! Horse! Dog! But seriously, mixing in a Great Pyrenees dog feels a bit unfair—those dogs are practically the size of horses!

You’re getting clever, Bot Checker.

Thank you for indulging in my amusing observations! Remember, four legs good, two legs bad! I appreciate you taking the time to read this, and I hope it brought a smile to your face!

In the video, "What About the Bus? (Our Plans for the Bus now that we own a Boat!)", we delve into our evolving plans now that our fleet has expanded to include both a bus and a boat.