Are YOU a Manual or Knowledge Worker?

On By Rick McIn Art and beauty, books, economics, gymnastics, McCharles familyLeave a comment

In the 1970s academic kids in my neighbourhood went to Viscount Bennett High School. The rest (losers 😀) went to Earnest Manning High School which had far superior TRADES training.

The internet accelerated the fortunes of knowledge workers. Relative wages of those working in trades declined.

Everyone wanted to be a white collar worker. Sitting all day at a computer manipulating electrons.

Author/mechanic Matthew Crawford argues that is wrong. And is changing.

He quit his job at a Think Tank, instead opening a Motorcycle repair shop.

Matthew’s book is titled Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Van Neistat makes an even better argument. A Spirited Man can build and fix things. Help his friends and family. A real man can do manual labour.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Me?

I’m hopeless. Not the least handyman you know, … but close.

I ride bikes but can’t fix them when they breakdown.

By comparison, my Dad and brother Rob are career Jack-of-all-Trades.

The late great buddy Rob Glaser was probably my most trusted authority for all things broken.

Needless to say, he was expert in living outdoors. Manipulated firewood with his bare hands, for example.

In the wild you want to carry only those items which can be repaired on the go. Metal, not plastic.

In 2022 it would be smart to seek work in an occupation where you can’t easily be replace by a computer. Gymnastics coach, for example. It will be a long time before Artificial Intelligence replaces human sport coaching.

Take pride in being able to physically make and repair things.

Bloodless by Preston & Child

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Agent Pendergast is a fictional character appearing in novels by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. 

He’s a brilliant FBI agent who’s maintained his southern manners and accent.

Stoically aloof and eccentric. Polite and charming.

A master of disguise. Speaking many languages.

All in all a fascinating character.

I’d not read any of the 20 novels before trying this 2021 book. I ASSuMEd it was a murder mystery. But should have guessed by the title that it was some kind of horror story.

In the ghost-haunted city of Savannah, Georgia, bodies are found with no blood left in their veins—sowing panic and reviving whispered tales of the infamous Savannah Vampire.

PrestonChild.com

Enjoyable.

But Pendergast’s sidekick in this one — agent Coldmoon — is an unappealing bungler. No Watson.

I doubt I’ll read any more Bloodless by Preston & Child.

A TOURIST in Santiago de Compostela, Spain

On By Rick McIn cycling, hiking, travel1 Comment

I’d always planned to get to the Holy City on foot or by bike.

It’s one of the 3 Christian pilgrimage cities: Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago de Compostela.

Pilgrims have been walking here for over a thousand years to pay tribute to the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

The Old Town is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I’d originally planned to cycle from Porto, Portugal to Santiago. BUT there were no rental bikes available out of Porto. So I arrived (eventually) by bus.

YES I felt like a pretender. Tens of thousands of other visitors look legit — like this guy.

I stayed 3 nights in a magnificent building, Hostel Seminario Menor, one of the most important stops on the Camino.

I got some work done in my monks / College student private room. (19 Euros). And did a LOT of walking around the city.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

A huge surprise to me was to see a massive ultramodern complex called City of Culture.

It’s impressive. But generally seems to be considered a white elephant, not attracting the numbers of visitors anticipated.

See more architect drawings and photos.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Visiting Braga, Portugal

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I can’t recall hearing anything about Braga in the past. BUT it’s a very nice & relaxing tourist city. Most of the attractions walkable.

… population of 193,333 …

… an important stop on the Portuguese Way path of the Road of St James. 

The highlight for me was outside town. The Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Good Jesus of the Mount.

Traditionally, religious pilgrims climbed 571 steps up the zigzag stairs on their knees. On the way are scenes of the Passion of Christ.

I stayed on my feet.

Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.

Visiting Porto, Portugal

On By Rick McIn travelLeave a comment

I was happy to get back to Porto in 2022. It’s one of my favourite tourist cities. And is one of the fastest-growing European tourist destinations since Ryanair made it a hub.

Funky.

Along the Douro River is the place to be in the evening.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Trickster’s Point by William Kent Krueger

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The 12th book in the series.

Perhaps my least favourite, so far. An intriguing plot — but the resulting story really didn’t work for me.

Cork O’Connor is sitting in the shadow of a towering monolith known as Trickster’s Point, deep in the Minnesota wilderness.

With him is Jubal Little, who is favored to become the first Native American elected governor of Minnesota and who is slowly dying with an arrow through his heart.

Although the men have been bow-hunting, a long-standing tradition among these two friends, this is no hunting accident. The arrow turns out to be one of Cork’s, and he becomes the primary suspect in the murder. …

williamkentkrueger.com

Livraria Lello Bookstore, Porto

On By Rick McIn books, travelLeave a comment

Though it’s a hassle to get a ticket, I managed to visit one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. Built in 1906, a mix of Art Nouveau and Neo-Gothic styles.

J.K. Rowling once lived in Porto, no doubt getting some inspiration from this magical setting.

She named Salazar Slytherin after the Portuguese dictator Antonio de Salazar.

Porto, Portugal

Off The Grid by C.J. Box

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BEST book in the series, so far, I reckon. Mainly because it features rogue Nate Romanowski more than any other book. He’s the most fascinating character. I also like Wyoming State Governor

TripFiction:

TF: Off The Grid is the 16th book in the Joe Pickett series. How do you manage to keep a series fresh and relevant without it becoming perhaps a little tired and formulaic?

CJB: Two reasons, I think and hope. The first is that each book in the series includes a real issue or concern beyond who-done-it.  In Off The Grid it’s domestic terrorism as well as a runaway grizzly that’s been stalking hunters.  Additionally, since the books take place in real time Joe Pickett, Nate, Marybeth, and family age and change. …

TF: Who are your favourite authors?

CJB: I’m a huge fan of Thomas McGuane, the late Jim Harrison, Cormac McCarthy, Flannery O’Connor, and too many biographers and historians to list here.  In the genre I never miss books by Michael Connelly, Denise Mina, John Sandford, and George Pelecanos. …

Thriller set in Wyoming – plus interview with best selling author, C J Box

I’ll Keep You Safe by Peter May

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Peter May is an excellent writer.

And this book is original enough and quirky enough to keep my attention.

A woman’s husband and his lover (?) are killed by a car bomb in Paris.

The French police rule out terrorism, suspecting murder – and sends Detective Sylvie Braque to shadow their prime suspect: the wife.

I found the ending disappointing, as have most readers.

Details.