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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. …
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.
Rick McCharles 