Rosh Hashanah

Shanah Tovah

Honey & Apple: photo by Cliff Hutson

Today, all around the world, Jews are celebrating the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah, and preparing to observe the rituals of the holiest time of the year which follows.  

I wold like to extend my wishes, to all those who do, that 5783 may be sweet and good. And, that your name be written in the Book of Life.

Prayer Shawl: photo by Cliff Huston

Reading Log: August 2022

 The books that I read in the month August 2022

August 2022 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

"Earth Abides," George R. Stewart

"Bark to the Future," Spencer Quinn

"Matthew Henson and the Ice Temple of Harlem," Gary Phillips

"A Gentleman in Moscow," Amor Towles

Cliff's Notes

"Earth"

This is one of the most interesting science fiction novels that I have read. Though written in 1949, it speaks to our times as a lethal pandemic ravishes civilization and people have to adapt to the changes that has wrought. The author notes,“All the best-laid plans could not prevent the disaster against which no plans have laid.”. That is as true now as it was then.

And, on a very personal and silly note, I was amused that the opening of the story unfolds near the town of  "Hutsonville".  Not that such a community actually exists nor that it would have been named after a relative of mine.

"Bark"

 Another amusing addition to the Chet and Bernie series. Perhaps not quite as good as those written at the beginning it is still a fun read.

"Matthew Henson"

This is a novel that I find difficult to classify. The title character was a real person. Other people people who appear in the story, e.g, Bessie Coleman, or Nikola Tesla, are historical figures as well. And, its depictions of American culture and race relations during the Harlem Renaissance are well grounded. But, clearly, the story is cut from whole cloth. I guess that its genre could best be described as historical fantasy, with an overlay of science fiction.

While very entertaining, I feel that this book falls short of the author's outing in "One-Shot Harry". Also, I am appalled at the egregious lack of editing and proofreading. Lastly, there is no Ice Temple, unless I dozed off for a couple of chapters as I sometimes do when watching television. 

"Gentleman"

This book is the best of the month, though at first I did not think it all that promising. 

Starting in the year 1922, the describes the life of a Russian man sentenced to house arrest in a Moscow hotel though 1954. How interesting could life be in such a confined environment? It turns out that it is very compelling. And, we  should admire any course of study no matter how arcane if it is pursued with curiosity and devotion.

Notably, it is also set against real history that many of us are familiar with on some level and offers some comment on actual sociopolitical events while the author develops a delightful cast of fictional characters. 

I would suggest that, at heart, its moral is that being a good person is more important than having good taste. 

Live Simply

 Simple Living

Live Simply: photo by Cliff Hutson

The above photograph is of a Patagonia t-shirt that I bought a couple of years ago. I like the sentiment, but I am sure that there are some who say that the fact that it is such a high end shirt belies the idea that I actually have a simple lifestyle.

Wikipedia defines living simply as voluntarily engaging in a number of practices to simplify one's lifestyle. It notes that one of the hallmarks of simplicity is depending less on technology. So my writing a blog on a service owned by Google certainly works against me. However, it could be argued that using the internet for shopping, reading the news, and keeping in touch with friends and relatives reduces my carbon footprint - so that is a good thing.

One, expert has implied that living simply can’t be defined in one article or Instagram post. One person’s simplicity looks different from another’s. The key is to figure out what simplicity means to you. So, I thought that I would take a look at some of the salient points found in most articles about simplicity to see how I measure up.

Limit media

Some years ago I would have given myself high marks on this one. I read a lot of books and did not watch much TV; though I enjoyed revisiting my rather large DVD collection. But, the longer the COVID pandemic dragged on the more I found myself streaming more and more hours of entertainment. Just over the past couple of weeks I have watched "A League of Their Own", "For All Mankind", and have started "The Rings of Power". But, all in all, I think that I have a pretty good balance.

Simplify your wardrobe

I have probably gone too far in this direction. My wardrobe consists of jeans, shorts, and casual shirts. I in fact worry that I do not have anything to wear to a solemn occasion should the need arise. If it is business, they can take me as I am. But, I recognize that there is sometimes a call for decorum.

 Spend time alone

Animal Companion: photo by Cliff Hutson

I find balance and comfort in solitude. And, at home, there is just me and a cat.

 Don't tolerate debt / Get rid of unnecessary costs

The secret to happiness is low overhead and no debt. I realize that I am very fortunate to have reached a point in my life where this is possible. My mortgage was paid off right after I retired in 2009. And, I paid cash for my twelve year old truck back when it was new.  

Downsize

The biggest change that is on my horizon is downsizing. It has been several years since I have needed a truck; and it gets abysmal mileage for someone who likes to think of their self as concerned about the environment.

Neither do the cat and I need as large a footprint for a residence as we now inhabit. So, I am gradually working on getting rid of well over thirty years of accumulated stuff so that we can move to a smaller home. 

Ultimate goal

The goal is to gain freedom by having less in life.

Labor Day

Whatever the work is, do it well:

Lunch Box: photo by Cliff Hutson

Today marks Labor Day's 140th anniversary in America. It is a federal holiday observed annually on the first Monday of September. The day celebrates the labor movement in the US and the contributions and achievements of the American worker.

This year, the day has been more in the forefront of my mind as for my birthday a friend gave me a classic lunch box that reminded me of from whence I came.  

Working-class kid:

The term “working class” often typically describes members of the labor force that do not hold a bachelor’s degree. Common working class occupations include restaurant employees, auto mechanics, construction workers, and service-type workers.

My father owned his own business, but it entailed a lot of hard physical labor. And, from the time I was tall enough to push a broom and until I entered college I worked alongside him as much as my schooling and sports allowed. One reason why I like the new lunch box so much is that it reminds me of how we carried our meals and snacks when out on a job.

[Note: I just finished watching the "A League of Their Own" series on Amazon Prime Video. I enjoyed seeing all of the lunch pails in many of the scenes at the screw factory.]

I also found jobs on my own. Thus, I ended up mowing lawns, pulling weeds, clearing brush, and doing janitorial work in my tweens (that was not a term back then) and teens. One job of a different sort was helping an architect measure buildings to aid in his design of renovations to them. That got me to thinking about going to college and moving on up in the world.

A good union job:

Working with my Dad was hard. But, it was honest work and I took a great deal of satisfaction in it. However, I could see that it had its limitations and knew that I would have to strike out on my own. 

Labor Day grew out  of the labor union movement. The fortunes of organized labor have ebbed and flowed over my lifetime. When I entered the official workforce, around one-third of U.S. workers were members of a union, and I became one of them. Sadly, to my way of thinking, today, union membership is at just 10 percent of workers, with local government employees accounting for most of those. 

There is no doubt in my mind that collective bargaining boosted my pay, improved my benefits and give me some modicum of control over my schedule so that I could work part time and carry nearly a full load in college. I was able to cover all my expenses - rent, food, tuition, and so on - and graduate with out any debt. 

Through no fault of their own, many young people today will not be able to do the same, should they have the same desire. Jobs like that just do not seem to exist in the County of Los Angeles where the "minimum wage" is well short of the "living wage".

You are not the work you do; you are the person you are:

Office Space: photo by Cliff Hutson

Since graduating college, I have had many kinds of jobs, but I have never considered the level of labor to be the measure of myself, and I have never placed the security of a job above the love of family. 

And, even though most of my tech career was spent behind a desk as a manager I was always pro union. I believed that what was good for the people who were on my team was also good for me, and ultimately the business. May be that is why I never made the "C-suite'.