"…history, by reason of human nature, will follow a similar course." Thucydides The mainstream media has recently been revisiting the Covid times with revelations from Anthony Fauci’s diaries, his subsequent appearance in the US Congress, and his eventual charge of contempt of congress. While several participants in that process advocate for leaving the past alone,... Continue Reading →
Thick Skin, by Hilary Peach. Pub 2022
Hilary Peach is a poet, author, and boilermaker. This book is a memoir, her recollections of her decade in the field and on the road in a difficult, dangerous, demanding, and essential trade. She is part of a different 1% - the women in the boilermaker’s union. While the discrimination and misogyny of the industry... Continue Reading →
Item #31: Robyn Mug
In a holiday tidy-up of my desk, I repatriated some mugs from their roles as pen-holders to their proper place in the kitchen cupboard. This one I call the Robyn Mug for obvious reasons. The mug comes from one of those paint-your-own-pottery places called Crankpots (the Vancouver location is no longer operating). As a team... Continue Reading →
Something to Do with Paying Attention, by David Foster Wallace. Pub 2022
This novella was only recently published on its own. It was originally a part of the last novel of David Foster Wallace, The Pale King. I have not attempted any Wallace fiction in any significant way before (I have previously read and enjoyed the essay collection Consider the Lobster), daunted by both the length and the... Continue Reading →
There’s No Such Thing as an Easy Job, by Kikuko Tsumura. Pub 2015. Translation by Polly Barton, pub 2020
When I first got this one (as part of a set of books won in a raffle earlier this year), I thought it was a non-fiction book, a guide to job hunting in the realities of a complicated world. It is not really that, but it is a good fable about the difficulties of finding... Continue Reading →
Assembly, by Natasha Brown. Pub 2021
This little book was a Christmas gift from a fellow book-clubber, and also a recommendation from them. It is a quick (one day) but demanding read, as the material gets a bit intense in places and the writing style is curious blend of lyrical/poetry and stream of consciousness/interior. The story is that of an unnamed... Continue Reading →
Big Feelings, by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy. Book report extra #7 (2022)
Big Feelings, by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy. Pub 2022 I chose this book based on the social media hype and discussion about it. Many will be familiar with the illustrations and comics by this pair of workplace and development consultants. This is their second book (the first was No Hard Feelings from 2019, which looked... Continue Reading →
Looking on the bright side
I had a chat today with a colleague and friend. We’re about the same age, and have been working for about the same number of years (30+ for me, close to the same for her plus school and family). She said, “When does all this hard work start to pay off?” We talked about it... Continue Reading →
Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston. Book report #7 (2019)
Vacations makes such a lovely time to read... (books 7, 8 and 9 all read on holiday.) Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston. Pub 1937 It took me a bit to get into this book, partly because of the colloquial dialogue but more because of the main character -... Continue Reading →
The Dip, by Seth Godin. Book report #13 (2018)
The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick), by Seth Godin. Pub 2007 I was led to this brief book via this article. I am dealing with some team issues at work (people leaving), and I was struggling to understand the choices that people were making. I wasn't... Continue Reading →
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