Borrowed time, Walking cities, Military Education, & more.
RWL #452
Greetings from the LHH![i] OMG it is so HOT! (that says 102 F!) We exchanged constant rain for scorching heat this week. We finally put the window units in (we don’t have central air at the LHH), and we’re keeping the shades down during the day, and its still hot. Yuck. It’s like Louisiana hot – sticky with humidity to make it worse.
I am starting my internship site visits this week in earnest. I will be travelling and visiting students most days in July. If you’re a long-time reader, you know this is one of my favorite things to do. I really enjoy seeing the kids in the field, doing great things, and impressing their preceptors. I don’t have any long drives this year – almost all of them are within about 50 miles with a few exceptions, like one trip out to Chatham – the elbow on the Cape. Looking forward to that one, TLW is going to come along and we’ll make a mini-vacation out of it.
I’m still tracking the Iran-Israel, now US, conflict, but I’m only going to include one link today, as I’m going to try to follow my own advice and not be obsessed with it.
OK – to the links. Let me know what you think in the comments. As usual, willing good for all of you!
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Read
What: WaPo, It’s good to remember: We are all on borrowed time, by Anne Lamott
Why: Lamott is such a gifted writer. She’s been writing about aging. From the piece:
“Getting older is almost like changing species, from cute middle-aged, white-tailed deer, to yak. We are both grass eaters, but that’s about the only similarity.”
Wonderful throughout, and, from what I see, true.
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What: My Modern Met, Woman in Iconic 9/11 Photo Hires the Same Photographer for Her Wedding 17 Years Later
https://mymodernmet.com/phil-penman-joanne-capestro-wedding-photos/
Why: Short piece. Nice story. Headline tells most of it. Hard to believe 9/11 was almost 24 years ago.
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Watch
What: WSJ, How the U.S. Bombing of Iran's Nuclear Facilities Unfolded (4 min)
Why: Good summary of the tactics of the US attacks on Iran.
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Listen
What: Conversations with Tyler, Chris Arnade on Walking Cities (59 min)
( link )
Why: Arnade is the author of Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America, a photo essay about America’s economically depressed urban communities and how the people who live in them are still trying to make them home. Now he is walking through cities around the world, documenting how people live on his Substack, Chris Arnade Walks the World. I liked Dignity and I’ve cited it before here. Like much of this sort of literature, I don’t think it gives the people enough agency, but sometimes I don’t give enough credit to how hard it is to pack up and leave a bad situation. Anyway, his new project sounds interesting and I will be following it for now. The conversation is fun, and Tyler asks him all sorts of questions about travel and what makes a city worth visiting. Since Tyler is also a huge traveler, this is an interesting exchange.
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What: War on the Rocks, Making Professional Military Education More Agile in the Air Force (16 min)
( link )
Why: One of the things that makes the US military so highly effective is the system of professional military education. In this podcast, we hear from the commander of Air University, the USAF’s primary professional education provider. If you aren’t familiar with the how the military does continuing education, this might be eye opening. There are also lessons here for civilians and civilian organizations. Life-long learning is not just for the military.
[i] The LHH is the Last Homely House. But also, I just want to be super clear that the opinions expressed here are my own, not those of UNH or any related organization, nor are they TLW’s, who frequently tells me I am off my rocker, nor any other person who might be embarrassed by my musings. They are mine, all mine.