I blame Mercury Retrograde
Tech failure (laptop + water, need I say more?!) and what are the ethics of traveling to countries where the politics might not be agreeable or right.
Hi Love,
I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry!
I have not abandoned you. I just got overwhelmed with work and travel, but the real culprit is Mercury in retrograde.
Okay, to be fair, it's more like it all started with Mercury in retrograde. Mercury stopped in Picese (water sign) and I was forewarned to watch out for electronics and water. My water bottle leaked due to improper handling (me) and an indispensable 1yr old MacBook Pro gradually soaked up the liquid on an overnight flight from SFO-JFK.
The laptop arrives home dead as dead can be.
Thus began the tedious undertaking in repair quotes, insurance claim, unsuccessful Time Machine syncs (corrupted files), temporary machines and on and on.
It's amazing how I am crippled without a working laptop. Do you experience the same? I'm still on a temporary machine but we are near the end of this missing limb saga.
Since 2016 I feel like I've slowed my travel schedule, spending more time at a single location and being very selective of where I go and purpose of the travel. I would qualify myself to be a great traveler, lover of perpetual motion, yet the travel in these past couples of months have completely floored me, making this weekly installment nearly impossible. Could I have aged into being a homebody? Yikes!
Maybe it's because these trips have involved very few down days and each day on the ground are full-on, physically and emotionally demanding. I look to all of my traveling friend, these road warriors, and I wonder how are they all still managing.
I'm writing to you from a cafe in Istanbul in my old/favorite neighborhood. A cold spell is blowing through the city catching everyone off guard, I included. I packed for Spring in Iraq (where I was) and not for an Arctic chill.
There is an election in Turkey tomorrow. The political climate is more divisive than ever, perhaps even worst then in the US. The lira is losing value but reinvigorating tourism as a result. I love Istanbul so much that I seriously considered living here long term in 2016 but the way the country is trending post-coupe is just not something I wanted to be a part of.
How do we draw that line? As expats and as travelers? If we vote with our dollars, then do we not uphold some responsibility to the flourishing of oppression when we choose to be there, for work or pleasure? It's a hard and murky line to draw and I don't have the answers. What are your thoughts on this?
I'm back and I've missed you!
Charlie
IDEAS YOU CAN STEAL
I'm a member of Acumen Global Leadership and an Edmund Hillary Fellow. Both of them start the community building and getting to know each other as humans before we identify as our profession. It's not uncommon. It can be an uncomfortable process but when it's done right, it is effective in creating deeper bonds that result in greater ROI for both the individual and the network. It's worth considering and adopting.
WORTH A READ
Amanda Palmer's rambling notes to her Patreon audience are about the only non-work things I've had a chance to read these last few weeks. They are so good. Often ungrammatical, a stream of consciousness style mind dump of anything and everything that is anything but unfocused, extremely intimate and insightful. Unfortunately, these notes are for her Patrons only. However, you can become one for as little as $1 a month. For the writing alone is worth it, not to mention, if you are skilled, you can extract some great marketing insights.
A POD WORTH LISTENING
Pivot with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway.
Amazon Eats the World
What makes NYC so appealing to all who live here and those who dream of being here is the character, energy, diversity, and permissiveness. Except the forces of gentrification have been flattening out our lady's character bit by bit since 1980s. "Gentrification is about class—and the places where class intersects with race and other factors, like education and sexual orientation—but it is always about an imbalance of power. And in every scenario, the gentrifiers have more power.” Amazon is raw power with their $1T market cap.
Hi Love,
How was your week? Thanksgiving, are you for real? How did you get here so fast! J and I don't have much in the way of family commitments. We get to just be us, maybe have some friends over for dinner one night, but otherwise, we get to write and be with each other. A tiny and complete universe.
A friend shared this with me after last week's note:
"When the water in Flint, Michigan was orange from lead contamination the kids from our afterschool program were asked to donate a case of bottled water for the people suffering in Flint. Two kids blurted out 'why should we, they wouldn't do it for us.' That seemed to be the consensus of the class. These were public school kids in another economically impoverished district. The boss told the students he had never heard of anything like their reaction before. "
Such stark contrast with the reaction of the wealthy kids from the private school where I gave a presentation. HOLY SHIT!
It's too easy to say that this is an economic issue, especially when middle and lower income families donate a larger percentage of their income to charity than the wealthiest Americans.*
What drives giving, compassion and the desire to help? I'd love to know your take on this.
Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving, with or without family,
Charlie
PS. I am so grateful for you, your friendship and you being here with me every week.
IDEAS YOU CAN STEAL
How about an edible idea this week instead?
KALE AND ROASTED SQUASH/SWEET POTATO SALAD WITH HAZELNUT, SAGE AND BROWN BUTTER VINAIGRETTE.
Roast the squash or sweet potato, both work equally well.
A giant bunch of your favorite kale, de-stem, massage and get them ready to be part of a salad.
Fresh sage leaves, 8-10. Gently fry them in a little olive oil, once they are cool enough to handle, crumble them into the salad.
Hazelnut. Chop them a little and add to the mix.
Now for the best part of this salad, brown butter vinaigrette! Brown the butter in a small saucepan, then add either balsamic vinegar or a combo of balsamic and apple cider vinegar to the fat. Whisk and salt to taste. If you use 4tbs of butter, then you will add 2 tbs of vinegar and etc.
This is so yummy, brown butter makes everything more delicious, so easy, your guest will swoon!
I borrowed this from Salt, Fat, Acid and Heat. A pretty awesome cookbook for cooks of all levels.
WORTH A READ
Amazon is coming to town...NY and DC that is. Like many, I fear this will not end well for average New Yorkers and DC-ians (what is the collective noun for those who live in DC?). We already have a weak infrastructure system, our housing is laughably unaffordable, failing public schools, a Grand Canyon size income divide, and a tough dating scene. None of this will be improved by the arrival of Amazon and more computer engineers.
What makes NYC so appealing to all who live here and those who dream of being here is the character, energy, diversity, and permissiveness. Except the forces of gentrification have been flattening out our lady's character bit by bit since 1980s. "Gentrification is about class—and the places where class intersects with race and other factors, like education and sexual orientation—but it is always about an imbalance of power. And in every scenario, the gentrifiers have more power.” Amazon is raw power with their $1T market cap.
Jeremiah Moss's “Vanishing New York" is a love letter to the city, this city, a city that is so potent, we will give up job and love to be here. Matthew Desmond, "Evicted" is one of the best books I read last year (!). He masterfully gives you a look at the housing crisis in the US. "The Life and Death of Great American Cities" by Jane Jacob will make you think deeply about how to build community and what makes for a great neighborhood (hint: it's not Starbucks or cafes with Edison bulbs).
WANDERLUST
Patagonia is happening! I am so excited.
Need advice on 4 season tents, please.
DON'T MISS
Bryan Cranston on Broadway in Network. It's....amazing.
Ever wonder if we can replenish the wild with pandas raised in captivity? The Chinese are trying and it's tough. To start, it involves humans in panda suits that are sprayed with panda urine and feces.
All the tiny things we overlook is listed beautifully in Carrie Newcomer's Three Gratitudes.