The main event of my day was helping get the second speaker for the Beaverton Lecture Series: An Evening with Nicholas Kristof off. We resolved a few last-minute challenges: a goofy mic and the obvious need for a QR code so people could donate. I helped put together a backdrop, played usher, as usual, and walked the late folks to their seats.
Nicholas Kristof (here) covered many topics. I wished I had brought a notebook to take some notes. I remember him saying that someday, after the current Chinese government fell, a monument would be placed at Tiananmen Square (he and his wife won a Pulitzer for their report on the 1989 protests there). He looks forward to visiting it. He also said that he is a liberal and grew up in Oregon, but that Oregon ranks near the worst in education, housing, and mental health assistance. We may spend more money than many states, but Nicholas says that with careful, evidence-based execution, these dollars make no difference. Liberal good intentions are not enough.
In his reporting, again, from my memory while ushering, he visited many states in the USA South that scored higher or even at the top. Mississippi, a state he says has huge problems with race and poverty issues, is near the top with high school graduation rates. He told us he didn’t believe the numbers the state was telling him, but when he investigated, he found the schools were focused and making a difference. Students could read by 3rd grade; glasses were provided to kids (an issue I didn’t even know about); absenteeism was followed up; dropouts were identified, and actions were taken to help and find solutions to get kids back to school and graduate. This, he says, is true in many southern states, all with other issues not resolved, but not here in progressive Oregon.
Nicholas Kristof then points out that the blue states will not take advice from red states. And he also says red states never promote their success because the politics of school vouchers (which he says do not improve schools, according to his research) make it impossible to show solutions working in public, run-of-the-mill schools. He repeated over and over (having once run for governor of Oregon) that Oregon still hasn’t found the focus of the southern states to apply what works and get results. Again, he claims the solutions are out there, and we just need to get past intentions.
I cannot cover everything Nicholas covered, as I was busy at the time and didn’t have notes to help me remember. Dondrea told me on Friday morning that she has some video and notes. She will incorporate some of this in her sermon on Sunday.
I was tired after standing for hours and helping. Dondrea told me to head home (she said I looked exhausted), and I complied. I then took Air VW the Gray back to the house; it has a 94% charge, and I was happy again that the car reminded me it was still plugged in when I left earlier on Thursday!
I sat in my chair, removed my tie, and then watched the latest episode of Slow Horses. It was the sit-on-the-edge-of-my-seat spy thriller. First Desk is somehow compromised, and the viewer is unsure why, and things are going pear-shaped all over. This means the story keeps veering in unexpected directions. I was sorry when the episode ended, and I have to wait another week for the next.
Time was running fast again, and I was in bed at 10:30, reading about the American Civil War in Erik Larson’s book, The Demon of Unrest. The book’s short chapter structure makes it easy to pick up and put down. I like how Erik tells the story, freely mixing short quotes within his narrative, and I like his short-chapter design. When I return to writing my book someday, I may have to incorporate some of this style.
I soon fell asleep and dreamed of running more lecture series in a dream version of Beaverton. It was a busy process. I woke tired.
Before all of this, I started the day closer to 8 than 7. I woke up, as I had been lately, around 4, having trouble sleeping, then woke to discover I had slept. I think I dream I am awake.
The last of the chocolate croissants joins reheated coffee and a banana for breakfast while I write the blog and check my transactions in Quicken. I read (mostly delete) my email. I read some news and read about the President dancing for the press, with his steps somehow helping China and Russia. The loss of freedom of the press, personal rights, and information as this President swings and conforts on the press state, following some internal tune only he hears. I find tunes that please me, create a new playlist of new and older songs, and ignore the news.
I am not rushing; time moves normally, and I finish writing before I need to get dressed. Instead, I chat with Deborah, and we start talking about the upcoming trip. We are so excited to be together again; it has been months. It is Deborah’s birthday. I stay at my usual IHG hotel near Deborah’s home and rent a car from Hertz to avoid the Budget disasters that have sent my travels into a tailspin. I am surprised that Hertz is the same price as Budget. I add nothing to my rental, and the cost is not too high for the long weekend. Excellent. A leftover from Nike, I have Gold Plus status and can walk out and find a car instead of the usual mess of lines and missing cars.
I transfer some cash from my IRA to pay bills and all my excellent travel. I am still not into the principal, and I draw smaller amounts each month to let the investments keep growing. I am pleased with US Bank Wealth Management.
I showered, dressed, and all that, and headed to meet Scott, still running a bit early, at McMenamins Cedar Hills for lunch and our weekly meeting. This tradition goes back to when we did various projects together and had different viewpoints on our work at Nike. Now we talk about travel, investments, and planning for more travel. Scott has a substantial garden and plants, and this keeps him busy. “The lawn waste container is empty again; time to refill it,” he told me.
We talked about politics, and while I am skeptical of the reports I read, most suggest a blue wave is coming. To me, it looks like the Democrats will keep their Senate seats and maybe win a few, but Susan Collins in Maine is the hinge. The flub on the blue side in the Maine primaries means only low Republican turnout or a shift of centrists to blue could defeat her. Looking at the details, Senator Collins has started to poll lower than in previous months. Gas, food, and war are obviously impacting her chances. Scott W, a fellow liberal, seemed heartened by the shift in my thinking about a possible blue wave. As with what happened to Biden, Obama, and Bush Sr., “it is the economy, stupid.” Also, war sells poorly, even when won, to the electorate.
With lunch and one beer, we break up and head in separate directions. Scott W back to his lawn, and me to the church. Wendy is there waiting for me. I arrive at the church and soon carry the trays of cards for a mass mailing, the heart of our campaign to re-invite Beaverton to our church, and the 10,000 cards need to get out. I have the first 2,450 and need to get them to the post office, stand in line, and then turn it all over to be processed. Done. Excellent.
Dondrea appears before this, and we do the SPRC Zoom meeting on my laptop in the Pastor’s office. My phone connection is weak, and we switch to the church internet. I manage, as does Dondrea, to avoid any to-do’s.
With the cards out and SPRC done, time for an early dinner for me or a late lunch for Dondrea. Ava Roasteria has a two-person lunch special: two sandwiches, a coffee drink, and a slice of cake to share for $40. That works, and we have a marvelous lunch there.
With that, folks started arriving to help, and we began assembling the remaining items for the speaker event. And that takes me full circle.
