2025 Cambodia And Vietnam: Ox Cart Ride

 Sometimes being on tour means being a tourist.  Sometimes a tourist that does "tourist" things.

You may remember from our visit to farmstead a cart underneath an overhang:

This was in fact an ox cart, a very traditional and pretty old way of getting around (as in up to 4400 B.C. old way of getting around).

An ox:

View from the driver's seat:

And off we go!

We probably walked about half a mile around a beaten path and local farmland:

It is a slow way to travel - but in a world where there was nothing else really for peasants, it was a great force multiplier for materials and even people..

For such a simple thing, I found it pretty fun.  Even I can be a true tourist upon occasion.

2025 Cambodia And Vietnam: Farmstead (II)

 (For the second time, a post for Leigh)

As it turns out, one of the things that the farmers' female relatives do is weave.  This should not have surprised me as much as it did, but these was still a very rural economy (and, probably up to the 1700's at least, true everywhere). 

Interestingly (to me), the loom was outdoors - which makes sense, given the weather here.

Weaving in progress:

They offered a number of woven items for sale, including kramas, which are a long scarf or headwrap, is considered the national symbol of Cambodia, and is supposed to have over 60 uses including a scarf, headwrap, carrier of loads both children and items, face covering, fashion symbol, belt, and garrote (!).

The one pictured below is the one I purchased for the princely sum of $9.00 U.S.  It measures a bit over 6 ft/2 m in length and 15 in/38 cm in width. 

I have worn it as part of a general ensemble to work.  It is surprisingly light and fashionable (also, it is purple, my favourite colour - which is more recent; apparently they are traditionally red or blue).

A small shrine at the entrance/exit of the farm:

The Age Of Convenience

 When I was growing up, the only access to books we had was our local library.

Annually of course, we had that greatest of events, the Scholastic Book Fair.  And even more occasionally - maybe once a year - we would go to our local big city where we would go to an actual book store.  The store itself - a relic of the late '60's/early 70's, with its haphazard shelving and narrow rows and towering heights (at least to a child) was what I have always associated with a "good" bookstore; the modern version of over-lit fluorescent lighting, wide aisles, and organized sections is not for me.

And then, when I was at the age of Middle School, my town got a bookstore.

Suddenly, books were only a short car drive away, available (for purchase) all year!  Yes, one was confined to the stock on hand - but still, the wonder!  I saved my allowance and bought books (some of which I have to this day).  One bookstore became two, and then one day I discovered "Chain" bookstores were a thing.  The literary world was my oyster.

And then in 1998, I found a place called "Amazon".  Suddenly, there were no boundaries.

---

One wonders if, in years to come and histories are written, if this will be called "The Age Of Convenience".

We have at our fingertips the ability to order anything from almost anywhere and have it delivered to our door.  Not just the ordinary things, like books or clothes or groceries.  Exotic things:  Skyr from Iceland, tea from Japan, every imaginable cat toy upon the planet. Shoes that are in my actual size, not the nearest fitting size I can find.

The even more amazing thing is that we scarcely have to wait for such things if wish. Once upon a time, ordering things and waiting for a month was considered expedited.  Now even a four day wait is considered excessive; I can get things in 24 hours or less if I desire (and am willing to pay).

Truly, we live in an age of miracles.

---

The Age Of Convenience is, of course, built on two foundations:  cheap, reliable, abundant energy and a wealthy economy.

Cheap, reliable, abundant energy fuels the modern world.  It allows the use of hothouses in locations they would never traditionally be.  It allows the manufacture of items that once upon a time were handcrafted (or simply did not exist).  It allows these items to be transported across the world in relatively short periods of time compared to most of human history (via sail, cart, or foot).  And it allows these items to be dropped in our stores or at our doors sometimes with hours of our ordering them.

The other aspect is that for convenience to be worthwhile, it has to be marketable.  Companies, be they single owner, family businesses, or corporations, are in business to yield a profit.  Convenience is a way to secure profit by providing items easily - at a price.  Take away the ability to make money from a convenience and the convenience will disappear eventually - after all, there is no point in providing a service at a loss.

Without energy being cheap, reliable, and abundant, goods and services do not move quickly or as freely.  Without wealth, there is no incentive to offer convenience, at least on a large scale.

In that sense, we live at an apex of history.

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What happens when The Age Of Convenience ends?

For some of us - mostly older, but also those that have for various reasons chosen a simpler lifestyle - it will be a return to form.  Certainly it may inconvenient - after all, I have gotten just as used to being able to get almost anything quickly - but I can adjust; after all, we have likely mastered the art of doing without or making it out of something.

For those that have never lived in this reality or have forgotten, it will likely be very difficult.  Not having instant access to a thing or perhaps the thing not even being available would be hard, especially if that had not been true their your whole life.

But perhaps, not essential.  Because convenience is, well, convenience.  It is not essential.

A Year Of Kindness (XXIX): Stay Humble, Stay Kind

 

(Source)

One of the things that I am reminded of is that, like many personality traits, kindness (and humility) are something that I need to continually practice.  It is not, in that sense, a "one and done" kind of thing.

In some cases I can predict when my kindness will be at a low ebb:  Early morning, for example.  After a contentious meeting.  The moment on Tuesdays when I realize it is not Wednesday and the week seems to suddenly get longer.  These moments conspire to reduce the things I should be - kind, humble, generous, loving - to as small a trait as possible.

But it is especially in those moments that I need to practice them all the more.

  

The longer I live (and the longer I write these kinds of series), the more I become convinced that things like kindness and humility are important.  Not just because of the practice themselves, but the model that they provide.

I do not feel it is beyond the pale to say that if anything, our society has become even more "me-centric" than ever.  It does not help that as a consumer society, the market is set up to meet our needs and desires; many people have extended that same belief to almost everything around them.  "We" are the most important thing going on in our minds.

Which is why good models matter all the more.  Because people need to see that good people still exist and can practice character traits which seem not to benefit themselves directly at all, but benefit the world greatly.

So stay kind.  Stay humble.  The world indeed needs such reminders.

Garden Victory

Sometimes the wins are small, but they are wins none the less.

 

TB Goes (Back) To School

"To those who said to Diogenes the Cynic, 'You are an old man, take your rest', 'What?'  he replied.  'If I were running in the Stadium, ought I to slacken my pace when approaching the goal?  Ought I not rather to put on speed?'"  - Diogenes Laertius, Live of Eminent Philosophers

The whole thing, as it turns out, starts about 28 years ago.

As longer time readers may recall, at one time I had submitted myself for consideration in the pastorate of a mainline denominational church.  As part of that consideration, I had to take a 3 day psychological exam which, as turns out, determined that I was not qualified (at least from a personality standpoint) for the ministry.  As part of that assessment, they also suggested that I consider going back to school, getting an advanced (Ph.D.) degree in Classical Studies, and become a college professor.

I have loved and been interested in history since I was 10 years old and found out we were going to visit my uncle in Japan. I started reading (or consuming) history.  That never stopped in all the intervening years - if anything, I just kept layering on periods of history, some because of interest and some because of gaps in my education. One of the latter points was Greek and Roman History, which was definitely a gap that I had to address.  At some point during the intervening years (post undergraduate for sure), I purchased a translation of The Peloponnesian War by Thucydides, and I was hooked. 

The difficulty was when this "suggestion" came in, we were months away from our first child Nighean Gheal.  The Ravishing Mrs. TB had first gone on medical leave and then was laid off; I was the only income our family had.  And so, this idea was shelved as unrealistic.

---

I studied over the intervening years of course. I had a basic understanding of self taught Latin and an even more basic understanding of New Testament Greek (Ancient Greek remains beyond me).   Penguin translations continued showing up on bookshelf until I exhausted that resource.  Then I discovered Loeb Classics with their original text/English Translation, and my library expanded again.  I purchased other history books as well (in English of course) as well as continued to feed my library with military works (and uniform pictures) from Osprey Publishing.

But there were two more children to arrive (Nighean Bhan and Nighen Dhonn) and a business to fail and financial rebuilding and a family to support and then college to pay for.  Learning, it seemed, would always be an ad hoc affair for me.

Until...

Until four years ago Nighean Dhonn, whose major is Archaeology (Classical Greece), mentioned she was looking at graduate schools for her next step when she graduated.  I started looking at them as well, more out of curiousity than anything else.  After all, I was now in my mid-50's: a formal degree at this point seemed wildly out of place and (arguably) useless.

---

One of the programs I found was Master's Degree in Classical Studies.

It was fully remote.  It did not require mastery of Greek or Latin (there is a third track, Classical Literature).  It allowed up to six years to complete the program, one class at a time.

It took me time, of course.  Mostly because I had "reasons" from 2022, when I first started interacting with the school.  Na Clann, or at least two of them, were still in college or going.  It was still the height of The Plague with the uncertainty of employment.  And, as time went on, I had to contend with two layoffs. 

I started two applications from 2022 to 2025; both of them expired.  And then, this year, I finally stopped making excuses.  

During a trip to New Home I got my paper transcripts from the storage locker.  I scanned them.  I had no college professors to give me references (I even wonder if any of my professors still live or are teaching;  My Former Boss, my Sensei from New Home, and The Director stepped in and graciously offered to write one for me. 

This thing was going to be dealt with, one way or the other.

And then last week I got word.  I was accepted into a Master's Program for Classical Studies.

---

And so, in theory, later this month I start the second round - could we call it a Renaissance? - of my educational journey.

There is still work to do of course.  My acceptance is "provisional"; I still have to submit all my official transcripts (As an interesting side note to those who attended colleges years ago, you will remember the painful process of calling former schools or having to mail letters to get official transcripts.  This is all now completely 100% online.).  My initial fee is paid.  Assuming all that happens, I start classes around the end of the month (and immediately have to explain I will likely be gone for the first class as I will be in the middle of Sierra Mountains without cell coverage).

What am I going to do with this degree?  Honestly, I am not sure: this is as much for personal fulfillment as it is to reach any kind of goal.  A part of me says that this could play into the "Second Act", my post-retirement life (if all works out, I will graduate approximately 6 months before I plan to retire).  

Sometimes it is not that the door is closed; it was just the wrong time for it to open.

A Year Of Haiku (XXX): Harvest

 

Springtime's white blossoms

become Summer's purple bites:
early morning stroll.

2025 Cambodia And Vietnam: Farmstead (I)

 As one of the extras the tour service we use offers, they find places to stop that are local in nature - like, for example, the dancing we saw in Siam Reap.  It works out well for everyone: the local economy gets a boost, people that might not otherwise see tourist dollars get them, and tourists have the opportunity to see things that are a little more local.

One of our stops prior to leaving Siam Reap was at a farmstead.

From the little bit we saw locally, I would estimate this was pretty typical sort of thing for this part of the world. Beyond the rice fields we passed, there were food gardens and trees - for example, the jackfruit above, and (possibly) bananas below.

An Oxcart:

A garden.  The climate here even in March and April when we came was humid and very warm; I cannot imagine what Summer is like.

These may be papaya:

2025 Cambodia And Vietnam: Tonlé Sap (III)

 What would a trip to a water village be without a stop at the local tourist shop?

Not quite sure why these are a thing:

Or why "Cobra in a Bottle" is a thing either:

Fish:

Heading back towards the dock.  Another view of the temple on stilts:

And the radio station:

This boat appeared to be under repair:

Rush hour:

Likely both shop and home:

On Interns And The Future

 This past week I was asked to speak to the Summer Interns.

I was a bit of a last minute substitution:  the original speaker (a member of the Site Leadership Team, or LT) had something come up at the last minute and they needed a substitute.  One of my coworkers with whom I am friends (and manages the program) asked if I would be willing to speak.

Of course I said yes.  After all, I like my friend. Also, there was free lunch.

---

The format was similar to "Meet the X" in years past when I was a student:  I sat in front of around 30 interns at a U shaped table, uncomfortably the focus of their attention.  Each of them went around and introduced themselves:  Name, major, college, year in school ("X" year student is now the norm, not "junior", "senior", etc.).  Then of course it was my turn:  name, rank, brief job history.

And then, open question time.

The questions were likely the sorts of ones you would expect to hear in these sorts of things:

- "What was one of your greatest challenges in your job?"

- "How did you get into the industry"

- "What do you recommend to help you succeed?" (No surprise here:  I recommended "Be nice" and "Be kind".)

- "What do you look for in a resume?"

- "Do you have any books you would recommend?" (Again, likely no surprises to readers here:  The Enchiridion (The Handbook) by the Stoic philosopher Epitctetus and Go Rin No Sho (A Book of Five Rings) by Miyamoto Musashi. I think at least one of the interns wrote the titles down.)

We also had a fascinating discussion about Iaijutsu.  I do not think I am actually supposed to use the term "Blood Throw" (Chibori) in a professional setting, but there you go.

I will say they were all very polite, well-mannered, and seemed to pay attention (very minimal phone checking that I could see).  

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Later in the week, they did their poster displays (to show what they had been working on in their time there).  Typically I do not go to these, but felt obligated as I had spoken to them.

Every one of the posters was great. There are a lot of smart young people out there ready to take on the world.  Lots of great and applicable projects to the work we are doing at our site (as an interesting side note, lots of use of Artificial Intelligence).  

The biggest thing that surprised a number of them that they did not expect to learn during these projects?  How important communication was and how many different stakeholders there were.

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I left both happy and sad.

I left happy because - contrary to what one may see on social media (I say that; I largely avoid the news now), not all young people are hating on the world and society.  Some really are trying to do good and useful things - and they seem like are ready to take on the world (as we all were, once upon a time).

I left sad because of the same future.

In Spring 2025, it is estimated that 1,028, 185 students graduated with a B.A. or B.S. Of those, STEM programs (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) as well as business are among the top majors.  And while STEM jobs are growing in need (and apparently we are woefully behind in graduating them), we are also dealing in world where multiple countries are graduating STEM graduates (China, for 2025, produced 3.57 million STEM Graduates).  Add to that the burgeoning use of Artificial Intelligence which will automate a great many things, and I think it is going to be a tough job market in the future.

---

I am grateful I had the opportunity to speak to them and see the work that they are doing.  It did fill me with a bit more confidence about the future and about the younger generation.  

Hopefully they, in turn, walked away with a little more appreciation that there is a world outside of a career and the things you have to take to get a degree.  

After all, no-one dies wishing they had just one more day at their job.

2026 Failure Day

Here at The FortyFive, besides all the standard holidays, we celebrate a few that are unique to this corner of the InterWeb.  One of them, instituted this year, is TB The Elder Day, the birthday (and commemoration) of my Father.  

The other is Failure Day.

Failure Day, as longer time readers may remember, commemorates 02 August 2005 when I and my business partner laid ourselves from the company we had started 16 months earlier.

After 10 years in the Biopharmaceutical industry, jobs mostly with long commutes (up to 120 miles roundtrip), I made the decision to set it all aside and go into commercial real estate with my friend of long standing.  He was doing well at it, so I was (of course) going to do well at it.  There was little standing between us and wealth beyond our dreams, and I planned (and lived) accordingly.

Until, of course, that fantasy came crashing down.

In the course of 16 months, I managed to burn through all the money I had set aside, buy a new house we could not really afford, and find out that I was really not that good in real estate.  By the the time the whole sorry story had played out, we had lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in home equity, savings, and lost wages.

God was gracious in spite of my idiocy; within a month I found another job back in the biopharmaceutical industry (with a commute, of course).  And He "unburdened" us with a house we could not really afford by conveniently arranging a layoff and move across the country to New Home 2.0 (which saw us lose all of our equity but - thankfully - not owe anything else on the loan or sale).  And slowly - very slowly - we rebuilt our financial life.

Am I sorry I tried?  At some level, no.  I learned a lot about contracts and real estate finances and how investments work (even if my own investments were not well handled at the time).  And the confidence to at least try something new has stuck with me, even if the stakes are now much lower.

At other levels of course, yes.  The decision to leave the job I had at the time?  In retrospect, likely I would have been laid off within a year anyway (as happened to my former work colleagues), so maybe no.  The financial foolishness? That is 100% on me and was 100% the wrong decision.  I got greedy, got starry eyed, and did not listen to wise counsel (mostly TB The Elder, who kindly did not "remind" me of this when everything collapsed).  Even in my "I have a new job" phase, we could have made more responsible life choices that would not have left us so financially vulnerable.

And so, once a year, I celebrate failure.  Not just this failure but all the failures.  All the times that I tried something and it did not work out.  And remember those things I did not try and maybe should have - because you never know what might happen.

Over the years, a quote I read from Gouveneur Morris (1752-1816, a signer of The U.S. Constitution) in the book An Iron Will by Orison Swett Marden has stuck with me:  

"If I were to wipe out twenty acts, what should they be?  Should it be my business mistakes, my foolish acts (for I suppose all do foolish acts occasionally), my grievances?  No; for, after all, these are the very things by which I have profited.  So I finally concluded I should expunge, instead of my mistakes, my triumphs. I could not afford to dismiss the tonic of mortification, the refinement of sorrow; I needed every one."

I too, need the memory.  Because at some level, what are we without our failures?

Happy Failure Day.

End of July 2026 Garden Update

 End of July update of "How does my garden grow?"

Scattered among the leaves and sticks are (I hope) the small green starts of spinach:

Cherry tomatoes!  I now have more tomatoes on vines than I have had in total for the past 5 years:

The beans have done remarkably well. I thought I spaces them out enough; I need to go farther next year:

My onion seedlings are hanging in there:

Buckwheat.  I wish I had planted them with more sun; only a few have gotten tall:

Soybeans:

I have four patch of corn.  Interestingly, the one of the left was planted before the one on the right, yet has not done as well:

Another "planted later" patch that is by far the most advanced:

I am not sure what the plant with the white flowers is.  I have several; they were all volunteers.  My dearest hope is potatoes. It is kind of exciting to wait and see!

The beginnings of leeks:

I have already started planting and planning for Autumn and Winter.  I need to think about a better arrangement of things for Spring next year.  But for $45 a year and 8 hours of community service to the garden, this is one the best deals I have found in years.