GETTING READY FOR KPTZ

I'm practicing using new gear with Zoom for tomorrow's interview with Phil Andrus. From 8:00 - 9:00pm Pacific time on Sunday, October 3, I'll be Phil's guest on KPTZ in Port Townsend, WA. I've done many radio interviews over the years, and it'll be a bit strange doing a radio interview via Zoom because it requires a better mic than the one that resides in my laptop, but hey! No driving! Phil's show is called "Cats in Our Laps", and I'll be discussing original songs, and my recordings. Perhaps you'll live stream the show!

BINGE READING: My father was an electrical engineer and a jack of many trades. He was a carpenter and there was little he couldn't build or repair. I think he would have enjoyed reading Nevil Shute's books, whose A Town Like Alice I'd read many years ago. I've been bingeing on Trustee From the Toolroom, No Highway, and now I'm reading Around the Bend.It's interesting to read these books that were written in the 1940s and 50s. They're a little old fashioned, but also surprisingly modern in attitudes of acceptance about people. The characters are a little wooden, but I like them and respect them; most of his characters are honorable people. But returning to the comment about my father, Shute's background as an aeronautical engineer (my dad also loved and flew planes) flavors his voice in a familiar and comforting way. Plotwise, convoluted things happen that keep you in the tractor beam of the stories, and things generally end well for the main characters. (Happy endings neatly tied-up are refreshing right now!) But the books reflect the history of that period of post WWII, can-do people who focus on their work and families without needing special regard. There was a good deal more acceptance of fate and what cards were dealt to you, and I grew up with that kind of thinking. I've grown with the times in considering different perspectives, but I realize how much I miss the simpler world of that period.

You'll either need to hunt for a used copy or get it for your Kindle, since it's out of print, but if you're interested in trying Nevil Shute on for size, I'd recommend starting with Trustee From the Toolroom. It's about a common little man who sets out on an uncommon journey to restore an inheritance to his only sister's daughter.