September & October 2021 in Review
Books
I finished three books in September and October:
Leading in a Digital World: How to Foster Creativity, Collaboration, and Inclusivity by Amit Mukherjee (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2020)
I found this on the new releases display at the local library and, since my work involves much of my organization’s technology infrastructure, picked it up with interest. Mukherjee spent a little more time than I would have liked explaining his research methods, but once he got to the titled topic, I found it quite thought-provoking. One quotation:
In a world that worships productivity, each individual is an easily replaceable cog. In a world that respects creativity, each individual merits attention.
Mukherjee builds on this idea using the framework of a producing leader of creativity, a concept that immediately made sense to me coming from the arts world and what a producer is in that context. Available at various retailers via Mukherjee's website.
Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation by John Lewis (Grand Central, 2021)
This was the perfect length book to read in two sittings on my flights to and from Chicago in October. It is a collection of short musings on a few dozen topics by the late Atlanta-area U.S. representative and Civil Rights icon, his parting thoughts to, as the subtitle states, the next generation of leaders and citizens. One of the first lines:
You can write your own script and determine how you live each moment. And how you will respond to the people and events throughout the day.
Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret by Catherine Coleman Flowers (The New Press, 2020)
I won this book through a contest at the Arlington library (be proud of me that among the prize options, instead of another tote bag, I selected one of their recommended reading titles). Primarily structured as a memoir, Flowers talks about her environmental justice work, focused on the near-total lack of basic sanitation infrastructure in her home of Lowndes County, Alabama, and how she determinedly and successfully brought national attention to a too-often overlooked reality. From the epilogue:
Not all monuments to injustice are built of stone. Others exist in practices and institutions, actions and inactions that undermine the dream of equality. It’s time to dismantle those monuments too.
Available from various retailers via the publisher's website.
Travel
In mid-September, Naomi and I took our delayed five-year anniversary trip to New York City. It was my first time ever to New York City, and Naomi had only ever taken a day trip there, so essentially a brand new experience for both of us. We hit a couple of major attractions like the Harry Potter Store and Museum of Modern Art, ate at a number of excellent restaurants, and did lots of walking around Midtown Manhattan past many famous buildings. We stayed at the Hyatt Herald Square, which was a good central location, but other than a decent rooftop space, really not all that noteworthy in terms of amenities, and the rooms were average (read: small) size for Manhattan. But, the three nights did complete my efforts to qualify for Hyatt’s top-tier Globalist status, which will get us elevated points earnings and extra benefits from now until February 2023! We took Amtrak, first time on the northeast corridor, and definitely a great option for what I hope are annual visits to New York City.
In early October, I visited Chicago for my 10-year reunion at Wheaton College and to hear the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in person in its home hall for the first time in over two years, plus have some quality family time. If you missed that post, read it here! One actual travel-specific highlight was, on my departure, getting to see the new concourse at National Airport. I’m looking forward to many more trips starting and ending at this beautifully refreshed and expanded airport.
