“I just know there’s a hole in my life and I’ve got to fill it — soon.” -- Ben Whittaker (Age: 70, “The Intern”)
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One editor who looked over my draft memoir back when I was still writing it told me maybe it should be called “Slices,” because my entire career/life seems to have occurred haphazardly in multiple pieces. It was hard for him to see a pattern.
That sounds about right to me. Furthermore, I suspect that I am not the only person who has tried to make sense of his life only to discover that the main theme seems to be change.
But what I’m left with in the present moment is the next slice of life, whatever that yields. At least now I’m relatively free of baggage, literally and figuratively. And after many pieces of my previous self have been sliced away, others remain for the cutting board of the future.
Or the recycling bin, take your pick.
I’m not required to be any specific place. I have no job or professional obligation; I own next to nothing and I owe next to nothing; and I am not anyone’s emotional property, as far as I can tell.
In other words, I am pretty close to a free agent. You can say that means I’ve got nothing left to lose, and you may be right, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I have nothing left to give.
Which I hope is what matters.
These days I am volunteering for several organizations I believe in, and publishing this newsletter.
The fact is I don’t know what I’m seeking but like Ben Whittaker, I know there’s a hole in my life that needs filling.
Thus these posts.
(This essay is completely rewritten and updated from the first version five years ago.)
HEADLINES:
Vance, Caine raised concerns about escalating war in Iran, sources say as US pauses consecutive nights of strikes (CNN)
What Trump’s Latest Tariffs Mean for the American Economy (WSJ)
ICE Took Mom and Dad. Now the Kids Are on Their Own. (Reveal)
Trump orders warning signs near Smithsonian, escalating fight over history (WP)
Manhunt underway for suspect with ‘Islamist’ ties after deadly Berlin Pride attack (NBC)
How a Chinese Immigrant Driver Got Entangled in a Drug Bust (New Yorker)
Iran blames US for Hormuz dispute as both sides confirm ongoing talks (Al Jazeera)
Saudis shoot down missiles targeting oil refineries (Reuters)
What’s Left of the Cease-Fire Agreement Between the U.S. and Iran? (NYT)
Ukraine drone unit hunts Russian ships (Reuters)
Europe wildfires: ‘Difficult hours lie ahead’ in battle to contain fires, says Pedro Sánchez as more than 300,000 flee homes in France and Spain (Guardian)
Intern arrested in Belgium on suspicion of spying inside NATO military headquarters (AP)
Democrats nominate Troy Jackson to replace Graham Platner in must-win Maine Senate race (NBC)
Troy Jackson, unlike Graham Platner, is staying laser-focused on Susan Collins (Politico)
McConnell faces growing questions about absence nearly six weeks after fall (WP)
Experts Warn The Internet Will Go Down In A Big Way — And You’d Better Be Ready (HuffPost)
The AI agent that went rogue (Reuters)
One-Week Sober Man Thought All Problems Would Be Fixed By Now (Onion)
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