Tag Archives: writing

Hey Ho, Hey Ho. It’s Off to Work–

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Jack’s Wednesday guest blog continues the travel theme –

I didn’t expect to continue working after I retired in 2002, following over twenty years teaching in a Scottish community college. But because my final years had involved teaching management programs – mostly team dynamics, leadership skills and quality systems – I found myself in demand as a training consultant.

A very nice guy called Alan, who ran a training organization based in Birmingham (England), hired me to go for a month to the town of Ploesti in Romania where I would provide training for a group of managers working for the national oil pipeline maintenance company. I would be provided with air tickets, transport, a nice hotel and meals plus a generous payment.

What could possibly go wrong – – –

I discovered shortly before departure that I would be expected to teach how to use MS Project, but I knew nothing about project management. However, I obtained a copy of the software and loaded it on my laptop before setting off.

I would be lecturing to a different group of twenty or so managers each week, and the first morning I did some checking to determine their existing skills and knowledge. That’s when I discovered that they weren’t managers – they were administrators. They didn’t have any budgets and couldn’t make any decisions. The head of the company had previously been the chief of the secret police for the dictator Ceaușescu – a very ‘top down’ kinda guy!

The next discovery was that none of them had a computer or access to one, so MS Project wasn’t going to be much use. But I would have a meeting each Friday afternoon with a formidable woman who would be checking boxes on her list to make sure I was following the agreed curriculum. So I went ahead and taught basic management techniques through the week and then demonstrated the software using my trusty laptop with a projector and screen on Friday mornings. That way all the boxes got ticked.

On the up side, I had a couple of colleagues teaching other groups more oil-related stuff for Alan and staying in the same hotel. We were taken for sightseeing trips at weekends and to some lavish evening banquets where a goodly amount of excellent wine was provided – and consumed.

I also had a couple of really great interpreters who took turns from day to day standing beside me and translating my very technical, and very Scottish-accented English, into Romanian.

And there was Horton – Alan’s ‘Go-for’ in Romania. He picked me up from the airport when I arrived in Bucharest, and from my hotel every morning. He drove an ancient Dacia with holes in the floor and had been a mining engineer in various parts of the world. When things went wrong his favorite phrase was, “Africa wins again!”

Ultimately, I felt rather guilty that I had introduced the administrators to the possibilities of management techniques when they didn’t have the authority to use them very meaningfully. That’s something that still haunts me to some extent, and I just hope that some of them did find a position where they could blossom.

But I must have satisfied ‘she who must be obeyed,’ as I was contracted by Alan for another one-month stint shortly afterwards.

Next week – Wendy joins me for the second Romanian adventure – – –

Where Is/Was Wendy?

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Last night was an author talk at Blacksburg Books. It was a fun night. The crowd was small and appreciative. They asked great questions. It was my friend Beth’s first event as an author. She set up the bookstore, since it’s her hometown shop.

Blacksburg Books is charming. They maximize space with shelves on wheels, rolling these to the side for authors. They have a lovely brass podium (bought from a funeral parlor going out of business sale, the manager told us, which reduced us all to laughter).

The manager is one of the smartest women I’ve ever met and a lot of fun. And definitely proud of her space – as she should be. The staff each have a shelf for their picks (always a good sign).

Beth O’Connor wrote the opening chapter for the book Masks, Misinformation, and Making Do, which is about healthcare workers across a spectrum of locations and jobs telling their stories. Beth oversees the Virginia Rural Health Association. She and I are often described as “work sisters.” We always say that if we didn’t work together, we’d still be friends, and if we weren’t friends, we’d still work together a lot.

She had a great time at the inaugural event, possibly aided by the pre-presentation cocktail.

Definitely aided by the post-presentation ice cream.


It’s exciting when an informational book sparks great questions, and the attendees kept up a stream of them. Insightful questions like: how did the timing difference between central Appalachia and the rest of the country play into why people refused vaccinations more here? And such. An engaged mind is an author’s best reward. Plus, everyone who attended bought a book :] The power of small crowds.

It was all lovely, and afterward the bookshop manager told me how much the owner regretted missing it due to a family commitment. “She told me Little Bookstore is one of her favorite books, not just about bookstores, but favorite.”

Lately a handful of pop-ups from the past have reminded me of something another author told me last week when we met for lunch. “It’s permanent. The book can never be erased. It will outlast you and it will still speak even if you stop writing.” Little Bookstore is still out there reminding people of the value of books, bookstores, and the stories other people carry around in side them.

That’s a nice thing to know.

Beth and I each bought a book after the signing. When I brought mine home, Jack seemed a little nervous.


Tonight I’m off to listen to a rising author I’m helping get a publisher. Julia Resil is an MD collecting Black maternal health stories. She’ll be on the author panel at tonight’s event in our local theatre. It’s been a good literary week. Y’all have a good weekend.