found on the web:
Pulling the Plug
Last night my husband and I were sitting in the den and I said to him, “I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle to keep me alive. That would be no quality of life at all. If that ever happens, just pull the plug.”
So he got up, unplugged the computer and threw out my wine.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
A Male Point of View
Pro golfer and one-time matchmaker Jesper Parnevik isn't pleased with Tiger Woods following Woods' apology on Wednesday.
Tiger's wife, Elin Nordegren, worked as a family nanny for Parnevik before he introduced her to Woods. On Wednesday, Parnevik told reporters, essentially, he was sorry for setting up their relationship and that Nordegren should be a little tougher on her husband.
"I'm kind of filled with sorrow for Elin since me and my wife are at fault for hooking her up with him, and we probably thought he was a better guy than he is.
"I would probably have to apologize to her and hope she uses a driver next time instead of a three-iron."
It might be a good idea for Woods to keep his distance from Parnevik the next time he sees him on the fairway.
LA Times article
This is the kind of man I hope there are more of in the world. Not the seemingly more typical "well, that's just how boys play," which ignores the cost to the betrayed woman.
Tiger's wife, Elin Nordegren, worked as a family nanny for Parnevik before he introduced her to Woods. On Wednesday, Parnevik told reporters, essentially, he was sorry for setting up their relationship and that Nordegren should be a little tougher on her husband.
"I'm kind of filled with sorrow for Elin since me and my wife are at fault for hooking her up with him, and we probably thought he was a better guy than he is.
"I would probably have to apologize to her and hope she uses a driver next time instead of a three-iron."
It might be a good idea for Woods to keep his distance from Parnevik the next time he sees him on the fairway.
LA Times article
This is the kind of man I hope there are more of in the world. Not the seemingly more typical "well, that's just how boys play," which ignores the cost to the betrayed woman.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Pigou
"[I]t is evident that the transference of income from a relatively rich man to a relatively poor man of similar temperament, since it enables more intense wants to be satisfied at the expense of less intense wants, must increase the aggregate sum of satisfactions."
-Arthur Cecil Pigou
Like Robin Hood, eh?
Except we here at Toe in the Water like the Rule of Law.
-Arthur Cecil Pigou
Like Robin Hood, eh?
Except we here at Toe in the Water like the Rule of Law.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Scones
I really like scones. I like most food, but there's something satisfying about scones and tea or coffee. I also really like tea and coffee. So there.
I just baked two batches of scones. Here's one way to think about the parts to a scone:
Structure
Most scone recipes require about 1.75-2 cups; I used whole wheat flour. Flour provides the gluten in baked goods. I think of gluten as being like the skeleton on which the rest of the scone hangs. It also makes the skin, because it's elastic and stretches to accommodate things like fat, air, and fruit.
Leavening agents are baking soda and baking powder. Baking soda requires an acidic liquid to interact with it in order to make air bubbles. Baking powder does not require an acidic liquid. Remember experimenting with baking powder in elementary school science class? We had to make a volcano using baking powder. Brilliant exercise for hyper kids.
Volumizing flavor
Fat is tasty. Most scone recipes direct you to cut in solid butter. You cut it in because you want to intersperse it well, but you don't use melted butter, because that would risk de-activating the leavening agents. Fat also helps to bulk up the structure, adding heft and substance as well as tenderness to the structure. The other place where fat and substance comes in is through your reactive liquid moistening agent in the form of milk, buttermilk, or plain yogurt. Buttermilk and yogurt are acidic and if you use baking soda (which is basic), you would have to use one or the other to create your carbon dioxide bubbles in the flour. Powder and milk are fine together because baking powder is neutral.
Glue and texturizer
Making it all stick together is egg. It turns out egg isn't absolutely necessary for scones, but it does hold everything together and changes the texture a bit. It may make a difference if you beat the egg before adding it, or if you don't. I'm not sure at all. Guess which one I did? (Hint: lazy)
Taste, decoration and interest
Sugar is nice. It really is. And if you use agave nectar, be forewarned, you need a good amount. I also added a smattering of oats, some orange zest, and in one batch used cranberries, and in the other, currants.
Batch 1 - flour, risers (leavening agents), fat, yogurt, a dash of water, and agave nectar, then oats, cranberries and orange zest.
Notes: Forgot the egg, added too much liquid.
Results: Results were interesting. The risers were critical to preventing this from being a total flop (literally) as were the cranberries and orange zest. The agave nectar seemed to evaporate, because it doesn't really taste sweet at all.
Batch 2 - flour, risers, fat, yogurt, cane sugar and agave nectar, egg, then oats, currants and orange zest, a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon.
Notes: Baked it for maybe a smidge too long so that the edges were a bit fried.
Results: The interesting thing about this was that it really didn't hold its shape as well as the first batch, even though the first batch had a lot more liquid. I blame the yogurt (in both batches) for adding more than enough liquid. But it was very tasty because of the orange zest and butter interaction, perhaps also because of the spices. I was a little surprised. The basic structure of flour, risers, fat and sugar was intact as in the first batch, and the fruit was normal tasting, but somehow the interaction of the fat and orange zest added an extra measure of tastiness.
Hmm, further scone testing to come.
I just baked two batches of scones. Here's one way to think about the parts to a scone:
Structure
Most scone recipes require about 1.75-2 cups; I used whole wheat flour. Flour provides the gluten in baked goods. I think of gluten as being like the skeleton on which the rest of the scone hangs. It also makes the skin, because it's elastic and stretches to accommodate things like fat, air, and fruit.
Leavening agents are baking soda and baking powder. Baking soda requires an acidic liquid to interact with it in order to make air bubbles. Baking powder does not require an acidic liquid. Remember experimenting with baking powder in elementary school science class? We had to make a volcano using baking powder. Brilliant exercise for hyper kids.
Volumizing flavor
Fat is tasty. Most scone recipes direct you to cut in solid butter. You cut it in because you want to intersperse it well, but you don't use melted butter, because that would risk de-activating the leavening agents. Fat also helps to bulk up the structure, adding heft and substance as well as tenderness to the structure. The other place where fat and substance comes in is through your reactive liquid moistening agent in the form of milk, buttermilk, or plain yogurt. Buttermilk and yogurt are acidic and if you use baking soda (which is basic), you would have to use one or the other to create your carbon dioxide bubbles in the flour. Powder and milk are fine together because baking powder is neutral.
Glue and texturizer
Making it all stick together is egg. It turns out egg isn't absolutely necessary for scones, but it does hold everything together and changes the texture a bit. It may make a difference if you beat the egg before adding it, or if you don't. I'm not sure at all. Guess which one I did? (Hint: lazy)
Taste, decoration and interest
Sugar is nice. It really is. And if you use agave nectar, be forewarned, you need a good amount. I also added a smattering of oats, some orange zest, and in one batch used cranberries, and in the other, currants.
Batch 1 - flour, risers (leavening agents), fat, yogurt, a dash of water, and agave nectar, then oats, cranberries and orange zest.
Notes: Forgot the egg, added too much liquid.
Results: Results were interesting. The risers were critical to preventing this from being a total flop (literally) as were the cranberries and orange zest. The agave nectar seemed to evaporate, because it doesn't really taste sweet at all.
Batch 2 - flour, risers, fat, yogurt, cane sugar and agave nectar, egg, then oats, currants and orange zest, a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon.
Notes: Baked it for maybe a smidge too long so that the edges were a bit fried.
Results: The interesting thing about this was that it really didn't hold its shape as well as the first batch, even though the first batch had a lot more liquid. I blame the yogurt (in both batches) for adding more than enough liquid. But it was very tasty because of the orange zest and butter interaction, perhaps also because of the spices. I was a little surprised. The basic structure of flour, risers, fat and sugar was intact as in the first batch, and the fruit was normal tasting, but somehow the interaction of the fat and orange zest added an extra measure of tastiness.
Hmm, further scone testing to come.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
This will tell you how old I am not.
I was a little shocked to find that two of President Obama's speechwriters are 27 and 31 years old, respectively.
Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications, is 31, or perhaps just turned 32. He celebrated a birthday on AirForceOne very recently. On the White House's LinkedIn page, Ben Rhodes has a little video where he talks about going to China on AirForce One. I first clicked on the video (might not be able to get into it without a LinkedIn account) thinking that the image of the very young looking man was something else, but no, it was Ben Rhodes, looking and sounding quite young - to me.
My over-achiever complex kicks in, right around the gut. This ingrained desire to achieve thing is crazy making. Obviously, relatively very few people, of any age, can get onto a flight with the President, but when one begins to feel the overachiever complex start up with a direct age comparison, well...it calls into question a few things.
The first reaction is, "I'm behind!" and "I'm not achieving enough." This is an immediate and direct comparison borne of years and years of being taught competitiveness. Let's call this part of self Miss Stress Monkey.
The second reaction then is "What am I doing wrong?" Stress Monkey has called in Eeyore, the lamenter, depression-addict. We have worked hard at knowing when Eeyore starts pulling, and knowing that going anyplace with Eeyore SUCKS, and since we don't have any desire to go down with Eeyore, we call in -
Miss Realistic: "His background and mine are completely different."
"What other way could I be achieving something equivalent, or at least something just plain satisfying within the context of my background?" The Planner/Strategizer.
"Wait. Stop. Craziness. Everyone is on their own path for a reason. Everyone's path has to be unique. Ben Rhodes probably didn't perform Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto with an orchestra at age 17. " (OK, so little Miss Competitive gets her jab in.) This is the Voice of Reason, sometimes known as the Wise Woman. Breaking into the downward spiral of anxiety and self-criticism, the V.o.R. makes it clear that we have our own set of circumstances, a very specific life with our own senses creating our very own set of sensory input, and creating our very own specific set of emotions. Ben Rhodes has very little to do with my being in the here and now. Instead, I have everything to do with what is happening inside my head right now. I can choose.
"What are my goals?" Reintegrate all the parts and refocus. "However I ended up on my path, at least I'm not in the Sarah Palin camp." Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
That really puts it into perspective - Ben Rhodes, wunderkind, versus Sarah Palin, representative of blight on the collective American psyche. This brings up other questions (the value of the achievements of a 31-year old speechwriter versus those of a mid-40s celebrity figure), but suffice to say, the above internal interaction is a decent method for dealing with the unpleasant feelings of jealousy and anxiety that the overachiever complex always brings forward.
End self therapy session today. whew.
Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications, is 31, or perhaps just turned 32. He celebrated a birthday on AirForceOne very recently. On the White House's LinkedIn page, Ben Rhodes has a little video where he talks about going to China on AirForce One. I first clicked on the video (might not be able to get into it without a LinkedIn account) thinking that the image of the very young looking man was something else, but no, it was Ben Rhodes, looking and sounding quite young - to me.
My over-achiever complex kicks in, right around the gut. This ingrained desire to achieve thing is crazy making. Obviously, relatively very few people, of any age, can get onto a flight with the President, but when one begins to feel the overachiever complex start up with a direct age comparison, well...it calls into question a few things.
The first reaction is, "I'm behind!" and "I'm not achieving enough." This is an immediate and direct comparison borne of years and years of being taught competitiveness. Let's call this part of self Miss Stress Monkey.
The second reaction then is "What am I doing wrong?" Stress Monkey has called in Eeyore, the lamenter, depression-addict. We have worked hard at knowing when Eeyore starts pulling, and knowing that going anyplace with Eeyore SUCKS, and since we don't have any desire to go down with Eeyore, we call in -
Miss Realistic: "His background and mine are completely different."
"What other way could I be achieving something equivalent, or at least something just plain satisfying within the context of my background?" The Planner/Strategizer.
"Wait. Stop. Craziness. Everyone is on their own path for a reason. Everyone's path has to be unique. Ben Rhodes probably didn't perform Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto with an orchestra at age 17. " (OK, so little Miss Competitive gets her jab in.) This is the Voice of Reason, sometimes known as the Wise Woman. Breaking into the downward spiral of anxiety and self-criticism, the V.o.R. makes it clear that we have our own set of circumstances, a very specific life with our own senses creating our very own set of sensory input, and creating our very own specific set of emotions. Ben Rhodes has very little to do with my being in the here and now. Instead, I have everything to do with what is happening inside my head right now. I can choose.
"What are my goals?" Reintegrate all the parts and refocus. "However I ended up on my path, at least I'm not in the Sarah Palin camp." Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
That really puts it into perspective - Ben Rhodes, wunderkind, versus Sarah Palin, representative of blight on the collective American psyche. This brings up other questions (the value of the achievements of a 31-year old speechwriter versus those of a mid-40s celebrity figure), but suffice to say, the above internal interaction is a decent method for dealing with the unpleasant feelings of jealousy and anxiety that the overachiever complex always brings forward.
End self therapy session today. whew.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Oh my WORD.
Just ventured into the world of ebooks, a little toe in the water, as it were...and I've got serious sensory overload going on at the moment.
Problem: There are a million ways to get your daily allotment of reading in, and there's seriously too much information out there.
Solution 1: Get very specific about goals and what you really want, then go after that information.
Solution 2: Set up arbitrary rules that guide your reading. Like ignore anything that doesn't have a good graphical interface or have good graphic design quality.
Solution 3: Stick with a favorite format - paper, no plastic.
Solution 4: Stop reading, start taking psychedelic drugs, and bliss out.
Problem: There are a million ways to get your daily allotment of reading in, and there's seriously too much information out there.
Solution 1: Get very specific about goals and what you really want, then go after that information.
Solution 2: Set up arbitrary rules that guide your reading. Like ignore anything that doesn't have a good graphical interface or have good graphic design quality.
Solution 3: Stick with a favorite format - paper, no plastic.
Solution 4: Stop reading, start taking psychedelic drugs, and bliss out.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
IDEA: An electronic Notebook, with pages.
A computer (tablet PC, netbook type thing, Kindle type device) that is actually like a notebook?
Something you can flip through the pages, and the pages are not unlike a scrapbook, except you can organize the files, bookmarked webpages, excel sheets, word docs, pdfs, sticky notes, calendar, etc. by date, subject, alphabetically, category...
The Kindle is probably the closest thing to this, but can it go farther? And it might as well have a phone on it and a USB connection for freak's sake.
How do you organize all your myriad ideas?
Something you can flip through the pages, and the pages are not unlike a scrapbook, except you can organize the files, bookmarked webpages, excel sheets, word docs, pdfs, sticky notes, calendar, etc. by date, subject, alphabetically, category...
The Kindle is probably the closest thing to this, but can it go farther? And it might as well have a phone on it and a USB connection for freak's sake.
How do you organize all your myriad ideas?
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Detroit?
One of the things I get off on is new, wacky ideas. I'm terribly intrigued by them, and I like spinning off my own ideas from them. That said, I'm good at the ideas, not great with the implementation. But hey, I started this blog thing, that's a step in the general direction...right?
Anyway, Detroit. I came across a couple of articles that made my creative, idea-hungry brain go "OVERLOAD! OVERLOAD!" In a nutshell, Detroit is reverting back to grass and brush. It's the "incredible shrinking city" and for the right people, it's the land of opportunity. It is SO COOL the things that one could do there...a 2-story beehive? Selling raccoon carcasses for $12 a piece? OK, that's not cool, it's kind of gross, but apparently, there is a protein shortage in that city. (shakes her head in bewildered disbelief)
One of the things that caught my attention on this was the move towards anarchy in this city, or at the very least, a real laissez-faire approach to regulation. Calling all true Republicans! Here's your chance to prove less government is better! Rebuild this city into a true capitalist meritocracy, then prove your point to the nation. Just don't take any taxpayer dollars to do it. And don't mow over any disadvantaged minorities.
Here are a couple articles:
http://www.newgeography.com/content/001171-detroit-urban-laboratory-and-new-american-frontier - awesome photos.
http://www.guernicamag.com/spotlight/1182/food_among_the_ruins/ - the case for farming the city.
http://www.urbanophile.com/what-i-believe/ - the blog of the guy who wrote the New Geography piece.
This is beginning to remind me why architecture can be cool.
Anyway, Detroit. I came across a couple of articles that made my creative, idea-hungry brain go "OVERLOAD! OVERLOAD!" In a nutshell, Detroit is reverting back to grass and brush. It's the "incredible shrinking city" and for the right people, it's the land of opportunity. It is SO COOL the things that one could do there...a 2-story beehive? Selling raccoon carcasses for $12 a piece? OK, that's not cool, it's kind of gross, but apparently, there is a protein shortage in that city. (shakes her head in bewildered disbelief)
One of the things that caught my attention on this was the move towards anarchy in this city, or at the very least, a real laissez-faire approach to regulation. Calling all true Republicans! Here's your chance to prove less government is better! Rebuild this city into a true capitalist meritocracy, then prove your point to the nation. Just don't take any taxpayer dollars to do it. And don't mow over any disadvantaged minorities.
Here are a couple articles:
http://www.newgeography.com/content/001171-detroit-urban-laboratory-and-new-american-frontier - awesome photos.
http://www.guernicamag.com/spotlight/1182/food_among_the_ruins/ - the case for farming the city.
http://www.urbanophile.com/what-i-believe/ - the blog of the guy who wrote the New Geography piece.
This is beginning to remind me why architecture can be cool.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Good friends
Sometimes I'm surprised at what quality people some of my friends are. It's not that I don't think they all have great qualities, but sometimes they come out and surprise me with something really good, and it feels like someone just gave me a totally cool present.
I just got a call today from one K. and she made a lot of unsolicited, but incredibly insightful comments about me and my current situation. It helps that she worked at my old firm and has been in similar positions as I have in the past, but we don't talk super often. In fact, we probably talk at the most, once a month. Her comments just spun my head around a bit, but in a good way, so I'm off now to think about them, but I note here that of all the things to thank the universe for tonight, it's friendship.
May we all have great ones.
I just got a call today from one K. and she made a lot of unsolicited, but incredibly insightful comments about me and my current situation. It helps that she worked at my old firm and has been in similar positions as I have in the past, but we don't talk super often. In fact, we probably talk at the most, once a month. Her comments just spun my head around a bit, but in a good way, so I'm off now to think about them, but I note here that of all the things to thank the universe for tonight, it's friendship.
May we all have great ones.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
The Trail of Tears
Sometimes, I feel that wanting something different, happier, and better in life is a betrayal of the people before me and around me who have walked and are walking the Trail of Tears. These are people who have suffered, who are suffering to survive, people who have not been privileged, don't have the things, talents, opportunities I have had. People like my parents. It is a kind of survivor's guilt.
When I refused the job offer (see earlier post), I freaked out afterwards in part because I felt - who am I to refuse to walk the trail of tears? Who am to want something different than working at work I don't love, leading a life I don't want to lead? Indeed.
To me, the Trail of tears is a dark, sad way. Slick, dark tears line the path, the grey mist of fear and resignation shadows the air. The trudgers - greyish, haggard people shouldering dark, bulky burdens - trudge down this path, bent over, hushed, staying in line lest they slip off the path into worse pain, worse drudgery, or certain slow, agonizing death.
This is a life of constraints, being boxed in, not freedom, not expressing, not daring to voice anything too loudly, lest the Trail of Tears overlords hear you and bring swift retribution. Have a pain? Lonely? Depressed? Stone in your shoe? Suck it up, shut up, ignore it. March onwards, mind your step.
The worst of it is when those who are committed to walking the trail of tears hear that you want to leave it, they say "What is wrong with our way? How do you think you're going to ever get off? And by the way, it brought you here, has brought you this far. You should be grateful, and you should continue to walk with us. March on, and mind your step."
What is this madness? I live in the twenty-first century Western world. For all its tragedies and sorrows, walking along the Trail of Tears is not a foregone conclusion. If you ask me to stay on the Trail of Tears, where do you want me to put my hope? Who are you to say that my dreams are not valid, not viable, unworthy?
Choking bitter ashy cynicism. Nauseated and retching, tired of battling the pressing mass of trudgers, I dream.
What about a world of light and color? A world where joy and happiness are real, here and now, not just shimmers and phantoms of light in the swirling, choking mists of tears. If you can't see it ahead of you, why must you shut out the vision in front of my eyes?
****
That dreamworld isn't a fairy tale land. I'm not talking rainbows, unicorns, and and pixie dust - although, truly, such things have their place. I think all I'm asking for is a little support and respect for having a different vision, coming out of a different point of view. In my case, extra encouragment is needed. This is the tipping point between having my own personal well of fortitude and having helping hands pull up the bucket from the well. I think, too, this is the point where so many people get lost. You're not bad off enough to call in the troops, but not well enough to make it up on your own. And so, you don't quite fall all the way down, but instead, wind up finding your feet stuck on the Trail of Tears. Trudging.
Hence the need for good friends, positive attitudes, the kindess of strangers, the benefit of the doubt, the cutting of some slack, faith, grace, and miracles.
When I refused the job offer (see earlier post), I freaked out afterwards in part because I felt - who am I to refuse to walk the trail of tears? Who am to want something different than working at work I don't love, leading a life I don't want to lead? Indeed.
To me, the Trail of tears is a dark, sad way. Slick, dark tears line the path, the grey mist of fear and resignation shadows the air. The trudgers - greyish, haggard people shouldering dark, bulky burdens - trudge down this path, bent over, hushed, staying in line lest they slip off the path into worse pain, worse drudgery, or certain slow, agonizing death.
This is a life of constraints, being boxed in, not freedom, not expressing, not daring to voice anything too loudly, lest the Trail of Tears overlords hear you and bring swift retribution. Have a pain? Lonely? Depressed? Stone in your shoe? Suck it up, shut up, ignore it. March onwards, mind your step.
The worst of it is when those who are committed to walking the trail of tears hear that you want to leave it, they say "What is wrong with our way? How do you think you're going to ever get off? And by the way, it brought you here, has brought you this far. You should be grateful, and you should continue to walk with us. March on, and mind your step."
What is this madness? I live in the twenty-first century Western world. For all its tragedies and sorrows, walking along the Trail of Tears is not a foregone conclusion. If you ask me to stay on the Trail of Tears, where do you want me to put my hope? Who are you to say that my dreams are not valid, not viable, unworthy?
Choking bitter ashy cynicism. Nauseated and retching, tired of battling the pressing mass of trudgers, I dream.
What about a world of light and color? A world where joy and happiness are real, here and now, not just shimmers and phantoms of light in the swirling, choking mists of tears. If you can't see it ahead of you, why must you shut out the vision in front of my eyes?
****
That dreamworld isn't a fairy tale land. I'm not talking rainbows, unicorns, and and pixie dust - although, truly, such things have their place. I think all I'm asking for is a little support and respect for having a different vision, coming out of a different point of view. In my case, extra encouragment is needed. This is the tipping point between having my own personal well of fortitude and having helping hands pull up the bucket from the well. I think, too, this is the point where so many people get lost. You're not bad off enough to call in the troops, but not well enough to make it up on your own. And so, you don't quite fall all the way down, but instead, wind up finding your feet stuck on the Trail of Tears. Trudging.
Hence the need for good friends, positive attitudes, the kindess of strangers, the benefit of the doubt, the cutting of some slack, faith, grace, and miracles.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Creative people are funny.
"Put your left hand on the table. Put your right hand in the air. If you stay that way long enough, you'll get a plot," Margaret Atwood says when asked where her ideas come from. When questioned about whether she's ever used that approach, she adds, "No, I don't have to."
WSJ article.
WSJ article.
IDEA: Listen up Lowe's or Home Depot.
You walk in the store. There are sparrows dive bombing right above the second shelf of lawn mowers. The fluorescent lights are sharp and if I were a migraine sufferer, I'd feel one coming on.
When you go into these warehouses-turned-into-a-retail-store (just barely), it's almost always a disorienting experience. Why does it have to be this way?
Why can I not get onto the store's website, locate the items I need for my little Home Renovation project, select those items and print them out in a handy little shopping list with the locations of each of those items? Ordered numerically by row and bin? Hello?! Anyone at the Way Too Big Box Store paying attention to the IKEA model?
Could it be that difficult? Could it be so hard to set up a system that gives customers the inventory at their fingertips, makes for an efficient and non-frustrating shopping experience, and oh by the way, this is cool, they really do help me improve my life, and therefore, I no longer reluctantly pull myself into the store?
And a map - for gosh sake's. How about a map of the store really close to the entrance???
By the way, forget about the salespeople helping you find stuff. They are hit or miss. Usually miss.
When you go into these warehouses-turned-into-a-retail-store (just barely), it's almost always a disorienting experience. Why does it have to be this way?
Why can I not get onto the store's website, locate the items I need for my little Home Renovation project, select those items and print them out in a handy little shopping list with the locations of each of those items? Ordered numerically by row and bin? Hello?! Anyone at the Way Too Big Box Store paying attention to the IKEA model?
Could it be that difficult? Could it be so hard to set up a system that gives customers the inventory at their fingertips, makes for an efficient and non-frustrating shopping experience, and oh by the way, this is cool, they really do help me improve my life, and therefore, I no longer reluctantly pull myself into the store?
And a map - for gosh sake's. How about a map of the store really close to the entrance???
By the way, forget about the salespeople helping you find stuff. They are hit or miss. Usually miss.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Salary damage
Yale study: Starting career during recession can damage salary for decades
It is better to front-load.
In this Daily Finance column from 9/25/09, Lisa Kahn, assistant professor of economics at Yale SOM says that people starting their careers in a recession get behind on earnings over a period of up to 20 years compared with people starting their careers in boom times. This isn't really new information. Any time you start off with a smaller number, you limit the growth of your salary over time, which is why the standard advice is to negotiate your salary as high as possible from the very beginning. It's like thinking about compound interest and your nest egg. The more you start with (and the earlier you start), the more you get in the end, exponentially. (Then the question is - to what end?)
The fear factor.
She goes on to point out that fear in recessionary times makes people stay in their jobs longer than they normally would. The problem? "[People] change jobs less often, and when you are young you are supposed to change jobs more often," says Kahn. "You need to find the right fit for you, and that's often how people increase their salaries."
Oh the things I was not taught...
By the way, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics includes "people who are not working full time but would like to be" and the number of unemployed people in the US jumps to 16.8%. That starts to explain all the people in the grocery store at 11 am.
Take away.
The advice the professor gives for people trying to start a career in a recession:
It is better to front-load.
In this Daily Finance column from 9/25/09, Lisa Kahn, assistant professor of economics at Yale SOM says that people starting their careers in a recession get behind on earnings over a period of up to 20 years compared with people starting their careers in boom times. This isn't really new information. Any time you start off with a smaller number, you limit the growth of your salary over time, which is why the standard advice is to negotiate your salary as high as possible from the very beginning. It's like thinking about compound interest and your nest egg. The more you start with (and the earlier you start), the more you get in the end, exponentially. (Then the question is - to what end?)
The fear factor.
She goes on to point out that fear in recessionary times makes people stay in their jobs longer than they normally would. The problem? "[People] change jobs less often, and when you are young you are supposed to change jobs more often," says Kahn. "You need to find the right fit for you, and that's often how people increase their salaries."
Oh the things I was not taught...
By the way, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics includes "people who are not working full time but would like to be" and the number of unemployed people in the US jumps to 16.8%. That starts to explain all the people in the grocery store at 11 am.
Take away.
The advice the professor gives for people trying to start a career in a recession:
- go back to school if you can
- always be thinking "should I move on?"
- don't be afraid, don't settle for something that doesn't work for you.
- don't accept the status quo.
OK.
Unemployment + Death
Rising Unemployment Causes Higher Death Rates, New study by Yale Researcher Shows
This article is from May 2002, but I only found it recently while thinking about how to turn unemployment/finding a job into a game....more on that later.
This article is from May 2002, but I only found it recently while thinking about how to turn unemployment/finding a job into a game....more on that later.
Not going to go down the Trail of Tears.
I just turned down an offer of work. AUGH. The job is 2 hours away (which would mean commuting five hours a day or adding rent to my existing mortgage payment), and the job may or may not have lasted for longer than 3 months (uncertain economy). Those are decent reasons to second guess the offer, but the real reason which I can't say out loud is that I'm actually not that interested in being an architect at the moment.
AUGH.
I feel like (even though I know this is not the case) I shot myself in the foot. I have refused to take on work that will put me in a box. Not literally. I've been doing this work for five years, and overall, I have to admit, it hasn't been that much fun. Many a time, it has felt constrained and unpleasant, partially because of lack of autonomy, but also I suspect there is something inherent in the work or the people drawn to the work of architecture that calls for arrogance, masochism, and a good deal of b.s. wrapped in pretty paper. Why would I want to go back into that world? Granted, this job could be a little different, different people, different place, but really, the work would be the same.
The job called for someone who was motivated to be a go-getter. I can certainly imagine doing that, but only given the right stimuli. Doing a job I don't love would not be the right stimuli. Doing a job I don't love is getting into a box you can't stand in or sit comfortably in, and shutting the lid.
The real struggle now is between the camp that says "Suck it up, walk the trail of tears, suffer like the rest of us" versus the camp that says, "Why? Is my life only about suffering and paying bills? Just making do in a dull, colorless world?"
So many questions, so few answers. Life is a creative process. The least I have to do - and sometimes the best I can do - is show up, be present, do what I love.
Time to eat something.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
The inaugural post.
Ahhhh....
freedom!
free falling
open parachute
dive
hit the water
plunge
go deep
feel the weight
sink into my feet
and here we go
running!
This post was inspired by one of the best things humans have wrought through the internet, TED talks online. Today's inspirational talk - Elizabeth Gilbert's talk on genius. http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html
Many who have grappled with achieving and felt the pressure of continuing to achieve will likely get something from this.
"Just show up and do your job."
Achievement, or in Gilbert's case, genius, will arrive on its own. Large, monolithic, bigger-than-you achievement isn't your job to produce. Your job is to show up and do what you love to do, and if something more wants to show up, it will.
freedom!
free falling
open parachute
dive
hit the water
plunge
go deep
feel the weight
sink into my feet
and here we go
running!
This post was inspired by one of the best things humans have wrought through the internet, TED talks online. Today's inspirational talk - Elizabeth Gilbert's talk on genius. http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html
Many who have grappled with achieving and felt the pressure of continuing to achieve will likely get something from this.
"Just show up and do your job."
Achievement, or in Gilbert's case, genius, will arrive on its own. Large, monolithic, bigger-than-you achievement isn't your job to produce. Your job is to show up and do what you love to do, and if something more wants to show up, it will.
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