Leash the Dog!

I know there are a lot of big time dog lovers out there. I know I'm not one of them.

Also know there's a chance I'll get you upset.

So be it.

I'm a runner.

I have a hard time understanding dog owners who don't leash their dogs in the park (when required to do so) and when those dogs are prone to bark or chase runners. I guess the law doesn't really apply to you, does it?

It's even worse when I have a kid (or two) with me in the jogging stroller.

If your dog is completely passive, then, I guess it's not the worst thing, even though you still consider yourself above the law, right?

Anyway, it irritates the hell out of me and I've gotten to the point where I'll say, "shouldn't the dog be on a leash?"

Responses vary, as you would expect.

Of course, I do go out of my way to say "thank you for leashing the dog," when appropriate.

Rant over.

Only Hillary Can Unite America...

It's not often that my wonderful liberal friends agree with Op-Ed's from the WSJ, but Peggy Noonan's piece today about Hillary Clinton is an exception.

What's interesting, and this came out in my chat with Tjada a few weeks ago, is that there are many Democrats who are getting fed up with Clinton behavior/style-something Reps talked about 16 years ago.

Regardless, in a twist on the "my enemy's enemy is my friend" concept, we now have Obama supporters, disenchanted Clintonians (Clintonites?) and Republicans all in agreement about one thing...

Nobody likes the Clinton modus operandus.

Obama may preach a desire to bring the country together, but Hillary is delivering on the promise ;-)

Online Event RSVP nightmare...

I am SO unimpressed with Evite.com it's not even funny.

Last week, I sent out an invite to folks with a link to the event on Facebook.

Straightforward and easy.

However, I got a lot of responses from folks saying "I don't do Facebook."

Ugh.

OK, I needed some way to track attendance, so we know how much food to order.

So, I decide...ok, Evite.

Try it out and dillignetly enter the 400 or so email address (not one by one, but still).

I click "send."

Nothing.

I click it again. Nothing.

Now, I know enough to know that something could be happening, but I don't see anything happening.

Finally, after what seems like forever, I get a message saying "your invite has been sent."

I look at the invite list and everyone is in their 2 (or 3 times). Just ridiculous!!

So, I go through and delete the duplicates...I'm irritated at this point at how long things have taken.

When I'm done, I see that NONE of invites are there...back to square one.

Meanwhile, I get email from folks saying "I've gotten 3 invitations from you."

I can't win!! :-)

If I were on the other end of the multiple invites, I'd probably skip the party just because I was so annoyed with the idiot who couldn't use eVite properly!

The Culture of Tipping

This post will probably be as popular as the ones on gift cards and was motivated by this Op-Ed from the WSJ.

Bottom line: I don't get the culture of tipping.

Perhaps it is my overly economic-based view of the world, but I guess I feel like there is a price for a good or service, you agree to pay that amount and you get the good or service in return.

That's it.

Why do you need to give "something" on top of it?

And, if a tip is only for truly spectacular service, why don't we hold off when the service isn't so good or really lousy?

The Op-Ed summarized it well.

Fear of the Unknown...

Interesting how many women have written back to me and said "I don't want to read your 'liveblogging' of the birth of Nitzahn because I hope to give birth one day..."

And, here's a HILARIOUS site for you Obama folks (and you non-ones as well)

Random Comments from Labor and Delivery room...

Why I'm predicting girl.

Ok, healthy baby is most critical, but here's why girl would be neat.

The NFO (my spouse, aka Nameless/Faceless One) has 6 siblings. Four of them are married. All four of those have at least 3 children.

What's incredible to my mathematical mind is that NONE of the sequences of children repeat.

For example (if x= girl and y=boy)

Sibling 1 has X Y Y Y

Sibling 2 has Y Y X X

Sibling 3 has Y Y Y

Sibling 4 has X X Y

We are X Y

 

By my calculations, there is a 1/8 chance of a sequence repeating, so it's pretty neat that the odds have played out. Of course, if we have a boy, our sequence will repeat with that of Sibling 1. Hence, why a girl would be cool.

Regardless, healthy baby, but let's have a little fun (and, if it's a boy, yes, I'll still love him as much.)

Other random thoughts....

 

I'm finishing up our taxes.

Why is figuring out cost basis so difficult?

I'm tired. It's 11:30 pm.

Why can't kids be born in the middle of the day?

Wireless connectivity rocks.

Using my laptop to bluetooth to my phone to connect to Net. Sweet.

Bedrest Fatigue...

Those of you with kids can relate....in the morning, when you hear the 6am wake-up call, there's no better feeling than rolling over to your spouse and saying,

"you know, I got up with the kids yesterday."

and then, peacefully and with a clear conscience, going back to sleep.

But, when your spouse is on bedrest, you don't get any days off.

I'm not going to suggest that it's more difficult for me than the NFO, it's not. However, that doesn't change the fact that I am pretty tired of this.

I've done more laundry, dishes, cleaning up, carpools, in the past 3 weeks than in the previous 3 months. Ok, slight exaggeration, but the lack of a break in the grind is, like erosion, starting to wear me down.

It's like running a marathon...got to keep going...only thing is, I don't know the mile marker.

Truism of the day...

On Russ Robert's podcast:

Everyone wants growth, but nobody wants change.

Do You Ever Work?

Saw a friend of ours today at the Hannukah concert for Tonka.

He's a physician and on call at nights this week.

He saw me at CVS on Monday as well.

"Dude, do you ever work?" he asked.

Which reminded me, again, of how unique my position is for some people.

"Sure, but my work is practically place and sometimes, time, independent.

I work at 9.30pm. I work on Sat. nights if I want to."

I pulled out my T-mobile Dash.

"And I am working now."

In the Man Cave, I am as connected to the outside world and my colleagues as anyone in an office.

• 2 phone lines [one for $40/year] (and a cell)
• 3 instant messenger clients
• 6 different email accounts
• Facebook
• My 2 blogs
• and with the new camera, I've done more and more videoconferencing.

Yesterday, I hosted a webcast with 80 people, all while I was on camera.

It's a whole new, globatlized, flat, knowledge, connected economy.

Because I can...

Independence and freedom are tough things.

Over the past few weeks, I've chatted with people born in the Soviet Union who chatted with longing and nostalgia about how "life was easier then."

Fewer decisions, less responsibility. Fewer choices, less anxiety.

In evolving from a dependent child to an independent man (?) to an interdependent spouse/father (or at least on the way), I've had to adjust how I manage my time.

I still have a long way to go.

Just because no one is going to make me go to bed at a certain time, doesn't mean I shouldn't.

Just because I can take whatever I want from the fridge, doesn't mean I should.

It's an interesting psychology. I still have a trace of thrill in doing certain things "because I can."

Difficult to explain. Maybe still a bit juvenile? :-)

But the challenge is to stop it.

I may stay up to 2am watching Casino Royale, but I also have to get up at 6 or 7 w/Paco and Tonka.

That model doesn't work long-term.

"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose."

Internet Soul Sister...

There are very few out there in Internet world who see the possibilities of technology in exactly the same vein as I do.

Jamie Rubin is one of them.

As my sister, Dina, says, "She's the West Coast version of you."

She's on [see her profile] Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Del.icio.us, and everything else in between and what's more, she REALLY gets it (and she has a killer business card to prove it)

Had the privilege of dining with her on Wed. night for Rosh Hashana. We hadn't seen each other in 6 years or more, but between all of the social networking sites that we use, we felt like we were completely up to date with each other (in fact, probably more so than with some of the folks we see on a daily basis). She's a vindication, in my mind, of the power/potential of this era.

As she said so eloquently,

"some people don't see what I am excited about. I just think this is the
greatest time to be alive."

Sharing Your Photos...

I'm as big a fan as the next guy of sharing your family/vacation photos with your friends.

But, remember please, that just because it is easy for you to upload all 150 pictures to a website, doesn't mean that it's easy for us to VIEW all of them.

My suggestions for making people actually look at the pictures you put online (that is the point, right?)

1. EDIT-there's no reason why I need to see 8 pictures of the same horse with your kid. 1 gives me the flavor. Now, move on.
   
2. Avoid meaningless pictures--your best friend from high school in a bar? Nice, but I don't know him and it has no meaning for me. Make them something that shows you, your family, or something I wouldn't see otherwise.
   
3. Keep it brief-how about 20 that tell the entire story? That's about enough.
   
4. Don't make me sign in--I don't want to visit a site with a password (or have to create another username/password). If I can't just access it, there's a lot less chance I'll view them.

Harsh? Maybe. But, my hunch is I am writing what others think. So, if you want us to share in your experience (and we do), make it very consumable.

Faces...

Ever notice that there are some people with inherently bright faces and some with inherently dim faces?

You can just tell by their faces what type of personality they have?

I don't know if, as a parent, it is possible to help your child develop a 'bright' face or not, but I know how I respond to dim and bright faces.

Dim faces bring me down. They don't seem like they are loving life. They are not fun to be around.

Bright faces light you up. They engage you. They are animated.

There's a saying that only 7% of communication is verbal.

Body language, dress, appearance, environment all make a difference.

I bet if you have a bright or dim face makes a big one as well.

As for me, I'm starting to consciously move the dim faces out of my life.

Philadelphia and Freedom....

Travel to Sesame Place requires going through Philadelphia (for us, at least).

As it turns out, I began watching the latest (and hopefully last!) installment of the Rocky Series, Rocky Balboa. I'm not done yet and part of me feels like I am watching it out of a sense of obligation more than true interest.

Anyway, as you know, Rocky is a Philadelphia hero, so it was a nice convergence of events when I saw the skyline of Philly in the movie and then drove by it yesterday.

As I did, I thought about July 4th and the Liberty Bell.

America is 231 years old. That's impressive.

When I lived in Europe, many Europeans were fond of saying how "young" America is compared to their countries. In some respects, true, but in others, not.

How many systems of government have we had during that time? 1.

Compare that to most European countries and it's a joke. France is on what? the Fifth Republic?

There's a lot of things that we can do much better here, but take a step back and appreciate what we've got. There are plenty of reasons for

loving our country.

Comments on the day of rest...

I owe Tom some thoughts on his beautiful, spiritual insights.

Actually, I don't think there is much to add. ONe of the best books I've read, and one that had the most profound impact on me vis a vis a true day of rest, was A. J. Heschel's book, The Sabbath.

I think Tom hit the nail on the head.

Having the discipline to remove yourself from the day to day obligations is not limiting, it's liberating. When you look from a distance at the restrictions of what cannot be done by an observant Jew on the Sabbath, it seems overwhelming, but, like any pursuit which requires discipline...and to some extent...self-denial, there is a freedom and a reward inherent in it.

The quality family time, the regenerative physical aspects, the "quiet" zone away from the noise of TV, radio, phone, and email.

It may seem strange and foreign...but now that I have it, I can't live without it. Nor do I want to.

I am glad that Tom had an experience through which he had a glimpse of my world. And I thank him for sharing.

Mailing lists...

I sent out an email about Hamas using a Mickey Mouse character to teach kids that terrorism is acceptable to my "Jewish Issues" list. 

Mike Drobnis wrote in asking: "so what other lists do you have?"

Here is the answer.

• Japan Issues
• Germany Issues
• Technology
• Jewish Issues
• JDS (my high school)
• JHU (college)
• Friends of Jer979

You can subscribe to any/all/none of them.

(I have placed you--if you are in my Outlook folder) in the ones I think are relevant (when you get an email from me on that list, you are asked to opt-out if you don't want it).

Comcast-Victory!!

Thanks to Stewart's swift kick in the rear, I got back on the phone with Comcast to resume my Negotiation Efforts.  It took a while as I had to make my point more than a few times that I did not want more channels and I did not want to pay more than $40/month.

Three of my favorite lines (that I used :-), were

"if you tell me that you have to hold the line at $60/month and no matter how high we go, even up to Brian Roberts (CEO), then that's fine, I just want to know that."

And in response to the offer of "more channels at the $60/month rate, including Sprout and other kids stuff."

"Do you have kids?

No.

Let me tell you then that you can show a kid the same episode of Dora the Explorer every day for 2 weeks and you won't get a complaint. The extra channels don't do it for me."

And when the rep said, "we're giving you a package that's worth $100 for only $60."

"Actually, it's not worth $100, because I am telling you that if you give me a million channels, it's not worth more than $40. If the customer says it's not worth $100, then it's not worth $100 and I am telling you that saving the $20 per month is more important to me so I can buy groceries than having more channels."

Look, if I can get the same channels from Verizon for $42/month as I can from you for $60, why wouldn't I do that? You would.

And then he did the "let me put you on hold and see what I can do...."

Bottom line: 2 free months (for my troubles in trying to get a response) and a year at $40/month plus free digital upgrade package (which I don't even care about) to boot.

Intrusive, Unwanted, and Unappreciated Interruptions...

I just got a phone call and when I picked it up, the automated voice said

"We're sorry. This message was intended only for an answering machine. Goodbye."

Are you kidding me?

I did a *69 to call the number back: 866 849 3243

I then managed, I think, to unsubscribe from their phone list.

Next, I searched for the company just putting the phone number in...and found them.

Some hired gun telemarketing agency called Xpedite that obviously doesn't give a damn about my time or respect it.

I just wish I knew on whose behalf they were calling.

Old school marketing...spam everyone...a few people will say yes, who cares about the others...

That approach will come back to hurt you in the long run. 

Respect your customers' and prospects' time....please.

From Diapers to Diapers...

I had to explain to Calanit this morning that, given our timecrunch, there was no way she was able to walk to our destination so that we'd make it in time.

She didn't like that and said, "I can walk as fast as you."

"No, you can't, but one day, you will be able to."

Then I realized that one day, not only will she walk as fast, she'll walk faster.

One day (hopefully), this will be the person who cares for me in many of the same ways that I care for her.

This lifecycle thing is humbling, very humbling. Reminds me of the Riddle of the Sphinx.

You start off in diapers...and in many cases, that's where you end up.

It's just a different set of people who are helping you.

Law of Unintended Consequences...

Here's an interesting factoid from Greg Mankiw's blog about Black Students in the Ivy League.

Apparently, the goal of getting Black students into Harvard has done that, but it's getting recent Black immigrants into the school, not Black students born in America.

So there are African-Americans, but they are coming from Africa.

Just an interesting analysis.