During WWII, the Flying Tigers were a group of US airmen stationed in India and SW China who were responsible for bombing the Japanese out of mainland China. My grandfather was a bombardier in that group.
Twice now, I've met immigrants from mainland China who, after learning that my grandfather was a Flying Tiger, reached over to me, vigorously and earnestly shook my hand, and said, multiple times, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
What a show of gratitude. What a contrast to the way we are viewed by the Europeans or the South Koreans.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Core Competency
We hear the term “core competency” thrown around a lot. I think about what my personal core competency should be so as to maximize my value to others over the long haul.
Exactly how to do that? Maybe next entry.
Monday, April 18, 2005
I know she's young, but I've started to think about the balance between my goals and dreams for Calanit and the fact that, when all's said and done, she's got to live her own life.
I've been reading some articles recently about the pending knowledge worker battle that is happening between folks in the Western world and folks in China, India, Russia. The basic theory is that the West is getting soft on math and science. I was thinking how I'd love the Pooka to develop strengths in those areas so she can ultimately compete in the tougher job market that is invariably coming.
Of course, I know she's going to do what she's passionate about (as she should) and live her own life, but then again, I can be a positive force for her in giving her some wisdom/perspective, without making her feel like she's suffocating, right?
I've been reading some articles recently about the pending knowledge worker battle that is happening between folks in the Western world and folks in China, India, Russia. The basic theory is that the West is getting soft on math and science. I was thinking how I'd love the Pooka to develop strengths in those areas so she can ultimately compete in the tougher job market that is invariably coming.
Of course, I know she's going to do what she's passionate about (as she should) and live her own life, but then again, I can be a positive force for her in giving her some wisdom/perspective, without making her feel like she's suffocating, right?
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Calanit and I explored a very large park that is basically in our backyard. We discovered a large lake and at that point, I took her out of the stroller to let her walk around a bit and stretch her legs. At one point, as I was taking pictures of her, with the lake in the background, I saw the sun glimmering off of water at just the right angle that I couldn't help but I think I was living in an Impressionist painting. I had the emotion at that moment that those artists, I think tried to convey.
As we saw the various flowers, trees, people, dogs, and more and I rejoiced at the excitement of Calanit seeing it all for the first time, I wondered if one of the roles that kids and grandkids play is to give adults a periodic "refresh" for how we look at the world.
It seems like it is so easy to get worn down by life, get jaded, and become withdrawn, but with kids, we have the option to get fully engaged, to enrich them, and in so doing, enrich ourselves and go through our own re-birth, if you will.
Kids know nothing, formally, about competition, but parents do. We ran into a 17 month old girl who had, by comparison, a very strong vocabulary. Calanit understands a ton, but really doesn't have more than a few words she says. Mostly she points and gets what she wants. It was all I could to hold back and remember, 'every kid is different and I'm sure that Calanit is doing fine," but still, for a moment, I felt the tinge of jealousy.
On the ride back, Calanit, as if motivated by the other kid, was really trying to 'find her voice.' I have an audio if you're interested, but it was as if she was a singer warming up before a show. Very cute.
A magical weekend, made even more so by my wonderful daughter.
As we saw the various flowers, trees, people, dogs, and more and I rejoiced at the excitement of Calanit seeing it all for the first time, I wondered if one of the roles that kids and grandkids play is to give adults a periodic "refresh" for how we look at the world.
It seems like it is so easy to get worn down by life, get jaded, and become withdrawn, but with kids, we have the option to get fully engaged, to enrich them, and in so doing, enrich ourselves and go through our own re-birth, if you will.
Kids know nothing, formally, about competition, but parents do. We ran into a 17 month old girl who had, by comparison, a very strong vocabulary. Calanit understands a ton, but really doesn't have more than a few words she says. Mostly she points and gets what she wants. It was all I could to hold back and remember, 'every kid is different and I'm sure that Calanit is doing fine," but still, for a moment, I felt the tinge of jealousy.
On the ride back, Calanit, as if motivated by the other kid, was really trying to 'find her voice.' I have an audio if you're interested, but it was as if she was a singer warming up before a show. Very cute.
A magical weekend, made even more so by my wonderful daughter.
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Life Travels
In my 20's, I was fortunate to travel to many countries around the world. I loved the thrill of a new culture and new experiences. I was confident that one of the best ways to broaden your perspective was through jaunts to faraway lands.
That may be true, but I've realized another one.
It's the travels into the depths of your soul that comes from watching your child grow; from the feelings that come about when you have quiet moments alone and there's just music playing in the background and you think about the future, but not your own, somebody else's. This journey into the land of perspective helps you empathize with others, want to make the world a better place, and to treat others with kindness.
I loved my days globetrotting, but now I'm soul-diving.
In my 20's, I was fortunate to travel to many countries around the world. I loved the thrill of a new culture and new experiences. I was confident that one of the best ways to broaden your perspective was through jaunts to faraway lands.
That may be true, but I've realized another one.
It's the travels into the depths of your soul that comes from watching your child grow; from the feelings that come about when you have quiet moments alone and there's just music playing in the background and you think about the future, but not your own, somebody else's. This journey into the land of perspective helps you empathize with others, want to make the world a better place, and to treat others with kindness.
I loved my days globetrotting, but now I'm soul-diving.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
It's difficult to quantify how painful it is to watch Calanit in so much pain. It's probably some equation like
Take the most emotionally challenging experience of my life...
and multiply it by about 10,000
I feel so bad for her. She's in pain, doesn't know what's going on with her or why we won't let her have some of her normal foods. She's on the mend since Monday, but still not 100% and every few hours, has a bout of intestinal gas that causes her to writhe in pain.
It's all Tamar and I can do to just hold her...and cry for our inability to do anything to help her.
Take the most emotionally challenging experience of my life...
and multiply it by about 10,000
I feel so bad for her. She's in pain, doesn't know what's going on with her or why we won't let her have some of her normal foods. She's on the mend since Monday, but still not 100% and every few hours, has a bout of intestinal gas that causes her to writhe in pain.
It's all Tamar and I can do to just hold her...and cry for our inability to do anything to help her.
Monday, April 04, 2005
When we first had Calanit, someone told us that one of the most painful things you ever experience as a parent is when you have a sick child..."the whole world stops."
Well, we made it about 16.5 months before Calanit had any really serious sickness, but yesterday and today, she's had it bad. Throwing up, diarrhea, the whole nine yards and man, it is the worst. There's not much we can do for you and we just feel terrible. It's not that we don't think she'll overcome it, we're sure she will, it's just hat we hate to see her suffering.
It's really tough to watch and what's worse is, I know we'll have many more (and probably worse) of these.
Well, we made it about 16.5 months before Calanit had any really serious sickness, but yesterday and today, she's had it bad. Throwing up, diarrhea, the whole nine yards and man, it is the worst. There's not much we can do for you and we just feel terrible. It's not that we don't think she'll overcome it, we're sure she will, it's just hat we hate to see her suffering.
It's really tough to watch and what's worse is, I know we'll have many more (and probably worse) of these.
Saturday, April 02, 2005
The previous owner of our house was a mechanical (or electrical, I can't remember) engineer. It was clear that he did a pretty good job of upkeep around the house and probably knew every inch of it. He prided himself on doing a lot of the maintenance work himself.
Every time I do something manual or handy, I say "the spirit of Joel Cohen lives on."
Since we moved in, we've been installing the X-10 system (or I should say, it's been installed) which allows for remote control of the lights throughout the house. Most of the work was done by our contractor.
Two weeks ago, he installed the final light (the one which enables the outside lights to go on at dusk and off at dawn-automatically-throughout the year--it's calibrated to the latitude and longitude of the house), but in doing so, he made it impossible to turn on the dining room light.
Initially, I called him to repair it, but then I thought, "hey, if I'm the captain of this ship, I've got to know how to fix it all" (and this came on top of the fact that I'd spent many hours the week before up in the attic, repairing some insulation work). I shut off the electricity, opened up the switch, diagrammed it in color, made some hypotheses, tested, and eventually enabled all 4 lights that came together there, to work perfectly.
The spirit of Joel Cohen lives on....
Every time I do something manual or handy, I say "the spirit of Joel Cohen lives on."
Since we moved in, we've been installing the X-10 system (or I should say, it's been installed) which allows for remote control of the lights throughout the house. Most of the work was done by our contractor.
Two weeks ago, he installed the final light (the one which enables the outside lights to go on at dusk and off at dawn-automatically-throughout the year--it's calibrated to the latitude and longitude of the house), but in doing so, he made it impossible to turn on the dining room light.
Initially, I called him to repair it, but then I thought, "hey, if I'm the captain of this ship, I've got to know how to fix it all" (and this came on top of the fact that I'd spent many hours the week before up in the attic, repairing some insulation work). I shut off the electricity, opened up the switch, diagrammed it in color, made some hypotheses, tested, and eventually enabled all 4 lights that came together there, to work perfectly.
The spirit of Joel Cohen lives on....
Saturday, March 26, 2005
"Uncle John's Band" by the Grateful Dead contains some lyrics that have provided me comfort during times of transition.
It goes:
"Well, the first days are the hardest days, don't you worry any more. Cuz when life looks like easy street, there is danger at your door."
When I first arrived in Germany in September, 1995, I recited these words as I struggled to overcome the challenges of being in a foreign country, not knowing anybody, and not really speaking the language.
I've thought of these words once again recently as I've started to come to terms with the challenges, mostly financial, of homeownership. Can we really do it? All of the things that are coming down the road at us?
I think about the first days being the hardest, take a breath, and move on.
It goes:
"Well, the first days are the hardest days, don't you worry any more. Cuz when life looks like easy street, there is danger at your door."
When I first arrived in Germany in September, 1995, I recited these words as I struggled to overcome the challenges of being in a foreign country, not knowing anybody, and not really speaking the language.
I've thought of these words once again recently as I've started to come to terms with the challenges, mostly financial, of homeownership. Can we really do it? All of the things that are coming down the road at us?
I think about the first days being the hardest, take a breath, and move on.
Sunday, March 20, 2005
Speaking of TCO....
Maybe I've watched too many movies or fancy myself in a larger role than I am, but I am caught up with the analogy of house as a ship.
Whenever it came out, my dad, brother, and I saw the movie "Master and Commander" and as we've been getting this house into shape, I think of myself as the captain and the house as the vessel that carries my crew through uncharted waters (life) on our way to some distant land.
One of the things about captains (and perhaps it's a misconception) is that they need to know every nook and cranny of their ship. So too with the house.
After my ridiculously high heating bill, I hired a firm that specializes in energy efficiency assessments and after receiving the report back, have begun implementing many of the suggestions. The pride of ownership motivates me as does the idea of lowering TCO over the long haul and making the house more "seaworthy," but I've spent a nice portion of today placing R-30 fiberglass insulation into the joints of the house where the main structure sits on top of the foundation so that air doesn't come in and change the temperature of the house thus negatively impacting my energy bills.
I never would have thought of this before (was up in the attic last week and will be going back soon to finish a job up there), but I'm enjoying getting to know every inch of my ship. As Captain, I need to.
(We can debate later whether I'm really in charge or not, but allow me to live in my fantasy world).
Maybe I've watched too many movies or fancy myself in a larger role than I am, but I am caught up with the analogy of house as a ship.
Whenever it came out, my dad, brother, and I saw the movie "Master and Commander" and as we've been getting this house into shape, I think of myself as the captain and the house as the vessel that carries my crew through uncharted waters (life) on our way to some distant land.
One of the things about captains (and perhaps it's a misconception) is that they need to know every nook and cranny of their ship. So too with the house.
After my ridiculously high heating bill, I hired a firm that specializes in energy efficiency assessments and after receiving the report back, have begun implementing many of the suggestions. The pride of ownership motivates me as does the idea of lowering TCO over the long haul and making the house more "seaworthy," but I've spent a nice portion of today placing R-30 fiberglass insulation into the joints of the house where the main structure sits on top of the foundation so that air doesn't come in and change the temperature of the house thus negatively impacting my energy bills.
I never would have thought of this before (was up in the attic last week and will be going back soon to finish a job up there), but I'm enjoying getting to know every inch of my ship. As Captain, I need to.
(We can debate later whether I'm really in charge or not, but allow me to live in my fantasy world).
Saturday, March 19, 2005
How a $25 discount will probably lead to a $20,000 sale.
As a student of business, I have to highlight the service that I get from my auto dealership, Fitzgerald auto mall.
When I bought my car there two years, I bought a service plan which entitles me to free and discounted service for oil changes, etc.
Since then, I have been blown away by their service. Whenever I call, they have availability. When I arrive, they are courteous. They offer me a free metro card (most times) when I have to leave my car.
On Friday, I went in and since I get low mileage, my months/mileage ratio is a bit off. The woman at the counter said, "just use the free oil change, don't worry about it."
That was at 7.30am. I was back at 2.30pm (they had called to say they were done) and picked up my keys. I noticed a charge for $23. I was a bit puzzled. Before I could say anything, the same woman came over to me and said, "Mr. Epstein, we noticed when we did the check of your car that the wipers were streaking, so we went ahead and changed them for you. We couldn't get in touch with you, so if you want, I can remove the charge."
Whoa. When someone asks like that, am I really going to quibble? No. Go ahead and charge me.
Then, as I examined the bill more closely, I noticed a $25 discount listed. I asked.
"Well, when the technician came in and told me about the wipers, I said, 'Mr. Epstein obviously takes care of his car, he's not going to care about $25 for new wipers.' But when the tech came back, he told me the wipers were $50. I thought that was too much, so I gave you a discount on the spot since you're a good customer."
This all happened without my involvement.
You know, with this next baby on the way, I've been thinking about the next car I'm going to have to buy, a minivan, and one of the concepts I've picked up during my career in the technology industry is TCO=Total Cost of Ownership. Not just how much does the car cost, but how much will it cost to operate, gas, oil changes, etc. What's great about my dealer is that they minimize TCO and hassle (which is a part of TCO).
I decided that though I didn't know what type of minivan I will buy, I'm pretty certain I'll buy it at Fitzgerald.
As a student of business, I have to highlight the service that I get from my auto dealership, Fitzgerald auto mall.
When I bought my car there two years, I bought a service plan which entitles me to free and discounted service for oil changes, etc.
Since then, I have been blown away by their service. Whenever I call, they have availability. When I arrive, they are courteous. They offer me a free metro card (most times) when I have to leave my car.
On Friday, I went in and since I get low mileage, my months/mileage ratio is a bit off. The woman at the counter said, "just use the free oil change, don't worry about it."
That was at 7.30am. I was back at 2.30pm (they had called to say they were done) and picked up my keys. I noticed a charge for $23. I was a bit puzzled. Before I could say anything, the same woman came over to me and said, "Mr. Epstein, we noticed when we did the check of your car that the wipers were streaking, so we went ahead and changed them for you. We couldn't get in touch with you, so if you want, I can remove the charge."
Whoa. When someone asks like that, am I really going to quibble? No. Go ahead and charge me.
Then, as I examined the bill more closely, I noticed a $25 discount listed. I asked.
"Well, when the technician came in and told me about the wipers, I said, 'Mr. Epstein obviously takes care of his car, he's not going to care about $25 for new wipers.' But when the tech came back, he told me the wipers were $50. I thought that was too much, so I gave you a discount on the spot since you're a good customer."
This all happened without my involvement.
You know, with this next baby on the way, I've been thinking about the next car I'm going to have to buy, a minivan, and one of the concepts I've picked up during my career in the technology industry is TCO=Total Cost of Ownership. Not just how much does the car cost, but how much will it cost to operate, gas, oil changes, etc. What's great about my dealer is that they minimize TCO and hassle (which is a part of TCO).
I decided that though I didn't know what type of minivan I will buy, I'm pretty certain I'll buy it at Fitzgerald.
Friday, March 18, 2005
Anniversary Thoughts...
On the occasion of our 4th wedding Anniversary
My grandparents have been married for 62 years and my grandfather, who is a bit of a jokester, likes to quip, "in all of the years of marriage, I've never once thought about divorce. Murder? Yes, but never divorce."
The funny thing about it, and everyone knows it, is that the two of them can't imagine life without each other.
Five years ago, if you had asked me about interdependence, co-dependence, or anything along those lines, I doubt that I would have been able to explain it in any meaningful way. I certainly didn't have a frame of reference for it.
Now, as I look back over these years, I see that Tamar and I have really begun to truly build a life with each other. There's so much that she does for me on a daily basis (and hey, let's be fair...I do a few things for her) that I'm at the point where life without her is indeed a scary thought.
Feeling that strongly about another person does indeed make you vulnerable. There are times when it's late and she's coming home from dancing and I worry about where she is...and my mind wanders....and naturally I think about the worst case scenario. Then, throw on top of that fact she works in downtown DC and we live in an era of the potential for weapons of mass destruction in the hands of terrorists and that Tamar and I were both in lower Manhattan on 9/11.
And I know it's worse for her, since the depth of her feeling and love is far more intense than mine. That's not to say that I don't love her, of course I do, but the way in which she loves carries such a pure depth to it that I can't even comprehend it, I fear.
Beyond the physical things that she does for me, she has truly "raised my game" in terms of my development as a person. The fact that we're both so committed to each other and to the joint adventure that is our marriage and life together makes the experience even more rich because in order for us to be "successful" I must integrate her feedback into the fiber of my being. It doesn't always go smoothly, of course, but I know I need to deliver or else "customer #1" is going to be unhappy and we can't have that, can we?
As life gets more hectic (or at least it seems that way), it's sometimes difficult to stop and smell the roses and genuinely express my gratitude to G-d for the beautiful (in all facets) woman who is my wife.
I am glad that we have chosen to celebrate wedding anniversaries. At least once a year, we pause and reflect on what we have.
I know we should do it more often, and I try, but at least we have this one moment in time.
Tamar Epstein, I love you. Thank you for marrying me.
My grandparents have been married for 62 years and my grandfather, who is a bit of a jokester, likes to quip, "in all of the years of marriage, I've never once thought about divorce. Murder? Yes, but never divorce."
The funny thing about it, and everyone knows it, is that the two of them can't imagine life without each other.
Five years ago, if you had asked me about interdependence, co-dependence, or anything along those lines, I doubt that I would have been able to explain it in any meaningful way. I certainly didn't have a frame of reference for it.
Now, as I look back over these years, I see that Tamar and I have really begun to truly build a life with each other. There's so much that she does for me on a daily basis (and hey, let's be fair...I do a few things for her) that I'm at the point where life without her is indeed a scary thought.
Feeling that strongly about another person does indeed make you vulnerable. There are times when it's late and she's coming home from dancing and I worry about where she is...and my mind wanders....and naturally I think about the worst case scenario. Then, throw on top of that fact she works in downtown DC and we live in an era of the potential for weapons of mass destruction in the hands of terrorists and that Tamar and I were both in lower Manhattan on 9/11.
And I know it's worse for her, since the depth of her feeling and love is far more intense than mine. That's not to say that I don't love her, of course I do, but the way in which she loves carries such a pure depth to it that I can't even comprehend it, I fear.
Beyond the physical things that she does for me, she has truly "raised my game" in terms of my development as a person. The fact that we're both so committed to each other and to the joint adventure that is our marriage and life together makes the experience even more rich because in order for us to be "successful" I must integrate her feedback into the fiber of my being. It doesn't always go smoothly, of course, but I know I need to deliver or else "customer #1" is going to be unhappy and we can't have that, can we?
As life gets more hectic (or at least it seems that way), it's sometimes difficult to stop and smell the roses and genuinely express my gratitude to G-d for the beautiful (in all facets) woman who is my wife.
I am glad that we have chosen to celebrate wedding anniversaries. At least once a year, we pause and reflect on what we have.
I know we should do it more often, and I try, but at least we have this one moment in time.
Tamar Epstein, I love you. Thank you for marrying me.
Labels:
marriage
Monday, March 14, 2005
Sometimes we do things that we know will shape our identity. Marriage, graduation, changing jobs, whatever.
Sometimes our identity is formed without our knowledge.
As I was rocking Calanit today while giving her a bottle, a few thoughts crossed my mind. In a few months, this girl is going to become somebody’s big sister and she has absolutely no idea about that. Yet, it will be a critical part of her identity for the rest of her life.
While rocking her, I had a different and perhaps related thought about the lineage to which we both belong. I pictured my mother rocking me and my grandmother rocking her…all the way back. I thought about all of the hours of labor and the love what went into putting me into that chair at that moment so I could rock that sweet, little girl to sleep. Such an amazing testament to the human saga.
Sometimes our identity is formed without our knowledge.
As I was rocking Calanit today while giving her a bottle, a few thoughts crossed my mind. In a few months, this girl is going to become somebody’s big sister and she has absolutely no idea about that. Yet, it will be a critical part of her identity for the rest of her life.
While rocking her, I had a different and perhaps related thought about the lineage to which we both belong. I pictured my mother rocking me and my grandmother rocking her…all the way back. I thought about all of the hours of labor and the love what went into putting me into that chair at that moment so I could rock that sweet, little girl to sleep. Such an amazing testament to the human saga.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
A walk in the park
Sometimes I can’t help but think that old cliché of “my little girl is growing up so quickly.”
Yesterday, we took her to a park and for the first time, she was walking around in a pair of shoes. (Last week, she officially entered the Toddler stage). As Tamar and I helped her get used to walking outside and in shoes, I felt a lump in my throat. My little girl is walking around the playground, doing the things that “bigger kids.” I felt very paternal as I sat her on my lap and we went down the slide together and sat on the swings together.
Knowing all too well that these moments will soon be gone and a distant memory, I did my best to take a digital, mental snapshot of the moment in an effort (hopefully not in vain) to hold on to this feeling and cherish the moment
Labels:
family
Saturday, March 12, 2005
On the formation of Identity
Sometimes we do things that we know will shape our identity. Marriage, graduation, changing jobs, whatever.
Sometimes our identity is formed without our knowledge.
As I was rocking Calanit today while giving her a bottle, a few thoughts crossed my mind. In a few months, this girl is going to become somebody’s big sister and she has absolutely no idea about that. Yet, it will be a critical part of her identity for the rest of her life.
While rocking her, I had a different and perhaps related thought about the lineage to which we both belong. I pictured my mother rocking me and my grandmother rocking her…all the way back. I thought about all of the hours of labor and the love what went into putting me into that chair at that moment so I could rock that sweet, little girl to sleep. Such an amazing testament to the human saga.
Sometimes we do things that we know will shape our identity. Marriage, graduation, changing jobs, whatever.
Sometimes our identity is formed without our knowledge.
As I was rocking Calanit today while giving her a bottle, a few thoughts crossed my mind. In a few months, this girl is going to become somebody’s big sister and she has absolutely no idea about that. Yet, it will be a critical part of her identity for the rest of her life.
While rocking her, I had a different and perhaps related thought about the lineage to which we both belong. I pictured my mother rocking me and my grandmother rocking her…all the way back. I thought about all of the hours of labor and the love what went into putting me into that chair at that moment so I could rock that sweet, little girl to sleep. Such an amazing testament to the human saga.
On the formation of Identity
Sometimes we do things that we know will shape our identity. Marriage, graduation, changing jobs, whatever.
Sometimes our identity is formed without our knowledge.
As I was rocking Calanit today while giving her a bottle, a few thoughts crossed my mind. In a few months, this girl is going to become somebody’s big sister and she has absolutely no idea about that. Yet, it will be a critical part of her identity for the rest of her life.
While rocking her, I had a different and perhaps related thought about the lineage to which we both belong. I pictured my mother rocking me and my grandmother rocking her…all the way back. I thought about all of the hours of labor and the love what went into putting me into that chair at that moment so I could rock that sweet, little girl to sleep. Such an amazing testament to the human saga.
Sometimes we do things that we know will shape our identity. Marriage, graduation, changing jobs, whatever.
Sometimes our identity is formed without our knowledge.
As I was rocking Calanit today while giving her a bottle, a few thoughts crossed my mind. In a few months, this girl is going to become somebody’s big sister and she has absolutely no idea about that. Yet, it will be a critical part of her identity for the rest of her life.
While rocking her, I had a different and perhaps related thought about the lineage to which we both belong. I pictured my mother rocking me and my grandmother rocking her…all the way back. I thought about all of the hours of labor and the love what went into putting me into that chair at that moment so I could rock that sweet, little girl to sleep. Such an amazing testament to the human saga.
On the formation of Identity
Sometimes we do things that we know will shape our identity. Marriage, graduation, changing jobs, whatever.
Sometimes our identity is formed without our knowledge.
As I was rocking Calanit today while giving her a bottle, a few thoughts crossed my mind. In a few months, this girl is going to become somebody’s big sister and she has absolutely no idea about that. Yet, it will be a critical part of her identity for the rest of her life.
While rocking her, I had a different and perhaps related thought about the lineage to which we both belong. I pictured my mother rocking me and my grandmother rocking her…all the way back. I thought about all of the hours of labor and the love what went into putting me into that chair at that moment so I could rock that sweet, little girl to sleep. Such an amazing testament to the human saga.
Sometimes we do things that we know will shape our identity. Marriage, graduation, changing jobs, whatever.
Sometimes our identity is formed without our knowledge.
As I was rocking Calanit today while giving her a bottle, a few thoughts crossed my mind. In a few months, this girl is going to become somebody’s big sister and she has absolutely no idea about that. Yet, it will be a critical part of her identity for the rest of her life.
While rocking her, I had a different and perhaps related thought about the lineage to which we both belong. I pictured my mother rocking me and my grandmother rocking her…all the way back. I thought about all of the hours of labor and the love what went into putting me into that chair at that moment so I could rock that sweet, little girl to sleep. Such an amazing testament to the human saga.
On the formation of Identity
Sometimes we do things that we know will shape our identity. Marriage, graduation, changing jobs, whatever.
Sometimes our identity is formed without our knowledge.
As I was rocking Calanit today while giving her a bottle, a few thoughts crossed my mind. In a few months, this girl is going to become somebody’s big sister and she has absolutely no idea about that. Yet, it will be a critical part of her identity for the rest of her life.
While rocking her, I had a different and perhaps related thought about the lineage to which we both belong. I pictured my mother rocking me and my grandmother rocking her…all the way back. I thought about all of the hours of labor and the love what went into putting me into that chair at that moment so I could rock that sweet, little girl to sleep. Such an amazing testament to the human saga.
Sometimes we do things that we know will shape our identity. Marriage, graduation, changing jobs, whatever.
Sometimes our identity is formed without our knowledge.
As I was rocking Calanit today while giving her a bottle, a few thoughts crossed my mind. In a few months, this girl is going to become somebody’s big sister and she has absolutely no idea about that. Yet, it will be a critical part of her identity for the rest of her life.
While rocking her, I had a different and perhaps related thought about the lineage to which we both belong. I pictured my mother rocking me and my grandmother rocking her…all the way back. I thought about all of the hours of labor and the love what went into putting me into that chair at that moment so I could rock that sweet, little girl to sleep. Such an amazing testament to the human saga.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Chalk one up for Economics...
There's a concept in economics known as "Expected Value." Last night, it paid off for me.
Got a call from a market research firm. They wanted 20 minutes of my time to answer questions about my new computer purchase. In return, they offered me a 1 in 10 chance of a $50 gift certificate.
That make the "expected value" of my 20 minute $5. In other words, my time is worth $15/hour. Now, you could say, what would I do with the time otherwise? However, I quickly made the calculation and determined that I could potentially earn more than $5 by reviewing some stocks in my portfolio and taking an online course, which I did.
I told the guy that my time was worth more than that, said thanks, and hung up.
There's a concept in economics known as "Expected Value." Last night, it paid off for me.
Got a call from a market research firm. They wanted 20 minutes of my time to answer questions about my new computer purchase. In return, they offered me a 1 in 10 chance of a $50 gift certificate.
That make the "expected value" of my 20 minute $5. In other words, my time is worth $15/hour. Now, you could say, what would I do with the time otherwise? However, I quickly made the calculation and determined that I could potentially earn more than $5 by reviewing some stocks in my portfolio and taking an online course, which I did.
I told the guy that my time was worth more than that, said thanks, and hung up.
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