Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Losing your soul may be another matter
by Ken Houghton
Two of Shira's three cousins graduated Harvard: one is an astrophysicist at UCSC, the other in her residency years at UCSF Medical School.*
Good thing they didn't have to worry about failing, or they would probably be begging on the streets these days.
*The "runt of the litter" went to Oberlin, and is now writing about education for U.S. News and World Report. The slacker.
N. Gregory Mankiw cites the current Dean of Admissions at Pravda-on-the-Chuck and comments:
"They wouldn’t write for Harvard because they thought it was a bunch of Communists, a bunch of atheists, a bunch of rich snobs, and if you went there you’d flunk out and you’d lose your soul," said William R. Fitzsimmons ’67.
Today at Harvard, it is almost impossible to flunk out.
Two of Shira's three cousins graduated Harvard: one is an astrophysicist at UCSC, the other in her residency years at UCSF Medical School.*
Good thing they didn't have to worry about failing, or they would probably be begging on the streets these days.
*The "runt of the litter" went to Oberlin, and is now writing about education for U.S. News and World Report. The slacker.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
We Are Tagged, and Tom Seems to be Away
by Ken Houghton
Cactus at AngryBear tries to get into the holiday season by continuing a meme. The problem is that he does it so well that my usual answers would seem pale imitations. So I'll try to play this straight.
1. Wrapping or gift bags? Gift bags are even more suboptimal use of resources than wrapping paper, plus they cost significantly more.
2. Real or artificial tree? Artificial trees are a far superior use of resources, plus they are reused and therefore economically efficient, even including the nominal storage cost. My personal preference for the Silver trees with the light from below with the tri-color (none of them green) filter shining up from below has been vetoed for the past several years.
3. When do you put up the tree? I don't; it goes up whenever Shira finds it in the attic (q.v. storage costs, above) and decides it needs to be on display. The relationship of this timing and the persistent requests of small children is left as an exercise to the reader.
4. When do you take the tree down? As soon as possible. I presume it will be down before Pesach this year.
5. Do you like egg nog? No, I'm human. And rather lactose-intolerant anyway.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Probably a bicycle, certainly not for Xmas.
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Uh, no. What does that have to do with celebrating the Solstice anyway?
8. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? The day off, since consultants don't get paid.
9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, of course. Have to keep Tom's consulting business going.
10. Favorite Christmas Movie? Anything other than Sophie Marceau is not Enough.
11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I don't, though I did have a few years of sending holiday cards out annually on December 28th.
12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? This is a family blog, so let's just leave the answer at "Food, Glorious Food!" Or, in honor of a Season One Torchwood episode, bananas.
(FYI to cactus: Pomegranates were still available at Costco in NJ a few weeks ago.)
13. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Whatever. Probably colored, since the tree is small.
14. Favorite Christmas song(s)? Robert Earl Keen's "Merry Xmas from the Family," which appears to now be available as a book and CD set.
If it has to be a "traditional" carol, then "I Saw Three Ships," since the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria arriving at landlocked Bethlehem must have been quite a sight.
15. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I married into what is now a 20-year tradition of a party for "Jews and Orphans" on 25 December. So while I might prefer to travel, I cannot and stay married.
16. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? No, and not just because the bit players and taxi squad are never named. By the way, now-F&SF editor Gordon van Gelder's first professional story sale was "Santa's Tenth Reindeer." Gordon was a teenager at the time.
17. Angel on the tree top or a star? I am told that Shira put a Star of David on top. The Eldest put an angel on top of that, so I suppose the answer is both. (The angel, in the TMI category, is as large as the tree itself.)
18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning? Shira's birthday is December 27th. I really need to go shopping.
19. Most annoying thing about this time of year? End of Year donation solicitations to those of us not independently wealthy enough to have an equivalent of the Samwick Family Fund.
20. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color? See above answers, especially to questions 3, 13, and 17.
21. What do you leave for Santa? Nothing; I tried to file a restraining order, but couldn't get Shira to co-sign it.
22. Least favorite holiday song? If I can only pick one, I would follow the crowd and select "Last Christmas." But in trying to find the appropriate blog link, this one made it clear that, as with greasy, tasteless, potato chip, no one should pick just one. (Though I like The Kink's "Father Christmas," which at least captures the spirit of the season appropriately.)
23. Favorite ornament? Ornaments impede gas mileage, so I really don't have one. The discussion of the BMW ornament in Sean Connery's last great movie indicates some incidental value to them.
24. Family tradition? Good song, but I prefer the work of the Hanks on either side of Bocephus.
25. Ever been to Midnight Mass or late-night Christmas Eve services? Usually during a pub-crawl.
Tom will tag people when he gets back.
UPDATE: Let's do this the easy way. Please feel free to Tag YOURSELF, and note it in comments.
Cactus at AngryBear tries to get into the holiday season by continuing a meme. The problem is that he does it so well that my usual answers would seem pale imitations. So I'll try to play this straight.
1. Wrapping or gift bags? Gift bags are even more suboptimal use of resources than wrapping paper, plus they cost significantly more.
2. Real or artificial tree? Artificial trees are a far superior use of resources, plus they are reused and therefore economically efficient, even including the nominal storage cost. My personal preference for the Silver trees with the light from below with the tri-color (none of them green) filter shining up from below has been vetoed for the past several years.
3. When do you put up the tree? I don't; it goes up whenever Shira finds it in the attic (q.v. storage costs, above) and decides it needs to be on display. The relationship of this timing and the persistent requests of small children is left as an exercise to the reader.
4. When do you take the tree down? As soon as possible. I presume it will be down before Pesach this year.
5. Do you like egg nog? No, I'm human. And rather lactose-intolerant anyway.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Probably a bicycle, certainly not for Xmas.
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Uh, no. What does that have to do with celebrating the Solstice anyway?
8. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? The day off, since consultants don't get paid.
9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, of course. Have to keep Tom's consulting business going.
10. Favorite Christmas Movie? Anything other than Sophie Marceau is not Enough.
11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I don't, though I did have a few years of sending holiday cards out annually on December 28th.
12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? This is a family blog, so let's just leave the answer at "Food, Glorious Food!" Or, in honor of a Season One Torchwood episode, bananas.
(FYI to cactus: Pomegranates were still available at Costco in NJ a few weeks ago.)
13. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Whatever. Probably colored, since the tree is small.
14. Favorite Christmas song(s)? Robert Earl Keen's "Merry Xmas from the Family," which appears to now be available as a book and CD set.
If it has to be a "traditional" carol, then "I Saw Three Ships," since the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria arriving at landlocked Bethlehem must have been quite a sight.
15. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I married into what is now a 20-year tradition of a party for "Jews and Orphans" on 25 December. So while I might prefer to travel, I cannot and stay married.
16. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? No, and not just because the bit players and taxi squad are never named. By the way, now-F&SF editor Gordon van Gelder's first professional story sale was "Santa's Tenth Reindeer." Gordon was a teenager at the time.
17. Angel on the tree top or a star? I am told that Shira put a Star of David on top. The Eldest put an angel on top of that, so I suppose the answer is both. (The angel, in the TMI category, is as large as the tree itself.)
18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning? Shira's birthday is December 27th. I really need to go shopping.
19. Most annoying thing about this time of year? End of Year donation solicitations to those of us not independently wealthy enough to have an equivalent of the Samwick Family Fund.
20. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color? See above answers, especially to questions 3, 13, and 17.
21. What do you leave for Santa? Nothing; I tried to file a restraining order, but couldn't get Shira to co-sign it.
22. Least favorite holiday song? If I can only pick one, I would follow the crowd and select "Last Christmas." But in trying to find the appropriate blog link, this one made it clear that, as with greasy, tasteless, potato chip, no one should pick just one. (Though I like The Kink's "Father Christmas," which at least captures the spirit of the season appropriately.)
23. Favorite ornament? Ornaments impede gas mileage, so I really don't have one. The discussion of the BMW ornament in Sean Connery's last great movie indicates some incidental value to them.
24. Family tradition? Good song, but I prefer the work of the Hanks on either side of Bocephus.
25. Ever been to Midnight Mass or late-night Christmas Eve services? Usually during a pub-crawl.
Tom will tag people when he gets back.
Labels: Angry Bear, blogging, Family, just life, Meme-A-Riffic
Sunday, December 23, 2007
"I Am Not Left-Handed"
by Ken Houghton
I hear POPping before I realize I'm face-down in the snow. I get up about ten minutes later, but any sense of mobility formerly associated with the right arm is long gone.
The good news is that The Eldest finished her lesson and is eager to go back.
The bad news: I tell Shira that we have made tentative plans to go again New Year's Day. Her response, "After the X-ray?"
The better news: Range of motion is back to almost 60 degrees. A few more days improvement and I may not have to find out how good University Health Services is during the intercession. But blog posting will be intermittent, which is good since I've been looking at house prices in Barstow via redfin, and most of our readers can evaluate those as well as I.
I haven't fallen in two runs, and am less than 100 yards from the end of a third. The snow has stopped, the cover is good, and the rest of the day can be spent experimenting. It will be a good season for the first time in years.
I hear POPping before I realize I'm face-down in the snow. I get up about ten minutes later, but any sense of mobility formerly associated with the right arm is long gone.
The good news is that The Eldest finished her lesson and is eager to go back.
The bad news: I tell Shira that we have made tentative plans to go again New Year's Day. Her response, "After the X-ray?"
The better news: Range of motion is back to almost 60 degrees. A few more days improvement and I may not have to find out how good University Health Services is during the intercession. But blog posting will be intermittent, which is good since I've been looking at house prices in Barstow via redfin, and most of our readers can evaluate those as well as I.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
My Eldest is a Published Author
by Ken Houghton
Nine years in age before her father's first publication, Valerie has her first published, (mostly*) self-illustrated story:
*Illustrations altered for content changes
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Baseball Taxonomy, Kindergartener Edition
by Anonymous
At any rate, he spends a considerable amount of his considerable free time listing the teams. One of yesterday's lists was by mascot, and was broken down into five types: bird teams (Orioles, Blue Jays, Cardinals), fish teams (Devil Rays, Marlins), mammal teams (e.g., Cubs, Tigers), "people" or occupation teams (e.g., Mariners, Pirates, Brewers, etc.), and others (e.g., Reds, Rockies).
When he got to the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim, or whatever they're called today, Quinn announced without hesitation, "oh, that's a fish team." I stifled a smile and gave myself a virtual pat on the back for a parenting job well done.
One wonders how he reconciles the halo on the team gear, not to mention the absence of any angelfish, with his world view.
Quinn is obsessed with baseball. He's decided that he's going to be the third baseman for the Mariners when he grows up. We're encouraging this, of course, not only because of the thought of being kept in our old age in a style to which we haven't become accustomed, but because this option isn't really all that much less likely than his prior career choices: 3 (at age 2), a jack-o-lantern (at age 3), and the driver for the M&M [nas]car (at age 4).
At any rate, he spends a considerable amount of his considerable free time listing the teams. One of yesterday's lists was by mascot, and was broken down into five types: bird teams (Orioles, Blue Jays, Cardinals), fish teams (Devil Rays, Marlins), mammal teams (e.g., Cubs, Tigers), "people" or occupation teams (e.g., Mariners, Pirates, Brewers, etc.), and others (e.g., Reds, Rockies).
When he got to the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim, or whatever they're called today, Quinn announced without hesitation, "oh, that's a fish team." I stifled a smile and gave myself a virtual pat on the back for a parenting job well done.
One wonders how he reconciles the halo on the team gear, not to mention the absence of any angelfish, with his world view.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Saturday Preschooler Extra: Splashdown!
by Tom Bozzo
The kids liked it, too — and the ability of children to distract themselves almost limitlessly around water is a not-inconsiderable part of the appeal. (**) Here's John splashing down in one of the kiddie pools. (He would graduate to slides as big as a four-year-old is allowed to ride.)
Julia had fun, too, though she stuck (for the time being) to the wading pools:
(*) Friday's total included seven trips up one slide @63 steps ea., three trips up another @83 steps, and 12 trips up a third @ 56 steps, for a grand total of 1,362 steps of waterslide climbing (John joined me on four, two, and seven of those trips, respectively); that's the rough equivalent of climbing a 91-story building's stairs.
(**) Though the appeal of what amount to rollercoasters that get you wet goes some distance, too.
As of Thursday morning, I'd have said that the agglomeration of waterparks in and around Wisconsin Dells (less than an hour from Madison) was unfashionable and lame. By Thursday afternoon, I'd have said that it was unfashionable but fun! And I have the patchy sunburn and sore legs (*) to show for it. I'll save criticism of the relentless tourist-trapping and class warfare in Teh Dells for another post.
The kids liked it, too — and the ability of children to distract themselves almost limitlessly around water is a not-inconsiderable part of the appeal. (**) Here's John splashing down in one of the kiddie pools. (He would graduate to slides as big as a four-year-old is allowed to ride.)
Julia had fun, too, though she stuck (for the time being) to the wading pools:
(*) Friday's total included seven trips up one slide @63 steps ea., three trips up another @83 steps, and 12 trips up a third @ 56 steps, for a grand total of 1,362 steps of waterslide climbing (John joined me on four, two, and seven of those trips, respectively); that's the rough equivalent of climbing a 91-story building's stairs.
(**) Though the appeal of what amount to rollercoasters that get you wet goes some distance, too.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Conversations, 18 Years In
by Anonymous
K: "Great, thanks... Um, are you trying to tell me something?"
J: "Yes, I'm trying to tell you that I accidentally used your toothbrush to clean the cat box."
J: "I bought you a new toothbrush."
K: "Great, thanks... Um, are you trying to tell me something?"
J: "Yes, I'm trying to tell you that I accidentally used your toothbrush to clean the cat box."
Labels: Family
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Shira may be closer to right than we think
by Ken Houghton
She's surely exaggerating—but maybe not by so much as we think.
The BBC reports that No sleep may mean no new brain cells:
And getting back to a normal sleep pattern doesn't solve the problem:
It's no secret that our children go to sleep late (and I sometimes later). Which puts the burden on Shira, who has commented recently that, after the past week of sleep deprivation, she "has no brain."
She's surely exaggerating—but maybe not by so much as we think.
The BBC reports that No sleep may mean no new brain cells:
The researchers compared animals who were deprived of sleep for 72 hours with others who were not.
They found those who missed out on rest had higher levels of the stress hormone corticosterone.
They also produced significantly fewer new brain cells in a particular region of the hippocampus.
When the animals' corticosterone levels were kept at a constant level, the reduction in cell proliferation was abolished.
And getting back to a normal sleep pattern doesn't solve the problem:
Sleep patterns were restored to normal within a week.
However levels of nerve cell production (neurogenesis) were not restored for two weeks, and the brain appears to boost its efforts in order to counteract the shortage.
