Hooligan's View
Everything annoys me today. I know no one probably wants to hear this, so if you’re reading you can stop here if you want. Let me start with the constant aggravation I receive from the speaker phones in the offices near my cube. I have asked these guys several times, via email or just by me closing their doors, to keep their offices closed during these calls. I never use the speaker phone. I have a headset so I don’t bother my neighbors, what is so hard for these guys to comprehend that noise coming from speakers disturbs those of us who have no protection. You see they can close their doors to keep noise out of their offices, so they do not realize how their noise affects others. OK and then there is the continual bickering from people I work with about details and other items that have little bearing on issues. Don’t sweat the small stuff . I believe they just like to hear themselves talk. A subset of these people is management who has to micromanage everything in sight. If it is not their way, it is wrong. And then there is the traffic when I drive to work. Why don’t these people move? When the light changes, step on the gas and when the car in front of you moves you move. Don’t wait 5 seconds to think about it. Move! I’m glad I got that off my chest. I feel better; how about you?
Friday, March 25, 2005
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Economics Class
Hooligan's View
On April 18, I teach a microeconomics class. I have been teaching micro and macro for about two years now at Richland College in Richardson TX, just a convenient couple of miles from my office. I do so because I enjoy the subject and I enjoy the interaction with the students.
Economics permeates everyday life. For example, take benefit and cost analysis. I know I may be strange, or rather sick, but everything I do, whether subconsciously or otherwise, I assess benefit gained against costs lost. Time spent on working in the garden gives me tasty vegetables in the summer but consumes time I would otherwise spend with my wife. I can recover this lost time with her in the evening over a nice dinner using some of the greens I produce with my bare hands. Money used to purchase a flight to visit my parents gives me time to enjoy their company, since I live a distant 1800 miles from them, but is money I can not spend on retirement savings where I believe I’m in good standing and will probably have to work for life anyway. Resources like time and money, everyday items, are limited and must be used to maximize benefit lest they are wasted.
Productivity is a common theme. Production efficiency is an worthy target because if we hit it, we are prized with a good lifestyle. We get the “goods” for the least possible costs and leftovers we can use for producing other “goods”. Productivity gains mean we can have more with the same money giving us a higher standard of living than otherwise. This need for ever increasing productivity pushed to the limit will give us Eden, no work and all pleasure. Sounds like a great goal doesn’t it?
I start each class with the same question. “What economics occurred in your life today?” Since my students are primarily working young adults, I get answers like, “We had a layoff today” or “My Company was just bought out by a larger firm”. Oh, they also like to give the class daily reports on the price of gas. Later when they run out of personal examples they bring the newspaper to present the details of an interesting article on something like the price of steel or trials and woes of Martha Stewart. At the end of each course, many of the students comment that this question and answer session does bring economics, the subject, into focus as every day living. It is all around us.
Of course, there is more to life than economics, but by teaching this class I have a chance to share a little of what I have learned in the last 60 years with the my students and at the same time, and I know it sound trite, I learn a great deal just trying to stay current. I would not want my students to think economics was boring, now would I?
On April 18, I teach a microeconomics class. I have been teaching micro and macro for about two years now at Richland College in Richardson TX, just a convenient couple of miles from my office. I do so because I enjoy the subject and I enjoy the interaction with the students.
Economics permeates everyday life. For example, take benefit and cost analysis. I know I may be strange, or rather sick, but everything I do, whether subconsciously or otherwise, I assess benefit gained against costs lost. Time spent on working in the garden gives me tasty vegetables in the summer but consumes time I would otherwise spend with my wife. I can recover this lost time with her in the evening over a nice dinner using some of the greens I produce with my bare hands. Money used to purchase a flight to visit my parents gives me time to enjoy their company, since I live a distant 1800 miles from them, but is money I can not spend on retirement savings where I believe I’m in good standing and will probably have to work for life anyway. Resources like time and money, everyday items, are limited and must be used to maximize benefit lest they are wasted.
Productivity is a common theme. Production efficiency is an worthy target because if we hit it, we are prized with a good lifestyle. We get the “goods” for the least possible costs and leftovers we can use for producing other “goods”. Productivity gains mean we can have more with the same money giving us a higher standard of living than otherwise. This need for ever increasing productivity pushed to the limit will give us Eden, no work and all pleasure. Sounds like a great goal doesn’t it?
I start each class with the same question. “What economics occurred in your life today?” Since my students are primarily working young adults, I get answers like, “We had a layoff today” or “My Company was just bought out by a larger firm”. Oh, they also like to give the class daily reports on the price of gas. Later when they run out of personal examples they bring the newspaper to present the details of an interesting article on something like the price of steel or trials and woes of Martha Stewart. At the end of each course, many of the students comment that this question and answer session does bring economics, the subject, into focus as every day living. It is all around us.
Of course, there is more to life than economics, but by teaching this class I have a chance to share a little of what I have learned in the last 60 years with the my students and at the same time, and I know it sound trite, I learn a great deal just trying to stay current. I would not want my students to think economics was boring, now would I?
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Freescale Marathon
Hooligan's View
A week ago I went to Austin to run my second marathon, the Freescale. Marie, my wife, and I stayed with our great friends Terry and Ann Cook. We flew down on Saturday early and returned on Sunday late. We had a great time, even though my race was a little disappointing.
On Saturday Marie and I went to Love Field to fly Southwest Air to Austin. This was the first time we had ever flow. It is very close so a drive is not too bad. I just did not want to dive back after the race. Terry picked us up and we headed for their new house in Bastrop, a small town about 20 miles from Austin. The house is beautiful and, my goodness, large. The Cooks took us through the house. The toip floor is a very large room which gives them about 3800 sq feet of living space. After we rested a couple of hours we all went to Buca de Pepi, an Italian restaurant, where my entire running group agreed to meet for a pre-race spaghetti dinner. I introduced Terry and Ann to all my running mates, and we had a grand time.
Race day came quickly after I had a fairly good night’s sleep. Terry dropped me off in the dark near the start. After I worked my way to the starting line in the drizzle, I found, amidst the 7000 runners, a couple of guys I knew before the race began. I hooked up with George, my coach, who was planning to run a 9 minute mile pace. I ran a pace of 9:30 in Chicago, in November, three months earlier, so I was worried about keeping up. After I started, I got the bright idea that maybe I could do it the whole way, and I kept it up with George for 20 miles, feeling good most of the way. After I saw Terry, who was waiting for me at the 20 mile point, I “hit the wall”. My legs would not move so I was reduced to walking portions of the remaining 6.2 miles. I finished the race averaging 10 minutes a mile. Many of my running mates, including George, experience this same problem that they quickly attributed to overly warm weather and dehydration. At end of the race I stopped to talk to Elaine, one of my training partners, and as I spoke to her my vision began to disappear into a white blur. I said a quick goodbye and left abruptly to walk some, hoping to have my legs pump some blood to my brain. It worked. When I met Terry and Cara, his daughter, he offered me a Gatorade that I immediately chugged. It helped my stamina tremendously.
We went back to the house where I showered, ate lunch, and had a short nap. After a great dinner, Terry dropped Marie and me off at the Airport and we arrived home not too late that night. It took me at least three days to recover from that race, but I really enjoyed spending time with the Cooks. I enjoyed most of the race too, especially the first 20.
A week ago I went to Austin to run my second marathon, the Freescale. Marie, my wife, and I stayed with our great friends Terry and Ann Cook. We flew down on Saturday early and returned on Sunday late. We had a great time, even though my race was a little disappointing.
On Saturday Marie and I went to Love Field to fly Southwest Air to Austin. This was the first time we had ever flow. It is very close so a drive is not too bad. I just did not want to dive back after the race. Terry picked us up and we headed for their new house in Bastrop, a small town about 20 miles from Austin. The house is beautiful and, my goodness, large. The Cooks took us through the house. The toip floor is a very large room which gives them about 3800 sq feet of living space. After we rested a couple of hours we all went to Buca de Pepi, an Italian restaurant, where my entire running group agreed to meet for a pre-race spaghetti dinner. I introduced Terry and Ann to all my running mates, and we had a grand time.
Race day came quickly after I had a fairly good night’s sleep. Terry dropped me off in the dark near the start. After I worked my way to the starting line in the drizzle, I found, amidst the 7000 runners, a couple of guys I knew before the race began. I hooked up with George, my coach, who was planning to run a 9 minute mile pace. I ran a pace of 9:30 in Chicago, in November, three months earlier, so I was worried about keeping up. After I started, I got the bright idea that maybe I could do it the whole way, and I kept it up with George for 20 miles, feeling good most of the way. After I saw Terry, who was waiting for me at the 20 mile point, I “hit the wall”. My legs would not move so I was reduced to walking portions of the remaining 6.2 miles. I finished the race averaging 10 minutes a mile. Many of my running mates, including George, experience this same problem that they quickly attributed to overly warm weather and dehydration. At end of the race I stopped to talk to Elaine, one of my training partners, and as I spoke to her my vision began to disappear into a white blur. I said a quick goodbye and left abruptly to walk some, hoping to have my legs pump some blood to my brain. It worked. When I met Terry and Cara, his daughter, he offered me a Gatorade that I immediately chugged. It helped my stamina tremendously.
We went back to the house where I showered, ate lunch, and had a short nap. After a great dinner, Terry dropped Marie and me off at the Airport and we arrived home not too late that night. It took me at least three days to recover from that race, but I really enjoyed spending time with the Cooks. I enjoyed most of the race too, especially the first 20.
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