Pumpkin seeds

I don't recall my mother toasting pumpkin seeds in my youth, but I do remember buying paper bags of them for a nickel at Mary's, the corner store in our neighbourhood, where the eponymous owner would sit behind a counter with a cigarette constantly burning and a tv blaring, frightening the children brave enough to venture into the Aladdin;s cave of hockey cards, nutty buddies, swedish fish and pop rocks.

I loved the salty crunch of the seeds, along with the toasty, nutty taste, and I've made it a point over the years to always make my own at Halloween, usually with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

This year, I learned from Alton Brown (I won't post the YouTube link, because he bugs me, but I'll pass on the relevant information,.) that it's easier to separate the seeds from the stringy guts if you do it in a bowl of water, not unlike a pomegranate. I added this chestnut of Halloween wisdom to our discovery last year that Jack O'Lanterns work better if you cut the bottom rather than the top of the pumpkin off to get inside (the candle is easy to light and sits snugly on a small plate, or right on the concrete.

I made 4 batches of pumpkin seeds this year, brushing a piece of foil on the baking pan for my toaster oven with a couple of teaspoons of olive oil, arranging a layer of seeds (no stacking) and then sprinkling them with kosher salt and, for the 4 respective batches, pepper, cajun seasoning, taco seasoning and barbeque rub, and baking at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until golden. All are great; the plain are the most kid-friendly.

I'm making tacos for dinner tonight, and, after scanning the Internet, I am going to try making a dip by grinding 1/2 cup of the mexican take on the seeds, along with a clove of garlic, 1/2 cup of cilantro and a chopped jalapeno (I may leave in a few seeds, since the peppers from my garden are not that hot), and then mixing the result with a cup of yogurt, the juice of a lime, and a little honey. That is really a combination of this recipe, for classic Aztec salsa, and this Food Network Mediterranean version.

I'll take some pictures of the yard and the Gs and let you know how it turns out.

Update
I made the dip. When I finished processing the pumpkin seeds, garlic, cilantro and jalapeno, I tasted the mixture. Although I have never eaten wood chips, I am quite certain that this is what they taste like. Thinking that adding the liquids might facilitate the processing, I tried again. No change. Disaster. I strained out the liquid and tried to re-process the solids in my spice grinder. A little better, but the mixture still had a decidedly twiggy texture. "Told you." said Worldwide, who had thought it an ill-advised experiment from the start.

I figured that the yogurt/lime juice mixture would have absorbed some of the flavors, so I kept that out as a condiment. I also put out the remaining detritus, in case anyone wanted to taste the errant result. When Sarah arrived, I explained my misadventure, and she decided to give it a try. "Not bad." was her pronouncement, and when I tried it again, I had to agree. The scope of my failure seemed to have clouded my judgment.

If I did it again (and I don't expect to), I would grind the pumpkin seeds first, and then proceed as the recipe directs. The BG often complains that cooking shows never show failures. This one's for you, kid.

Here Comes the NBA

Lots of excitement in our house as the Wizards get ready to kick off the NBA season in Cleveland tomorrow. Our early optimism has been tempered by the kind of injuries to John Wall (knee strain) and Nene (plantar fascitis) that always seem to hang around. I remember, I think, 1992, when Rex Chapman, who our fantasy team was counting on to make buckets, missed the entire season with a "bruised instep." He always seemed to be on the verge of coming back, and he never did. When Nene "may or may not be" ready for the opener and Wall will miss "about a month" I get nervous.

Nevertheless, even if they both were healthy, I did not expect the team to make the playoffs. Wall desperately needs to learn how to shoot; Jan Vesely shows only the slightest hints that he can be a decent NBA player; and except for Martell Webster and AJ Price(who, believe me, are nothing to get excited about), the veterans acquired in the offseason (Pargo, Ariza, Okafor) show no signs of being anything other than bored journeymen in the twilight of mediocre careers. This year's first round pick, Bradley Beal, looks like he might be OK, but that does not mean much for the coming season. At 19 years old, and on this team, there is not much he can do.

So other than the Bobcats, I think the Wizards are the worst team in the NBA. The over/under is 31.5 wins, and sadly, I think that it's a bit optimistic. Not a lot to look forward to, but it's still basketball.

Around the league, the Lakers are the most interesting story, and with the Thunder trading James Harden today, I'm not sure what that does to the team. Injuries aside. Only Miami, LA and OKC seem to have a shot at the title, with Boston and San Antonio having the potential to make a run in the playoffs. The Lakers look awfully good on paper, but it remains to be seen whether Howard will be content to just rebound and play defense, and Kobe is willing to let some of the other guys on the team take a few shots. Despite lots of activity and excitement, both of the New York teams appear to have some serious chemistry issues, and nobody else in the league looks like a legitimate threat.

But we're tired of cooking shows in our house, so we look forward to another year of following a perennial doormat. Booker looks improved (although he is also plagued by plantar fascitis) and we were looking for a modest breakout from Seraphim, although he is currently sidelined  with a strained calf. We're delighted that Jordan Crawford has been officially assigned the role of "chucker" off the bench, and we're also pleased that our favourite knuckleheads, Javale Mcgee and Nick Young, seem to have found decent landing spots in Denver and Philly. And another favourite and UNC alumnus, Antawn Jamison, who Bill Simmons says "looks about 50" has a chance to win a ring with the Lakers.

So there's still plenty of time to enjoy the Irish run at a national championship, but with the Tigers done it's time for another sport, and we are ready for the NBA season. Last year's compressed schedule meant games most nights, but with the off-season activity and our League Pass, we should be able to find something of interest most nights as the Gs transition into dreamland.

Business Books

I recently had occasion to recommend books that have influenced my management style and business philosophy. Here is my list, in no order other than the one in which they came to mind:

• Fooled by Randomness, Nassim Taleb 
• Rework, Jason Fried 
• Why Work Sucks and How to Fix it, Cali Ressler and Jodi Thompson 
• Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, Chip and Dan Heath 
• Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman
• Race Against the Machine: How the Digital Revolution is Accelerating Innovation, Driving Productivity, and Irreversibly Transforming Employment and the Economy , Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee

Hope I die before I get old. But I'm still searching for a heart of gold

Side by side reviews of memoirs by Pete Townshend and Neil Young in today's paper. Both look like uninteresting books about very interesting people.

Online Education

I've been thinking lately about educational technology. I've posted before about the value of college (particularly relevant as I look at our 529 plan balances and the rapidly closing window of time before the OG is 18) and I've also written about Marginal Revolution University, a free source of online education recently started by the authors of one of my favourite blogs, Marginal Revolution, which I've been reading nearly every day for almost a decade. I've also read a handful of books by the authors.

I've been through over a dozen lectures in the introductory Development Economics course over the last couple of weeks, and I feel ready to share my impressions. This feeling was prompted by a recent Econtalk, interview with Arnold Kling, who is/was a professor of economics at George Mason university, and who recently stopped blogging. His Learning Economics book was the first book I read on the subject, and I've also enjoyed his thoughts on international development and economic growth, some of which are captured in his book From Poverty to Prosperity. The interview focused on his recent article laying out some predictions on the future of educational technology.

He doesn't see much of a future in massive open online courses (like Marginal Revolution University) and at this point, I have to agree. Perhaps it's because neither professor is a strong lecturer, or because the visuals don't add much to the lecture, but listening to one doesn't seem nearly as educational (or fun) as reading a blog post or listening to a conversation. It's a nice resource to have, and clearly of value to people in the developing world, but it doesn't feel new or valuable; it doesn't seem much different than a textbook.

It's obviously wrong to draw conclusions from a sampling of material from one source, but Kling thinks that the issue should be assessed not from the perspective of how to make existing things more available, but how to make them better:

The attempt to achieve large scale in college courses is misguided. Instead of trying to come up with a way to extend the same course to tens of thousands of students, educators should be asking the opposite question: How would I teach if I only had one student? Educators with just one student in their class would not teach by lecturing.

The OG and I were talking about the concept of the flipped classroom (where students watch lectures at home and then do their homework in school under the teacher' supervision) and Kling sees that model, along with smarter "adaptive" textbooks on tablets, as potential winners. The OG was not getting something about a particular unit of algebra this morning, and the prospect of doing her homework under the teacher's supervision was a very appealing one to her.

The other thing Kling sees as a winner, and which is discussed at the end of the interview is the idea of independent certification, a competitor to college, with some way of signaling to employers that a person has the skills for a particular profession. Clearly there's a lot of money to be made by succeeding in this space, and a lot of smart people are thinking about it. It will be interesting to see if there are any major developments over the next decade.

Welcome Home Worldwide!

It's not like you can't get Diet Coke and Hostess products in Southeast Asia, but you're always grateful to be living in the land of plenty, and to be home.

Sushi Fried Rice

One of the culinary challenges with the Gs, where nothing is simple, is rice. The OG likes plain white rice with butter. She eschews brown rice or ANY adornment of ANY kind. On the other side of the dinner table, the BG likes brown rice, risotto and pretty much anything rice-related as long as it's vegetarian and, poetically, NOT plain white rice with butter, which she dismissed as "too bland." Nevertheless, I still frequently make steamed rice as a side, though not as often as I used to, given the fact that I am Condoleeza Rice, when it comes to my favourite grain. But, since I'm trying to eat more whole grains of late, I try not to eat rice for breakfast now, which I have done all my life, and that means we sometimes have leftover rice, which is perfect for fried rice.

I introduced the BG to fried rice last night, drawing on the flavors of her beloved vegetable maki to improve my chances of success. I fried some chopped red onion and carrots in vegetable oil, added the leftover rice, and then dressed it with liberal amounts of soy sauce and pickled ginger and a judicious amount of wasabi. It was ready in 15 minutes, and the BG asked for seconds, a clear gesture of approval.

We then moved on to dessert, and I will share a family tradition that will undoubtedly meet with disapproval from the elders. A couple of years ago, I decided that each child could have a pint of ice cream per week of their choosing. It's been fun, and we've enjoyed trying new flavors and coming up with rules about ice cream moving into the public domain after two weeks. And I must say that the Gs have been remarkably measured in their approach; it is rare that a pint (which is 4 servings according to Ben and Jerry) is consumed within a week's time. As someone whose Halloween candy barely lasted a week, I think that there may be something to this moderate approach to sweets, but nevertheless, I certainly enjoyed watching the BG discover the pleasure of Fudge Brownie ice cream last night, as she devoured half a serving before putting her pint back in the fridge and running out the door to play.

Song of the Day

It's a little bit funny, this song of the day.
The tune's a bit different but, the goal is the same.
I hope you don't mind (I hope you don't mind) that I made up this song,
It's time to wake up sweetheart, breakfast is on.

Gangnam Style

About six weeks ago, on one of the morning shows that was playing at the gym, I saw a story about the Gangnam Style song and the accompanying dance and video. I asked the OG if she knew anything about it, figuring that if it was on the Today show it was probably old news at the middle school. She didn't, but my how things change. On Saturday night, after pizza at Sarah's house, the girls showed her the video, and performed a hilarious, spot-on dance routine to go with it. The song is even being played unironically now on our local radio station.

Apparently, the Youtube video has been viewed over 500 million time. And it is pretty funny. Nevertheless, I just can't bring myself to link to it. Sorry Granny.

Shake it up

One of the accepted truths about mental and physical fitness is that you should periodically shake up your routine--brush your teeth with the other hand, or switch from low to high reps, for example. Another, less generally accepted maxim is that more exercise does not necessarily convey proportionally more benefits.

For the last six months, I've been going to the gym six days a week, compared with three times a week for the last couple of years. I haven't seen any change to my fitness or happiness level, so it seems like the extra investment might not be the best use of my time.

Reading Drop Dead Healthy reminded me of something that I discovered in Cairo--that walking is a good way to spark creativity. I had about an hour walk and subway commute each way, and many times, the solution to a problem at the office would pop into my head as I was was walking the streets of Maadi listening to Econtalk. It turns out (which I later learned from the now discredited Imagine) that even though you're focused on something else, your brain is still subconsciously working on the problem you left unresolved at the office.  The Jacobs book suggests that moderate exercise, like walking (or even standing) also has health benefits. This is something over which Worldwide (a frequent walker) and I have disagreed, and I think I may be coming around to her side.

We don't live in the best neighbourhood for walking, but, as Steven Wright once observed, anywhere is "walking distance" if you have the time." I've been meaning to become a regular patron of our local butcher, but just haven't been able to work it into the routine. I think that I can get there and back on foot in about an hour, so if I replace a gym visit, there is no temporal loss. Plus I'll be able to spend more time with my educational podcasts (gym time is strictly music). I also think that if I walk one way and take the bus back, I can get to and from the supermarket and library within the hour window. I am looking forward to the change and the novelty, and, in and of itself, that is significant.

Talkin' Bout an Evolution

• Brain activity consumes 25% of your resting metabolic rate;
• A sheep can run twice as fast as Usain Bolt;
• Humans can compete with horses in endurance races;
• People who don't wear shoes don't suffer from fallen arches;
• We are the only primate that can pick its nose.

Fascinating conversation with evolutionary biology professor Daniel Lieberman

Phone Booth

Last week at University Mall, the dilapidated shopping center that is the temporary home of the Chapel Hill Library, I encountered this machine, offering to "turn mobile phones into cash." The skeptic in me, along with our tendency to try to use as little processing power as possible in the decision making process, instantly dismissed it as a scam. Its identification as a cuddly "eco ATM" (save the earth and make money while you do it!) didn't help either, skewing too close to the "whole grain goodness of Lucky Charms" sort of claim, in my view.

But then I later came across this article in the Economist Technology blog. The article suggested that there was a viable market for used phones, as well as for some of the metals they contain, and that this was a cool business idea. We talked about it at the breakfast table this morning, and the OG authorized me to take her oft maligned old phone (a Samsung that, as she put it "couldn't do anything except make calls and send texts.")

I arrived at the mall this morning and self consciously snapped the photo above. After scanning my driver's license, the machine opened up and I placed the phone inside. The machine correctly identified the make and model , and printed a bar code sticker for me to attach. It then offered me the princely sum of $1. Not the riches we'd hoped for, but still better than nothing, and a clear victory for Mother Earth nonetheless.

I accepted the offer, and the machine opened up again, and requested that I attach a proffered cable to the phone.

Sadly, like so many early versions of gee-whiz technology, it didn't work as advertised.  I could not get the cable to attach to the phone. The machine canceled the transaction after a minute had gone by, and, after unsuccessfully going through the entire process a second time, I gave up.

So I'm a dollar poorer, but at least now, when I drop the phone in the "donation" box at Whole Foods, I'll know that I'm not missing the opportunity for an easy payday.

Final Election Report

Here are some final thoughts on the presidential election. I need to spend my time getting more familiar with the local issues. There is an article in this morning's Chapel Hill News about a proposed sales tax increase to fund transit initiatives. While I generally support these kind of initiatives, the article is very biased in favor of rails over roads and buses in a way that gives me pause.

So here are my final takeaways from last week's election report in the Economist, as well as one from this week's report on the World Economy.

• I think the President should have an opportunity to implement his health law. It's far to early to say that it won't improve things, and improving things is important in this area (see last point)
• Energy independence is a non-issue, since prices are set by world markets. But I do like the idea of cheaper, cleaner and locally produced natural gas powering more stuff and competing with oil.
• I favor less military spending, not more, and I don't think the President should be credited with killing Bin Laden. I think any president would have given the same order.
• I want to end all tax deductions and put a price on carbon. Who's with me? Anyone? Anyone?
• I also favor the legalization of drugs, and believe that the only manufacturing jobs coming back to the United States are for the one guy needed to feed the dog who keeps people away from the machines. Not seeing a lot from either candidate on these two issues.
• Finally, over half of all entitlement spending flows to the elderly, and 40% of that is spent on health care. And people are living longer, getting more medical procedures, taking more drugs and voting reliably. This has got to change, and probably won't, at least until catastrophe strikes.

Don't forget to vote!

Last Home Game

Yesterday was the last home game for the Smith Cyclones football team, and that also signaled the end of the season for the cheerleaders, who had already attended their one allowed road game. The game included a halftime acknowledgement of the 8th graders, who will be heading to high school next year. Each athlete, when called by the public address announcer, got to walk, with an escort, from the end zone to the 50 yard line, where they then received a flower from their coach.

I had not been informed of this tradition, and I only found out about it when another parent told me what was expected. This got even more surprising when the OG ran over at halftime, and told my mother and father in law that she had arranged for them to also be part of her coterie. So, with G-Lo alongside, I gamely wheeled Granddad down the field for the OG's moment. Eighth grade ain't like it used to be.

Following on that sentiment, the cheerleaders then finally got to reveal their halftime dance routine, complete with frenzied musical accompaniment.

A lot better than the cheerleaders at Saint Anne's, my alma mater, which had neither cheerleaders nor football.

Following the routine, the outgoing eighth graders gave their final performance.

But O Joy, O Rapture. At the pizza potluck afterward, the OG came over to breathlessly inform us that the school had agreed to fund another season of cheerleading, and that the team would also be entering a competition. Because after all, how can you beat dancing and winning at the same time.

State Fair

We have been to the State Fair every year that we've been living in the Triangle, and this year, the OG had asked to celebrate her birthday there. So I loaded the minivan up with teenagers, and we headed to Raleigh, with a soundtrack of Maroon 5, Pit Bull and Nicky Minaj. All of the girls seemed to know all of the words, which was not as surprising as the conversation, which contained an inordinate amount of discussion of school quality and college choice.

I had equipped each girl with a "funvelope" containing an admission ticket, two sheets of ride tickets, a map and a $20 food and game allowance. I asked the OG to monitor their usage and to let me know if anyone was running low.

The girls were very keen to set off on their own, and we quickly parted company. I managed to extract a promise from the OG to check in via cell phone periodically and from all the girls to stick together.

So off they went, and the BG and I plunged in. It was 10 AM on Sunday, so the park was not too crowded. We noted the cornucopia of food options, and contemplated whether snack/lunch or lunch snack would be a better way to maximize pleasure.

Our first ride was what used to be called the Wild Mouse at Boblo, sort of a mini roller coaster with a shorter train. It was not as thrilling as some of the roller coasters we've ridden at Carowinds and Canada's Wonderland, but it did have a certain ricketiness that added a little bit of danger: it would not surprise me to read about a grisly accident involving faulty equipment or employee negligence.

We then headed to the ferris wheel, where we ran into the other girls, who, except for the thrill averse OG had just come off something called "Zero Gravity." So far. So good. After the ferris wheel, we decided to get a snack on the way over to the animal pavillion and the giant slide. We opted to share an order of cleverly named "fried dough," which we sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

  Sadly, and poetically, I suppose, the fried dough settled in our stomach like a big blob of, well, fried dough, and a lemonade was all we were able to subsequently find room for. The other girls had a similar experience with the deep fried oreos.

At the animal pavillion, the BG was keen on milking a cow. She had been to the fair on a class trip last year, and the students were told to enjoy themselves, but also that they couldn't go on any rides, and that there wasn't time for any of the participatory activities. Which sounds like torture. The wait for the cow was about 10 minutes, and the cost was $2, with proceeds going to a good cause of some kind. When we got to the front, I handed over the bills, and someone asked why I didn't want to do it, as well. I figured, that since the money was going to a good cause, plus I had never done it, I ought to cross it off the list.

We learned a lot about bovine husbandry from a young man in a cowboy hat, and the BG enjoyed her souvenir carton of chocolate milk, whose relationship to the tubs we had just been filling was unclear, but hopefully far removed. I can't believe I forgot to take pictures. I guess I lost my head in all the excitement.

After the cows, we enjoyed a hands-on demonstration of beekeeping by a man in a screened enclosure, and conducted our traditional race on the giant slide, with transport facilitated by a burlap blanket with a pocket for your feet. My superior bulk enabled me to win the first race, but the BG used an ultra-forward leaning technique, with a sort of paddling motion to win the second. I thought it wise, at that time, to retire from the racing business, still undefeated, with a sole tie as the only asterisk on my still perfect record.

We had enough tickets for one more ride before I needed to check in on the teens again, and I offered the BG a choice between the swings and the Zipper, a sort of fast-moving ferris wheel that houses the riders in metal cages that spin uncontrollably. "What do you think?" she asked diplomatically. Now, besides the Tilt-a-Whirl, I haven't been on a "spinny" ride in 20 years, and unlike roller coasters, they don't have nearly the same allure as they used to. But I knew the BG really wanted to maximize the thrills, so I gamely said "Well, we've never tried the Zipper." "Hooray!"

I put my phone in the side pocket of my cargo shorts (key plot point) and we were strapped in to a cage. The cages rocked back and forth a bit as we moved up and around, but it wasn't nearly as dizzying as I had expected. "Maybe we don't spin all the way around." I ventured.

At that point, the ride accelerated, and we started spinning like crazy, seemingly in every direction. As the adrenaline kicked in, I let out a scream of delight, which was quickly followed by a thunk as my phone slid out of my pocket. After the initial terror passed, I remembered that we were in a cage, but as I frantically searched for it and the BG tried to figure out what the helen of troy was going on, I wasn't finding it.

As the ride ended, we staggered unsteadily out of the cage, I told the attendant that I had lost my phone. He looked at me uncomprehendingly, and at the same time, an older woman, who, more prudently was waiting on the ground for her child, asked if I had lost my phone. There it was, sitting quietly on the grass, and I quickly retrieved it, undamaged and operational. Thank you Apple.

As we struggled with the return to solid ground, and our incredulousness over what had just happened, the BG and I slowly began to enjoy the great feeling conveyed by a momentous event in which a catastrophe is narrowly avoided. I checked in with the OG, and we arranged to meet at 1:30 at the gate where we had entered.

Which we did, without incident. The fair was quite crowded at that point, and the girls were ready to leave. Two of them had won stuffed animals at the birthday guessing game, and another sported a tiara. We headed back to the car, and I dropped the BG off at her Lego League meeting and returned the other girls home.

Election Briefing II: Taxes, Spending and the Deficit

The third article in the Economist’s election report is on Taxes, Spending and the Deficit. The latter of these is particularly interesting to me. Most people do not dispute the adage that you should not spend more than you take in. On the other hand, most people cannot print money, and enjoy the benefit of being the pre-eminent store of value in the world. Euros anyone? Rupees? Yuan? Shiny metal?

MattYglesias sees this as a key issue in the campaign, and wants the candidates to explain beyond the tautology of “debt is bad” why reducing the deficit makes economic sense right now:

Here's one question I'm all but certain won't be asked tonight but really should: Given that both tickets are running on rival deficit reduction plans, could you explain to the American people what problem in the typical person's life today would be ameliorated by a smaller deficit?I think the right answer is: Nothing. Not because the deficit never matters. There are some times in American history when one could credibly say that deficit reduction would make it cheaper and easier for a person to get a mortgage (or refinance an existing one) or a small business loan. There might be a time when you could say that deficit reduction would strengthen the value of the dollar and raise the average person's real purchasing power. But today? I think nothing. And yet politicians who are eager to shoehorn their long-term economic policy preferences into a deficit reduction frame are almost never asked to explain why deficit reduction is important.

Add to this the fact noted previously that presidents have little control over the economic cycle, beyond short term influence, and this seems even more relevant. Plus the numbers can only work if Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are tamed in a world where people are living longer and demanding more and increasingly expensive medical care.

Health care deserves its own post, and I’ll try to get to that next week. On Social Security, Governor Romney has advocated raising the retirement age, which to me, is the simplest and best solution to the problem, getting the program back in line with life expectancy and the ability to work in today’s Knowledge and Service Economy. Then again, he has also promised no change to social security, so it’s hard to know where he stands. The President has proposed no change.

Taxes are where the difference between the candidates are most marked, and I suppose that is why they are so often discussed. The President has proposed extending the Bush tax cuts for all except the wealthy: the top two brackets, now 33% and 35%, would revert to the 2001 rates of 36% and 39.6%. Governor Romney would cut all rates by 20%, although he says the action would be “revenue neutral,” offset by cuts he has declined to identify.

I don’t really like either of the candidates’ positions on this topic. No-one has convinced me that we shouldn’t be spending more freely on infrastructure while the currency is strong and interest rates are historically low; no-one has advocated reforming the ridiculous tax code beyond meaningless proposals to “close loopholes.” I side with the president on the tax rate issue, but with the governor on social security, although it requires a leap of faith as to his true intent. And I return, as always, to the point yesterday that change of any kind is unlikely to be approved in Congress.

Talking Loud and Saying Nothing:

Election Briefing

It seems like the presidential campaign has been going on forever. No sooner did President Obama get elected, take office and come to Cairo, than the Republicans re-emerged in the mid-term elections, and the primaries began, where we were treated to, I will venture to say, the most motley collection of knuckleheads ever assembled in a contest for national leadership. And emerging from the burning wreckage like an eighties action hero, comes Mitt Romney, combining a personality whose blandness is eclipsed only by the level of calculation that seems to inform every movement, with the plutocratic cluelessness of Thurston Howell the Third.

But it’s October now, and the time really has come to pay attention. Luckily, the Economist steps up with a special report on the election. Before I delve into the issues that matter to me, there are two caveats against which I think the importance of the election should be balanced:

1.  The economy is the biggest issue in the election, and, as the report reminds us “the influence of presidents over economic growth is slight compared with the natural recuperative powers of the economy, the international climate and the unpredictable pace of innovation”;
2. The nature of the American system, along with the current reality in Congress will not allow either party to put most legislation to a vote.

 But no-one knows what the future holds, and even though presidents seem often to be shaped by the situations that confront them in the White House, elections demand our attention. So we begin with the candidates. As the report states, “This is an election campaign Mitt Romney should have had no trouble dominating.” With 8% unemployment, 2% growth, a war being lost, and an unpopular health care law as the signature legislation of the last 4 years, President Obama faces a lot of legitimate questions. People understand that he inherited a lot of these problems, but four years seems sufficient time to show at least some progress.

Ideologically, I lean to the left on most issues. I am with the democrats on guns, gays and god, but do not think that they go nearly far enough on any of them. I also believe strongly in carbon pricing and free trade, and that neither candidate is vigorous enough in his support of either issue. Governor Romney has vowed to brand China a currency manipulator: my view is that if they want to manipulate their currency and their policies so that things are cheaper for me, that’s a feature not a bug for America. Besides, if those manufacturing jobs the candidates talk about ever do return, they will be done by cheaper and less strike-minded robots, not union guys with high school diplomas and lunch buckets. Like family farming, those days are gone.

I also believe that government is an agent of redistribution and a provider of public goods, and that there are many of these, including education and health care. But I have worked for various state and federal government agencies over the last twenty years; I have stood in line at the DMV; and tried to figure out what I need to do to legally employ a housekeeper. It is clear that the government does not do a very good job of doing its job. Then again, anyone who, as I have, has tried to procure and understand private health insurance or sign a cellular phone contract, will understand, the private sector is equally bad at providing services: it just does so in a way that is slightly more efficient, while at the same time, more costly and confusing, in its attempts to wrest every dollar from your wallet.

This post is getting a little long, so I think I’ll try individual posts on each of the major issues in the report next week, and try to limit this to an outline of the parameters of the choice, as I see it.

Governor. Romney wants smaller government (except for defense), and lower taxes. He also has the luxury of not having to define what he would cut, promising to do everything for everybody. He opposes immigration, and does not favor action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He governed in Massachusetts from the center, won the nomination by tacking to the right, and has recently drifted back. What he truly believes is a mystery, but his business experience (an overvalued trait for governing, in my view) suggests that he will focus on the bottom line, which is doing what it takes to get re-elected, rather than simply maximizing profits.

President Obama has passed health care reform that no-one understands, and which will not really exist until 2014. He was elected under a mantle of hope and change, and the last four years have been short of both. Although he has come around on gay marriage, he has not closed Guantanamo and has ordered fleets of robot planes to kill innocent people in Pakistan. He promised to change Washington, and, if anything, has made it worse. He did order a successful hit on Osama Bin Laden (Imagine if that had gone wrong, a la Jimmy Carter in Iran. It takes guts to make the order, but luck plays an important part in the outcome) and he does play ball.

From an ideological standpoint, I really don’t think the two are all that different (See the always interesting Scott Adams for a pragmatic look at the candidates). The president is clearly a more inspiring figure, but Romney seems to have better odds of actually doing something inside the gridlock machine, although what that might be is a troubling mystery, and neither is likely to have an effect on the economic cycle.

I have been struck over the last two years at how similar the election is to sports, both in fans' inabilities to see quality in other teams, and in the actual effect of outcome on everyday life. If you look at it that way, it seems less significant, but it does consume a lot of energy and resources. And it still seems important.

Cheerio

Yesterday was game day, and the OG wore her uniform to school, as the players similarly wear their jerseys. "I'm always nervous that I've made a mistake, and we don't have a game today." she confided, as I dropped her off. It seems to me that's a capsule summary of middle school.

Last week, the cheerleaders revealed a new routine to celebrate a score. Here's a video of them celebrating a long touchdown pass that turned out to be decisive in a narrow victory. We celebrated that (and her birthday) with cupcakes after the game.

Bad Reviews of Great Books

From an 1848 review of Wuthering Heights:

How a human being could have attempted such a book as the present without committing suicide before he had finished a dozen chapters, is a mystery. It is a compound of vulgar depravity and unnatural horrors.” — Graham’s Lady’s Magazine, 1848

And I cannot resist one more:

It is no discredit to Walt Whitman that he wrote Leaves of Grass, only that he did not burn it afterwards.” – Thomas Wentworth Higginson, The Atlantic, “Literature as an Art,” 1867

And 13 others, all enjoyable. The takedowns of Moby Dick and Ulysses stand out.

Leftover Whipped Cream Pasta Supper

One of the perks of Worldwide's globetrotting is her frequent flier miles, which we used to fund most of our travel this past summer. They can also be used to redeem merchandise, and she used a few to get me the Kitchenaid "artisanal" stand mixer, which is indeed a very handsome appliance. I don't use it that often, although it does help with beating egg whites for pancakes, and for mixing cookie dough. It is also useful for making whipped cream, and I made some as part of a sundae bar the other night.

The trouble is, I made a pint, and three sundaes need nowhere near the quantity that produced. So I wondered yesterday, if I might be able to incorporate the remains into a white sauce for pasta. Searching for "whipped cream pasta recipes" did not yield a lot of material, although there was one recipe, allegedly from the Frugal Gourmet, that suggested it was possible. And whipped cream straddles the line between heavy cream and butter right? How bad could it be?

Monday is the busiest day of the week for us. OG has cheer practice, followed by dance class, and the BG does back to back tae kwan do classes, as she moves inexorably toward her black belt. I fed OG a hot dog in the car between gigs, and left the BG with instructions that she could start with salad if she was hungry before we returned at 7.

When we arrived (at 7:15 she was quick to point out), I asked the Gs whether they wanted nachos immediately or could wait 10 minutes for pasta. Both chose pasta, and the sauce was delicious (though the calorie count was undoubtedly astronomical). I healthed it up a tiny bit by adding a little spinach. And I'd do it again if there's whipped cream that needs to get used up.

The recipe is adapted from the JOC's fettucine alfredo recipe, although perhaps "informed by" is the better term, given how different it actually is. We had a nice family dinner, and the Gs went downstairs to watch Dancing With the Stars, while I started a new book

Penne With Spinach and Leftover Whipped Cream Alfredo Sauce
Cook 1 package of penne. While the pasta is cooking, melt 1/2 stick of butter. When butter is melted, stir in 2 cups of whipped cream (this is just a guess, here. I had a medium sized resealable container full). When sauce is simmering, add 1 cup of chopped spinach. Stir in 1 cup of shredded parmesan. When cheese is melted, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve over pasta.

Here Comes the NBA Season

For once, we were glad that both the local NBA team (the Charlotte Bobcats) and our preferred squad (the Washington Wizards) are, how can I put this diplomatically, not good. This fact, plus the axioms that Autumn Sundays in the US mean NFL football and that no-one pays any attention to pro basketball until Christmas, meant that we were able to score fabulous seats for the Wizards/Bobcats preseason game yesterday for what it usually costs to sit in the upper deck.

After dropping off the BG (who had lego league later in the day) with friend and neighbour Sarah, the OG and I made the two hour drive to the Queen City, arriving at the downtown arena just as they were opening the doors, about an hour before tipoff.

In preparation for the game, the OG had made half a dozen signs, which the Security Guard jokingly considered confiscating. My favourite was nous vous aimons, Kevin (We love you) for Kevin Seraphim, the promising frontcourt player from French Guiana.

As we entered the arena, the Lady Cats (I thought they should have been called the Catwomen) along with the mascot, Rufus (Why would you not call the Bobcats mascot, Bob?) were there to greet us. One of them happily posed for a picture with the OG:

Catwoman

We then headed for our seats, and though I knew they were in Row A, I am also familiar with how teams sometimes use the power of suggestion to convince you that your seats are better than they actually are (I have seen Row A start after Row 99--or something like this, on a few occasions), and sure enough, Row A came after A1, A2, A3 and A4. Still these seats were far better than any I've occupied at a previous NBA game (like the top row of the Silverdome behind the basket for the 1979 All Star game, for example), and we were delighted. We arrived just as a few of the Wizards were finishing the shootaround.

 As the sparse crowd filed in (6,000 according to ESPN, although Security carefully checked our tickets and didn't let anybody move down) the players appeared for warmups, and the game began. Our proximity to the action provided a couple of insights: the game is a lot more physical than it looks; and there is a lot of acting to try and draw fouls. We were particularly amused by Wizards chucker Jordan Crawford, who screamed bloody murder every time he ventured into the paint.

Although no-one acknowledged her signs, a cameraman in a shirt that had "DC" on it, did come over and ask if the OG would hold up her sign welcoming Wizards rookie Bradley Beal for him, so we are harboring hope of some notoriety:

The game itself was a bit of a letdown. OG was disappointed that the Wizards never got close and ended up losing to the NBA's worst team, and I am resigned to another year of mediocrity. The Wizards two best players (John Wall and Nene) did not dress, so there is no doubt that the team will be better when (or if) they're healthy. Plus the rookie looks like he can play in the NBA, and Kevin did show a couple of nifty low post moves. Still, this group doesn't have the look of a playoff team, and it wouldn't surprise me at all to be in the lottery again next year. But you never know. That's the great thing about sports.

Gettin' Funky

Since it's her birthday tomorrow, and she's helping get BG to her Lego team meeting tomorrow while the OG and I travel to Charlotte to watch the Wizards open the preseason (more on that later), I made our friend and neighbour Sarah a playlist/cd. I'm pretty pleased with the result, so I thought I'd share the track listing and give you a taste of an oft overlooked chestnut from the Commodores.

The Commodores, Gonna Blow Your Mind

Lakeside, Fantastic Voyage

Aretha Franklin, The House That Jack Built

Bar-Kays, Shake your rump to the Funk

De La Soul, A Roller Skating Jam Named ''Saturdays''

Edwin Starr, Twenty-Five Miles

The Fatback Band, (Are You Ready) Do The Bus Stop

Herbie Hancock, Watermelon Man

War, Sing A Happy Song

Afrika Bambaataa, Zulu Nation Throwdown

Graham Central Station, The Jam

Little Milton, Grits Ain't Groceries

Breakestra, Family Rap

Macy Gray/Black Eyed Peas, Request line

Prince, Pope

Queen Latifah, Latifah's Had It Up To Here

Rufus Thomas, (Do the) Push and Pull (Part 1

Sly & The Family Stone, Loose Booty

The Staple Singers, I'll Take You There

Whispers, Rock Steady

Jungle Brothers, Doin' Our Own Dang

Charles Wright & Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, EXPRESS YOURSELF

Barenaked Ladies, Fight The Power

Food Truck Rodeo

The darling of hipsters and aspiring restaurauteurs, and the bane of restaurant owners is the food truck. Last night the town of Carrboro hosted a food truck rodeo in the market square, with 10% of all proceeds going to Meals on Wheels.

We got down there about 5:30, joining a crowd of families, students and aging hipsters. There were about ten trucks in all, slinging specialties like pizza, crepes, sandwiches and ice cream. Sadly for the BG, the Pie Servers truck was pizza, not the other kind of pie, but she found a delicious Caprese sandwich from Sympathy for the Deli:

I went for a chipotle chopped barbeque sandwich with a South Carolina style mustard based barbeque sauce. It was a little dry and a bit flavorless, which was partly my fault for not adding enough sauce, and partly theirs for not managing the pit properly.

Of course the OG opted for our own beloved OnlyBurger, a truck so successful that it opened a store last year in Durham. Not surprisingly it was the longest line. This photo came after I had made my order and went to check on the Gs.

We ate our food on our laps, a la terre, accompanied by a guy playing Tennessee Ernie Ford songs, and finished it off with a couple of ice cream cones. Total cost, about $30. Good times.

grizzly matter

10 words you didn't now you were getting wrong. I'll confess to not fully understanding the difference between infectious and contagious; to not knowing that grizzly meant grayish; and to misspelling just deserts (although I'm not sure I have ever actually written it down).

10 Words You Literally Didn’t Know You Were Getting Wrong

http://litreactor.com/columns/10-words-you-literally-didnt-know-you-were-getting-wrong

Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes

The OG got a new pair of shoes yesterday. I think she made an excellent choice.

Can I Kick It?

Yes you can! OG shows off her leadership skills, verbal flow and high kick as the Cyclones romp over archrival Mcdougle. I'll try to get pictures of her doing the splits, as well as the newly instituted flip to celebrate a Smith score.

Out of Salt

I don't remember my mother buying salt. I'm sure she did, but I don't recollect the item on a list any of the times we went to the Dominion or the Miracle Mart. I just remember always having a box of Windsor Salt (still in business, and the mine is still operating, BTW) on the Lazy Susan.

When I went off to school, salt was always an item on that first trip to the supermarket, but the container always lasted longer than a year, and I guess it got left behind at the dorm or rental unit when summer arrived, or circumstances changed.

It was in my third apartment in DC that I finally ran out of salt for the first time, and this struck me as symbolic: not only was I cooking more, but it also reflected the reality that I had been settled for awhile. I bought a box of Safeway brand salt (salt is salt, right?), and the metal spout promptly broke off, a lesson that I would not fully absorb until a decade later, after a series of similar incidents convinced me that it was not coincidence, and that the extra few cents for the branded option was worth it.

I don't remember how salt was packaged in Egypt, although I do remember that it wasn't iodized.

Anyway, we've been in the Triangle for three years, and we are out of salt. That's significant, I think.

Bacon vs. Bacon

Following on my comparison of breakfast cereals, I thought it might be interesting to discuss the other regular feature of  the breakfast table: bacon. Of course, in their never-ending quest to assert their individuality, this means something quite different to each girl.

For the OG, bacon means bacon--cured and smoked pork belly, rendered crisp in the microwave and served unadorned. For the BG, bacon means MorningStar vegetarian bacon strips, made from egg whites and soy protein and corn starch.

Bacon, while a classic component of the all-American breakfast, is also vilified as high in fat, full of sodium nitrite and bereft of nutritional value. It is arguably the avatar of the unhealthy diet, and has given rise to "bacon mania" a backlash against the food police and an embracing of the high fat, low carbohydrate lifestyle.

Vegetarian bacon on the other hand, is billed as a healthy alternative, delivering all of the great taste with none of the guilt or health risks associated with the porcine alternative.

Simple, right? Well, wait a minute. The vegetarian bacon comes from the Kellogg laboratories in Battle Creek, and contains, among other things,  

SODIUM SULFITE, CARRAGEENAN, RED #3, DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, NIACINAMIDE, AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, YELLOW #6, CYANOCOBALAMIN.

I have no idea what this means, but I am suspicious nonetheless. Somewhere, I recall Michael Pollan saying that a useful heuristic for everyday eating is to avoid things that your grandmother would not recognize as food (also that you should beware of products that make health claims). I can see Grandma Anna's face contemplating a plate of vegetarian bacon: "My goodness. Where do they get the energy? I'll have some toast, lover."

And what about the numbers? Two slices of Oscar Mayer bacon have 70 calories, 6 grams of fat, 4 grams of protein and 260 mg of  sodium. The veggie version has 60 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 2 grams of protein and 230 mg of sodium.

So they are calorically indistinguishable, and the pork bellies have slightly more fat and sodium, but twice the protein. They also have 15 mg of cholesterol, and contain sodium nitrite, which has been loosely linked with increased risk of heart disease.

Then there's the taste. I don't think I've ever met anyone who didn't like the taste of bacon. On the other hand, the vegetarian version has been described in ways ranging from "not unpalatable" to "really, really bad." Personally, I'm somewhere in the middle of this spectrum. So while I don't think there's a nutritional reason to eschew the pig, I'm glad that the BG has something that is at least vaguely reminiscent of something that she used to love, but for philosophical reasons, will not eat. And I'm happy to get some protein into the OG in the morning via a vehicle that has the added benefit of being delicious.

Too Much Pork

I do love my grills. Not as much as my girls, but there are more of the former. I have a three-burner Weber gas grill that I bought when we moved to Olympia in 2003. It came with us to Egypt, where our driver helped me hook it up to the benzene tanks that many use for cooking in Cairo (the door-to-door sellers announce themselves my banging a wrench on the tanks as they walk down the street), and now it anchors our deck, where it is starting to show its age. I also have a 29" Weber kettle that I use for big projects (like Thanksgiving) and indirect cooking, and a little Weber "Smoky Joe" that I bought to economize on charcoal. I'll use it for steaks, burgers and the like--things that cook pretty quickly over direct heat. For some reason, it does not work well with the lid on.

One thing that I don't really do at home, though, is Carolina barbeque. The truth is, sotto voce, that I just don't like it as well as the other styles. Chopped or sliced pork in a sauce of vinegar and pepper can be good, and lots of folks are passionate about it, but I'll take ribs, brisket or chicken with a sweet and spicy tomato-based sauce every time.

I've blogged before about my love of the sauce from Windsor's Tunnel Bar-B-Q, and in addition to that, my house sauce is a variation on a recipe from The New Basics, which I've modified by adding a little orange juice and replacing the malt vinegar with cider vinegar. I also like a recipe from the Washington Post a couple of years ago for a mustard-based South Carolina sauce, and I do some Mexican, Asian and Mediterranean-inspired cooking, but I'll save those for another time, and keep this all-American.

Which brings me to the inspiration for today's post. One of the blogs I follow is Dad Cooks Dinner, and the author takes grilling a lot more seriously than I. He loves his rotisserie, and posted last week about a legendary "white" barbeque sauce, which was invented at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Alabama. Doesn't this smack of authenticity? How could I not try the recipe? It's basically just mayonnaise and vinegar, with a little apple juice, horseradish and cayenne. But I'd never heard of mayonnaise in a barbeque sauce. Was I about to unlock another barbeque secret?

Sadly, no. It wasn't bad, and it did make a nice coating for my drumsticks, but it's not as good as any of the three aforementioned sauces. I need to try it again, when expectations are lower, before I pronounce final judgment, but it didn't have the chin-wiping "wow" factor that makes a great barbeque sauce. Oh well. It was a fun experiment nonetheless.

In case you might be interested, I've posted my house recipe below. I guessed on the measure of orange juice, and I'll sometimes throw in a little zest, but it's all good, as we used to say in 1992.

BBQ Sauce
Heat 2 tbs vegetable oil in a pan. Add half an onion, chopped, and saute, over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add 2 cloves of garlic, minced. 1 tsp cumin and 1/4 tsp cayenne and saute another minute. Stir in 1 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup cider vinegar, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce and 1/2 tsp liquid smoke. Simmer 10 minutes, until slightly thickened.

And to cap it off, here's the Triangle's own Southern Culture on the Skids performing the song that inspired the title of this post.

Emerging Adults/Markets/Movies

As the Gs get older and more independent they need less parental supervision. Although they still needed a ride to the movies yesterday, they were able to buy popcorn and watch Hotel Transylvania unaccompanied, while I read the Economist's special report on India. Here are our one-sentence reviews of the movie and the subcontinent:
OG: Predictable, but good.
BG: It was a good movie.
Big D: Because of the troubles of politics and bureaucracy, I am less optimistic about India's future.

Q3 Book List

Food Matters: a Guide to Conscious Eating with More Than 75 Recipes, Mark Bittman

Don't eat anything except plants and whole grains. They can be pretty good.

Coffee with Shakespeare, Stanley Wells, Joseph Fiennes

Slim volume (a birthday gift) imagines a modern interview with the Bard. Largely inoffensive, free of conjecture or controversy, which might have made it more interesting.

The Atomic Weight of Secrets Or the Arrival of the Mysterious Men in Black, Eden Unger Bowditch

Adventure of an unlikely group of scientifically gifted children. A gift from a friend of WW, written by a woman we met in Cairo, the kids were well drawn, but two things--the intersection with history and the to--be-continued... resolution left me unsatisfied. But maybe that's the point.

Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone: The Essential Writing ofHunter S. Thompson, Hunter S. Thompson

The singular voice in American writing? Only Hemingway or Twain come to mind as rivals. 70s reports of the Democratic primaries and Nixon rants stand out. Later became a bit of a caricature of himself, but that seems unavoidable. No-one could live as he did without a little embellishment. Right?

A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin

Rich and compelling medieval fantasy world, dripping with intrigue, liberally sprinkled with sex and violence. Writing a bit hackneyed at times, but impossible to put down nonetheless. Not sure I’m in for the remaining 4,000 pages of the series, but I do want to know how it turns out.

William Henry Harrison: The American Presidents Series: The 9thPresident,1841, Gail Collins, Arthur M. 

Schlesinger, Jr., Sean Wilentz

Lifelong bureaucrat from Virginia, settled in Ohio. In 1840, at 67, he somehow won the nomination and was recast by Whig handlers as an injun-killer from the frontier, and squeaked by Van Buren in a rollicking campaign. Got pneumonia after a 2 hour inaugural speech and died 31 days later. The end.

Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf

Picked this up on a recommendation that it was an insightful look at how people think. Are we really that petty and boring?

The Daydreamer, Ian McEwan

Invented stories from the mind of a very creative boy. Easy to see how he went on to become a famous writer.

The Numerati, Stephen Baker

People who want to sell you stuff know far more about you than you'd imagine. I don't mind this, as much as the way they make it difficult to understand how much things actually cost. What happens to insurance and medicine when the providers know everything about you?

A Short History of Progress, Ronald Wright

Similar to Diamond's Collapse, but with much less data and more philosophy, though not as much as I'd hoped for. Did humans develop agriculture only because they ran out of animals to kill?

The Lacuna: A Novel, Barbara Kingsolver

Beautifully written story of a boy's life in Mexico and the US, his accidental entanglement with Rivera, Kahlo and Trotsky, success as a writer in Asheville and final undoing by the HUAC. Interesting throughout, less so after Mexico. Hard to believe the witch hunts of the 1940s were real.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Grace Lin

From Evie's summer reading list. Nice collection of Chinese folk tales tied together by hey another plucky distaff heroine.

Mean Genes: From Sex to Money to Food, Taming Our Primal Instincts, Terry Burnham, Jay Phelan

We're only human. But at least we know that, which, at times, can help

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's GreatMigration, Isabel Wilkerson

Sweeping story of African Americans moving north in search of opportunity and to escape life on the plantation; told through the stories of three people. Beautifully personal and contextually rich, but I would have preferred some more data.

Fish on Friday: Feasting, Fasting, and the Discovery of the NewWorld, Brian Fagan

Nice complement to Cod, particularly for its history of the European fishing industry and the development of techniques for salting and smoking. Industry driven by religious mandates and constant wars, but the book says little on these topics. Too bad, because I’d like to know more.

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, Trenton Lee Stewart

Not as much character development as the first story. Suffers as a result. The children finding themselves and each other was the strongest part of the story.

Fish Into Wine: The Newfoundland Plantation in the SeventeenthCentury, Peter Edward Pope, Omohundro Institute of Early American History & Culture

Thoroughgoing examination of the fishing industry in 17th century Newfoundland. More than I needed to know about the quotidian details and lacking much in the way of global perspective, which for me is the interesting part.

A History of the Middle East, Peter Mansfield

Few obvious boundaries or nations, under the heel of various empires throughout history. After David's conquest of Jerusalem in the 7th Century BC, no mention of the Jews until the zionist movement of the early 20th century.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck

Hard work and sticktoitveness are more important to success than talent. Treat every failure as a learning opportunity and you are bound to get better. Don't tell kids they're smart; reward hard work.

The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World, Daniel Yergin

Comprehensive study of our use of energy and forecast of the future. Transition from coal to oil took a hundred years; move to oil's successor will take similar time. Depressing, but thoroughly enjoyable 700-odd pages.

Shipping News: A Novel, Annie Proulx

Beautifully written novel about a lummox who finds a life in Newfoundland. Full of implausible characters and set in a present day that nevertheless feels like 1920. And then it just sort of ends, with a small bang and a quiet whimper.

The Call of the Wild, Jack London

Some dog, that Buck. And Jack London really got into his head. Sheesh

Some Great Thing, Lawrence Hill

Enjoyable tale of ethnic, social, racial and language politics in 1980s Winnipeg, told through the eyes of an educated reporter. Implausible at times, but thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless

The Person and the Situation: Perspectives of Social Psychology, Lee Ross, Richard E. Nisbett

The latter is often a better predictor of our response than the former. Billed as psychology for the lay person, I found this to be overly academic and difficult to get through, despite its brevity.

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert B. Cialdini

More background about how certain heuristics direct our behavior. Less interesting after Kahnemann, but nonetheless enjoyable. Self-awareness is the key to manipulation, but it is frustratingly elusive.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King

Very enjoyable look at the craft of writing fiction interrupted by the horrible story of a crippling car accident. Honest and insightful throughout. I learned a great deal and remembered how much I enjoyed the Dead Zone when I read it in ninth grade.

The Little Book of Talent: 52 Tips for Improving Your Skills, Daniel Coyle

Concise set of proven shortcuts to acquiring skills. There are no real shortcuts of course, but the optimal approach to learning is preferable nonetheless

Bone: Out from Boneville, Jeff Smith

 Daughter loved this so much that she was wary of my reading it, lest I say something negative. We read the second installment together last night, but I am not including it in my list. One graphic novel is sufficient.

Full list for 2012