Motivation Part Two - Be Careful What You Wish For

So here it is almost a week after my daughter's getting up early for a field trip. A week older and a week wiser. Well, older anyways.

The day after the early rising, my elder daughter was up early once again. Of my 2 daughters she is the one that will wake up and actually be functional. My younger daughter will briefly sit up in a daze before nodding off and snuggling back in. So in an ironic twist, on that next morning I had my elder daughter jumping on my bed saying "Daddy, time to get up. Get up, get ready, get dressed"... That was about 20 minutes before my alarm was set to go off. Using her desire to get to school early for free time with her friends worked! Note: Be careful what I wish. I was now the turtle being prodded out of bed early.

Well, the day after that was a little more normal. I got to sleep until my alarm sounded, but once again I was coaxed by my daughters. Both of them this time. It was TGI Friday after all. An especially fun morning. But after that the weekend was the usual sleep in.

Since then all it's taken is a bit of "should we get to school early for morning free time" to get them to school with time to spare.

Family Life Education

Last night I went to "Parent Information Night". My 4th grade daughter will soon be having a one hour "Puberty Lesson" at her school. My daughter relayed what she understands it will be. "The boys go off and learn about boy things and the girls learn about their period".

Thinking back to my 4th grade sex ed ... wait a second! There wasn't any! My sex ed at school wasn't until 6th grade. And I remember the banter over mine being the first grade school class to get that. Now it is a 4th grade topic? So how relevant is it for a 9 -10 year old to be educated about sex? Apparently with all the chemicals and stuff we eat nowadays kids are maturing earlier. Many girls are getting their periods at age 8. I think somebody needs to lighten up on some of those chemicals.

So us parents were told about how the special teachers will be explaining body changes, body functions, and preparing the kids for what to expect but would not really broach the S-E-X topic. No talk about intercourse and such. We were given and shown some of the materials. There was some confusion when they included some of the "5th grade" materials too. We were asked if there was anything we were uncomfortable about. Boy, did that open things up! First of all, my assessment is that dealing with this over the next 8 years or so will be uncomfortable. Nothing is going to fix that. So it is better to face the changes questions as they come naturally. Don't force topics but don't avoid them. But at that point I didn't have to say anything. The room was filled with mostly Moms voicing concerns about ... everything.

So, why was I, a dad with 2 daughters even there? Well ... as an aspiring "understanding Dad" I am also interested in knowing what is ahead. I know that most of my dealings on these matters will be "you should go talk with your mom". But I wanted to know what they were going to be told so I could be ready for the inevitable changes and questions too.

Plus, as one of the teachers said "They talk about it. They already know more than you think"...

Howdy GW!

I heard a radio snippet of President Bush asking for moderation on the illegal immigrants issue. Something about how the United States was formed by immigrants who were given a new chance... Thanks for reading my blog, George! Did you catch my other suggestions about Mexico?

Motivational Cuteness

Results reflect upon the true motivators...

On normal school days trying to get my 2 girls up and going is like herding turtles. Okay, what kid leaps out of bed rushing to get ready for a day of school? I know I didn't. About a week ago, after repeatedly urging them along and scolding them for goofing around while they were supposed to be ready, my oldest daughter nonchalantly says "Daddy, can we get to school earlier so we have more time with our friends before class". Eureka, they figured out a sure way of putting Dad over the edge. Yes, I was rather loud as I told her "We WOULD be at school earlier if WE didn't have to wait for YOU fooling around every morning".

And now the part about motivators...

This morning they were up and getting dressed as soon as their alarm went off. They got their clothes ready the night before and were dressed and done making their own lunches before I made it to the kitchen. They even had an eggo toasted and ready for me! The older daughter was urging and helping the younger one along. Was it because I had threatened them with something? No. Was it because I promised them something? No. It was because my older daughter had a school field trip that she had to be at school early for or they'd leave without her. And was she ever motivated! When we got to school they were just unlocking the gates.

Now I know I can't expect a field trip every day. But I did see the remarkable difference between today's preparations and those from just yesterday. So I will keep at the usual threatening and punishment. "If you aren't dressed and ready to go by 7:30 then you will go to bed early tonight." I will keep up the praising. "Good job, we got to school on time." But the best motivation is from making the motives thiers. "What time do you want to get to school so you have time with your friends before class?" "I know we can make it to school by 7:45 if we don't fool around." Now if only those motives would work as good as a field trip did...

Ballot Deja Vu

The California state primary election is coming up. There are several special measures to vote on. That's nothing new. But aren't these the same things we voted on last time?

Apparently so... The same old causes in new guises. Tried and trued noble causes. Schools, libraries, health care, public transit. Which leaves me with questions: If these things are so direly important, why aren't they fully funded under the existing budgets? Why do we keep being hit up with special measures for funding? Measures that are supposed to do the same things that previous special bonds or tax increases were supposed to do? Well ... because we're gullible and it works. If you look past the noble causes, you can see the behavioral and financial motivators that drive these measures to pass.

The people who profit from their passing are putting up millions to get the word out about all the benefits these measures will bring. Heck, they stand to make much more than their millions back. There is no such profit for those who oppose them and much less money is spent in opposition. Plus, nobody wants to be branded as opposing noble causes. Against better education? It would be much different if we were voting on all the special interest pork that are fully funded in the budget.

My favorite so far is prop 82, which I have renamed the "tax the rich, preschool the poor..." measure. It would levy an additional 1.7% tax on individuals making over $400,000 or couples making over $800,000. The estimates $2+ billion this would raise would go for new preschool programs. "Provides a high-quality preschool education for every four-year old in California"...
What could be more noble? Heck, that's only an additional $6,800 if you make the $400,000 threshold, right? Only about 0.6% of all Californians would qualify to pay this tax (next year). That tells me right now that it has a high likelihood of passing...

Well, the opposition also makes good points which I will paraphrase as "why do we want to give $2+ billion more to increase the same school bureaucracy that is responsible for the "troubled" K-12 system? To do the same with preschool?" California ranks 45th out of 50 states in reading. Will getting the projected 4 to 5% increase in preschool enrollment really do that much to fix this? The crux of their argument is that the money would be better spent elsewhere, like K-12 grade classrooms and teachers. Also worth mentioning is that this program would put existing private preschools at a significant cost disadvantage.

I'll just stand by my first question as I read deeper into the proposals. I find that the more I understand them the more likely I am to vote against. If the causes were as noble and important as they sound at face value, they would be fully funded by the current budget...

...As always, vote wisely!

Illegal Immigrants

I have taken on a role as contrarian in the illegal immigration debate. Looking beyond the hoopla, the demonstrations and controversy ... I see illegal immigration as a symptom of bigger problems. You won't fix illegal immigration without fixing the problems that cause it.

So, when someone faults illegal immigrants for the problems they create for us here, I have to argue. Not that there aren't problems. I point out that it is nothing new. In the USA where most people are decendants of immigrants, if we kicked out everyone whose trouble maker ancestors came over the borders and didn't get permission from the people already here, the vast majority of Americans would be sent packing. It seems ironic that a nation predominantly formed by uncontrolled immigration might soon be putting up "trespassers are felons" signs. For most of us, our ancestors were also uninvited opportunists seeking a better life.

Likewise, when someone starts the arguments about how we benefit from illegal immigrant labor, I let them have it back. What? They take jobs that nobody else wants? Wait a second. Says who? My friends and I used to rely on those "unskilled" jobs growing up. Many High School and College kids do.

I know a number of contractors and entrepreneurs that hire illegal workers. They have to because their competition does. To get jobs they have to be among the lowest bidders. If they hire regular workers the compensation, taxes, and benefits cost considerably more than paying someone "under the table" or through an intermediary. They all have contacts who arrange for the cheap workers they need so they can plead ignorance. So when they bid on a job they know that they are not at a considerable disadvantage because they do what everyone else is doing. Hire cheap day workers and don't question their status. The problem isn't that they can't find people willing to do the work, the problem is they can't find people legally willing to do the work cheap enough.

Also, the "contribution" argument is countered by the "burden" argument. Illegal immigrants create a burden for social services like law enforcement, health services, public works, charitable services, etc just like everyone else. Whether they "contribute" or not. We end up paying for it because they can't or won't. They come here for the opportunities and quality of living, which puts a burden on that quality of living.

Also, it is hard to make a case for benefiting from sweat and sub-class labor without recognizing the social injustices...

So, what is the solution? May I suggest the following...

• Forget about rounding up the millions of illegal immigrants. Turn them over to the IRS (U.S. Department in charge of taxation). Make them endure tax hell like the rest of us. Give them tax forms to fill out. Can't understand the forms? That's OK, most PhDs can't either. Audit them. Make them want to flee the country again.
• Invade Mexico, make it the 51st State and get rid of the border altogether. Another personal favorite, although Draconian. Unfortunately we just can't invade other countries to fix their part of our problem. Ummm, well ...unless maybe they're non-allied countries in the Middle East... But then if that worked we'd probably have to do the same all the way down South America.
• Even better, declare war on Mexico, invade, and as soon as they acknowledge it surrender unconditionally. That's right, let them deal with uniting the countries. I'm sure our schmuck politicians and theirs would have something worked out in no time. Then we could do the same to Canada...
  

No easy answers unless you're able and willing to go after the causes ... or put up with the downside, which brings us back to today's status quo.

Swimsuit Shopping VS Dental Visit

A recent UPI article cited an Illinois study where 52 percent of females polled said they would rather have dental surgery than shop for a bathing suit. I believe I can safely say that my dear wife falls on the majority side. But in the article I found an interviewee's quote to be ironically funny. A Nordstroms shopper was quoted as saying "It's the fact that we no longer have the bodies of 18-year-olds, and bathing suits accentuate every flaw you have." I was rolling. Why so funny? Because that shopper obviously hasn't seen the 18 year olds around here.

Both of my dear daughters (much younger than 18) are due for new suits, and this creates the opportunity for another survey. Would you rather have dental surgery than take your young daughter shopping for a bathing suit? They seem excited about shopping for new ones, it's Mom that might prefer having teeth pulled...

Fools is as Fools Does

Nothing is Foolproof, because fools can be so ingenious

In a previous job one of my outspoken, socially challenged coworkers had a phrase he liked to use. He'd say "I don't have to suffer fools". This was somewhat amusing, because it was clear to the rest of us that he had to suffer himself. But he had many anecdotal examples supporting the idea. He had a good point. Why should we be expected to suffer because of others foolish actions.

The examples are endless. My dear wife and I relate them to each other almost daily. Driving, shopping, at work, at the kids school. I could write pages....

So how much should we suffer fools? How much precious time or effort should we be willing to give up? Often these fools take advantage of tolerance. But then too, when do we need to recognize that we ourselves just might be the fools.

DVRs, the Jury Says:

Digital Video Recorders are both wonderful things and dangerous things. Wonderful because of their capabilities. Dangerous because they further encourage video addictions. Yes, these wonderful marvels of technology help the TV suck the life out of you!

It is great being able to rewind during a show when you aren't quite sure you heard the dialogue. Or pause the play for a potty break. The best feature has got to be the ability to buffer shows and then skip the commercials. You can regain 10-15 minutes of each hour just with that.

The DVR even lets you record shows to watch later. But this is where we start hitting the danger. Our DVR has a recording capacity of 60 hours that just begs to be used. At last, we can record all those shows at odd times we wanted to watch and view them later. But there's the problem. When is later? Instead of reclaiming your life, it pulls you further in. Especially after we record one of those marathon sessions of some show series and find ourselves with a dozen episodes of something that we now have to watch.

I have a friend who has 3 Tivo DVRs in his house. Between his wife and kids, he complains he can never find room to store his shows on any of them. But then he also told me about a feature they have. Once you record a show the Tivo will record similar shows for you automatically, if you have room. And it "does a good job at it"... It's downright scary!

My wife is slowly filling up the capacity. This brings me to another limitation. We have a home network and plenty of disk space on another computer. Unfortunately there is no way to offload from the DVR onto anything else (without hacking the box). I know they do this so that people can't freely distribute copyrighted shows, but it would sure be nice to keep a personal library of certain shows that we can't get elsewhere or on DVD. Without hacking or upgrading the disk in the DVR.

Overall, a DVR is a "nice to have". But it encourages TV compulsion and all the bad things that go with it. If you don't have time to watch all the stuff you've recorded, it's a good thing!

Gasoline Prices

I saw gas for over $3.50 a gallon today. The premium grade. That's still cheap compared to other countries, but has people around here whining.

I use technical analysis software and methods in trading stocks on the stock exchange. I've found technical analysis of changing prices good for looking at and predicting price trends and underlying buying/selling pressures. So when I look at the recent price trend for gasoline, I can't help but think about it like any other commodity price driven by buy and sell and market influences...

For all the whining, I still don't see people giving up driving to save gas. Using alternative energy only shifts demand to other sources. Efficiency can only help so much and is negated if it leads to more travel. The newest batch of hybrids have lower overall fuel efficiency than some non-hybrid cars... So demand is still strong, supply is limited and could become more so.

I have to ask myself, would gasoline make a good investment? Would I buy it now to sell in a month? Probably not. But as a longer term investment I would be tempted. And that is foretelling about what I expect...