From The Window Seat

Mind & Body

This month the National Institute of Health was to have held its first ever "Mind Body" Week intended to explore the health benefits of yoga, meditation and stress management. 

I decided to do my part to explore the mind-body connection and signed up for six Tai Chisessions thru the Smithsonian Associates.  Reportedly Tai Chi's gentle, low impact movements burn more calories than surfing and nearly as many as downhill skiing. After my first session, I believe it.   

But what I really liked was the focus on relaxing, centering and, put plainly, chilling out. I couldn't help thinking what if Members of Congress were required to take Tai Chi each morning - together!  I have to think it would ease the tensions a bit, at least for those morning press conferences that set the rhetorical tone for the day. 

And that NIH workshop on stress management?  Canceled because NIH staff are too busy administering the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (i.e. Stimulus bill) grants.  How ironic - just when we need it the most.

Savoring the Moment

At the suggestion of WSJ columnist Katherine Boehret, I decided to check out a new online tool for photo and video sharing, www.thisMoment.com. 

The site allows anyone with whom you share a moment to see that moment without signing up for the service. If that person is included in the moment, meaning the creator labeled him or her as a person who participated in the moment, then that person can add his or her own content to the moment after a simple sign-up. 

I'm sold!  Check out my first entry by searching "Ann Davison" or "Alask" as you enter the site.  I loved the ease at uploading files; the ability to combine visuals and text; options to add maps and links; and the simple way to share the site with friends.

Try it!

If you can't say something nice...

One of the jobs I've imagined pursuing in my second life is that of social studies teacher.  I am a strong believer in being actively engaged in civil life in large part because I was encouraged to political involvement at a young age.  I grew up writing my Congressman, going to rallies and volunteering in campaigns. 

Today, after a raucous summer of health care town hall debates, Tea Parties and a Member of Congress calling the President a liar on national TV, I'm not so sure how well I'd do inspiring 9th graders to get involved in our democracy. Of course, finger-pointing and name calling is not new. And it is by no means is confined to Republicans or Democrats. 

If I had to stand in front of the classroom Monday morning and say something to a roomful of students , I'd start with the admonishment, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."  Honestly, when robust political debate over ideas is reduced to name calling, that is pathetic.  No high school debate coach would allow his or her student to get away with what some in Washington  - including party leaders on both sides - have resorted to in attempts to further their point of view.

Let's send Congress home to cool down a bit and invitethe state winners of high school debate teams spend a week in Washington reminding us how to make a compelling argument without looking foolish.

A Write-In Campaign

I was in one of my favorite stores Friday - Crane's Stationary - and overheard a woman say,  "I need help. I need to write some thank-you's, but I've never bought any paper."

Never bought note paper?!  I was shocked, appalled and frankly depressed.  Although I'm a social media junkie, I absolutely love writing and receiving a handwritten card or letter.

I was among the first visitors 15 years ago when the Postal Museum opened in DC.  Imagine what visitors to this museum will think 15 years from now.

Years ago - maybe ten - I started talking about how the days of people in uniforms and funny hats coming to our doors six days a week to hand us a wad of paper were numbered.  It wasn't a happy prediction.  An image of the removal of the iconic blue boxes from street corners in today's Washington Post is further evidence of changing times.

I decided I should be happy that the woman was buying her first paper for handwritten notes.  Afterall, "retro" is in with the young set. 

My advice to the Hallmarks, American Greetings, Crane's and anyone else who makes a buck of people handwriting notes:  Your window has slowly been narrowing for some time, and is now almost closed. Don't be like the newspapers and wait too long to save your industry. 

I, for one, will lead the people's campaign to save the US Postal Service as long as possible, even if for only three days a week mail delivery. (For friends reading, my birthday is coming up in about a week so get out your stamps and show support for the campaign!)

  

$3.50 Coffee?

As I muddle through the beginning of middle age, I'm ever mindful of the quote attributed to Socrates:  The unexamined life is not worth living.  With that as the measuring stick, my life is certainly worth living these days.  My latest Kindle read which I began blogging about yesterday, Positively Irrational, is giving me lots to contemplate.

In Chapter Two, Dan Airley makes the case for re-examing old choices, particularly if they may have led to habits or expectations that aren't exactly rationale. In a series of human behavior experiments, Airley demonstrates how we tend to make value judgements based on "the sum of our first, often naive, random behaviors."  

The change in the economy has led me to change several old habits, such as indulging in a daily cup of coffee at the expensive corner coffee chain and buying tons of magazines every month.  Now the office coffee and the library are just fine to fulfil those needs. But I am game to dig deeper into some of my habits, preferences, and vices and examine whether my valuation of the pleasure gleened from those behaviors is in fact still "rational." 

From a public policy perspective, Airley challenges the reader to think about the way we look at big issues like health care reform and energy policy. If we are lousy in determing rational values for small things like a cup of coffee, wish us luck figuring out a system for determing a rational value for gall bladder surgeries and carbon emissions. 

Understanding Human Nature

My bookclub is reading a great book called Predictably Irrational,by Dan Ariely and I plan to write about it here the next few days so you might want to download a copy and follow along. (No, the author isn't paying for my promotion.)

Ppromotional material for the book asks, "Do we you know why we find ourselves excitedly buying something we really don't need?"  Ariely describes how we humans fail to make the rational decisions in putting a value on things. My visit this weekend to the Prince Michael Winery is the perfect example of what he writes about.  I went in thinking "I need nothing, but I'm willing to spend $20-$30 if Isee something irresistible."  I came out 45 minutes later with four new wine glasses, two new champagne glasses, a couple bottles of mediocre Virginia wine and $125 poorer.  None of these fell in the "need" category. 

I can honestly tell you that the fact they charged $1 for the tasting is the reason I spent more than I would have had the tasting been free. I know it sounds irrational, but that small fee made me feel as if everything in the place was somehow more valuable, and therefore I should want it. This human characteristic which Ariely dissects in his book has interesting implications for marketers and public policy makers.  More on that subject to come.

Alaska on My Mind

I just experienced four flight segments NOT from the window seat, but the middle.  It stinks.  In fact, air travel period is really not fun any more.  Long lines. Fees for everything. Delays, even once you've landed in your destination.

But what hasn't changed for me is the excitement of travel.  This latest trip was a return to Alaska, my new home away from home.  If you haven't been, or ever thought of going, let me tell you that there is nothing like the beauty of an ice field, glacier, or snow capped mega mountain. 

I recommend staying at Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, a ski town south of Anchorage; eating halibut at Marina Resturant in Seward after touring the SeaLife Center; taking the Portage Glacier boat tour; and just cruising the Seward Highway, AK Highway 1.

It's particularly awesome to go a week without a purse (a backpack is all needed) or an ATM (I'm sure there were some, but I never saw them.)

Visit Alaska: The State with L-Attitude.

A Day in My Social Media Life

1. Searched LinkedIn for potential job candidates.
2. Updated my LinkedIn profile.
3. Created new Twitter id (www.twitter.com/vashredbetty) to chart my training journey for the 09/10 snowboarding season.
4. Updated my www.twitter.com/annedavison twitter feed throughout the day and sent some direct messages.
5. Sent notes to colleague on "best practices in usual social media for corporate clients"
6. Glanced through Facebook to see what friends are up to.
7.  Scheduled meeting with VOX Jr. staffer to learn about Tweetdeck.  
8. Searched LinkedIn for local job opportunities for a friend.
9. Read NY Times Blogs on my Kindle.
10. Began organizing professional development session on search engine optimization.

Would you say I'm hooked? 

What Would Harvard Do?

Having spent time in both the government and the private sector, I'm interested in the topic of what lessons from business management are applicable to governing.  As much as I hope the public sector could learn from the private, I've pretty much come the belief that government really can't operate like a business and there is no need pretending it can or should.

John Steele Gordon does a good job of summing up some of the barriers to applying business principles to government endeavors in his Wall Street Journal column, "Why Government Can't Run a Business."  I look at the DC Metro systemas an example of the absurdity of trying to achieve a profit or even a break-even point in a government enterprise. 

Metro is constantly under fire for being in the red. But let's be honest - they are selling a product that few really want to buy.  I just don't have 45 minutes to sit in traffic when I can jump on the train, arrive at my destination in 1/2 the time and get work done while en route.  Even more compelling for taking Metro, my train fare is much cheaper than gas and parking in the city.  But given the option, I would much rather be in my own car driving to and from work.  Hike my fare to cover actual cost of service and I'm back in my car lickity-split. 

Recently the DC metro added new features such as signs telling me when the next train will arrive.  I love this new feature, but am I willing to pay a little extra for it like I do extra channels on my cable or extra minutes on my cell phone? No way.  

It's fascinating to watch the Obama Administration's approach to governing unfold, especially since the economic situation has led it on a path to active involvement in the management of some private sector enterprises. I eagerly awake the HBS case studies.

Re Kindle a love for books

I used to fantasize that when my time came, I would pass quietly alone with a good book with a stack of newspapers and magazines next to me. Now, that scenario looks a little different. 

Meet my new Kindle.  No, I'm not being paid by Amazon to pimp a product. But I do believe my approach to reading has been revolutionized.  At first I felt a little guilty that I wasn't buying a "real" book, but that lasted about five minutes.  When I realized how cool it was to tuck my Wall Street Journal, NY Times and latest bookclub selection easily into my bag and hop on Metro, I was hooked!

I think I have read more in the last three days than I did in the last three weeks. I can only imagine what reading will look like in another twenty years.