Re: Authentic Happiness

Excuse me if I sound like a proselytizer, but I just finished Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman for tonight's book club meeting.

I first learned about this book and Positive Psychology at my 25th college reunion in June, and was intrigued by the idea of better health through being happy. (Caroline Adams Miller, one of the first coaches in the world to gain the Masters in Applied Positive Psychology credential from the University of Pennsylvania, spoke of the importance of happiness.)

Of course some of you may remember that even a couple of years ago I was encouraging people to laugh loud and hard (even fake laughs) to improve health.

So I was excited to read this book on Authentic Happiness.  It has some interesting ideas, but also lots of chaff to pad out the 260 pages of text.
Rather than encourage you to read the book, I am attaching my notes from the book that extract what I thought were the most salient points.

• I especially direct Bob to read the section "why are lawyers so unhappy?"
• I thought Paul would be interested in the section "NonZero by Robert Wright."  I summarized Seligman's summary of Wright's book.
• Martin also had advice about raising children, but I didn't take many notes since ours are all teens now.  If interested, see the book pages 208 to 246.
• Some of you may be amused or insulted by "Seligman's reconciliation of theology and science."

As for me, I am going to try to incorporate several suggestions from the Authentic Happiness:

• practice gratitude and forgiveness
• emphasize the use of my personal strengths at work and at home
• admire the personal strengths of my loved ones
• practice "Responsive and Attentive Listening" and break my habit of "talk and wait"

My goal for now is to move from a "pleasant life" to a "good life."  Later I may work on a "meaningful life" which would give me the "full life" trifecta.

Don't worry.  Be Happy!
Phillip

 

Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman

Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fullfillment

 

Preview the book in online at Google Books

Authentic Happiness web site: AuthenticHappiness.com

 

p 50 – happiness quiz – correct answer (my guess)

1. % Americans clinically depressed? –8-18% (15%)
2. % life satisfaction above neutral? –83% (50%)
3. %mental patients positive emotional balance? –57% (20%)
4. reports negative emotional balance:
• poor African-americans – no (yes)
• unemployed men – no (yes)
• elderly people – no (no)
• severely multiply handicapped people – no (yes)

 

p 74 – gratitude exercises

1)      Select one important person from your past who has made a major positive difference in your life and to whom you have never fully expressed your thanks.  Write a testimonial just long enough to cover one laminated page.  Take your time composing this (e.g., weeks).  Invite that person to your home, or travel to that person's home.  It is important you do this face to face, not just in writing or on the phone.  Do not tell the person the purpose of the visit in advance; a simple "I just want to see you" will suffice.   Bring a laminated version of your testimonial with you as a gift.  When all settles down, read your testimonial aloud slowly, with expression and with eye contact.  Then let the other person react unhurriedly.  Reminisce together about the concrete events that make this person so important to you.  (If you are so moved, please do send a copy to Seligman@psych.upenn.edu.)

2)      If you scored in the lower half of either the gratitude or the life satisfaction test, this second exercise is for you.  Set aside five free minutes each niht for the next two weeks, preferably right before bed.  Before the first night take the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the General Happiness Scale.  Then think back over the previous 24 hours and write down, on separate lines, up to five things in your life you are grateful or thankful for.  Repeat the two scales on the final night, wtwo weeks after you start, and compare your scores to the first night's scores.  If this worked for you, incorporate it into your nightly routine.

 

p 117 – flow: building psychological capital

• Given all the benefits and the flow that the gratifications produce, it is very puzzling that we often choose pleasure (and work, displeasure) over gratification.  In the nightly choice between reading a good book and watching a sitcom on television, we often choose the latter—although surveys show again and again that the average mood while watching sitcoms on television is mild depression.  Habitually choosing the easy pleasures over the gratifications may have untoward consequences.

 

p 118 – shortcuts lead to depression

• I have theorized that an ethos that builds unwarranted self-esteem, espouses victimology, and encourages rampant individualism has contributed to the [depression] epidemic, but I will not belabor this speculation here.  There is another factor that looms as a cause of the epidemic: the over-reliance on shortcuts to happiness.  Every wealthy nation creates more and more shortcuts to pleasure: television, drugs, shopping, loveless sex, spectator sports, and chocolate to name just a few.
• The pleasures come easily, and the gratifications (which result from the exercise of personal strengths) are hard-won.  A determination to identify and develop these strengths is therefore the great buffer against depression.

 

p 120 – how to increase pleasures (and positive emotions) in your life

• gratitude, forgiveness, and escaping the tyranny  of determinism to increase positive emotions about the past;
• learning hope and optimism through disputing to increase positive emotions about the future;
• breaking habituation, savoring, and mindfulness to increase the pleasures of the present.

 

When an entire lifetime is taken up in the pursuit of the positive emotions, however, authenticity and meaning are nowhere to be found.

 

p 129 – science should be descriptive, not prescriptive

• being optimistic brings about less depression, better physical health, and higher achievement, at a cost perhaps of less realism.

 

p 133 – six virtues (from across 3000 years and the entire face of the earth)

• wisdom and knowledge
• courage
• love and humanity
• justice
• temperance
• spirituality and transcendence

 

p 134 – talents and strengths

• strengths are moral traits, while talents are nonmoral.
• talents generally are not as buildable as strengths.

 

p 160 – signature strengths (ranked by results of my survey answers)

1. Love of learning - You love learning new things, whether in a class or on your own. You have always loved school, reading, and museums-anywhere and everywhere there is an opportunity to learn.
2. Curiosity and interest in the world - You are curious about everything. You are always asking questions, and you find all subjects and topics fascinating. You like exploration and discovery.
3. Fairness, equity, and justice - Treating all people fairly is one of your abiding principles. You do not let your personal feelings bias your decisions about other people. You give everyone a chance.
4. Gratitude - You are aware of the good things that happen to you, and you never take them for granted. Your friends and family members know that you are a grateful person because you always take the time to express your thanks.
5. Honesty, authenticity, and genuineness - You are an honest person, not only by speaking the truth but by living your life in a genuine and authentic way. You are down to earth and without pretense; you are a "real" person.
6. Judgment, critical thinking, and open-mindedness - Thinking things through and examining them from all sides are important aspects of who you are. You do not jump to conclusions, and you rely only on solid evidence to make your decisions. You are able to change your mind.
7. Citizenship, teamwork, and loyalty - You excel as a member of a group. You are a loyal and dedicated teammate, you always do your share, and you work hard for the success of your group.
8. Industry, diligence, and perseverance - You work hard to finish what you start. No matter the project, you "get it out the door" in timely fashion. You do not get distracted when you work, and you take satisfaction in completing tasks.
9. Bravery and valor - You are a courageous person who does not shrink from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain. You speak up for what is right even if there is opposition. You act on your convictions.
10. Capacity to love and be loved - You value close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated. The people to whom you feel most close are the same people who feel most close to you.
11. Leadership - You excel at the tasks of leadership: encouraging a group to get things done and preserving harmony within the group by making everyone feel included. You do a good job organizing activities and seeing that they happen.
12. Zest, enthusiasm, and energy - Regardless of what you do, you approach it with excitement and energy. You never do anything halfway or halfheartedly. For you, life is an adventure.
13. Forgiveness and mercy - You forgive those who have done you wrong. You always give people a second chance. Your guiding principle is mercy and not revenge.
14. Caution, prudence, and discretion - You are a careful person, and your choices are consistently prudent ones. You do not say or do things that you might later regret.
15. Humor and playfulness - You like to laugh and tease. Bringing smiles to other people is important to you. You try to see the light side of all situations.
16. Appreciation of beauty and excellence - You notice and appreciate beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in all domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experience.
17. Hope, optimism, and future-mindedness - You expect the best in the future, and you work to achieve it. You believe that the future is something that you can control.
18. Kindness and generosity - You are kind and generous to others, and you are never too busy to do a favor. You enjoy doing good deeds for others, even if you do not know them well.
19. Social intelligence - You are aware of the motives and feelings of other people. You know what to do to fit in to different social situations, and you know what to do to put others at ease.
20. Self-control and self-regulation - You self-consciously regulate what you feel and what you do. You are a disciplined person. You are in control of your appetites and your emotions, not vice versa.
21. Perspective (wisdom) - Although you may not think of yourself as wise, your friends hold this view of you. They value your perspective on matters and turn to you for advice. You have a way of looking at the world that makes sense to others and to yourself.
22. Creativity, ingenuity, and originality - Thinking of new ways to do things is a crucial part of who you are. You are never content with doing something the conventional way if a better way is possible.
23. Modesty and humility - You do not seek the spotlight, preferring to let your accomplishments speak for themselves. You do not regard yourself as special, and others recognize and value your modesty.
24. Spirituality, sense of purpose, and faith - You have strong and coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe. You know where you fit in the larger scheme. Your beliefs shape your actions and are a source of comfort to you.

 

p 177 – why are lawyers so unhappy?

Lawyers long ago surpassed doctors as the highest-paid professionals.   In addition to being disenchanted, lawyers are in remarkably poor mental health,… suffering depression at a rate 3.6 times higher than employed persons generally… they are disproportionately unhappy and unhealthy.

Three causes:

1)      Pessimism.  Pessimists do better at law.  In law school, higher grades and law review achievement.  Pessimism=prudence is a plus among lawyers, enabling them to see every conceivable snare and catastrophe that might occur in a transaction.  Unfortunately, a trait that makes you good at your profession does not always make you a happy human being.

2)      Low decision latitude.  A study found high job demands coupled with low decision latitude was particularly inimical to health and morale.  Young lawyers often fall into this quadrant.

3)      win-loss game.  The adversarial process lies at the heart of the American system of law because it is thought to be the royal road to truth, but it does embody the classic win-loss game.  Lawyers are trained to be aggressive, judgmental, intellectual, analytical and emotionally detached.  This produces predictable emotional consequences: he/she will be depressed, anxious, and angry a lot of the time.

 

p 188 – Marriage

• Humans are born big-brained and immature, a state that necessitates a vast amount of learning from parents.  This advantage only works with the addition of pair-bonding.  Immature, dependent offspring who have parents that stick around to protect and mentor them do much better than their cousins whose parents abandon them.  Those of our ancestors, therefore, who were inclined to make a deep commitment to each other were more likely to have viable children and thereby pass on  their genes.  Thus marriage was "invented" by natural selection, not by culture.
• The children of couples who are married and stay married do better by every known criterion than the children of all other arrangements…  Among the most surprising outcomes (beyond better grades and lack of depression) are the findings that the children of stable marriages mature more slowly in sexual terms, they have more positive attitudes to potential mates, and are more interested in long-term relationships than are the children of divorce.

 

p 193 – secure people

• Memories: Secure adults remember their parents as available, as warm, and as affectionate.
• Attitudes: Secure adults have high self-esteem and few self-doubts.  Other people like them, and they regard other people as trustworthy, reliable, good-hearted, and helpful until sad experience proves otherwise.
• Goals: Secure people strive for intimate relations with those they love and try to find a good balance of dependence and independence.
• Managing distress: Secure people admit it when they are upset, and they try to use their distress to achieve constructive ends.

 

p 197 – 5 hours per week to improve your marriage

• Partings. Before these couples say goodbye every morning, they find out one thing that each is going to do that day.  (2 min x 5 days = 10 min)
• Reunions.  At the end of each workday, these couples havae a low-stress reunion conversation.  (20 min x 5 = 1:40)
• Affection.  Touching, grabbing, holding, and kissing—all laced with tenderness and forgiveness. (5m x 7 = :35)
• One weekly date.  Just the two of you in a relaxed atmosphere, updating your love.  (2 hrs once a week)
• Admiration and appreciation.  Every day, genuine affection and appreciation is given at least once.  (5m x 7 = :35)

 

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, by John Gottman and Nan Silver presents a series of exercises for fanning the embers of fondness and admiration for strengths into a steadier glow.

 

p 198 – Your Partner's Strengths

• Choose three of the 24 signature strengths that your partner has.  For each strength write down a recent admirable incident in which s/he displayed this strength.  Let your partner read what you wrote and ask him/her to do the same for you.

• Strength 1:
• Incident:
• Strength 2:
• Incident:
• Strength 3:
• Incident:

 

p 200 – Hold on to your Illusions

• [Romantic illusion is] the discrepancy [in a positive direction] between what your partner believes about your strengths and what your friends believe.
• The bigger the illusion, the happier and more stable the relationship.  Satisfied couples see virtues in their partners that are not seen at all by their closest friends.
• The happiest couples look on the bright side of the relationship, focusing on strengths rather than weaknesses, and believing that bad events that might threaten other couples do not affect them.  Positive illusions are self-fulfilling because the idealized partners actually try to live up to them.  They are a daily buffer against hassles, since partners forgive each other more easily for the wearying transgressions of daily life and use the alchemy of illusions to downplay faults and elevate shortcomings into strengths.
• These happy couples are nimble users of the important "yes, but…" technique [of finding something good in a partner's weakness.]
• Such nimbleness of emotion is related to optimistic explanations in marriage.  Optimistic people make temporary and specific explanations for bad events, and they make permanent and pervasive explanations for good events.

 

p 202 – The upshot of this is straightforward:  Optimism helps marriage.

• When your partner does something that displeases you, try hard to find a credible temporary and local explanation for it.  When your partner does something admirable, amplify it with plausible explanations that are permanent (always) and pervasive (character traits).

 

p 203 – Responsive and Attentive Listening can make a good marriage better

• The overarching principle of good listening is validation.  The speaker first wants to know that he has been understood.  If possible, he additionally wants to know that the listener agrees or is at least sympathetic.  You should go far out of your way to validate what your spouse is saying; the more serious the issue, the clearer your validation must be.  Save disagreeing for when it is your turn to speak.
• External factors (e.g., tv on) should be eliminated.  There are also common internal factors that make you inattentive (e.g., fatigue, thinking about something else, being bored, and preparing your rebuttal).

 

p 204 – speaker-listener ritual

• When you find yourself talking about a hot-button issue, label it:  "This is one of my hot-button issues, so let's use the speaker-listener ritual."  (Only speak when you have the talking stick.)  Talk about your own thoughts and feelings, not about your interpretation of perception of what your partner is thinking and feeling.  Use "I" as much as possible, rather than "you."  Stop often and let the listener paraphrase.
• When you are the listener, paraphrase what you heard when you are asked to do so.  Don't rebut, and don't offer solutions.  Your job is only to show you understood what you heard.  You will get a chance to rebut when you are handed the [talking stick].

 

p 206 – Two principles for making good love better

• attention and irreplaceability.
• You must not scrimp on the attention you pay to the person you love.  The listening and speaking skills I discussed will help with the quality of attention you pay to each other. 
• By making attention more affectionate, going out of your way to admire the strengths of your mate will also improve the quality of attention. 
• But the quantity is crucial.  I am not a believer in the convenient notion of "quality time" when it comes to love.  Of the people whom we love and who love us, we ask not only how well do they listen, but how often do they listen.  When they allow the pressures of the office, of school, or of the unending panoply of external hassles to intrude on and displace the attention they offer us, love cannot but be diluted.  Irreplaceability is at rock bottom.

 

p 207 – irreplaceability

• Part of what makes us irreplaceable in the eyes of those who love us is the profile of our strengths and the unique ways in which we express them.

 

p 208 – Raising children

Building positive emotion

1. Sleeping with your baby
2. Synchrony Games
3. No and Yes
4. Praise and Punishment
5. Sibling Rivalry
6. Bedtime Nuggets
7. Making a Deal
8. New Year's Resolutions

Building Children's Strengths

• Reward all displays of any of the strengths
• Allow your child to display these burgeoning signature strengths in the course of your normal family activities.

 

p 249 – The Full Life

• The pleasant life is wrapped up in the successful pursuit of the positive feelings, supplemented by the skills of amplifying these emotions.
• The good life is a life wrapped up in successfully using your signature strengths to obtain abundant and authentic gratification.
• The meaningful life has one additional feature: using your signature strengths in the service of something larger than you are.
• To live all three lives is to lead a full life.

 

p 254 – NonZero by Robert Wright

• The secret of life is not DNA, but the nonzero sum game.  A win-loss game is an activity in which the fortunes of the winner and loser are inversely related, and a win-win game has a net result that is positive. The basic principle underlying life itself is the superior reproductive success that favors win-win games.  Biological systems are forced by Darwinian selection into more complexity and more win-win scenarios.
• It is not only biological change that has this direction, but human history itself.  The universal picture of political change over the centuries, all across the world, is from savage to barbarian to civilization.  This is a progression with an increase in win-win situations at its core.  The more positive-sum games in a culture, the more likely it is to survive and flourish.  History is checkered with one horror after another, but the broad movement of human history is in the direction of more win-win.
• We are, at this moment, living through the end of the storm before the calm.  The internet, globalization, and the absence of nuclear war are not happenstance.  They are the almost inevitable products of a species selected for more win-win scenarios.  The species stands at an inflection point after which the human future will be much happier than the human past.

 

p 256 – negative emotions help in win-loss games

• Could it be that negative emotion has evolved to help us in win-loss games?  When we are in a deadly competition, fear and anxiety are our motivators and our guides.  When we are struggling to avoid loss or to repel trespass, sadness and anger are our motivators and guides. 
• When we feel a negative emotion, it is a signal that we are in a win-loss game.  Such emotions set up an action repertoire that fights, flees, or gives up.  These emotions also activate a mindset that is analytical and narrows our focus so nothing but the problem at hand is present.

 

p 257 – positive emotions help in win-win games

• Could it be that positive emotion has evolved to motivate and guide us through win-win games?  When we are in a situation in which everyone might benefit—courting, hunting together, raising children, cooperating, planting seeds, teaching and learning—joy, good cheer, contentment, and happiness motivate us and guide our actions. 
• Positive emotions are part of a sensory system that alerts to us the presence of a potential win-win.  They also set up an action repertoire and a mindset that broadens and builds abiding intellectual and social resources.

 

p 258 – The Last Question by Isaac Asimov

• Q: "Can entropy be reversed?"
• Computer: "Not enough data for a meaningful answer."
• Repeat for trillions of years.
• A: "Let there be light," the computer responds.  And there was light

 

God has four properties in the Judeo-Christian tradition

• omnipotence
• omniscience
• goodness
• the creation of the universe

 

Seligman's reconciliation of theology and science: 

There was no such God, and there is no such God now.  But, again, in the very longest run, where is the principle of win-win headed?  Toward a God who is not supernatural, a God who ultimately acquires omnipotence, omniscience, and goodness through the natural progress of win-win.  Perhaps, just perhaps, God comes at the end.

 

Bicycle Safety in Numbers

For a city to improve bicycle safety, the prescription actually is to put even more riders on the streets. 
Adam Hinterthuer reports

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[The following is an exact transcript of this podcast.]

There's a new prescription for communities that want to make their streets safer for bike riders: just add more bikes. A team of international researchers looked at cities from Australia to Denmark to California, and found that more riders meant fewer run-ins with cars. The researchers presented their findings to a cycling safety seminar on September 5 in Sydney, Australia.

What's surprising, the researchers say, is that biker safety doesn't seem to correspond to a city's efforts to cut down on accidents. Run-ins between bikes and cars had little to do with miles of bike lanes or lower speed limits. But if the number of bike riders in a city doubled, the rate of bike-car accidents dropped by a third.

Apparently, motorists learn to share the road better when they have to deal with more bikes on their daily commute. Also, more cyclists means more drivers who also bike, which makes them better aware of fellow bikers. The researchers call it a virtuous cycle—run-ins with cars drop with more bikes on the road. And safer cycling means more people strap on a helmet and join the revolution.

—Adam Hinterthuer

another danger of biking

Teacher OK after crashing into bear on a bicycle

Wed Sep 10, 11:17 PM ET

MISSOULA, Mont. - A middle school teacher suffered some bruising and a big scratch on his back after he struck a bear while riding his bicycle to school.
Jim Litz said he was traveling about 25 mph Monday morning when he came upon a rise and spotted a black bear about 10 feet in front of him. He didn't have time to stop and T-boned the bruin.
He tumbled over the handlebars, his helmet hit the bear's back and the two went cartwheeling down the road.
The bear rolled over Litz's head, cracking his helmet, and scratched his back before scampering up a hill above the road.
Litz's wife drove by shortly after the crash and took her husband to the hospital. He hoped to be able to return to teaching science at Target Range Middle School on Friday.

AP Photo: Jim Litz, has a broken bike helmet and bruised ribs to show for the...

The Real School of Music

The boys guitar teacher from Performance Music School in Woburn quit at the beginning of the summer to help start a new music school in Burlington: The Real School of Music.
Last night we attended the open house for the Real School and it was real cool.

They gutted a two story building and rebuilt it into a music school for guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and voice.  The walls are painted contrasting bright colors and all the fixtures are very cool, in the Apple Mac and iPod fashion.  They gave the boys Real School t-shirts that say "Work Hard. Play Hard." on the back with a silhouette of a guitarist jumping up in the air, sort of like the early iPod posters.

There is a 100 seat performance hall, a couple recording studios, a few ensemble practice rooms, and many rooms for individual lessons.  All the rooms are soundproofed, of course.  At the entry there is a comfortable waiting area with a big screen HD-TV and tables, and there are smaller common areas with comfy chairs and TVs for hanging out while the kids are in lessons.  In addition, the whole building has free wireless internet.

The school offers the instructors benefits like health insurance, so they expect to attract and keep musicians who can make instructing be a full time job (plus gigs on the side, I expect).  For the students, the benefits include not just individual lessons, but the opportunity to play in an ensemble of students with similar skill and musical interest, also known as a band.  The ensemble practice session will be "coached" by one of the instructors.  As they students progress, they will have access to the recording studios and can make CS, mp3s, whatever.  The Real School also offers lessons to people who want to learn how to run the recording equipment.  They also plan to have small concerts that are free for Real School members (aka students).

It seemed like Winchester night at the Real School.  We were there for about an hour and saw many friends.  The architect (and one of the 4 founders, who are all musicians) is Weldon Wickerham, Michael's little league baseball coach.  We saw Larry, one of the Rippers I bike with.  Larry's neighbor (Tom or Don?) is another of the founders.  Mary Kay McIntyre was there with her youngest son; her older son is Nick's friend.  In addition, Michael learned through Facebook that a couple of his friends are playing a concert/recital there on Saturday night.

Some kids were fooling around with the drum kits and guitars in the ensemble rooms.  I was amazed how good they sounded.  Will was playing the Chili Peppers' Snow on guitar, and an older teen was giving him pointers on improving his technique.  I enjoy listening to Michael and Nick and Chocolate Thunder practice, but these kids were about the same age and sounded really, really good.  Dave (the instructor) said that playing in an ensemble helps take your playing to a whole new level.

As you might have guessed, we signed the boys up; their first lessons are next Monday night.

an interview with the FatCyclist

I'm a big fan of fatcyclist.com.  I even have a couple of FatCyclist bike jerseys.  As usual, today's blog post is amusing; it's about Lance returning to pro racing.
But the best reading is hidden in this postscript from Fatty:

PS: Cycling Utah, a printed monthly magazine, interviews me in the current issue. You can download a PDF here and discover how goofy and all over the map I am when people ask me straightforward questions.

The interview starts on page 2 and covers many of the interesting posts and events from the blog, including the weight loss contest and Win Susan photo sending campaign, both of which I participated in.  It also gives insight into Eldon (aka Fatty), the Lance Armstrong Foundation, we we enjoy cycling, and what is involved in writing a blog.

get your Paul Sellew memorabilia

Paul Sellew was sitting courtside when the Celtics won the 2008 NBA Championship.  The next day the Boston Globe ran a full page photo of the players hoisting the trophy, and there was Paul in the background.  In this photo you can see Paul on the left side of the central photo.  He is wearing a blue shirt and has a big smile on his face; his head is at the same height as the top of the trophy.

For your own copy of Paul's photo, check out this Framed Print: "Sweet 17" Celtics' 2008 NBA Championship.

Invitation to view Phillip's Picasa Web Album - Minis Take The States, Boston 2008

You are invited to view Phillip's photo album: Minis Take The States, Boston 2008 Minis Take The States, Boston 2008 Boston, MA - Jun 22, 2008 by Phillip Mini USA was in Boston this weekend for Minis Take the States. We raced karts at F1 Boston on Friday night, then drove our Mini in a road rally up to Rockport Saturday morning. Saturday evening we went to UMass Boston's beautiful campus on the ocean and played games and listened to Fountains of Wayne. Sunday morning we went back to test drive lots of different Minis on an autocross course set up using cones in a parking lot. Tons of fun! View Album Play slideshow If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: http://picasaweb.google.com/phillip.stern/MinisTakeTheStatesBoston2008 To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

expensive gasoline spurs some good changes

Two articles in today's Boston Globe caught my eye.  I've excerpted the main points and then added my thoughts.
Grain of salt: I write this a day after attending the Boston Mini Rally where 300+ Mini Cooper owners got together just to drive their cars for fun.
--Phillip

exceprts from House hunting in the age of $4 gas: Analysts say commuters may move closer to work

• With gas now $4 a gallon, the software executive is no longer willing to pour $500 worth into his tank each month, an expense he attributes mainly to his 34-mile commute each way to work in Wilmington, or farther, to Logan International Airport for out-of-town meetings. He is looking to buy a home closer to his employer and the airport.
• soaring gasoline prices, which have forced many commuters to modify their driving habits. Some are making fewer trips, and others are trading in gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles for compacts or taking mass transit to work. The US Department of Transportation recently reported a record drop in the number of miles Americans drove in March, compared with March 2007, which amounted to a 4.3 percent decline.
• But if gas prices continue their inexorable rise, commuting costs will become a critical factor in where people choose to live, according to transit specialists and economists.
• The first dramatic changes would probably occur for those in isolated suburbs and exurbs: the New Hampshire resident who commutes 50 miles to Boston or the Framingham resident who drives 20 miles into Kendall Square in Cambridge.
• In a survey of its agents by real estate brokerage Coldwell Banker, 81 percent said they are seeing more interest from prospective buyers in urban living because of high gasoline prices. Fifty-four percent said access to public transportation is more important to their clients now.
• A May study by CEOs for Cities, a research organization supported by government and business, said rising gas prices would push new housing developments closer to the urban core in Boston, Seattle, and other US cities, while suburbs with few transit options will lose value.
• "The market for higher-density development in close-in neighborhoods is likely to grow stronger," the report said.
• Young families might settle for tighter quarters closer to the city instead of the larger, less expensive homes with long commutes. For suburban professionals, a more expensive condo in downtown Boston might make financial sense. And baby boomers might consider giving up the family home because higher gas prices eat into their retirement savings.

My editorializing: I would be glad to see a reversal of suburban sprawl, and a lessening of our dependence on the automobile.  I just wish this could happen without being tied to the cost of a barrel of oil.  Instead I think we should charge motorists the true costs of using the roads (via electronic tolls or gasoline taxes) rather than hiding most of the costs in income or property taxes that are the same regardless of how much you use the roads.

excerpts from Ciao car, hello Vespa: Easy on the pocketbook, Italian-made scooter makes riding smooth around the city

• Ahead, a red light glared, and bumper-to-bumper traffic stretched as far as the eye could see. Taxis honked. Drivers sighed. Nobody was happy - except the reporter on the white Vespa who slipped into the space between the lanes and nimbly passed among the cars. Pedestrians stopped to watch, and drivers' eyes gleamed with irritation and envy as the reporter made her way to the front of the line, turned right, and zipped off on her way.
• With gas prices at record highs and the weather transformed to glorious summer, many are parking their guzzlers in favor of transportation less petrol-hungry. Subway ridership is up. Bicycles are out in greater numbers. This reporter's choice was a Vespa, the sleek Italian-made scooter that seems to exemplify the phrase "Ciao bella!"
• Would one of Boston's notoriously aggressive drivers push her off the road? Would people honk when she topped out at 35 miles per hour? Would she be eaten by a monster-sized pothole? Or would the ability to cut through traffic, park virtually anywhere, and look good doing it win out?
• As vehicles circled Newbury Street searching for a spot during the lunch hour, the reporter glided up onto the sidewalk and left the Vespa in the shade of a tree.
• Cars actually let the reporter cut in front of them. Pedestrians stopped midstep and waved the scooter by.
• It seemed like perhaps all of Boston would be a happier, kinder place if more people drove this way.

My editorializing: Or maybe ride a bike?  Why is it that people give the person on the Vespa respect and admiration, but loathe and attack the bicycle rider?  The Vespa rider, cutting through the stalled traffic, is as much a scofflaw as the cyclist.  Maybe motorists feel more kindred with the Vespa because it too has a motor.

old time photos

Can you believe these photos of me as a kid?

The first photo is of Roya and me on the first day of school (probably kindergarten and 1st grade).  At least Roya's socks are supposed to show.
The boy reminds me Forrest Gump or the Beaver.  My friends at work think it looks like a Norman Rockwell painting.

The second photo includes Mom and Dad, and my grandma (on Mom's side) holding baby Tonja.

Thanks to my dad for taking and saving these photos and to Roya for moving them from slides to digital images.
I anticipate some good laughs looking at the rest of the photos when we visit Indiana in July.

Fwd: Good News, Bad News

The Good News is I don't have to get up at 3 AM to ride in the rain tomorrow.

The Bad News is I won't be doing the Boston Brevet 300K tomorrow.
Yesterday, I rear-ended an SUV that was stopped at a red light.  My bike is OK, but I have some bruises and strains.
I rode to work today, but it was slow and uncomfortable.  Not the optimal situation for a 12 to 14 hour ride.

My plan is to do the 300K route on my own sometime this summer.

Fwd: Mini Cooper Festival

The Mini Cooper Festival in Boston sounds like a lot of fun. Fri to Sun (June 20-22). $20 per person.

Fri night - F1 kart racing.
Sat morning - rally
Sat afternoon - drive your Mini on "an aggressive auto-cross course", go-karting, Mini products, live music, mtb stunt show, rock climbing,...
Sat night - "headline" band (who is still to be announced)
Sun - repeat most of the Sat afternoon activities

Alexa, your goal should be to improve your driving of the Mini so you can do the auto-cross course. Sat morning you can even sign up to test-drive one of their cars, instead of ours. :)

Fwd: Mini Cooper Festival

We have to "trick out" our Minis for the festival. Here are some ideas.
--pws

Fwd: Mini Cooper Festival

Someone asked what "an aggressive auto-cross course" meant, so I found some photos.
--pws

Re: 200K Boston Brevet to New Boston, NH

I did the 200k Boston Brevet today.  Left Hanscom at 7 AM and rode to New Boston, NH and got back to Hanscom at 2:50 PM.  That's 127 miles in 7:50 including 30 minutes spent at the check points.  I rode the first ten miles with a group of ~20 people who planned to finish in under 8 hours, but at 10 miles I hit a pot hole and got a pinch flat.  I spent the next 40 miles chasing that group to the first checkpoint.

I was told that large group disintegrated into groups of 2 to 4 people, so for most of the rest of the ride I was with two guys that are Paris-Brest-Paris veterans.  One does a different 1200k ride every year.  Turns out it was Brian Johnson from Teradyne.  He knows Jay and says hi.  The other guy was Justin who began riding a year-and-a-half ago and rode PBP last summer.

The second leg, had some big climbs.  My back got sore, but I did okay.  I guess riding with the Rippers is helping me with hills.  We had some ripping descents after all the climbing.  Topped 45 three times and could have gone faster on one hill except for traffic turning caused me to slow down on the steepest section.

After hanging out at Hanscom chatting for awhile, I rode my bike home for a total of 136 miles.  Now I have three weeks to rest up for the 300k.  We leave at 4 AM.  I'd like to be able to finish in 12 hours, but I don't know...

51 people did the ride today.  After we sat around a bit at the finish I asked how many were still on the road.  Answer: 39, so I finished in the top 10 or 12.  The first finisher, Matt, did it in 7:15, so he must have been taking it easy.  He left with the group (2 people) who planned to finish under 6 hours.

I rode with Matt during the 100k on 4/12.  He is studying at the Harvard Medical School and still has time to be a sponsored ultra rider.  Last summer he set the record for riding across Maine.  I think he said 380 miles in 20 hours, but that seems near impossible.  Anyhow, he finished first for the 100k also.  I finished 3rd.  These brevets aren't races, but it is nice to finish before the masses.

200K on May 10, 2008
map to Checkpoint 1 -    48.9 miles -   from Hanscom Field, MA   to New Boston, NH
map to Checkpoint 2 -    86.0 miles -   from New Boston, NH        to Brookline, NH
map to Checkpoint 3 -  124.7 miles -   from Brookline, NH            to Hanscom Field, MA

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Hi Mom,
We just wanted to send a note wishing you a Happy 72nd Birthday.
That's 6 cycles of the Chinese Zodiac, so in the attached photo Julie is holding a picture of a Rat for you birth year.
We are all looking forward to seeing you next month.
Happy Birthday from all of us,
Phillip, Julie, Alexa, Michael, Nicholas (and ChiChi too!)

Win Susan!!!

Hi,
Thought you might find this interesting. Follow the "Lance link" to see a cool photo.
--Phillip

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Susan,
You and your family have been on my mind a lot recently.
I'm sending this "Win Susan!" photo as an emblem of my support and positive vibes.
Just count me (along with Lance) as one of your well wishers,
Phillip "TigerMouth" Stern

From:	Errorista
To:	tigermouth
Posted:	Mon May 05, 2008 1:31 pm
Hey - This is Jodi, I'm Fat Cyclist Elden's sister. I'm putting together a photo montage for his family of the many people on this planet that are here to support them. I've noticed that you are one of these people, and would love it if you could email me a photo of your self holding a sign that says "WIN Susan" - along with your screen name or real name. I'm going to try to have these collected by the beginning of next week, so don't get too fancy, just do it, and email it to: Thanks! (not really very fat) Jodi

Fwd: JD Drew

I won't be at wrestling practice this week.  I sort of feel like JD Drew; more time on the injury list than on the playing field.
My ribs still hurt from Thursday's practice, but that alone wouldn't keep me away.
Saturday I smashed my hand with a hammer working in the garage and today I cut the tip of my thumb off with a knife working in the kitchen.
In between those mishaps I had 5 flat tires on my bicycle.  I'm hoping next week is better.
--Phillip

Fwd: Mini Bummer

Driving to work this morning (because I go to wrestling after work on Mon and Wed), a hit-and-run driver smashed the Mini Cooper.
I was turning from Montvale Ave onto I-93 North. I waited for the green turn arrow and went. I never saw the car, but it must have run the red light going the opposite direction on Montvale.
I pulled over to the side of the I-93 entrance ramp and walked back to the intersection, but the car that hit me was gone. The other vehicles that were waiting at the light with me were gone too, so no witnesses.

Fortunately, I was not injured and I think the Mini was only minimally damaged.
The rear bumper was ripped off and hanging by two bolts, but that seems to be the extent of the damage.
Still, it was very sad seeing the Mini lying in pieces next to the road.
I guess now I have no excuse for not riding my bike to work for the next couple of weeks.

Mt. Cardigan: 1st Sled Descent

The drive to Mt Cardigan was an adventure of its own. Rain and snow made visibility poor. We saw three crashses; one left a minivan perched atop an 8-foot high pile of snow; another somehow deposited a car on the other side of a 3-foot guardrail. Watching the wrecks instead of the exits, we missed our exit... twice. The AMC's Cardigan Lodge is at the end of a dirt road that goes over a big hill. New snow and old tires made it impossible to drive over the hill. Michael and John put on their crampons and pushed with all their strength for about 100 yards to get us over the top. Only time this week my strained QL was a benefit; I got to drive instead of push.
There was no powder like last time, but there was still plenty of snow. The trail was well packed, making snowshoes unnecessary, but step off the trail and you would posthole to knee or crotch. The bridge gave evidence that the packed snow was at least two-feet deep. Blazes on the trees, normally at eye-level, were waist high.
It was a warm day, in the high-30's, so we had to strip down while climbing. Although it was cloudy, it didn't rain.
Just before the summit, there was a small downhill, so sleds came off the packs for a bit of fun.

The summit was windblown and icy. We used our snowshoes for traction, but could have easily booted it all the way.

A group of skiers skinned past us while we were eating lunch near the warden's cabin. They were still at the summit when we got there and took the group photo below. They saw our sleds and waited around to see us descend. They told us it would be the first sled descent from the summit of Mt. Cardigan, and I'm sure they would know.
Tandem sledding


Tree turns


Standing fall

getting back in shape

After a winter of not riding, my weight was up to about 175.  I want to get back down to about 155.
So I am cutting back on snacking and sweets and increasing my activity level again.

We just got back from our Jackson Hole trip and I'm going to start riding my bike a lot again.  Today (Sunday) I went our for an easy (13 mph average) two hours with John M.
My goal this year is to do the Boston Brevet Series.

I also joined the Boston Union Wrestling Club and will have a 2-hour practice every Monday and Friday.  I will drive to work those days and ride every other day.
I also bought trail running shoes and want to get in half an hour in the woods around Horn Pond on the days I don't ride my bike.

So there's the plan.

Today's weight: 170.

Fwd: the hidden cost of buying a car

I rode my bike to work today for only the 4th time since buying the Mini in December.
I rode real slow.  I look like the guy in the "bought a car" photo.
Guess I should buy another bike.

wrestling

Last night I joined the Boston Union Wrestling Club and participated in wrestling practice for the first time in 28 years.
After one-and-a-half hours of calisthenics, drills, and top/bottom wrestling I was beat and decided to sit out the wrestling challenge matches.
Today my legs and neck ache, but I had some fun and didn't get hurt, so I think I'll be going back to practice every Monday and Wednesday evening.

Jackson Hole 2008 - Day 7 (Rock Springs)

Today we went OB--out of bounds--to get some untracked powder. Someday I want to try to describe the special feeling of skiing deep powder, but for now, if you haven't done it yourself, you'll just have to believe me that it is really fun.

Mimi used her special pass to get up the gondola before it opens for the general public and made two runs down the Bowl before we Sterns hooked up with her. We did far right of the bowl and then left the ski resort via the high gate.

Here Mimi is holding the gate for the rest of us to ski through. Then we checked that all the avalanche beacons were transmitting correctly, and snugged our packs with probes and shovels. Even though we planned a very conservative and safe tour, we had to be prepared for the worst.

We are all ready to go. Behind us is the ski area, Rendezvous Bowl to be specific.
Once through the gate, there is a short traverse through the trees to get to the first slope. The mountains are beautiful and the snow fields beckon.

Here we are contemplating the first powder run. We went one at a time to reduce the risk of bringing down snow on top of the skier below. The snow was light and deep, over the knees.
Mimi let me go first and I skied a decent line. At the bottom I tried to get some photos of the rest of the group, but the better the skiing is, the less time you have for getting good photos.


Nick was skiing without poles, but that didn't keep him from going big.


Powder pig smile.


Julie got this picture of Mimi checking out the lay of the land and keeping an eye on her charges. Mimi was our guide extraordanaire, doing route finding, sharing safety tips, and going last to pick up the pieces if necessary.


Nick watching his Mom making turns. When we were all down, we looked back up and admired our lines snaking down the mountain next to each other.


Julie enjoying the pow.

We had so much fun on our first run that we decided to do it again. This required 4 lifts to get us back up to the top of the mountain (Gondola, Thunder, Sublette, East Ridge). Sometimes skiing the trails between the lifts is what it's all about, but today it was just what we had to do to get to the main event, Rock Springs Canyon.

On our second OB tour, Mimi, Michael, and Phillip hiked up Paranoia Ridge to get 10 to 15 turns through a slash in the trees. Michael went first and laid perfect tracks. I did my best to follow his line, but he is skiing better than me this year. It was still my best run of the day. The north facing slope in the shadows of trees made for light, deep snow that bubbled up to my waist and on a couple of turns flew up to my chin and down the neck of my jacket. Bottomless snow; felt like I was floating down the mountain. Ahhh!

Julie and Nick didn't want to hike so they missed the best run of the day. Next we hit the same slopes we did a couple of hours before, but the sun had warmed the snow and made it heavier. Still fun but not the joy of light, untracked powder.

At the bottom, we skied through the trees and found more light stuff. The turns were very tight, but it was a shallow slope and the powder made it easy. After the long traverse back to the base of the ski area it was time for lunch. Nick fell asleep at the table, testament to the tiring nature of the tour. Julie also called it a day and took a nap. Greg, however, was up for another run. (Greg and Harry were worn out too; they hiked the Head Wall and skied down the Crags while we were in Rock Springs Canyon.)

Greg skis fast (actually rides his snowboard fast) and I have trouble keeping up with him. Maybe he is just in a hurry to get back to the lift so he can call in to work and check on the many design projects his architecture firm is responsible for.

Jackson Hole 2008 - Day 6 (All Day Dump)

Nick gearing up for another day of deep. Another 4 or more inches fell during the night and it continued to storm all day. Still snowing as I type this after a day of excellent runs.


That's Michael waiting for the rest of us to get our boots on. The patio off the Teton Club's ski locker is a ground level in the summer. In the winter they have to build snow stairs so you can climb to the top of the snow pack.


Julie's still recovering from her cold and moving a little slow, but there was no way she was going to miss these great conditions.


Mimi and Frank have a locker pass that allows them to catch an early gondola so they get first tracks. The hoi polloi have to wait in line for the gondola to open at 9 AM, and there was a long line today. Accidentally, we got in the singles line a few minutes before 9 and didn't have to wait long before we were heading up the mountain. Bonus #1: Chatting with Hollee Armstrong (proprietress of the spa at the Teton Club and wife of Sick Rick Armstrong, extreme skiing legend) in the line. Bonus #2: They put all four of us from the singles line of into the same gondola so we got the short wait in line and the companionship during the ride up.

We caught up with Mimi and Frank at Sublette Chair. They already had a run down Rendezvous Bowl and we headed up for another. Then a great shot through the trees in Bivouac Woods with Mimi. Followed by an awesomely deep run down Expert Chutes. Three awesome runs in the first couple of hours. Our final run before lunch was North Hobacks, a looong powder run. We hugged the trees and had some insane fun. Lost Greg for most of the run, but unlike yesterday we didn't send Frank out to find him. Didn't work yesterday and didn't want to diminish today's run. Just like yesterday, we all hooked up at Union Pass Traverse so no problemo.



Here's a shot of Julie near the bottom of Rendezvous Bowl. Even sick and run down, she skis better than most. We had another yummy lunch at our condo thanks to Chef Al's split pea soup and super sandwiches--BreadMan bread fortified with Mimi's granola, topped with condiments like sun dried tomatoes, olive tapenade, hummus, artichoke hearts, and cranberry sauce. Oh yeah, some meat, cheese, and lettuce too.

After lunch Mimi went grocery shopping; Julie and Nick took naps; and Frank went to do some work around the house. Michael, Phillip, Greg and his friend Harry went back for more snow.


In the gondie, Greg took a call from a customer (Greg's and architect) and let the caller believe he was in the office, rather than out shredding the slopes.

Unlike yesterday, the afternoon runs were as good as the morning, maybe better. We had fun in the Study Plots and Bivouac Woods. The ride up Sublette was cold, with the wind and snow howling. The ride up East Ridge was more of the same, and then Rendezvous Bowl was white out conditions. I couldn't tell which way was down until I got to the black doingers marking the steepest route down. Using them as slalom poles enabled me to enjoy the run down. At the bottom I asked Michael about doing another lap, but he said no way, too cold. Then Greg slid up on his board and said it was the best run of the day. After a long wait, Harry showed up on his board and said never again; he couldn't tell up from down in the whiteout and basically fell his way down the bowl.

After another ride up Sublette, Greg talked Harry into another go at the Bowl. Michael was too cold so we headed down the Hobacks. This time we stayed in the trees between North Hoback and Cheyenne Gully; the snow was deep and the fun was off the charts. Michael is skiing great and led me on the best route through the trees. After learning from him, I zipped past him to get first tracks and he followed, complaining that the second skier didn't have as much good snow.

The day ended with a run down Dick's Ditch behind a couple of snowboarders throwing 360's off the rocks. Then some time in the hot tubs and dinner at Mimi's. A near perfect day.

Jackson Hole 2008 - Day 5 (Cowboy Powder)

We got some real snow today (13 inches). It started snowing heavily around 6 AM and kept up till dinner time. My first ride up the gondie (gondy?, gondi?) I heard Jeff Zell (extreme skier turned guide, and brother of Julie Zell, champion boarder turned restauranteer) tell his clients that the best skiing would be "cowboy powder"--fresh snow over groomers. So I took his advice and skied Gros Ventre and a couple of Lower Tramlines. I got three runs from the gondola in untracked snow before the rest of the gang moseyed out around 10:30.

The kids waiting at the gondola for the adults to get their acts together. That's a snow flake in front of Nick's nose, not a tissue to stop the nosebleeds he often suffers in the high altitude dry air of Wyoming. After skiing a few runs with us, the under-15 set went their own way for the rest of the day. We saw them at lunch and again at dinner.


Cousin Greg, the renegade boarder, joined the gang today. His flight from NYC was delayed 24 hours by the snowstorm in the east. Bubba, Paul, Chris and Eric left Jackson for Boston today but got held up in Chicago for two days due to the storms. Skiers' delight is travelers' woe. Greg, aka Eggy, had a couple of tumbling falls which we promptly named "egg-beaters".

We went into the Teton Club for a late lunch, from which some of the crowd never recovered. Julie and Frank (see below) extended lunch naps into all-afternoon affairs, but Nick recovered and spent the last couple of hours skiing Casper Bowl with his cousins. Julie is still recovering from her cold and I suspect Frank is suffering from hosting-induced fatigue.

After lunch, Greg and Michael showed off all the cool things they could do with the iPhone and iTouch. Frank and Michael also held a forum on internet lingo. Topics debated included the pronunciation of "pwned" and the proper use of "teh".