Spring Break and Karma

Well, I'm back from another wonderful break. This week in Utah was better than ever. I had a fantastic time visiting good friends, seeing my family, running a half marathon, and generally not thinking about school. So I'm back now, and there are only 6 weeks left in the semester, but who's counting...

Anyway, the trip back to NJ was in my mind an act of Karma. As my loyal reader knows, I've not always had the best luck flying back and forth across the country. Late flights, late trains, trees falling on top of my train, drunk people sitting next to me on the trains, and an especially difficult time with Southwest's voucher program have significantly jaded my opinion of traveling in general. Well this most recent flight has definitely helped improve my outlook. I was supposed to fly out Sunday evening from SLC to Newark. While waiting for my flight the gate agent announced that the flight was overbooked. Like Pavlov's dog, I am trained to immediately go to the gate when I hear these type of announcements even before I know what exactly they are offering. Better to be at the desk and then find out if the deal is worth taking. Well this one was too good to pass up. I volunteered to give up my seat and fly Monday morning into JFK instead of Newark. This meant I would have to miss one of my classes. But in return I was upgraded to first class and given a $600 voucher to use on any Delta flight. This time I will make sure not to lose the paper they printed the voucher on.

Finally, I should note that this was the first time I had ever flown first class. This is how flying was meant to be. I don't think I'll ever be able to fly coach again. Knowing what goes on in front of that curtain and knowing that I am not being given such treatment will be too much to bear.

BABY BOY

My brother and his wife just found out they are having a baby boy! Here are my recommendations for choosing a name.

1. No names that end in "-er" "-or" "-ar". Just think about having to say Trevor Barber, Parker Barber, Connor Barber. Too many "er"s.

2. Before thinking that spelling a name "creatively" is a good thing, consider that your son will have to correct every school teacher he will have for the rest of his life. Spare him that trouble.

3. Before deciding for sure, tell several middle school children the name. See how many ways they can make fun of that name. Any more than 3 and you should reassess.

4. No names that could possibly be considered a girl's name. Think of the young boy's self esteem...and those middle schoolers.

A QUOTE

This comes from an article I am reading for my American political institutions seminar. "Anyone able to visualize a ten-dimensional matrix can readily see that each player's dominant strategy is not to pay..."

Of course, I had a bit of trouble visualizing a ten-dimensional matrix, and thus I did not readily see the author's conclusion.