Work(s) in Progress

Do It Tomorrow

I should confess. I am pressure prompted. Give me a tight deadline I'm your gal. Otherwise, I am prone to procrastination. Somewhere in the many blogs I read I came across Do it Tomorrow and Other Secrets of Time Management and thought this is the book for me (note for quick delivery in the USA order it from one of the discount sellers).

Alas, this is not a book for procrastinators. Instead, this book is all about prioritization. How do you decide what to do today and what can safely be postponed until tomorrow? How can you optimize your time to do it all? How are you wasting time so that not everything gets finished each day?

Almost all of the secrets in this book are summarized on page 0, before the book even starts. But, for me there are several gems. Let's talk about lists. I love to-do lists. I live for crossing items off my list. Did you know that "closed" lists are about a gazillion times more effective than "open" lists? I've always kept open lists. I add items constantly to the things I need to get done but the list grows and grows. A closed list is finite. The only thing it can do is get shorter and ultimately completed. How novel, how inspiring, a list that gets finished. The author strongly supports multiple closed lists.

The premise of this book is almost ridiculous and yet it interests me. Toss all of the undone items into yesterday's closed list. Do all of the current items from today & peck away at yesterday. In theory, with good time management, you do indeed have enough time and then some to get through your daily tasks leaving time to peck away at the old stuff. It is essential to finish your lists each day. At some point, all of the old is gone, you are current on the new and life is grand. In my current reality, some of the day to day stuff has slipped past due so that I can focus on future oriented tasks and initiatives. I've been haphazardly pecking away at the old by cataloging everything in Google Notebook as time allows. But I don't have anything as organized as the proposed system.

There is also some fascinating stuff on goal setting in this book. It's all targeted at daily success and contradicts much of what I've read and done previously. The author recommends not setting big audacious goals. Instead set goals where you are sure to succeed every day. Do not plan to run 3 miles each morning. Instead plan to go outside each morning with your running clothes on. It is much more likely that the later goal will achieve success and motivate you to actually go out and run- even if not 3 miles. And truly any miles are better than zero miles. The way this is organized is all linked the reptilian vs. rational brain. I'm not sure that I agree fully with this theory but did see a lot of myself and my procrastination in his examples.

Interesting Book Offer

I saw this over on Ben's Blog. Ben's friend Peter Economy is taking proposals for (non-fiction) books between now and December 31. He is going to pick 1 book per year to help a new author write his/her dream book. You can find complete information here. Peter will be donating his proceeds from the book to a charity of the author's choice.

In his own words:

But, late one night I was wondering: What could I do that would really make a difference -- more than just writing a check, or contributing an hour or two here or there? The idea came to me in a flash: I could write a book for someone who had a great idea, but who was outside of the publishing industry and needed some help getting their foot in the door.

Now, as a professional writer, the usual pitch would be this: Send me your book ideas, and I'll cherry pick the ones I like, help you write a book, and take a nice share of the profits.

But this is not the usual pitch. The more I thought about it, I realized that there was an even better idea -- an idea that would allow me to give back in a way that best taps my creativity and passion for writing: I want to help make the world a better place by writing one book a year -- for free -- with ALL the profits going to a nonprofit organization. An organization of YOUR choice. To accomplish this goal, however, I need YOU.

<snip>

I need you to put your thinking caps on -- the idea is to come up with a book that will have either (a) a BIG financial impact on the nonprofit that you decide to support with the advance and royalties from the book, or (b) a BIG impact on the world in general through the power of its ideas, or (c) both.

As with anything in life, there are a few constraints: (1) The book needs to be nonfiction. I have tried my hand at fiction, and frankly I stink at it. (2) I'm thinking the finished book will be 175 - 200 pages or so -- we're not writing War and Peace. (3) Please keep your submissions down to no more than 300 words, and send them to me via email at: [email protected]. If you've got more than one idea, then please send them separately. (4) We'll be co-authors of the book and both our names will be on the cover but, since the idea is yours, your name will go first. And, (5) because the whole point of this is to give back, to be considered for my yearly free book, you will need to agree -- as I will -- that every single dollar generated from the sales of the book will go to a bona fide 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of your choice.

I love this in so many different ways. New authors get an opportunity for quality mentorship and a real chance at getting their books not only completed but published. Some non-profit venture has the opportunity to benefit tremendously. It's a wonderfully innovative way to give back, to make a difference. I simply love it.

Pondering Memory

I sometimes feel like Judith in Clive Barker's Imajica. If you have not read this stunning masterpiece, this reference will be meaningless to you. Judith, at least the first Judith you meet, is a replica, her memories of things beyond about 5 years past are simply missing. For so many things, this is true for me. I simply do not hold on to most memories the way others appear to. If I were a computer, I'd say the memories were compressed and archived somewhere or perhaps the cache was simply cleared. On the upside, my fine brain has great processing speed, uncluttered by older unused memories.

Some learning theorists suggest that there is an advantage to suppressing old material to learn new. Obviously there are advantages to recovering the old information eventually, but sometimes you really do need to forget what you "know" to learn something new.

I'd say it was aging in my case but I've been like this for as long as I can remember. And granted, 5 years is an over-statement, but only barely. I was sitting watching the season 1 episodes of the X-Files today. Skinner made his first appearance. I know he is important. I felt an immediate joy at seeing him. I have/had a huge crush on Skinner but I have no idea why. Yeah, just call me Judith.

Secret Santa

Laurell K. Hamilton is having a secret Santa contest. You need only to sign up. If you enjoy her books, like I do, this is a great opportunity. From her website:

The winners will receive two signed LKH books. Don't know which two I will send you, just that it will be two. Your assignment as a Secret Santa is to give one away to someone. Preferably someone who is not yet a fan. Okay, I told you what to do with one, but what about the second? That one is a gift for you, the Santa. Hey even Santa gets goodies!

I really love her Anita Blake books but have had reservations about her Merry Gentry series. However, her most recent addition, A Lick of Frost, was excellent. Note, even when I say I have had reservations I still go track down the hard cover on the day of release. Once I get sucked into a series that's it for me. I watch on Amazon for when the book will be released and head to my local store on release day. Only occasionally can I convince myself that saving the 2 or 3 dollars by ordering from Amazon is worth the wait. Yes I realize this is ridiculous.

A recent trend for many writers is to connect with their readers via blogs or forums. Luckily Laurell blogs. She writes just about daily. It's a wonderful glimpse into her writing process.

Standing in the Shadow

The HERS Denver Institute has just one more weekend session before we complete the program. This coming weekend, we will focus on charting our futures and mapping our careers. As part of this, we are doing some exercises from the book Career Aspirations & Expeditions: Advancing your Career in Higher Education Administration. A coauthor of the book, Nancy Archer Martin, will be teaching our sessions. In large part the book is very similar to What Color is Your Parachute? with an extreme focus on Higher Education and the path to becoming perhaps a University President or Chancellor. There is an extensive section on negotiating the position and being sure to include such critical items as a spousal stipend. A 1998 survey found that 21% of institutions gave some form of assistance to a president's spouse, including a car allowance, support staff, or salaries. I suspect this percentage has only increased.

With this on my mind, I recently ran into an acquaintance whose spouse has always been a step or three ahead on the Higher Ed career trajectory than she was. He is at the pinnacle of his career and she seemingly has been forced into that role of "wife" and "supporter." Since I spend so much time on my own personal and professional development, I try to imagine how she does not chafe at these roles. How does she do this? Her time is no longer her own. Most days and evenings are filled with "must attend" events. She's made the difficult decision to make her own career path subordinate to her husband's, although she remains successful and productive in her own right. Perhaps she is content to always stand a bit in the shadow. I just don't know. I think all of us have a bit of Hillary Clinton in us wondering when it's going to be our turn to shine. When does she get her turn? Perhaps more importantly, who can she talk to? If her husband talks with her for advice, she now has information that cannot be shared with her peers. How does she handle this? How lonely this must be. Is there anyone in whom she can confide? How does she do this year after year? Perhaps for her, this is all easy and these things never cross her mind. I don't know. I only know how I would feel in her position. Whenever I see her, I always find myself wondering whether there is any way I can make her life easier. Any suggestions?

Pondering Watson

James Watson, the Nobel Laureate, recently made headlines for his controversial remarks on race. While he is known in the scientific community for his generally controversial and inflammatory nature, he may be remembered for these words and not for his role in the discovery of the structure of DNA: 

A profile quoted him as saying that he's "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" because "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours — whereas all the testing says not really." He said that while he hopes everyone is equal, "people who have to deal with black employees find this is not true."

After apologizing, he did try to clarify his words:

"We do not yet adequately understand the way in which the different environments in the world have selected over time the genes which determine our capacity to do different things," he is quoted as saying. "The overwhelming desire of society today is to assume that equal powers of reason are a universal heritage of humanity."

"It may well be. But simply wanting this to be the case is not enough. This is not science. To question this is not to give in to racism. This is not a discussion about superiority or inferiority, it is about seeking to understand differences, about why some of us are great musicians and others great engineers."

Many scientists and groups hastily distanced themselves from Watson, who has now retired from his position as the Chancellor of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory after nearly 40 years of service to the organization.

Similarly, the American Society for Human Genetics, of which I am a member, is preparing a rebuttal of Watson's controversial claims. Their statement, still in draft form, reads,

"The American Society of Human Genetics is committed to scientific integrity, and values the contributions of researchers and clinicians to the advancement of human genetics.

We consider the recent statements attributed to James Watson in the London times to be tragically misguided because there is no scientific evidence for differences in intellectual ability among racial groups.

Our organization promotes accurate reporting and rigorous interpretation of all scientific data to insure benefit to all people."

I started reading Guns, Germs, and Steel: The fates of human societies by Jared Diamond today. So far, it is fascinating reading, a brief history of the world from about 13,000 BC to present. Why did human populations around the globe develop and utilize technologies at different rates? The goal of this work, and I do not yet know the answer, is why some societies became "civilized" while others did not. With Watson's bias on my mind, these two paragraphs of Diamond's really stood out in stark contrast. How differently these two scientists approach the same question, the same set of "facts."

It seems logical to suppose that history's pattern reflects innate differences among people themselves. Of course, we're taught that it's not polite to say so in public. We read of technical studies claiming to demonstrate inborn differences, and we also read rebuttals claiming that those studies suffer from technical flaws. We see in our daily lives that some of the conquered peoples continue to form an underclass, centuries after the conquests or slave imports took place. We're told that this too is to be attributed not to any biological shortcomings but to social disadvantages and limited opportunities.

Nevertheless, we have to wonder. We keep seeing all those glaring, persistent differences in people's status. We're assured that the seemingly transparent biological explanation for the world's inequalities as of AD 1500 is wrong, but we're not told what the correct explanation is. Until we have some convincing, detailed, agreed-upon explanation for the broad pattern of history, most people will continue to suspect that the racist biological explanation is correct after all. That seems to me the strongest argument for writing this book.

I have another 400 pages to go, but I suspect it will be fascinating reading. If nothing else, it will serve as a reminder that perhaps the most important quality a scientist can have is an open mind. 

Half Marathon Plan Weeks 6 & 7 of 17

On the plus side these last two weeks, I have gotten the runs in. One or two mid-week runs of 3.5 to 4.5 miles with hills or sprint intervals. Sunday  long runs of 7.5 and 8.0 miles. The other workouts were largely undone.

Scale weight holding steady which was not the plan but better than gaining. Too many dinners out now that my hubby is working again. We've been enjoying letting other people prepare our food.

Yesterday I completely slacked off and read the new Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I will say that I enjoyed book 7 far more than book 6. I really struggled through books 5 and 6 where Harry fought his teenage angst as much as he fought he who should not be named. Finally in book 7 Harry accepts his destiny, his responsibility. There is no one else and he must bear the burden of the tasks set before him. I read many on-line spoilers before acquiring the book and was relieved to find many of them simply wrong. Some of the reviews complain about flaws in plot continuity. These are noticeable and yet, I found myself taking breaks from this book, walking around my house, so as not to finish too quickly. This is the last in the series. There will be no more. I never do this with books. Normally I suck them down as fast as I can then start over to read them slowly, for enjoyment, to re-read the best scenes. This final Harry Potter, I savored. There were dull moments, as scenes were set up. But there were some wonderful surprises such as Snape's memories in the pensive. While many argue that the series is not that great and does not deserve the acclaim and popularity it has, there are characters like Snape who are so flawed and yet so incredibly interesting that one must simply read through to the end.

Back to fitness, this coming week: 3 cross train, 2 short runs, 1 long run, and perhaps some Bikram again. 

My Start Up Life

I spent the last few days in Washington DC reviewing scientific grants for the government. My flight home gave me time to read Ben Casnocha's book, My Start Up Life.

I have been reading Ben's Blog since the summer of 2004. I bought his book partly because I wanted to read it, partly to support his efforts, and partly for the opportunity to win dinner with Ben. Two out of three isn't bad. I don't normally read auto-biographies but figured that since I enjoy his blog, that I would also enjoy his book. It's definitely a keeper.

The underlying narrative outlining how he started and grew his company Comcate is interspersed with lessons learned that he calls "Brainstorms." These sections are similar to many business books but they are all personalized based on Ben's experiences. There are also "Brain Trusts" written by some of Ben's mentors and friends that tie into the concepts of each chapter adding depth and a broader perspective. For the entrepreneur in each of us, Ben gives a lot of detail about how he approached some of those branch point decisions that can make or break companies: outsource or in-house, to hire an outside CEO or not, stay small or try to get big, boot-strap or take outside funding, and my personal favorite the long hard slog. Ben was blessed with the support of his family who facilitated his efforts while letting him pursue this dream. He has also cultivated an impressive team of mentors, advisors and friends.

I have to remind myself that Ben cannot yet legally toast his massive successes with a glass of champagne. This remarkable young man has started a successful business, traveled the world, written a book and soon will start college. What will he do next? I'll be reading his blog to find out.

You can learn more about Ben's book here.

Summer Reading

I spent this morning at a car show hosted by a local radio station. My husband loves cars. He loves to dabble in the garage working on his "garage ornament" also known as the Zoomie. Now, I like to ride in the zoomie, but I really don't understand why it is such a fascination for him. I was really perplexed by the thousands of people there who were so passionate about the changes people made both under the hood or to the bodies of their vehicles. For me the most exciting moment came when the Stealth Bomber flew overhead a few times. Wow. The radio hosts were making jokes about the use of our tax dollars but it was a thing of beauty. I realized at this event that there is only one thing that I collect, that I browse daily on-line: books.

I have had a love affair with books since I was in pre-school. I remember learning that my friend Lisa had been taught to read by her parents (she also knew how to tie her shoes but that's another story). At age 4 I came home one day furious that my mother had failed to teach me to read. Granted, she read to me, often, even the same book again and again. I loved The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins and remember making her read it to me over and over. I loved the part where the king sputtered "such impudence" when Bartholomew could not remove his hat. By age 5, I was working my way through the entire 100+ Bobbsey Twins books starting with the Bobbsey Twins on the Deep Blue Sea. Later I moved onto the complete Nancy Drew series. Summer vacations for me were spent plowing through about at least book per day.

While I do not have much free time to indulge this passion, I am lucky to be a relatively fast reader (~100 pages per hour for fiction). On Lijit I sometimes get searched for trashy novel since I say I like them in my bio. I don't use trashy in a derogatory way, simply as a way to distinguish my cotton candy tastes from fine literature or trade paperback fiction. I am just not a Gabriel Garcia Marquez kind of gal by preference. Sure, I've read a few, they were good. I prefer fluff.

I've been working my way through Kathy Reichs' novels about Dr. Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist. While still fiction, these are less fluffy than my normal fun reading. This is due in part to the fact that the author is a forensic anthropologist; thus, there is exquisite detail about bone scraping, carbon 14 dating and insect infestations of grave sites. The pacing is somewhat slow on these books as they wend from laboratory to autopsy room to say a newly discovered but old grave in a cellar.

A few weeks ago, a friend introduced me to a new (to me) author, Lee Child. It was a Jack Reacher novel, perhaps the Hard Way. Pure fun. I love the Jack Reacher character. He's ex-military police with a unique set of ethics living a vagabond life. While there is some plot continuity, each book nicely stands alone so you can start just about anywhere in the series. The books can be brutally violent but they grip my attention from start to end. I love the writing. I have One Shot sitting next to my desk. It starts, "Friday. Five o'clock in the afternoon. Maybe the hardest time to move unobserved through a city. Or maybe the easiest. Because at five o'clock on a Friday nobody pays attention to anything. Except the road ahead. The man with the rifle drove north. Not fast, not slow. Not drawing attention." In the books I've read so far, the  main plot event (abduction, murder, mystery) starts on the first page. The action grips me until the end.

Laurell K Hamilton's new Anita Blake novel, The Harlequin, was released earlier this week. I checked three stores on my way home from work to find it. I sat down with it at 7:30 PM and did not stop reading until I finished. It's hard to classify Laurell's writing. Urban Fantasy, Vampire fiction, Preternatural fiction? Her books are set in modern day and yet vampires and shape shifters are real. It's possible to raise the dead, at least temporarily to get some questions answered  ("who killed you?"), before putting them back into the earth. This is book 15 in the series. I love them all.

Summer is here.

Watching Ben's Book Rise on Amazon

I've been watching Ben's Book, My Start-Up Life, which I first posted about in April rise on Amazon since its release on May 18. When I first looked it was rated about #120,000. A few days later it was up to about #90,000. As of this moment it is #91 and rising. It is the #1 mover and shaker on Amazon. For the next hour or two, Ben is offering the opportunity for someone to win dinner with him if you buy his book and send him the receipt but it has to be today by midnight (presumably PST). You can see the details in his post. Just sent mine off. I hope I win.

Congrats Ben!