From Lava:
I learned that if you don’t let your kids eat a lot of candy when they are little they will really want it when they are older. Or not. Two kids; two different outcomes. Same with t.v. So really what I learned is that they are who they are regardless of our best efforts to have some influence.
From Gale:
I learned that if you type in your smartphone with other fingers besides your thumb, you are considered old.
Barbara learned, and taught me, how to convert PowerPoint to Visio:
TA DA! All the little boxes and text are separate units to be manipulated as I wish.
A Friend learned, and taught me, that rest trumps brute effort when it comes to solving a complex problem. If you’re rested, you may come up with a clever solution that does not take all that work.
I have learned that 60% of Dana-Farber patients come to the institute for a second opinion, after being diagnosed elsewhere.
From Lava:
I learned that if you don’t let your kids eat a lot of candy when they are little they will really want it when they are older. Or not. Two kids; two different outcomes. Same with t.v. So really what I learned is that they are who they are regardless of our best efforts to have some influence
Today I learned, again, to confirm meetings before rushing to them. Not everyone uses the calendar tools to cancel a meeting, although they would if I ran the world (but then if I ran the world we’d have other problems, so it’s just as well)
So with that constraint (the me not running the world thing), the next best thing is to check ahead and confirm the meeting, well in advance.
Today I learned, from Sally, to always sit on the northeast side of the Red Line: on the right going out of Boston and on the left going in. This way, you get a glorious view of the Charles. We saw zillions of small sailboats in the setting sun in the evening, then dedicated crew teams in the morning sun.
As an added bonus, there is an ad poster series set up to work as animation, at one point, on the wall of the outbound train.
Thanks, Sal!
“reps of Rolling Like a Ball”?
Sally learned that the Army is changing physical training and incorporating pilates and yoga moves, to build fitness fit for the tasks ahead, not just for the test. She said “I think there may be a lesson in here about people changing their ways and realizing the value of quality over quantity when it comes to exercise.”
Here is the article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/31/us/31soldier.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=homepage&src=me
I learned another reason not to check the blackberry late at night. By checking a new text message, I accidentally and unknowingly dialed the Loved One who had texted me, and then went, clueless, off to bed. That left her confused and concerned. Sorry Sweetie!
And if you want to know WHY we keep checking for new messages, it’s really well explained here:
http://ww.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=129384107
Look for the part around this “GROSS: I always think maybe it’ll be a little gift there, like some really wonderful message, something like really interesting and fascinating or somebody I’m dying to hear from.”
Jane's Lessons Learned 