No More Camera Envy
Earlier this year, we went to my nephew’s first birthday party. I offered to help my brother-in-law take some pictures, and he handed me his brand new SLR digital camera. It was nice – especially the ability to take continuous shots every couple seconds, capturing each expression of my nephew’s face as he ate his birthday cake. I was hooked and instantly had camera envy.
A couple weeks ago, I did a quick search on eBay for SLR cameras, and before I knew it, I had bid on a Canon EOS Rebel XS. My existing camera was having some minor (and probably fixable) issues. My attempts to find an alternative lead me to splurge!
This weekend, I am going to take Charlotte down by the Potomac to a park to take a few snapshots of her. Assuming my amateur photography works out, one of these pictures might become our Christmas card photo. (I apologize in advance to my professional friends – such as Charles Allen, Sally Brewer, and Erin Rexroth – for my masquerading on their turf.). We’ll see how it goes.
Lean But Not Mean
As several of you know, I have lost 20 pounds since early June, settling in around 160 pounds. When I say that, people often respond that they think that I did not need to lose any weight. Indeed, my girlfriend has told me that I am too skinny now. Nonetheless, I am happy with it, as it is nice to feel like I am in shape for a change.
The usual second response is for people to ask how I lost the weight. Since I am an economist, you will not be surprised that I tackled the issue in a very analytical way. Each day, I keep a log using FitDay of everything that I eat, ensuring that I do not exceed 2,000 calories. (FitDay also lets you track calories burned, but I found that to be less reliable.) The nice thing about this “diet” is that it is not really one. If I want to eat some junk food, I can, but I simply adjust my other meals accordingly. In addition to calorie-counting, I continue to work out three times a week.
The truth is, though, that I lost more weight that I set out to. That should allow me to eat a little more over the holidays while still staying lean.
If Only Every Day Were March 10
Not a single day goes by where Charlotte does not bring up her birthday. She has been talking about turning five since she turned four. In picking her up from school, I often overhear her inviting her friends to her Princess party. (Of course, what she gives, she can also take away. She has also told me that so-and-so is not invited to her birthday party anymore. It is funny to watch her use her party as a weapon.) The challenge to all of this is that Charlotte’s birthday is still four months away!
If only every day were March 10. Charlotte knows her days of the week, and she can recite every month. But March 10 could be next week for all she knows. So, I am going to buy her a calendar and telling her each day what day it is. Hopefully, this will help her visualize that four months from now is still a while away. With that said, I do think that it is cute that she is so eager to turn five. I am also happy that she is already anxious to start kindergarten in August. (In her mind, though, she starts kindergarten when she turns five.)
Speaking of Charlotte, she has a favorite iPhone app. She loves Tinkerbell. Hopefully, she will get the new Tinkerbell movie for Christmas…. In the meantime, I bought her an app called Disney Fairies Fly, where you can get the fairies to fly through various places within Pixie Hollow. I found it fun myself, and Charlotte is starting to get the hang of it. Now, she keeps asking me if I brought my phone every time we step into the car. What was I thinking?
Refocusing My Blog
Today, I will relaunch The Moutray Chronicles focusing more on events and thoughts from my life with Charlotte. In doing so, I will not discuss professional issues as much as in the past. While I might occasionally discuss a paper, a speech, or my thoughts on small business economic issues, it will no longer be the primary mission of the blog.
Truth be told, there were some within the SBA who were never thrilled with my blending of personal and professional thoughts. (The SBA’s Office of Advocacy has its own blog, which I also contribute to from time to time.) As such, I have not written much on this site since the summer. I contemplated giving up the site all-together, but decided that I will refocus it instead. We’ll see how it goes. Thanks for continuing to follow our chronicles and feel free to provide feedback, if you wish.
Remembering Laura – Two Years Later
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now, the prize awaits me….” (2 Timothy 4:7-8)
Election to the NABE Board
This afternoon, I learned that I was elected to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Business Economics (NABE). My term begins at the conclusion of the annual meeting, which takes place in St. Louis from October 10-13. Click here for a listing of the current Board members. As most of you know, I am also the current President of the National Economists Club, which is the local chapter of NABE. (I will be busy.)
Don’t Worry, I’m Not on the Cover
In my role at the SBA, I am often quoted in the media. Last year, I was interviewed by Joe Kita for Men’s Health magazine. The interview finally appears in the July/August issue in an article titled “You, Inc.” The bulk of the article highlights various entrepreneurs, showing how they have become successful “investing in themselves.” There is one quote from me toward the beginning.
I remember when this interview took place. Some of my colleagues were teasing me about being in Men’s Health. I told them not to worry. They were not interested in seeing an economist with his shirt off….
Global Race for the Cure
On Saturday, Charlotte and walked in the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure in Washington, DC. This is the second year that we have walked it as part of Team Endurance, which was set up in memory of my late wife Laura by her friend Darlene Duffett. A few of us wore the shirts that Darlene designed last year, complete with the Bible verse that Laura loved so much (and that I put on her gravestone marker):
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now, the prize awaits me….” (2 Timothy 4:7-8)
This year, though, we ended up merging with another team, Propellin’ for Ellen, which was set up by members of our church (especially our friend Amy Allen) for Ellen Frazier, a church employee who is battling breast cancer. Five of the six members of the pastoral staff joined us in the walk, and combined, our two teams raised over $4,000!
For me, the walk signified two things. First, it reminded me of how wonderful our church family and friends have been to us over the past few years. It is amazing to know how much people will do to support you when you really need them. We learned that during Laura’s breast cancer, and Ellen Frazier is experiencing it during her current battle.
Second, when you see the mass of people walking the 5 kilometers through the heart of DC, you quickly get a sense of the enormity of it all. Breast cancer affects so many people, from so many different walks of life. The thousands of teams that woke up early (many of whom would have probably preferred staying in bed if it were not for supporting this important cause) had their own “Lauras” and “Ellens” to love, support, or remember, and they all wanted a cure for this dreaded disease.
Overall, it was the perfect day. The weather was pleasant, and we all felt like we were doing something positive. Charlotte, of course, is still too young to fully understand the significance of it all, but I am glad that she was out there, walking along with the rest of us. One day, she will learn to appreciate the need to eradicate breast cancer, and hopefully, a cure can be found in her lifetime. After all, that is really why we walk.
Update (6/9): This entry is now cross-posted on the Fight Pink website. It was my friend Stacy Martello who had encouraged me to blog about the Global Race for the Cure. Thanks for the kind words, Stacy.
Glimmers of Hope, Part II
Last month, I wrote a blog post about some of the “glimmers of hope” in the economy, echoing statements made by the President. Since then, we have seen more evidence that the economy has turned some sort of corner. That is not to suggest that things are terrific, but it does seem to indicate that perhaps the bottom has passed. Here are some examples:
- A majority of economists surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics (NABE) see the economy turning around by year’s end, albeit with slower growth. (NABE members can read the full survey here.) This, of course, is consistent with statements made by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke earlier in the month.
- The U.S. Small Business Administration’s lending programs, 7(a) and 504 loans, which have been down drastically in terms of year-to-year figures, have both risen 25 percent since March 16, reflecting a turnaround in their fate.
- Several surveys have shown increases in overall optimism. We have seen rises in the National Federation of Independent Business’s index of small business optimism and the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment survey, for instance. Each of these indices, however, are well below their traditional averages.
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 4 percent in the month of May, something that we all like to see, especially after the 54.5 percent fall we experienced when the market hit bottom in early March.
True, there are also some worrying signs (perhaps for another post), but it is nice to receive some good news for a change.
