Saturday, June 13, 2009

Hi, tech

When I was a junior in high school, I took AP art history and loved it. I decided that the best way to get into college was to go to summer school and do even more college work ahead of time. I went to Harvard summer school (there was no real application process--I just filled out a form and my father mailed in a check.) I lived in Holworthy, in Harvard Yard, and signed up for economics. I took macro and microeconomics in seven weeks. I sat in Cabot science center all day long, looking at graphs, solving problem sets, and memorizing vocabulary words that had to do with supply and demand. Occasionally, I took a break and wandered into Store 24 for a granola bar or Mug 'n' Muffin for a buttered bran muffin. If I wanted to take a real break, I smoked a clove cigarette and bellied up to the salad bar at Souper Salad. I worked my butt off, learned to translate the phrase, "caveat emptor" and read Milton Friedman. The laws of supply and demand sailed in and out of my head. I think I got a C+ for the summer. Maybe I got a B-. But the experience earned me two semesters of college credit in economics, and taught me three things: 1) I am not good at economics; 2) 19th century novels about the rich and the poor are easier to read than 20th century textbooks about capitalism; 3) I need to surround myself with people who know more than I do.

My husband knows a lot about economics and finance, and his brothers and his Dad are adept at science and technology. This is a very long way of saying that thanks to my genius of a father-in-law, you can now subscribe directly to my blog.

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