Making It On A Congressman's Salary

According to Talking Points Memo (TPM), Republican Congressman Sean Duffy of Wisconsin says he's still struggling to meet his bills despite a $174,000 salary. Yet he still says he'll take a pay cut. Newser is reporting it too, for those of you who wouldn't be caught dead reading some "lib-rul" blog, as is KMSP in the Twin Cities.

As TPM quoted him:

I can guarantee you, or most of you, I guarantee that I have more debt than all of you. With 6 kids, I still pay off my student loans. I still pay my mortgage. I drive a used minivan. If you think I'm living high on the hog, I've got one paycheck. So I struggle to meet my bills right now. Would it be easier for me if I get more paychecks? Maybe, but at this point I'm not living high on the hog.

I'm going to sidestep the controversy over a video clip that appeared in the TPM article and instead focus on Duffy's cash-flow analysis. First, TPM doesn't point out that your congresspeople have to maintain two homes: the one in their district and the place in Washington where they're bedding down while Congress is in session. That also comes with travel expenses and incidentals associated with the back and forth. I gather those student loans include law school, which is never a bargain. This is before we even get around to the expenses of a family of six. If you're wondering about staff expenses, your lawmakers get an allowance for those. Rep. Duffy's wife works as a teacher, bringing in a little bit more, but she stands to take a pay cut in as Wisconsin's new budget goes through.

I can only delve so deep into Duffy's books without breaking a few privacy laws, but let's suppose Duffy's household income is closer to $200,000. That's still at least double what a lot of us make. I can only hope he's paying down his mortgage and education expenses as quickly as possible and not putting himself deeper into hock on credit like his employer.

But what troubles me is that many people don't know the difference between the cost of living and the cost of living it up. Bravo to Duffy for driving a used vehicle. The depreciation on a new car has me vowing never to buy a new ride ever again. A lot of people confuse a want with a need. They have to have those clothes, that house, that car, that furniture, that iPad. All right, I admit I just splurged for an iPad 2, but I'd been saving up for that out of overtime pay.

Maybe instead of giving Rep. Duffy flack about his stated money struggles, we should be encouraging him to budget better. I've become a big fan of Dave Ramsey's cash-only financial system. I know single-income families who make 25 percent of Duffy's pay who live comfortably and happily. These folks clip coupons. They shop at the second-hand stores. And they tithe. Yes, 10 percent off the top is going to GOD, and GOD is blessing their lives.

Duffy agreed to cut his pay. Granted, he hedged a bit, but he still agreed to do it. Would he agree to one of Dave Ramsey's money makeovers?

The Blue And Gray, Presented In Sepia

For those of you wondering what happened to Pvt. Francis of the 1st Virginia Volunteer Infantry, he sent us these daguerreotypes from We Make History's Civil War Ball, in remembrance of that great conflict that began 150 years ago... and reassurance that all was not dark during our nation's darkest times.

Daguerreotypes provided by M. Cynecki

The young Confederate private has a peculiar longing for the days of his Colonial Virginia ancestors, when the minuet was in fashion.  The kepi may have replaced the tricorn, gray now replaces the red white and blue, but something beautiful remains.  And as always, Virginians love to dance.

Our host and hostess, the renowned Colonel and his lady, greeting the many belles.  Hoopskirts fill the floor, floating and twirling about.

As part of the procession, a certain stately air is required. One could set a book upon the private's head and it would remain in place.

Standing at attention, and ready to dance.  One must give the ladies their proper space to make room for those beautiful hoops.

Giving proper honors to the ladies.  Everyone has their methods, and some bow lower than others. No matter, as long the belles know you are thankful.

The young soldiers stand at attention, ready to honor a selection of young Virginia Belles...

And here they are, one from each county in the Old Dominion, the ladies we have the highest regards and hopes for, the ones we're praying for, the ones we praise for their devotion to GOD and to making an impact on the world.

The young Private considers himself honored to escort at least one of them.

By request, the method of choosing a partner for one dance falls to the floor.  More specifically, to the shoes on the floor deposited by the belles.  Find a shoe, and one finds his Cinderella....

...but you'll have to fight for it.  The young Confederate prefers the flanking maneuver to avoid casualties.  These ballroom warriors are not the only anxious ones.  Our commander must fret about losing some men before the Battle of 1st Manassas.  (That's Bull Run if you wear a blue coat.)

Fortunately, everyone survives without a scratch and is in top form to charge forward again and again.

And afterward, finally, gracefully, that Colonial-minded Confederate can at last share a minuet with his beloved dancing partner.

More from this beautiful evening here.

Reel It In!

Dearest Dancing Friends, no preview to the Civil War Ball would be complete without a tribute to a enduring favorite, the one dance people long for and remain long on the floor for -- the one, the only, Virginia Reel!

From the 2009 Olde South Ball:



And from the Greenfield Village Civil War Remembrance Weekend 2010:

Home Is Where The Ball Is

Many great grand balls took place in spacious halls, and so shall it be at the Civil War Ball. But often all that was required was a spacious parlor, and so it was at the Second Annual Civil War Ball at the Smith Trahern Mansion in Clarksville, Tennessee.

The historic setting adds to the ambiance, just as the hoopskirts and uniforms do, even if there is a little less room to move.

This Is Gettysburg, And This Is What We Do

Dearest Dancing Friends, I know many of you are probably curious about how the people at historic balls learn all the dances. Perhaps you've thought about coming to something like the Civil War Ball, but you're afraid you'll be outdanced, or worse, shunned because of an extra left foot.

Nonsense! We learn on the floor, and our dancing masters are more than happy to teach. That is how it is done with We Make History, and it is the standard procedure at a plethora of balls, like this one in Gettysburg.

Watch, listen, and learn a few moves...

When Those Happy Warriors Return To The Floor

As we continue our march towards the Civil War Ball, I present for you another popular dance of Civil War America: Soldier's Joy.

Here it is, performed by Victorian Dance Ensemble, accompanied by the Susquehanna Travellers Band. And I threw in "Money Musk Reel" and "Lancer's Quadrille" as a bonus.



Do I hear a call for an encore? You got it! Here's the "Spanish Waltz," "Tempest" and "German Waltz."

Patty Cake, Patty Cake

It's a ball week, Dancing Friends! This time, it's the annual Civil War Ball, the 150th Anniversary Edition as presented by We Make History.

The neat thing about this dances of this time is that they're very lively and quite easy to learn, unlike some of the old English Country Dances of your patriot ancestors. Still, you can see remnants of playful gestures from some of those old dances in this old dance, the "Patty Cake Polka."

Winning? Not Quite...

In the epic struggle between money and professional conduct, professionalism just won. That's my take on the firing of Charlie Sheen from his hit sitcom. As I alluded to earlier, the unmentioned quandary for CBS and Warner Bros. TV (the studio that produces Sheen's Two And A Half Men) was whether they wanted to sacrifice a cash cow by offing its biggest star. Now we know.

Self-described rock star from Mars or not, Sheen's bosses could only take so much abuse. Further, with Sheen continuing to spiral deeper into instability and recklessness, his liabilities eclipsed his value. Profits heightened the studio's tolerance, but I can only wonder whether WB's insurance carrier for Men would continue to underwrite the show. Further, a letter from WB's lawyers to Sheen's attorney shows his client was making less than great television:

When Mr. Sheen returned from Christmas hiatus, he had lost a large amount of weight-more than 20 pounds, according to Show personnel. He appeared to be using drugs heavily.

You claim that Mr. Sheen was turning in "brilliant" performances during this time. Not true. As outtakes of the filming show, Mr. Sheen had difficulty remembering his lines and hitting his marks. His conduct and condition created substantial tensions on the set. Mr. Sheen conceded in one or more of his numerous recent interviews that he sometimes showed up to work after not having slept and needed to move his mark to accommodate his need to "lean" on something, for balance. These few examples all confirm Mr. Sheen's rapid physical and mental deterioration resulting in a failure to perform his essential duties.

The letter mentions WB and CBS have twice now worked with Sheen to clean him up, adjusting or canceling production on his show only to see him relapse in public and dramatic fashion.

No corporation should have to tolerate an employee that continuously spits in its eye, no matter how much he enhances the bottom line. Bringing Sheen back for another season would've let Hollywood bad boys know they can bully anybody whose pockets they line. That's not exactly "winning."

Reel To Reel: The Adjustment Bureau

We control the horizontal, the vertical, and a lot more.

Going Rate: Worth full price for thinking people.
Starring: Matt Damon
Rated: PG-13
Red Flags: Mild language, one sex scene, some action violence

Proverbs 16:9 (NASV) tells us: "The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps." Deism, that belief shared by many of our founding patriots, tells us GOD created the world and then stepped back. The Adjustment Bureau is somewhere between the two, but it's ultimately a hybrid of The Matrix, The Butterfly Effect, Men In Black and Inception with a Twilight Zone feel. It tells us the world is secretly run by a group of well-dressed men in fedoras who are monitoring and occasionally nudging our life decisions in accordance with "the plan" which is administered by "The Chairman." Does that mean GOD? Are the guys in the hats our guardian angels? It's a good dinner-table discussion.

Congressman David Norris (Damon) is a rising political star who's about to win a Senate seat when a tacky picture surfaces in the New York Post that scotches his election. In a moment of public disillusionment, he gives a concession speech excoriating the packaging and consulting that is modern-day politics. Were those moments chance? Keep your eyes on the guys in the hats. They are a shadowy, joyless, bureaucratic bunch, armed with "plan books" that plot out a person's future like a real-time subway system map lifted from Hogwarts. The guys skip around town using conventional doors in a way that bends the time-space continuum. Wings are so yesterday.

Norris finds out about the mystery men when one of the adjusters botches what sounds like a simple assignment: get Norris to spill his coffee before he gets on the bus, thus keeping him from reconnecting with love interest Elise (Emily Blunt). You wonder what could be so bad about a professional dancer with a British accent whose only sins we know are crashing a wedding and talking to Norris in the men's room on Election Night. Turns out Elise isn't in his "plan." Yet they meet again, and Norris is taken back behind the curtain of the universe -- or in this case, an abandoned warehouse -- and told to forget about the girl and the men who just abducted him. Otherwise they will erase his entire brain, an awfully excessive means of getting rid of a flame. Then again, selective deletion didn't work so well in Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind.

Matt Damon gets to run a lot in this movie, just like in the Jason Bourne flicks. So we've got action. We've got rebellion. We've got intrigue and sticking it to "The Man," even if he may be our Creator, as Norris figures out he may be able to rewrite his plan and confound the adjusters. Most of the action, however, is in our minds as we dwell on the larger questions.

"What happened to free will?" Norris asks. That was tried before, the adjusters tell him, and humanity messed things up. Well, duh. That should've been obvious after that little serpent incident in the Garden Of Eden. Instead, it seems the adjusters and their Chairman are in the cycle of stepping in and stepping back, thinking people have matured enough to let them plot their own destinies only to find they're not. Judged against history, it sounds reasonable, perhaps Biblical, but it's not. Romans 8:28 kills the theory that GOD steps back, as does that aforementioned passage in Proverbs. But I'll admit, I thought about Hebrews 13:2 (NIV) when I thought about one of the guys in the hats: "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it."

The Adjustment Bureau is another fine product from the works of Philip K. Dick, the writer who gave us the stories behind Blade Runner, Minority Report and Total Recall, three other sci-fi classics. It's hard to believe he was so poor at one point, he resorted to eating dog food. Was that part of his plan, or just chance?

Rehab Failure

Normally, I would be content to let Charlie Sheen continue his slide into darkness without comment, if it weren't for a troublesome observation: did this guy really go through drug rehab? Or did the rehabilitation experts just switch his drug to ego?

As Reuters reports via Yahoo:

ABC News and celebrity website Radaronline had Sheen's blood and urine tested, and revealed no drugs in his system for the past 72 hours. "I am on a drug. It's called Charlie Sheen. It's not available because if you try it once, you will die," he said in the ABC interview.

Maybe it doesn't cause physical death, but it has been known to kill careers.

Watching this all play out on TV also troubles me. ABC, NBC and CNN are all feeding his unchecked megalomania by letting him rant even more against his show, his producers and his network. CBS is keeping its distance and staying silent, which is about the best it can do in the face of a sitcom star gone wild.

A commenter on Deadline.com suggested this:

There’s a reason why recovering addicts are secluded from the public when they are in a proper rehab facility. Addicts often act out in anti-social behavior and anger when they first transition to sobriety, mostly due to the changes their body chemistry is going through. Since Charlie is being pampered in an at-home “rehab light”, the whole world gets to see his withdrawal symptoms. If Sheen’s people had been smart enough to force him into a real rehab facility, only a therapist would be hearing these rants in private. This behavior will pass in a month or so if Charlie sticks with his sobriety.

Or it would have never happened at all had he been forced to do a 90-day program, in seclusion, in the first place. I serenely hope that's what CBS and Warner Bros. Television and the Two And A Half Men staff all wanted for Charlie. But I don't think he would've gone for that. I also hope some suit didn't suggest some way to get him in and out of rehab as quickly as possible to salvage what was left of the season and protect millions of dollars in advertising and syndication revenue.

Now as it stands, Sheen's show has only cranked out 16 episodes this season, eight less than its contract with CBS. I gather nobody even considered sliding work on those episodes back to late spring or early summer. That's a shame, but networks really don't want to be paying big bucks for shows -- even highly-rated ones -- that will end up airing during the summer when TV viewership drops. At least the show's crew is getting paid. The rest of us get to see a man go down the tubes thinking he's on top.

Run, Don't Talk

Forget the filibuster. We now have the fleeabuster. When you're outnumbered on a vote for a bill you don't like, why waste your breath speechifying when you can run away with your party buddies to create a quorum issue?

You probably know about the Wisconsin Democrats who skipped the state to thwart a budget bill that would end collective bargaining rights for state employees and force concessions on health care and pensions. Democrats fled Indiana and Ohio to gum up a vote. They all take some inspiration from a similar stunt in Texas a little less than a decade ago. The strategy is to force compromise on the objectionable bill. In Indiana, it may be working. In Wisconsin, not so much.

Moreover, the business of government is slowing down or stopping. Without a quorum, other bills don't come up for a vote, controversial or not. We all know the "gub-mint" moves slowly enough as it is -- except in Arizona, where the Republican-dominated legislature just rammed through a huge business tax cut in less than a week. But Arizona Democrats don't dare leave the state. They know the GOP would help them pack.

Those of us who grew up with decent parenting learned we can't run away from our problems. That's called being a coward. John Baldoni at Fast Company explains it further:

Embracing the run and hide strategy is a tactic that middle schoolers would understand--if you don't like something, go home. But since the legislators are adults the abandonment strategy comes across as self-serving and frankly un-democratic. The beauty of a democracy is that you work within the system to effect change; sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but the operative word is "work."

The Wisconsin Democrats know they can't win unless Governor Scott Walker makes a huge concession, which would then alienate the majority of voters who put him in office.

Majority rule isn't easy. It isn't pretty. You may not think it's fair. Fine -- go get your own majority in the next election. Holding the majority doesn't give you permission to whallop the minority with tyranny, but we're not at that stage. Wisconsin's runaway lawmakers have throngs of angry public employees on their side who have set up an ongoing protest in Madison. Cairo it ain't, but they'd love you to see the comparison to Hosni Mubarak or Mommar Gaddafi-Quadaffi-Kadafy-Whatever. One problem: Walker's no dictator and Wisconsin's no kingdom. And lawmaking is not some child's game where you get to march off and sulk if you don't win.

George And Michael

To cap off our weeklong pre-tribute to the George Washington Ball, your humble dancing servant presents one number you will definitely not be seeing tomorrow night, as performed by the mascots of George Washington University... and Michael Jackson.



Dance on, my friends!

It's A Little Early For That, You Think?

I must admit to you, Dearest Dancing Friends, that many of the capers I have been showing you this week would not be danced in George Washington's time, or at the George Washington Ball. Some of them date to the early 1700's, decades before the Father of Our Country would take command, much less his first ballroom steps.

So why do I show them? Because usually a few fancy dances would start the evening before things progressed into the numbers people were more familiar with. I have also run into a lack of available YouTube material from the Revolutionary period -- many things are from the Regency era or the Baroque to mid-1700's.

And all right, I'll admit it -- I love the outfits.

Enough explaining. Let's get to another of the fancy dances. Here are three from Compagnie Fantaisies Baroques:

Put Some Spring In Your Step

Dearest Dancing Friends, colonial capering was not always slow and stately or complicated and geometric. Sometimes it could be quite anxious and athletic, as this couple demonstrates...

Careful now, or you may flip your wig...



I have to think this gentleman is a judge with a do like that.

Afterward, one would need some liquid sustenance -- but nothing alcoholic. Otherwise, this is what might happen:



And now the scores: 5.7, 5.8, 5.9, 5.9, 5.8, 5.7. That slip on the double axle did seem to be the one mistake, but he's definitely in medal contention.

Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day?

I hear your criticisms: this English dancing --it's so repetitive.

But Dearest Dancing Friends, that's also what makes it so enjoyable! If you louse up a step, there is always the next iteration. And when you are all dressed up in your breeches and buttons and powdered wigs, dancing at George Washington's Ball, who cares about your mistakes as long as you look beautiful making them?

You won't catch Altenglischer Countrydance making mistakes, however, as they perform this beautiful rendition of "Upon A Summer's Day."



I adore how the gentlemen are not afraid to prance about, especially in this short quadrille:

Step By Step

My Dearest Dancing friends, it is well known that your colonial Virginian ancestors loved to dance. As such, they knew many dances by heart, and they walked through many intricate moves in their sleep.

So I ask the question: would a group of 21st Century Americans be able to handle an 18th Century cotillion, with choruses and verses of figures?

See for yourself in this vacation video from Colonial Williamsburg:



Oh let us be merciful. Let us give them one more chance.



I assure you, things will not be this complicated at the George Washington Ball!

My Lady, You Look Fabulous!

Dearest Dancing Friends, it's nearly time for another of my favourite balls of the year: The George Washington Ball is this coming Saturday!

As your humble servant kicks off a weeklong tribute, let's start in the wardrobe. A fancy ball deserves your fanciest attire, especially if you're nobility. Let's watch as the Colonial Williamsburg seamstresses fit Her Ladyship into a new gown for a ball held in her honour:



Now, listen as Lady Dunmore -- or the lady who interprets Her Ladyship -- tells us more about what that ball was like:



I have danced in 18th Century attire inside the Old Capitol in Williamsburg -- for five minutes. My dream one day is to dance for much longer there. Until then, I'll just have to settle for this -- a look at the annual George Washington Ball in Williamsburg:

Talking To Myself

A friend recently asked: "If you could say anything to the 20-year-old version of YOU... what would you say to yourself?"

This is my reply:

"You will not believe this, but trust me. You are a repressed 18th Century gentleman. Put down that can of pepper spray; I'm serious here.

"I know your freshman history class was a major drag, but you're not learning it the right way. I want you to check out Williamsburg. Just go. You didn't really get it when you went there with Mom and Dad and your brother in 1986, but I think you will now. You have this quiet idealism about you, something inside that makes you want to believe things are really better than everybody else says that they are. You need to be in a place were people celebrate what's good about life and living in a free country, regardless of what people are grousing about around MU right now. Two words: living history. I want you to find people who enjoy doing that and ask how they got into it.

"Remember how you told your girlfriend Jessica that you would like to go to a costume ball one of these days? I want you to find one and go for it. Dress up in the finest Colonial outfit you can rent: long coat, knee socks, tricorn, the whole smack. You know you want to do it, but you don't because you're afraid what happened to you in middle school will happen again. You think a lady -- especially one your age -- will never love you because you're too out of touch with everyone else. I am telling you're wrong, and it's because you haven't found the right circle of friends who are focused on the right things.

"Remember when you were just beginning your sophomore year, and some folks from one of the campus ministries invited you to a moonlight game of Capture the Flag? You went and you liked it. Then they invited you to church. You shoulda gone. Well, it's not too late. I want you to know this: GOD loves you. HE always does. Even if you don't notice it. HE'S trying to get through to you through a back channel.

"I want you to go back to church, not just any church, but the right church. Those Presbyterians are good people, but they're not addressing the questions you have. They're a PC and you're a Mac. Well, yeah, you're more like an Commodore Amiga, but you get it. Find a youth church with people your age who are seeking and need answers to the way GOD really works. When you were 13, you took a confirmation class and wrote a credo to become an official Presbyterian, but it didn't help you a lick spiritually. All it did was give you a lesson on how to flatter the right people. But more than that, I'm telling you there's a difference between going to church and having a right relationship with GOD. If you stay on your present course, you're going to be in your 30's before somebody explains that to you. Then they're going to pray with you outside a fast-food joint in Phoenix. Don't ask questions, man, just hear me out.

"Keep pursuing that journalism degree, but I want you to think hard about the TV business and what it could do to you. You're still in college. You've got options. Broaden your career menu and see what else is out there besides something network-affiliated. I'm not saying you're about to make a bad career choice; I'm just saying there will come a time when you wonder whether you chose a career that really fit you or not. I think if you start whetting your appetite for history and getting back to GOD, you're going to see things in a whole new way, and that's going to have you rethinking your day job. Have no fear: you can still be successful and make good money, but you'll have more satisfaction.

"Back to your girlfriend. Don't let other people dictate your love life. I know they don't now, so don't change your mind. If you start going back to church and hanging out with people who really know what's going on in your heart, that proverbial "right girl" will find you. Even if she doesn't, don't worry. I am telling you will derive much pleasure from being GOD's unmarried servant, and in doing so, you will realize that what the world defines as love is sorely lacking.

"I've got to warn you about some quirks that are going to happen when you follow all of this advice. You are going to start wearing three-cornered hats in public. You're going to start bowing to people. Don't let other people make you think it's weird. They're the ones into the grunge scene and the angst of youth. Where do these people get off defining normal? You seem to enjoy being this nonconformist. So be nonconformist in a positive direction. That tricorn is a symbol of revolution, right? So have your own revolution. Be the change you'd like to see in other people.

"There's a lot I could reveal to you about what will happen, good and bad, but it's pointless to tell you about it now because your decisions from this point forward will alter the timelines and create this alternate reality that I pray will be better than the one you're currently traveling on. Remember that scene in Back To The Future Part II where Doc is explaining the rift in the time-space continuum and how things got all messed up. For Marty it was a bad thing, but for you it's a better thing because I'm telling you how to avoid doing some of the things you wish people would've warned you about at this time in your life.

"I'm not going to save you from your mistakes because that's impossible. You don't have to be afraid about anything. You just have to realize it's time to be the person GOD designed you to be."

You Can't Buy Indulgences Any More, Either

A lot of people have been misunderstanding the intentions of an iPad/iPod "Confession App" developed by a group of Catholics in South Bend, Indiana. The Vatican says it is no substitute for confessing your sins to a priest, but that was never the intention. The app is a checklist for remembering what you need to confess, something to be taken into that dark, curtained room when you go through the process.

I can imagine, though, that this would make for some awkward moments.

"Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been 2 weeks since my last confession. I confess I have taken the LORD's name in vain twice and--"

BLOOP! BLOOP!

"My son, what is that?"

"I'm sorry, Father, I have to take this..."

And can you imagine an iPad with you in the booth?

"My son, you have an interesting glow about you..."

"Oh that, Father, it's the LCD."

"The what?"

"My iPad. I'm trying out this confession app."

"Sweet Mother of Necessity, must you bring that in here?"

"It's to jog my my mind about what I need to confess to you."

"My son, I want you to say three Hail Marys, three Our Fathers, and take a memory-enhancement course!"

Not Fair

The New York Times reports while President Obama talks about a "Sputnik Moment," school science fairs are waning. The problem -- too much else to do:

One obvious reason for flagging interest in science fairs is competing demands for high school students' extracurricular attention. But many educators said they wished the projects were deemed important enough to devote class time to them, which is difficult for schools whose federal funding hinges on improving math and reading test scores. Under the main federal education law, schools must achieve proficiency in math and reading by 2014, or risk sanctions.

The Obama administration has urged broadening the subjects tested under the law -- possibly including science. But some teachers say they are already burdened by state requirements to teach a wide range of facts -- say, the parts of a cell -- which prevents them from devoting class time to research projects.

Maybe it's time we rethink the whole "fair" concept. Instead of showing off knowledge for a panel of judges, why not find a real-world application for a team of students and let them go for it?

A bunch of kids interested in electronics can help design and build a phone system or an office computer network for a non-profit group. The students interested in human can shadow and work with nurse practitioners at health screenings. Earth science and meteorology junkies could team up and form their own school forecast lab, using the same freely available data the National Weather Service looks at every day. More internships would help.

At the end of a science fair, a student is left with a prize -- or maybe not -- and hopefully a sense of fulfillment from exploring a curiosity. With some flexibility and imagination, many more of us could reap benefits from that.