Returning to Boston

I return to Boston on Friday at 5:30pm and have been spending the past couple of days reflecting on what we've done and what I may have learned of consequence from the experience this past month with Learning Friends. It has certainly been a great time and I am happy with what we've accomplished and with the group of 5 or 6 that we have who met at Stanford on Tuesday night and are interested in pushing this forward and entering it in the Stanford Social Entrepreneurship challenge. What happens from here will be very interesting to follow.

Nonetheless, I am looking forward to returning to my own apartment and my own bed and almost to . . . another semester at MIT. :)

One other item of interest was this article I came across on the economic benefits of vaccination. It has rekindled my interest in biomedical innovation. Vaccinations help the economies of poor countries. The return to a vaccination program is estimated to be 18%!

Redwoods

IMG_0880.JPG, originally uploaded by eesley.

I've been having a great time taking a few minutes break out of each busy day to just walk around among the trees.

Ohio is the new black

ohio_isthenew_black, originally uploaded by eesley.

Natalie, Kristin, Ali, and I at a party at Ali's to celebrate Kristin and Michael moving to San Fran and all the other Marietta, Ohio transplants to the West Coast.

This picture makes me feel like I left this party way too early! :)

Woodside

IMG_0865, originally uploaded by annmccormick.

Woodside, CA, view from the deck of Ann's where I'm staying this month.

MHS reunion

IMG_0861, originally uploaded by eesley.

Friends from Marietta.

Learning Friends

The Miranda Stories blog has migrated over to Learning Friends, check back there to see what we're up to here in Woodside, CA. We've been making a lot of progress on the project and will continue updating what we're up to there.

happiness is a . . .

link. The Gothenburg team have been studying hundreds of interviews carried out with people across the world to find out what makes them feel fulfilled.

They said winning the lottery or achieving a goal at work gave a temporary high, but it did not last.

Instead, they found that working hard to reach a target was more fulfilling.

Lead researcher Dr Bengt Bruelde, from the university's philosophy department, said: "The important thing is to remain active.

"From our research the people who were most active got the most joy. It may sound tempting to relax on a beach, but if you do it for too long it stops being satisfying."

He said the full research would be published in the summer.

Averil Leimon, of the British Psychological Society, said: "Hard work is satisfying, but only if it suits you.

"The work has to use a person's strengths otherwise it can be demoralising.

"If it does, research has shown that the happiness is not even linked to the rewards that are on offer.

But she added: "Relationships can also have a significant impact. Strong relationships whether through family, the church, friends or work can inoculate you against feeling low.

Resolutions

I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans,
of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily
event for me.

- Anais Nin (surreallist writer and diarist)