The study of the blatantly obvious

Maybe I am just too used to always having something easy on the eyes to look at in my morning commute but I have to say the PATH has not come close to the bus in terms of morning eye candy. Granted it has not even been a full week but I had three years of fun staring.

I was listening to some PhD economist blabber on o BBRG TV this morning and he made a comment about behavioral economics. It made me think of a discussion JW and I have had going on for some time about economics in general. Full disclosure here: I majored in economics. It really isn't as dismal as some make it out to be. I also got one piece of advice from my dad when I left for college that I actually heeded: Don't take any sociology courses- they are the study of the blatantly obvious. As an econ major I used to make fun of sociology majors. There was one course though that I thought sounded interesting- the sociology of money and finances. Now that I am almost upon my twenty year reunion for college I have to say I think dad dissed me on that advice. Hindsight is always 20/20 and I have come to realize and understand that sociology really is something one should study in relation to their major; majoring in it is still wrong though- hell you might as well major in religious studies but I digress. Where am I going with this? I think behavioral economics and behavioral economists are really just closeted sociologists who focus on money and finance. JW is getting a PhD in political economy I believe and I strongly counselled him to take any course that had to do with the sociology of money and finance as they are much more important than economagics or some arcane economic theory.

Funny how when you are in front of the U.S. Senate for confirmation hearings as the Secretary of the United States Treasury you can use as a valid defense that Turbo Tax screwed up and you are not at fault. But if you are in front of a judge in Ohio that defense is not valid. I bet also if you as an individual tried to tell a judge that giving a full accounting of what you did with money you were responsible for in a fiduciary manner that it would be problematic that would not fly. Yet if you are the U.S. Treasury Secretary- hey, no problem.

The chimes on the grandfather clock are not working properly. I need to find someone to come take a look at it and ideally fix it. tonight the husband had drinks with his old assistant. Then we order some really good Chinese food (something Hoboken is seriously lacking in) and unpacked a lot more and hung a few more pieces of art.

Having drinks tomorrow night after work with a co-worker. Other than that not much else to say.