By Lauren Mayer, on Wed Sep 10, 2014 at 8:30 AM ET For generations, we’ve illustrated ‘the American Dream’ as being a place “where anyone can grow up to be President.” But these days, one look at President Obama’s weary face& gray hair, not to mention the merciless way people can attack any public figure anonymously, is enough to scare off impressionable kids. (Can you imagine the field day internet trolls would have had with William Howard Taft breaking the White House bathtub because he was too heavy for it?)
Interestingly enough, however, poor approval ratings don’t seem to have dampened enthusiasm for Congressional candidates. (The lucrative revolving door between public & private jobs, as illustrated by Eric Cantor’s recent windfall, may help . . . )
When I was a kid, “Schoolhouse Rock” taught us about the 3 branches of government via catchy songs – so maybe it’s time for an update, about the joys of serving in Congress.
By John Y. Brown III, on Tue Sep 9, 2014 at 12:00 PM ET  As we get older our ideals of what we can one day become changes too.
When we are younger we imagine ourseleves as one day becoming an astronaut, firefighter, pro athlete, Phd, movie star, CEO, President and the like.
We line our bookshelves with stories about such people and line our walls with inspirational images and quotes from our idols.
And then one day we realize we have begun to ratchet down rather than ratchet up our hopes and dreams for oursleves —and have moved on to a new ideal of one day, with luck and effort, maybe becoming merely a wise and humorous companion.
And realize it is hard to find an inspirational book or motivational poster of Jiminy Cricket.
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Inspirational thought for the day
“If you can’t ‘Just Do It,’ look bored and indifferent like ‘Just Doing It’ is beneath you.”
By John Y. Brown III, on Mon Sep 8, 2014 at 12:00 PM ET I just read several articles about what employers look for in job applicants. Each list I saw included qualities like professionalism, high-energy, confidence, curiosity, self-motivation, etc, etc, etc.
But on no single list did I see “sanity” or “stablity.” You may say that these are assumed. Really? Why?
I am serious.
I think most employers get in heat, metaphorically, when hiring a new employee and end up hiring the employee who is most exciting to date, so to speak, rather than the employee who is the best fit for marriage, i.e. a long term functional and useful business relationship.
Like the famous Pepsi and Coke taste test when most people picked Pepsi after one taste because it is sweeter. But sales of Coke continued to exceed Pepai because people got tired of the sweetness after the first few sips.
In other words, employers should focus more on hiring the person who can do the mundane things reliably –in other words, the person who they can rely on to lock up at night when they leave the office rather than the person who will make others the most envious at the country club.
Remember the new hotshot associate you are about to hire is to fill in a piece of a larger puzzle that is your organization and just because he or she looks big and colorful doesn’t mean that piece is more likely to fit. Just that it is more likely to drive you crazy until you find a place in your puzzle to plug it in.
By John Y. Brown III, on Sat Sep 6, 2014 at 1:20 PM ET  I was saddened to hear about the passing of comedian and entertainer Joan Rivers.
I was never a great fan but had great respect for her pluck and persistence.
Although none of the eulogies I have read mention it, I consider her an important as a woman who broke through and competed with great success in a profession dominated by men. Women comedians, in my view, have a tough time of it. Audiences like monologues that are raw, sometimes profane, personal and edgy.
But we don’t seem to like it as much when the punch lines are being delivered by a woman.
Joan Rivers didn’t seem to mind about that and did it anyway. Because she was smart and shrewd and richly talented and an indefatigable performer who made a lot of us smile and laugh out loud — and even think –during her 55 year career as one of America’s most prodigious entertainers..
RIP
By John Y. Brown III, on Thu Sep 4, 2014 at 12:00 PM ET  Exciting new product!
If you have an easily distractible husband who has difficulty keeping up with you and the family when shopping, finally there is the perfect solution!
The “Husband Travel Tether.”
Like the lightweight harnesses and leashes for children but sturdier for a more secure hold.
–Made of a leather to keep dads from breaking away.
–Reduces fear of dads being separated from their families when traveling.
–Patented adjustable buckle to pull closer in crowded areas.
–Credit cards never more than 4 feet away.
–Shoulder straps optional.
By John Y. Brown III, on Wed Sep 3, 2014 at 12:00 PM ET Nothing has revolutionized and expanded human intelligence more than the Internet.
The Internet is solely responsible for raising the IQ of the average user by nearly 20 points simply by offering free online IQ tests that puts nearly everyone, by the third time they take the test, in the “very superior” or “genius” category. Including me.
Thank you Internet for making me so much smarter than I was before.
And giving me a online certificate to prove it.
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Facebook confession
I often look up words in the Urban Dictionary.
And sometimes rely on its accuracy more than even Wikipedia.
By Lauren Mayer, on Wed Sep 3, 2014 at 8:30 AM ET Labor Day has traditionally marked the start of the fall season, when we say goodbye to ‘those lazy hazy crazy days of summer,’ return to school (or work), and put away our white shoes until Memorial Day. Of course, most of those traditions have evaporated – style expert Tim Gunn says white is appropriate all year round, very few working adults get much time off in the summer, and many schools start mid-August or earlier. But we still usually think of summer as a more carefree time, when things are a little easier and workplaces are more casual. (I, for one, thoroughly appreciated the break from waking my son up for 4 years of zero period marching band – getting a sleep-deprived teenager out the door at 6:30 a.m., and living to tell the tale, has earned me at least some good karma!)
However, this past summer has been an endless stream of awful news, from war and conflict to corruption trials to racial unrest and protests, and there never seemed to be a lull. It made me nostalgic for last summer, when the big stories were outrage over ‘twerking’ (Miley Cyrus’ provocative dancing at an awards show), or the continuing revelations in the Anthony Weiner sexting scandal. Even the Kardashians were surprisingly low-key – I guess they’re waiting to reveal their next big shocker when the world isn’t so fixated on things that actually matter . . .
With that in mind, here’s a salute to the Summer of 2014 – and to how relieved we are that it’s over!
By John Y. Brown III, on Tue Sep 2, 2014 at 12:00 PM ET Sadly, leaving for home.
Loved Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.
We get back home in about 14 1/2 hours.
Which is approximately 375 kilometergramhours –using the metric system. Or something like that. Mostly, I think that calculation just means I’m a thick-headed American.
Guten Tag! Which I hope means “Thank You!” But I think may mean “Hello” and I know, in the states, means something that you should try to avoid in your diet. But it’s the best I can do. And reinforces my thick-headed American status.
Thanks ya’ll!! We had a really great ol’ time. Even though we could tell we got on your nerves sometimes and you thought we were too loud and messy. We get that a lot. So you probably are right about that. Sorry. And thanks for everything!
And glad to see that whole thing with East Berlin and that big wall you knocked down is working out so well. It just made sense. If we have learned anything from our travels it’s that people are about the same everywhere. They just talk different, and like I said before, get irritated by us because we are too loud and messy.
Again, Guten Toten! Or something like that. We sure had a good tine and hope we get to come back!
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So glad to be home after our trip abroad.
“Home is the place where, when you go there, they have to take you in after you get your luggage, go through security, clear customs, re-check your luggage domestically, clear security again and make your connecting flight in Jersey.”
–Robert Frost (with my paraphrasing)
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We have yet to take a family trip that we could fully afford.
Or one that didn’t leave us more personally enriched.
Travel is like that.
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Waiting to merge into the morning traffic…Is when you know that your vacation is officially over.
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Sometimes… on a night like tonight, if you’ve ever had the privilege of visiting Amsterdam, you miss not being in Amsterdam and wish you could hop in your car and head back to Amsterdam and arrive there in about 15 minutes, provided traffic isn’t bad.
On other nights, I can’t really say what you feel like.
This is my first night home after visiting Amsterdam. And this is the only feeling I am having and it’s pretty unequivocal and strong. Heck, there may not even be another kind of reaction. Except wishing you’d stayed in Berlin so you don’t miss Amsterdam so much.
By John Y. Brown III, on Mon Sep 1, 2014 at 12:00 PM ET This is kind of personal, and I have never talked about it before but here goes.
We all know what “Aha moments” are –when we have clarity of thought about something that has confused us and it finally and suddenly makes sense. The obvious explanation breaks through to us.
Well, I think for most people –based on what I have read –these “Aha moments” are brief sensations lasting only a few seconds and happen only rarely.
But for me, they typically last 4 or 5 minutes –or longer. And one time in 1992 I had an “Aha moment” that lasted over an hour. (I was taking Dramamine. But still.) I also have them frequently –even multiple times a day.
By John Y. Brown III, on Fri Aug 29, 2014 at 12:00 PM ET Here is my “Before” alongside my future “After” pic.
About 6 months from now….while thinking about how much better I look with all that weight off, especially when I stand on a rock and look out over the ocean while wearing faded torn jeans with a tan and long hair with the wind blowing through it and a stylish watch in case I want to know what time it is.
Serious before and after:
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The Recovering Politician Bookstore
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