California Dreamin' with the Hassons

Today's suburbs, tomorrow's slums?

Could rising oil and gas prices reverse the urban flight we’ve been seeing over the past 60 years?  Some think so.

Some warn the cost of gasoline will make the most sprawling U.S. suburbs so unattractive that housing values there will collapse, forcing many people to abandon their homes for urban areas better served by public transit and leaving only squatters, criminals and those who can't afford to leave the outskirts.

My opinion is that since the majority of the USA’s growth is driven by small businesses, most suburban folks can find work nearer to their home if needed.  Notice I said “if needed”.  Most folks don’t yet see the need and choose to drive 2 hours round trip to work, paying exorbitant gasoline prices, to support their chosen lifestyle.

What do you think?

globeandmail.com: Today's suburbs, tomorrow's slums?

Other links:  Rising oil prices may end suburban way of life - Finding Dulcinea.com

del.icio.us Tags: fuel prices, suburbs, economy

Change is inevitable

Change is a part of life.  Change comes in many forms, but it is change nonetheless.  One of its many forms has hit the Hasson family again…after five years in SoCal, we’re on the move again.

Yes dear friends and family, it is official, we’re moving to Baltimore, Maryland.  We’re giving up our life in the O.C., replete with its sun, beautiful weather, beaches, overt materialism and plastic surgery, and heading to live “outside the beltway”.  It’s yet another cross-country move for us.  It’s our fifth, yes fifth corporate move!

My company, ADS Environmental Services, asked me to take on the largest region, in terms of revenue, in the company.  I’ve been the Region Manager in the West Region for 5 years and, even though it is geographically the largest region, it is the smallest in terms of revenue generated for the company.  We have had a great 5 year run however, improving performance in the region by almost 300% in the five years we’ve been here.  I have a great team that I have great respect for and will miss them dearly.

Our North Region (Virginia to Pennsylvania, and everything northeast from there) is fairly small geographically, but large in terms of revenue generated for the company.  As a good friend told me, I am getting “a promotion in trust”.  That really sums it up well.

My new office will be based in Sparks, MD, about 1/2 hour north of Baltimore.  We will be looking for a new home in the Towson/Hunt Valley/Cockeysville area of MD.  (Yeah, I know, funny name.  Hello, I’m Jonathan from Cockeysville!  Classic!)

It looks like we’ll finally be able to have a decent sized yard and house for the girls to play in (and Mardi and me to work in!).  We really  are looking forward to it.  The girls are looking forward to snow in the winter.  Mardi and I are not!

So, what’s the next step?  Selling our place in Irvine.  Know anyone that wants to buy 3 bedroom California contemporary in one of the greatest school districts in the nation? 

So, yet another chapter in our lives is coming to a close, and another beginning.  We’ll miss our friends here, but know we’ll make great ones in MD too.  One nice thing is that we’ll be closer to family in Mississippi.  It still is over 14 hours driving time, but hey, when you’ve been 30 hours driving time away for 5 years, 14 hours seems downright easy.

So, I’ll have to change the name of the blog.  No more “California Dreamin’” for us.  So, dear friends and family, what should the new name be?  Let me know your thoughts!  We covet your prayers during this time too!

del.icio.us Tags: moving, relocation

The Kindergarchy

Is the current pop-culture philosophy of child rearing wrong?  Mardi and I think so.  So do others.  On the Dennis Prager show today, Dennis spent a full hour discussing an article in The Weekly Standard by Joseph Epstein called “The Kindergarchy”.  The basic premise of the article is that our current parenting philosophy incorrectly puts the child at the center of the family unit.  No longer is the “family” or the “husband/wife” relationship the center of the family unit. 

The article is prescient, funny and sharp.  For instance, on the discussion of the overly apparent drive for parents to provide the most culturally enriching environment for their kids:

The relentless cultural enrichment of children under Kindergarchy is not an option; it will be seen to, whatever the toll in time or money. At a minimum, visits must be made to Disneyland, the Epcot Center, national parks, children's museums, youth concerts, every new movie designed for the children's market. Various lessons--ballet, tennis, guitar, more--must be contracted, with mom or dad driving the kids to them and picking them up afterwards. ("Parenting," that dreary neologism, has given the old role of parent the status of a job, and no part-time one, either.) Each child must have a vast arsenal of toys, with emphasis currently on the wireless. The appropriate CDs and DVDs need to be acquired, and books, lots and lots of books. "Mackenzie has read Harry Potter, all seven books, three times." How nice for Mackenzie! "Gideon adores books about mythology, and, did I tell you, he's learning French?" Merveilleux! A parent can report nothing more satisfying than that her child is an eager reader, years and years ahead of himself, and, though only nine, already reading at the postdoctoral level of comprehension.

As taught in the much maligned “Growing Kids God’s Way” study that Mardi and I took when we were new parents, the child is not the center of the family, the spousal relationship and their relationship to God, is the center, the cornerstone, the foundation of the family unit – not the kids.  The children are welcomed and loved members of the greater family, and thus, as members, have responsibilities and rules that build up their confidence and the stability of the greater family, not their egos.

Go check out the article and tell me what you think.  It is a very well written statement refuting much of today’s pop-culture parenting methods.  The article closes:

“Newspapers stories are beginning to report that, on the job, these people, raised under the Kindergarchy, don't tolerate criticism well, and need lots of praise to buck them up and get them through the day. A friend of mine, who works for a financial consulting firm, tells me that the brightest of the young men and women going into financial work he meets are almost all interested in hedge funds--they want big scores, 20 or so million before they reach 30. They didn't have to wait long for their toys or attention or anything else as children, so why should they wait for the world's prizes as adults?

The consequences of so many years of endlessly attentive childrearing in young people can also be witnessed in many among them who act as if certain that they are deserving of the interest of the rest of us; they come off as very knowing. Lots of their conversation turns out to be chiefly about themselves, and much of it feels as if it is formulated to impress some dean of admissions with how very extraordinary they are. Despite all the effort that has been put into shaping these kids, things, somehow, don't seem quite to have worked out. Who would have thought that so much love in the home would result in such far from lovable children? But then, come to think of it, apart from their parents, who would have thought otherwise?”

Do you really think the rise in popularity of shows like Super Nanny and Nanny 911 are pure coincidence, or are we secretly envious of the positive effects that their unique brand of discipline brings?

The Kindergarchy

del.icio.us Tags: Dennis Prager, parenting

After Glow

Gorgeous!  I love photos that blur the lines between reality and surrealism.  While this shot is undoubtedly realistic of the Manzanillo evening, it is absolutely surreal at the same time providing an excellent graphical element.

Love it.

After Glow - Fine Art Photography

del.icio.us Tags: photography, David Ziser, fine art photography, Manzanillo

Seven Days and One Carry-on Bag

I found this to be a helpful travelers article from Magellans.com.  I know some in my family who shall remain nameless need to read this!  Yeah, you know who you are!

On most of business trips, I've fine tuned my packing to one small roll-aboard for about 3 to 4 days, and a larger roll-aboard for 4 to 7 days.  Yes, it is possible!

Highlights on the discussion of your wardrobe:

How to Get the Most out of Your Travel Wardrobe
Plan for and pack clothes that meet the needs of your itinerary, are appropriate for the culture and climate of your destination, and allow the most outfits from the least number of pieces. Here are some easy ways to lighten your load.

• Plan around a basic color. 
• Plan to wear each item several times during the trip.
• Take more tops than bottoms. 
• Choose lightweight knits, microfibers, cotton and silk over bulky sweaters, heavy denim and corduroy.
• Wear your jacket or coat and heavier shoes to the airport (worn clothing is never weighed).
• Pack for comfort.

Learn it, live it!

Seven Days and One Carry-on Bag | Magellan's Travel Supplies

del.icio.us Tags: travel, air travel