E Constant

聊天打牌看书看戏，一个闲散但不慵懒的寒假就要过去了，想象之前的焦虑和之后的压力，觉得这真是一段奢侈的时光。被奥斯汀温暖的空气腻惯的我，真是越来越不适应祖国南方的湿冷冬天了。于是无论在哪都是吃火锅，在家是浙式，在上海是豆捞，在法拉盛是小肥羊；读书也需要是那种穿越时空热火朝天激情四射的，《王阳明的五百年》太长，却有《民国十年》《晚清七十年》和浪漫英雄主义的《激荡三十年》和《跌荡一百年》。读吴晓波的时候，电视正在回顾 2009 Susan Boyle 的成名之路，就暗笑如果以书中描写张瑞敏柳传志的写法来写 Susan，那一定是这样的：1979 年的四月，苏珊向上帝祈祷初恋的到来……1989 年的四月，苏珊在教堂暗自神伤……1999 年的四月，苏珊是教堂的志愿者……2009 年的三月，她成了上帝……

稍微温暖的时候，是在纽约南曼哈顿的 photo walking trip，这是个好路线，简单地记在这里。在曼哈顿的最南端有去 Staten Island 的 free ferry，途中会以完美适合到此一游照的距离和角度经过自由MM，也可以看到曼哈顿的天际线。

船到 Staten Island 后直接回程，稍微向北走一点便是金融区华尔街，那些鼎鼎大名的 big banks 就都在这里。

如果走到了 City Hall，那 Brooklyn Bridge 就在附近。步行这座 19 世纪工业文明的象征，便跨过 East River 来到布鲁克林区。

不想逛这里，可以从不远的 Manhattan Bridge 走回来。这里是远望 Brooklyn 大桥的好地点，却没有 Brooklyn 大桥的浪漫，只有身旁列车的呼啸而过。不过一旦到了对岸，便是 Canal Street 中国城，可以好好饱餐一顿。

虽然还是一月，回到 Austin，便突然冬去春来了。有时候觉得讽刺，走得越远，越觉得这里好。像《牧羊少年的奇幻之旅》说的：

It’s the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary

在开阔天空下的笔直高速上，这里有德州的味道。

• 终于考完反人性的 qualify exams，卡通派的 micro 老师没有再出养老虎的题目，但是变成了养蜜蜂。生产要素是 food and love，but love can’t be bought。另外三道分别是 sequential equilibrium，insurance market 和 general equilibrium 的综合还有 optimal externality。macro 还是老套路，OG+searching model+optimal tax+RBC。
• 暑假家里剩下三个早出晚归的小孩子，管我们的大人居然和美国的 under 去毕业旅行了，后果果然不堪入目
  对比一下前后差别
  
• Alaska 之行因为大家的时间问题取消，只好退而求 Yellowstone 或者 Grand Circle。

  The gap year.
  The gap year is probably the most common type of extended travel, undertaken by students in the year immediately after school, college or university. Travelling the world during this period is a very common goal. This enables gap year students to broaden their experience, increase their understanding of themselves and others, as well as being a fun and interesting time. After a gap year of travel, students are able to go to university or start a career with an additional level of confidence. This really does work.

  Typical characteristics : most people in this group tend to be lone travellers or with a close friend, in the age 18 – 22 bracket, on working holiday visas, often doing any kind of job they can find.

  Mid-Twenties Crisis
  Vast numbers of people mid-way through the start of promising careers realize that this is not what they wanted to do their whole lives! This often coincides with finally paying off the debts from university educations, or the saving of enough money to put a deposit on a house, and then realizing that there is more to life than careers, office politics and material things, like increasing the size of the DVD collection. One massive positive out of all these negatives is that confused, possibly disillusioned career people can embark on one the most worthwhile experiences of their lives, which might well be life changing.

  Typical characteristics : often the lone traveller, usually from a ‘good job’, discovering more about themselves than they had ever imagined. They are often found in very adventurous situations!

• 毕业一年，大家又决定要开始折腾了。
  
• 3G iPhone $199，真是喷喷香，对于国内经常换手机的同学真是太廉价了。基于享受技术和艺术的双重体验的 objective function…但是年老色衰而又声音沙哑的 Jobs 在这次 WWDC 上缺乏精彩表现啊