It only took six and a half years

On January 19th, 2008, I wrote the following resolution (among many others).

Health
My resolution for this year is not so much about weight loss as it is about strength gain. I am very close to being able to do a pull-up so I’m going to make doing that pull up my fitness resolution. I hope to have that nailed in the first two months of the year.

On January 1st, 2009 I audited myself.  

2008 Health Resolution Audit
No-pull up

This past Wednesday, kind of out of nowhere, I do a pull-up.  

I love you rock-climbing

Entschuldigen!

Can I fly when I'm in Germany?  No, I cannot.  

This country is very orderly.  

And lots of people drive Audi's.  Really fast.  

A kick

And I'm back from Africa.
For me, this trip puts the brain thing squarely behind me (I do hope to continue writing about it for both the humor and history).
Before I left I worried that going on this trip was somehow kicking my health in the face.  
But really, this adventure gave me a good kick in the pants.
Before I left I had been feeling cautious.  A reasonable response to injury and recovery but the cautiousness was pervasive.

I return from Africa feeling a little less scared, somehow.

It also confirmed that I'm happiest when I'm doing research in the field with a view towards some type of intervention, action, change to the environment - doing something!  I view my work as an extension of theoretical and lab work - not simply an the application of Behavioral Economics.  

Someone from the lab will likely come after me to write a post for the official work blog.  So, more on what I was actually doing in Africa instead of all this personal and professional reflection nonsense.

In the meantime, here's a picture of me training Research Assistants.  The team was extremely sophisticated and experienced and they certainly kept me on my toes.  As usual, the learning ran deep both ways. 

Next up on Jamie-Scapes

In about three weeks I'll be working in an open air market in Kampala, Uganda.

I'm there to learn about bio-fortified orange sweet potatoes and think about how to use behavioral economics to get more babies to eat them.  This potato is loaded with Vitamin A which is important for vision.

***

Dad:  Haven't you had enough adventure for the year?"

Jamie:  That was 2013.  It's 2014.  Time for a new adventure.

My sister made a little person

Milk Panic Guide

Running out of milk?  Now we're talking drama.

Preamble to the story of Jamie's Duke Brain Adventure

Dear Readers (Hi Mom),

I had brain surgery over the holidays. 

I am totally fine.

Writing about it will help me archive the experience and share the humor of it.   You have to laugh about things like this.

The really short story

I felt dizzy for a long enough time to lead me to get an MRI.  The MRI revealed that my brain bleed from four years ago had quadrupled in size.  When your brain bleeds twice and the bleed is big it’s time to remove the thingy that’s the causing the bleed.  So, the fine folks at Duke Hospital did brain surgery and removed the thingy (also known as a cavernoma). 

The surgery went just fine.  No complications.  I am otherwise is great health so my recovery has been great.  That said, it was brain surgery so for the month of January I am perfecting the art of taking it easy. 

The really long story will follow.  
I'll post installments as I write them. 
The first post is on November 28th - Thanksgiving!  So you'll have to scroll down or click back a few pages.  That's just the way blogger organizes things.

Again, I'm totally fine. 
I wouldn't be casually blogging about it if I wasn't.

Some days you just have to decide what type of minion you want to be

Stairs

My New Year's resolution this year is to walk up and down the stairs in my apartment.  Going up the stairs is easy.  When I'm at the top of the stairs I'm acutely aware of the fact that I'm at the top of a set of stairs.  This picture kind of captures that feeling.

I decide that I'm just going to postpone the vim and vigor of good intentions and resolutions for later.