DEAR ABBY: I am a 36-year-old college dropout whose lifelong ambition was to be a physician. I have a very good job selling pharmaceutical supplies, but my heart is still in the practice of medicine. I do volunteer work at the local hospital on my time off, and people tell me I would have made a wonderful doctor.

If I go back to college and get my degree, then go to medical school, do my internship and finally get into the actual practice of medicine, it will take me seven years! But, Abby, in seven years I will be 43 years old. What do you think? — UNFULFILLED IN PHILLY

DEAR UNFULFILLED: And how old will you be in seven years if you don’t go to medical school?

Obviously, there are other considerations, but overall great response.

Source: http://www.uexpress.com/dearabby/?uc_full_date=20000119

Suppose someone said for they can tell you when you will die, and you know for sure that this person is legitimate.  How much would you pay to know this information?

I asked this question to several people and their answers vary widely.

One person was adamant that this information is so cancerous and traumatic that they actually have to be paid to be told this information.

For Someone Else

Now, suppose someone said they can tell you when someone else dies, ie. your spouse, your child, your parents, etc.  How much would you pay to know this information?

For Myself

For me, I looked at the question this way.  Most of what we do in life is because we don’t know when we’re going to die, eg. retirement planning, life insurance, etc.  Furthermore, this not-knowing causes an enormous amount of stress.

So for me, the answer is pretty mathematical.

For example, let’s just look at one factor: life insurance.  Most people purchase life insurance (myself included) either through work or privately.  I ran a quick quote online, and I could get a $250,000 life insurance policy for 30 years for $300/year in premiums.

Now if I knew that I would die 40 years from now, I wouldn’t buy this policy.  It’d be a waste of money.  The total money saved equals $300/yr x 30 years, which is $9,000.  Therefore, I’d pay a maximum of $9,000 to learn when I’d die.  If the guy charges me only $8,000, I’d come out $1,000 ahead.

The scenario changes drastically if I was to die before 30 years.  For example, if I knew that I would die 20 years from now, I would definitely buy this policy.  My family would receive $250,000 when I die, and my total cost in premiums would have been $300/year x 20 years, which is $6,000.  If the guy charges me $9,000 to learn when I’d die, my family nets $235,000.  It’s a no brainer.

First player raises to 20.  Second player raises to 50.  Third player raises to 150.

You’re 4th player, and you have 500 in front.  You look down, and you have AQ.

What do you do?

Analysis

AQ is really problematic here.  You could easily be dominated by AK, and you’re only a coin-flip against any pair.

For me, I’d have to lay down AQ here.  If I call, and assuming 1st and 2nd player folds, the pot will be 370.  I’d have 350 left.  If the other player bets up to 100, I’d have to call.  But if I call the 100 bet, the pot would then be 570, and I’d have 270 left.  I’d be pot committed.

Furthermore, if an Ace comes out, I’d probably be dominated.  If a Q doesn’t come out, I’m behind against any pair.  It’s a really bad situation.

Big pots require big hands.  So, I’d have to fold.

So, remember when I was speculating on what Nicole Johnson was saying with the Invisible Woman:

According to her analogy, is the family and the husband suppose to be the cathedral that women are building for God? Is that the correlation? If so, then isn’t she implying that the outcome is solely the woman’s responsibility, since cathedrals can’t build themselves?

I found the excerpt from her book, The Invisible Woman: When Only God Sees.

In the excerpt, Nicole states:

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we’re doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

So, I did read her analogy correctly. Women are the builders and the family is the cathedral. A very interesting, if not very socially conservative, perspective.

Her phrase, “And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, …”, concerns me.  Her sentence structure clarifies the pronoun “we” to mean “invisible women”, and by “women”, she means “mothers”. So, Nicole puts the responsibility of raising the family squarely on the wife’s shoulders. Is that really what she believes?

Furthermore, Nicole says, “We cannot be seen if we’re doing it right.”

I don’t even know what to say regarding that. If a mother is being a good mother, she shouldn’t even be seen? I understand sacrificing for your family, and your sacrifices might not be noticed.

But, “We cannot be seen if we’re doing it right”?  I guess that’s why she said:

When I really think about it, I don’t want my son to tell the friend he’s bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, “My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.” That would mean I’d built a shrine or a monument to myself.

I guess in her logic, any acknowledgment of her sacrifice would mean that she’s not sacrificing. And since the cathedral must be a work of sacrifice, therefore the wife cannot receive any acknowledgment.

So according to Nicole, as a mother, if you’re seen, you’re doing it wrong.

Watch TV Shows You Hate

Suppose someone offered you money for you to watch a TV show that you’ve watched and hated.  How much would it take?

The rules are:

1. You must pay attention
2. You have to watch the whole season (eg. every time it comes on, you have to watch it)
3. You cannot miss an episode
4. You cannot divert your eyes or close your eyes
5. You cannot fall asleep
6. You cannot leave

For Me

Here a few of my TV shows:

The Bachelor

This show is over the top contrived. “Women are catty. Here’s proof.” That’s the show.

$1,000

My Super Sweet 16

This show is disgusting. It makes me physically nauseas to see these spoiled kids.

$10,000

The food industry spends $32 billion dollars a year marketing food to us.