Ode to the Dismal Scientist

So we have been meaning to post something as a reward for being the 1,000th official visitor to our blog. Our friend, Rich, apparently couldn't help but get the 999th AND the 1,000th, but despite the controversy, we aren't sure who 1,001 was so we have decided to officially grant the reward to him.

Here is a picture of Rich. Rich is a Dismal Scientist. I know this because that is what he named his Fantasy Football team. From context clues, I have concluded that he must be a Dismal Football Fantasy Scientist based on his team's first two weeks performance; his team is pretty dismal. Hopefully with his 1,000th visit, his luck will turn around.

All kidding aside, Rich is actually a dismal scientist (a/k/a- economist). It is called the dismal science for several reasons. One reason is that apparently, economists can only have one hand. This is evident as they frequently answer questions like this: " Well on one hand you have X; Or you can have the other hand which has Y." I wonder which hand Rich chose to give up (Maybe he gave up his mouse clicking hand- that might explain the his fantasy football performance).

Another thing about economists is that they like bow ties. Rich LOVES wearing bow ties (He likes them so much, he will only eat farfalle). This past Wednesday evening, I ran into another economist on the street after my night class. His name is Alan and he was wearing a bow tie (here is a picture). He was only a few feet away, but there was a crowd asking him to sign copies of his new book. I guess Alan chose to keep his good signature hand. If you are going to be a famous economist, that seems to be a wise choice. I sure hope Rich kept his signature hand...

I wanted to conclude this little ode to Rich, the Dismal Science and Bow Ties with a personal tribute of my own: I am now the proud owner of a bow tie (thanks to my father-in-law). I have always wanted to learn how to tie my own bow tie and he and I got a great deal on some Ralph Lauren ties in Park City this past August. Elysa, ever the doubting attorney (I am learning that doubt is a desirable trait an attorney should have), scoffed that I could never pull off a bow tie. I turned her around to the wedding pictures hanging on the wall behind her; I thought I pulled it off quite well. Then she claimed (this is called "pleading in the alternative") it was because I was wearing a tux. But after a few tries (and a poor set of instructions from wikipedia), here is the result. We decided that I could pull it off, but only if I was wearing my glasses (the contacts just didn't seem to work). What do you think? Can I pull off a bow tie like a dismal scientist?