Google on, Answers on

Q:  when do babies stop being grumpy

A:  When 1. all their needs are met and 2. they’re asleep!

Q:  why do i have to do everything

A:  You don’t!  Let some stuff go, delegate, hire good help.

Q:  what can i put under dish drainer to run water down into sink

A:  We’re using two dry sponges.

Q:  if i am wheat intolerant is my.baby.

A:  It is possible, not a definite.

Q:  is bad research better than no research

A:  for tenure in some places, yes.  In terms of making the world a better place, absolutely not.  (Note:  descriptive research is not bad research.)

Q:  is 33 too late to start a phd accoutning program?

A:  Of course not!  But only you can make that decision for sure– do you want to spend your next 5-odd years in graduate school, what kind of opportunity costs do you have in terms of lost income, and so on.  But 33 is plenty fine.

Q:  what is life like after tenure

A;  A lot like life prior to tenure, but less with the caring about teaching evals.  More focus on research, less focus on angst and drama.  Lots more service though.

Q: why are civil engineers so grumpy

A:  Wouldn’t you be grumpy if you had to spend all day 5 days a week thinking about concrete?

Q: is the government taken away what you can write off your mortage

A:  From an economic standpoint, it really should.  The mortgage deduction was supposed to help people buy homes (in order to encourage better civic-mindedness), but empirically it doesn’t, it just helps them buy bigger homes, which doesn’t have any positive externalities that we care about.  Additionally it tends to be regressive, helping high earners but not lower income folks.  However, from a political standpoint, it is unlikely that the mortgage deduction will ever go away.  It is just too popular.  It is possible that the deduction might get chipped away at in the future if there’s major tax reform, but it will probably not be taken away.

Q:  what to wear egregious boots

A:  YES