That's kind of funny, Shir. At least it's a concert and not, say, dinner, so you don't actually have to talk to Y if you're not feeling it...

Oooh! I have a teensy weensy bacon chocolate bar. Very excited.

I finally tried that the other day! It was good times, if a little odd.

Allyson, I'm glad there seems to be some solution for you at work, but for crying out loud, it is TOTALLY your boss's fault. Even if not on purpose, his demands were/are clearly unreasonable.

But about the "definition from the outside" - well, the minute that definition effects my life, it also applies on me, no?

Well, the way I see it, you - not just you in person, pretty much everybody - can pretty much choose how to look at those things.

I mean, thinking "oh, I'm being set up, that's so awkward, why would this guy even wanna go out with me, if I say this he'll definitely not wanna go out with me, maybe I should say this on purpose then? How awkward, I can't even listen to the music" may end up in one sort of an evening, and thinking "she wants to set me up? Fine. I'm here for the music and the good company and the fun of it all, and hey, why not meet a new person along the way?" may cause a completely different evening, with those exact same surrounding facts, you know?

In other news, I already crashed matlab today twice, and my slowly-poisoned computer just stopped talking to the printer (no, first the printer shouted its errors everywhere, and when that was fixed, it was for everybody else, but me). And I didn't even try to print my dissertation, seeing as the computer still refuses to recognize old figures and I have to wander in the attic of old files and re-create them from scratch. Sigh. I should be careful and not press on buttons in elevators and stuff, who knows how I may affect them. And not enter cars. Or hold cell phones.

it is TOTALLY your boss's fault.

Um, as the printer incident above just clearly proves once again, everything is my fault.

It's Allyson's boss responsibility that the situation deteriorated, of course. And regardless, it's definitely not her fault, I totally agree.

In other news, I already crashed matlab today twice, and my slowly-poisoned computer just stopped talking to the printer (no, first the printer shouted its errors everywhere, and when that was fixed, it was for everybody else, but me).

Nilly, you use Matlab? We just got a licence at work, we're supposed to be using it to develop our return assumptions model. And if ever there's a break in our client load, maybe we'll even get a chance to do that.

you use Matlab?

Yup, and it's a great software for my needs (and I'm definitely not using a lot of its options).

It's quite friendly, too (and if you ever do get to work with it, and need some beginner's tips, I'd love to try and help, if I can).

develop our return assumptions model

What is a return-assumptions model, if it's OK to ask, and you think I can actually follow the answer?

It's quite friendly, too (and if you ever do get to work with it, and need some beginner's tips, I'd love to try and help, if I can).

That could be very helpful, thanks.

What is a return-assumptions model, if it's OK to ask, and you think I can actually follow the answer?

Sure, it's not that complicated in theory. It's just a statistical model for using historical data to estimate the parameters of random distributions on different asset classes, like bonds, equities, cash, property etc. Of course, first you have to specify what form the distributions take, e.g. is it lognormal or something with fatter tails, is your volatility stationary or non-stationary, what other factors affect returns (like inflation and interest rates)?

They're very important questions for my work, because the assumptions model is used for risk management, and that means you need to be able to represent your real-world risks in your model. There's a lot of literature to help with that, but since you can never be quite sure the extent to which future behaviour's going to match past, it still takes a fair amount of judgement.

We use it basically for risk management, and that means that we have to get the relationships between the asset classes and other variables (like inflation and interest rates) looking sensible

A morning question for the hivemind:

I need to get my husband's aunt and uncle a gift as a thanks for letting us stay with them before we moved. Husband has already gone on; I leave Friday. We tried to do some home improvement, but they insisted on paying for that.

Suggestions? I'm willing to spend some money, since they saved us having to pay for a hotel.

Dana, maybe a gift basket from a gourmet food shop? Or a gift certificate for dinner for two at a nice local restaurant?

I was taught basic cooking and laundry fairly early on under the theory that I'd have to shift for myself for a while between being cared for by a mother and being cared for by a wife. By late high school, my mother's rule was that she did laundry on a specific day each week, and she'd wash any clothes that were there. Anything at other times was our own responsibility, which really started to matter when I had to wash work uniforms.

I do some things very well and some things -- not so well. I can fold a fitted sheet (but I rarely do). I sort clothes very well. But I can't fold a bra to save my life. And I'm a menace to clothing with a bottle of bleach in my hand.

Of course, first you have to specify what form the distributions take

See, that's the very first thing I thought about while reading the beginning of your paragraph! And I'm not saying that to show off, but because that's where I love to see how studying physics helped shaped my approach to problems.

It sounds really interesting - I'd love to read more about it when I can actually pay attention to what I read, and not stressed with a deadline. Sorry. I didn't mean to be so flaky.

Dana, I like Fred's ideas. Are there any things you can think about that they like and enjoy and would like to have, but don't (for economical reasons, or whatever other reasons)?

Are there any things you can think about that they like and enjoy and would like to have, but don't (for economical reasons, or whatever other reasons)?

I don't think so. They're quite well off, and the only thing that gives me pause about food is that she's very big into organic and raw and blah blah blah. I may see what Whole Foods has, though.

Do they drink? Some fancy organic wine? Or is there some upscale organic-type restaurant they would like?