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Getting A Life...
High performance professionals must have a renewing
life outside of the workspace. You can’t sustain a high rate of intensity
without a break. This varies for everyone, of course. But the formula should
include some kind of exercise, family or community-oriented engagement, and
some strictly personal break time. Everyone has his or her own path to
renewal—here are some of mine:
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Reading.
I enjoy reading history, biography, science,
historical novels, economics, and, of course, business. I finish between
25 and 40 books per year. Some people are dabblers, but I like to pursue
big themes or series of readings such as the following.
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The Aubrey/Maturin
novels of Patrick O’Brien—to see if you like it, start at the
beginning by reading Master and Commander.
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Rumpole of
the Bailey series by John Mortimer—it’s a humorous collection of
short stories about a public-aid barrister in Britain.
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My longest-running
reading program, however, concerns biographies of U.S. Presidents. Taken
at a leisurely pace, it is at least a decade-long project. See my list
of Recommended Presidential Biographies for more detail on this program.
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Canoeing the James.
With a son I have paddled 301 miles of the
James River in Virginia—this is the longest river contained entirely in
the borders of one state. It took us three years worth of weekends and
summer breaks. See my notes on Getting
Started on Canoeing the James. In the process, I have learned many
good things about canoeing, river ecology, the geography of Virginia, and
my son.
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Fly-fishing/shooting clays.
With the benefit of guides I have discovered the
pleasures of fly-casting, diving, and shooting clay pigeons. I’m a raw
beginner at these activities and don’t own my own equipment. And I get to
them only irregularly. But they are enormous fun.
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Opera.
With another son I share a love of choral and
operatic music. We have embarked on a journey of hearing all of the major
U.S. opera companies in their own houses. Great music is easily accessible
from Charlottesville: The
Ashlawn Opera Festival,
New Lyric Theatre,
Virginia Opera,
and the National Opera at the
Kennedy Center.
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Bicycling.
I ride regularly, mainly for exercise. The
hilly back roads in the countryside around Charlottesville afford
excellent challenges of all levels. My wife and I have taken great trips
in the California wine country and in the Czech Republic with
Backroads and
would recommend guide services such as this to anyone looking for an
organized biking trip.
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Astronomy.
I have a five-inch refracting telescope, and enjoy
taking it out occasionally to look at planets, comets, and galaxies—the
perfect activity for a contemplative evening. This has triggered some
reading in the area. As a beginning astronomer, I am figuratively and
literally in the dark.
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Cooking, wine
tasting, and eating. My idea of a good
evening is to spend it experimenting in the kitchen or around a dinner
table. See my recipe for Veal Piccata a la John Lewis. For dining out in
Charlottesville, visit The Tavern (for breakfast grits and pancakes), Big
Jim’s (for country music and barbeque) and Bizou Restaurant (for fusion
diner/nouvelle cuisine).
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Foreign travel.
This satisfies a love of history and a need
for exploration. Consulting and academic work take me out of the country a
few times each year. I look for ways to connect with old friends, and to
discover new regions.
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Scripophily.
I collect stocks and bonds of defunct companies and governments. See my
Introduction to Scripophily for an explanation why.
Look for your own
ways to renew away from work.
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Recommended
Presidential Biographies
I am reading my way through American history using the presidents as an
organizing scheme. Yet the biographical literature on American Presidents is
huge. My approach has been to ask experts and biography fans, and consult
prize lists in history for the best bets. Often I read more than one
biography on each president. This little project will last a lifetime. Here
are my “best bet” recommendations—the one book to read if you are reading
only one (note: the selections are subject to change over time).
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James Flexner’s Washington
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David McCullough’s John
Adams
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Malone’s Jefferson (6
vols.)
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Ketchum’s James Madison
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Ammon’s James Monroe: The
Quest for National Identity
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Nagel’s John Quincy Adams:
A Public Life, A Private Life
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Robert Remini’s A Life of
Andrew Jackson
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Sandburg’s Abraham Lincoln:
The Prairie Years and The War Years
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Edmund Morris’ The Rise of
Theodore Roosevelt
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James McGregor Burns’
Roosevelt (2 vols.) (FDR)
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David McCullough’s Truman
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Sorenson’s Kennedy
Veal Piccatta a la John Lewis
John Lewis is a classmate of mine from Harvard Business School (now an
accomplished private equity investor) and a passionate cook. He taught me
this recipe while visiting me in France in 1992.
For four. Serve with cous-cous and green salad.
Ingredients:
Two lbs. of scalloped veal
4-5 buds from a garlic clove
half a cup of olive oil
3 tablespoonfuls of capers
1 lemon
1 bottle red wine (Cabernet preferably)
salt and pepper
1) Heat olive oil in a
skillet over moderate heat.
2) Mince the garlic buds and sauté over high heat (1 minute).
3) Cut the veal into inch-wide strips and sauté over moderate-high
heat until brown (2-3 minutes).
4) Add capers, juice of one lemon, salt and pepper.
5) Add 1 cup of red wine. Enjoy the rest while supervising the
remainder of the meal.
6) Simmer for 10 minutes.
7) Possibly thicken with flour.
8) Serve over cous-cous. |
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