My friend called me last week to co-commiserate on the economy, real estate values, and our general disgust at the malaise of integrity in the system. As usual, the conversation quickly blossomed into dark humor as we laughed in the face of disaster, including several satiric scenarios surrounding the anticipated appointment of the 'Car Czar' ("The business of government is to keep government out of business- that is, unless business needs government aid." Will Rogers)...and an interesting solution for the foreclosure crisis proposed in Barron's by Jonathan Laing (at least it covers those of us who continue to demonstrate financial integrity).

When the dialogue got serious, talk turned to the need to re-invent oneself in anticipation of where one is going, and how much time one will be in no-job travels...and that the essential first step is personal transformation before public transformation.

Consider: a person develops levels of skills, competencies, and value over a lifetime (whether it's 8 years or 80) that define their public persona, their worth to others, whether as friend, lover, employee, teammate, leader. We become overly comfortable in this presentation as we receive reinforcement that we fit in (or don't fit in, as the case may be), and often fail to recognize the same-old stagnation that may very well be apparent to others--and a detriment to ourselves. Often it takes a revelation, a cosmic charlie smack upside the head, for us to realize that change is due. Time is filled with extraordinary examples of phoenixing the new from the detritus of the old, some celebrated, some notorious: Paul, Augustine, Copernicus, Newton, Napoleon, Garibaldi, Marx, Hitler, Schweitzer, Wojtyla, Hussein...

Knowing that we are, for the most part, not extraordinary, nor are we likely to experience a cathartic bolt from beyond ala Alvin York, transformation remains a more subtle task for us. 

One way to re-engineer is the Renaissance way: strive to become a polymath "whose knowledge is not restricted to one subject area". Find a science to complement your art, or an art to fill out your science. Adopt eclecticism: appreciate Bach and Garcia, Picasso and Hopper, pierogies and oysters. Learn how to read a balance sheet. Write a marketing plan. Set a mindbending goal and go for it. 

My attempt is to be a business leader who cooks, writes, reads (my mindbender is to read all of the Pulitzer prize-winning novels), watches athletics (all kinds, even rodeo), and is equally comfortable at a rowdy black tie or a philosophical tailgate. 

Expand, insert your polymathy in a subtle way at your next interview, look for The Other One, ROUNDING is a good way to put it, and remember, the faster we go the rounder we get.  

This has been a productive holiday week, but a non-productive no-job week. Cookies are baked, ready for mailing, we'll get the tree up tomorrow, and the house will be Christmas ready by Sunday night. This is particularly important because we are entertaining my wife's associates at our house on Monday evening. She felt it was a more reasonable approach to the traditional office party, and I agree, having done this myself for my own teams in the past. It's just more homey and warm, compared to say, Dave and Busters. Of course, I'll be doing the cooking, assisted by an able-bodied sous-chef, my oldest son. Brisket will be the main course: at least one day before serving, place the raw brisket in a large pot, cover with water, add an onion, two large carrots, two stalks of celery, bay leaves, peppercorns, beef base or bouillion cubes, couple of dashes Worchestershire and steak sauce. Bring to a boil, and simmer for a few/three hours, or until meat becomes tender. Place the cooked brisket on a plate or sheet pan, and cool uncovered in the refrigerator for at least a day. Strain the broth, and discard the vegetables. Cover in a plastic container and cool along with the meat. Two hours before serving, trim the fat off the brisket, slice 1/4 inch pieces against the grain, and place in a large frying pan. Discard the hardened fat on the top of the broth, and cover the brisket with the broth. Simmer gently until heated through. To serve, spoon broth onto small crusty rolls, pile high with brisket, and always have horseradish and plenty of napkins on the side.

You can serve brisket with onion soup potatoes or latkes (with sour cream, of course). 

Now for drinks: how about this, from my bartending grandfather's bar-guide, How to Mix Drinks, or The Bon-Vivant's Companion, by Jerry Thomas, published 1862...

"Egg Nogg is a beverage of American origin, but it has a popularity that is cosmopolitan. At the South it is almost indispensible at Christmas time, and at the North it is a favorite of all seasons. In Scotland they call Egg Nogg "auld man's milk".

Baltimore Egg Nogg

(for a party of fifteen)

Take the yellow of sixteen eggs and twelve table-spoons of pulverized loaf-sugar, and beat them to the consistency of cream; to this add two-thirds of a nutmeg grated, and beat well together; then mix in half a pint of good brandy or Jamiaca rum, and two wine-glasses of Madeira wine. Have ready the whites of the eggs, beaten to a stiff froth, and beat them into the above-described mixture. When this is all done, stir in six pints of good rich milk. There is no heat used.

Egg Nogg made in this manner is digestible, and will not cause headache. It makes an excellent drink for debilitated persons, and a nourishing diet for consumptives.

Now that's my kind of medicine!! I suppose I'm just and auld man...