What to write about

I find that there is an inverse relationship between how much I blog and how much I'm on Facebook. I guess it just comes down to the simple fact that it's far easier to write one or two sentences about what I've been thinking about lately than try to string together a couple paragraphs. So prepare yourselves for a very random post.

Glee
Loved the first three episodes. Unfortunately for the show, episode four contained what will probably be the long term plot devices for the season, and they're really not that interesting to me - they do, in fact, border on the opposite of interesting. Luckily the show has hilarious music numbers going for it, so I'll keep watching, but I certainly hope that the writers and producers of the show can manage to come up with something better than plot revolving around pregnancy (faking it, lying about it, and worrying about it).

School - Thesis
This semester I'm supposed to do two projects that are intended to be used as jumping boards for my thesis. Now, I think we all know that the applied-side of things is not my strong point, mostly through inclination than any sort of lack of ability. When I'm handed at least a vague topic to apply, I can generally do a good job. But when it comes to thinking up a topic on my own, all it seems I'm able to do is think up topics that are impossible (at least at this point) to do. Exhibit A: I want to examine the income elasticity of demand for video game markets (in other words, examine if video games are an inferior or normal good and how much), but that data would require buying it (which I'm not going to do). Exhibit B: I want to examine household decision modeling, especially as pertains to divorce rates in the 1970s. No go, this time because that would involve far too much theory for a thesis. Can't I just take a test or something instead of writing a paper?

Soccer
Soccer is frustrating, and we'll just leave it at that for now.

School - Econometrics
So, this semester my evening classes are Advanced Economic Theory and Applied Econometrics. Now, this is a pretty good combination of applied and theory - in theory, that is. It turns out that I'm really taking Advanced Applied Econometrics and Applications of Econometrics. One class goes over the theory, reasoning, and uses of econometrics with some applications, and the other class goes through applications and corrections for econometrics with some theory. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy econometrics, but I love me some economic theory. At least in theory you feel like you're getting somewhere. In econometrics - especially macroeconometrics - it's almost like there is no right answer. I read an article titled The Standard Error of Regressions which tried to argue that economists incorrectly use regression analysis. The argument wasn't great, but the article did have an interesting throw away point that I immediately latched onto because it's one of my biggest complaints in macroeconomics - that regression analysis never seems to prove anything. Half the time this is because of ridiculously low R2 statistics in articles that get published, but the other half the time it's because we all know that it's pretty easy to data-mine with the available software packages. As the article says, "The low and falling cost of calculation... has meant that statistical significance has been valued at its cost. Essentially no one believes a finding of statistical significance or insignificance. This is bad for the temper of the field. My statistical significance is a 'finding'; yours is an ornamented prejudice. Contrary to the decisive rhetoric of rejection in the mechanical test, statistical significance has not in fact changed the minds of economic scientists."