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Enron Mail |
The Friday Burrito=20
" To succeed in politics, it is often necessary to rise above your=20 principles"=20 This is the last Burrito for the Year 2000.? I, like you, need some time of= f,=20 although I doubt that will happen.? Just take a quick look at the events of= =20 the last three weeks.? Can you believe what we have been through?? From FER= C=20 Orders, to emergency filings, to on-again, suspended, and then on-again rat= e=20 stabilization filings, data subpoenas, credit crunch, and don't forget some= =20 wickedly high price spikes.=20 I have been unhappy with the public image our industry portrays.? I feel=20 there needs to be a stronger, more effective group public relations media= =20 blitz that has yet to materialize.? I asked one journalist with whom I have= =20 had several interviews, "When you write a column, who is your audience?"? S= he=20 said she writes as if she was explaining the matter to her mother.? It's an= =20 old journalist's trick.=20 Amazed at the answer, I decided to call my mother, and ask her what she=20 thought about the whole electric situation.? After all, she qualifies as a= =20 typical fixed-income California resident living in a retirement community i= n=20 Laguna Hills.? "Mom," I asked, "what do you make of the whole situation?"?= =20 "Oh, I am disgusted," she chirped, "with that Supreme Court ruling.? That's= =20 no democracy."? "No, not that situation, Mom," I said to calm her down, "bu= t=20 the electricity restructuring thing." "Well," she sighed, "everyone is=20 worried about their electric bills.? How much are they going up? And, why= =20 haven't you called me more often?? I could have died, and my children would= =20 be the last to know?"? Every tag line has a message.=20 So there it is.? If you want a simple view that people understand, then the= re=20 it is.? People are worried about their electric bill.? The reasons for the= =20 increase are of less concern, than how much their bills may go up.? All the= =20 blather about forward contracts, alleged gouging, Stage 3 emergencies,=20 governance, jurisdiction, and FERC Orders is not on the minds of ordinary= =20 California citizens.? They want to know how much more they are going to hav= e=20 to pay.? And they are worried.=20 Focus, then, on how we, as an industry, will help.? We want to hold down=20 consumer electric bills in three different ways: by adding new generation, = by=20 giving people more choice as to their energy provider, and by assuring ther= e=20 is always a provider of last resort to keep the lights on.? From these thre= e=20 simple principles, all else flows.? Give me some feedback, and let's see if= =20 we can simply the message even more.? Less is more.=20 This week's holiday grab bag should be big enough to feed any appetite.=20 Things in the People's Republic of California=20 ?@@@ Fellow Travelers on the Peace Train=20 ?@@@ SCE's Bryson Rattles the Restructuring Cage=20 ?@@@ Rate Relief Reviewed, Again=20 Things FERC and Federal=20 ?@@@ Secretary Richardson Serves Smashed Salmon Pate=20 ?@@@ WPTF Supports PX Emergency Filing=20 Mailbag=20 Odds and Ends (_!_)=20 ?@@@ WPTF General Meeting Set for February 8 and 9 in Scottsdale, Az.=20 ?@@@ Have a Smile=20 ?@@@ The Toughest Interview Ever=20 =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=20 Things in the People's Republic of California=20 ?@@@ Fellow Travelers on the Peace Train=20 I want you folks throughout the Western Region to know that you have a=20 protector. Someone is watching out for your interests, and concerns.? His= =20 name, amigos, is Senator Steve Peace.? Our Herr Peace wrote to FERC=20 Commissioner Hoecker on December 11 a letter that is suitable for plastic= =20 covered place mats at your dining table,? You can guess why.? He heard abou= t=20 the $5,000/MWH prices quoted for Mid-C on Monday.? He wrote:=20 ? "Today, the LA Time reported that Kaiser Aluminum Corp., the second-large= st=20 US aluminum maker, said it will shut its smelter in Mead, Wash., for about = 10=20 months and lay off about 400 employees.? Kaiser said it had resold the=20 electricity it was to received this month from the BPA, netting proceeds of= =20 $52 million, or nearly nine times the $5.9 million that the company has=20 earned so far this year." I read this passage to the WPTF Board at our meeting in Phoenix.? Kent=20 Wheatland said, "That's the finest example of demand response I have ever= =20 heard."? Indeed, Kent hit the nail on the head.? Why is the Peace-meister= =20 decrying the very thing that we have been begging for?? The so-called=20 inelastic demand curve for electricity just got less steep.? But, never min= d=20 that, read the next paragraph of Peace's letter.=20 ? "It is clear that neither the prospect of post-October refunds ordered=20 under Section 206 =01( will be adequate to discipline marketers' behavior.?= =20 Marketers know full well that FERC simply doesn't have the resources to=20 police this wholesale market and that the odds are that they can act with= =20 impunity.? Moreover, they know they have a fellow traveler in your colleagu= e=20 Commissioner Hebert who sees the prospect of the lights going out in=20 California as a "vindication" of his positions on price caps rather than as= =20 the public disaster such an event would be."Fellow traveler!?!? I didn't kn= ow=20 they let commies on the FERC.? All aboard on the Peace train.? I explained = to=20 the WPTF Board that every passenger on the Peace Train would receive a=20 complimentary fellow-traveler luggage set with matching red-herring leather= .?=20 In the luggage will be free gifts, essential for any fellow traveler such a= s=20 a "price cap" with earflaps, nose guard, and blinders to cover the eyes.? T= he=20 hear no evil, smell no evil, see no evil price cap is excellent for=20 California regulators who repeatedly request these odious price caps as the= =20 blunt instrument of choice.? Caps come in a choice of hard metal, or soft= =20 wool.=20 Another item in the fellow traveler goodie bag will be Peace's latest best= =20 selling book, "How to win friends and influence policy makers," Devil Press= ,=20 348 pgs.? Along with the book and the cap, fellow travelers will find tradi= ng=20 beads suitable for exchange with natives of the Pacific Northwest. Give the= se=20 beads to power marketers as wampum for power imports into California.? What= =20 fun, and they won't know the difference.? The full faith and credit of the= =20 ISO control room college-bowl football pool back bead trading values.? This= =20 year's pot is at an all-time high of $36.=20 Finally, the other freebee items in the travel kit include a signed copy of= =20 Adam Smith's Communist Manifesto, a water-proof electric razor (I'm=20 especially keen for that), and the AB1890 Restructuring Map showing by colo= r=20 code the jurisdictional boundaries of the different regulatory agencies.?= =20 Yellow is reserved for the State of California, and it covers the entire=20 lower 48, the Province of British Columbia, and Cleveland, Ohio.=20 Things in the People's Republic of California=20 ?@@@ SCE's Bryson Rattles the Restructuring Cage=20 Not to be outdone by Herr Peace, SCE (Sufferin' Chutzpah Edison) issued a= =20 press release by its CEO, John Bryson, calling for dramatic reform of the= =20 California electricity market.? I know this will shock you, but, now that S= CE=20 has recovered most, but not all, of its stranded costs, they want to revers= e=20 the engine of progress, and "re-regulate California's electric system."?=20 Guess how?? By allowing utilities to "once again be charged with the=20 responsibility to plan for, acquire and assure sufficient power to meet the= =20 state's needs without the threat of interruption."? By charging cost-based= =20 rates.? By protecting customers.? Hallelujah.=20 Let's talk about a few things, here.? First, let's discuss the credit issue= =20 that is plaguing the Pacific Northwest power producers who are increasingly= =20 unwilling to sell supplemental energy into California.? The last I checked,= =20 most PNW producers paid their counterparties on a 30-day basis, but receive= =20 the cash from ISO about 100 days after the trade day.? The PNW producers mu= st=20 cover their "owed" position by borrowing funds, and at the prices posted in= =20 the last two weeks, the credit limit has been reached.? Where is the securi= ty=20 for the payment?? It lies not with the ISO, but with the utilities who are= =20 the major customers.? Therefore, if the utilities undercollect because froz= en=20 rates are below wholesale prices, then the utilities accumulate a debt.? If= =20 the debt continues unabated, then the credit rating companies downgrade the= =20 UDC ratings.? That has occurred several times in the last few months.? If t= he=20 utilities claim bankruptcy, or refuse to pay the PX, then the PX can't pay= =20 the ISO, the ISO can't pay the sellers, and the PNW sellers are kaput.=20 This is my long-winded way of saying that two entities still hold all the= =20 cards, at least for now, in the region: SCE, and me-too PG&E.? They have th= e=20 leverage to bring the whole system to its knees.? Hark, recall that WPTF ha= s=20 continually called for a breakup of the UDCs' default customer base for thi= s=20 very reason.? We argued that two dominant buyers could extract monopsony=20 rents from sellers.? And here it is, big time.=20 What does Bryson have to lose by rattling the cage?? Nothing.? In fact, it = is=20 so delicious to watch, for the umpteenth time, SCE exercise brute force whe= n=20 they have an advantage.? You must respect that.? The golden rule aptly=20 applies.? Those who have the gold, make the rules.=20 Another aspect of Bryson's gambit is that he is playing a trump card on his= =20 buddy, the Governor, who as of last week, through the PUC, suspended the=20 requests of Edison and PG&E for rate increases starting next January.? Davi= s=20 has painted himself into a corner, and is no match for the cunning of the= =20 Sufferin' Chutzpah gang.? I predicted that Davis would stumble and fall on= =20 electricity matters.? I didn't expect it to happen so soon.=20 Do you think the public will buy Bryson's argument?? To tell you the truth,= =20 I'm not sure.=20 Things in the People's Republic of California=20 ?@@@ Rate Relief Reviewed, Again=20 Well, in a complete reversal, the CPUC put back on the docket list the rate= =20 stabilization plans for PG&E and Edison.? Last week, President Lynch=20 suspended both companies' applications, denying them the right to raise rat= es=20 subject to refund.? Now, this week, Lynch allowed for the rate stabilizatio= n=20 applications to be re-opened, and duly considered.=20 Next Tuesday I will be on the local San Francisco station, KQED (88.5 FM) t= o=20 debate the merits of electric competition with the likes of Lynch, and TURN= 's=20 Netie Hogue.? I did this last September on the same one-hour call-in show= =20 that begins at 9 a.m..? I didn't know it was a call-in show until the calle= rs=20 started firing crazy questions at the panelists.? If you are in the area,= =20 then listen in, and better yet, call in.? Ask Ms. Lynch a few questions, wi= ll=20 you?=20 I listened to a taped interview Ms. Lynch did on another local station, KCB= S=20 that aired last Sunday.? Here are some of her more memorable quotes:=20 ? "There is plenty of power in California.? There is no shortage.? It is ju= st=20 not being managed properly on a day to day basis. There are power plants th= at=20 should be available right now, but are not running."=20 "The State of California has 41,000 MW of power available at any hour."=20 "Plant unavailability is an artificial issue.? There is plenty [of power] i= f=20 they [power plants] run."=20 "The PUC is trying to figure out what is wrong.? The plant owners only give= =20 the ISO one-word explanations such as 'boiler', or 'fire'.? We are sending= =20 our inspection team in to better understand the problems."=20 "I won't speculate [as to price manipulation] but last summer we saw very= =20 suspicious bids and offers."=20 "More power plants have been approved during the first two years of the Dav= is=20 administration than in all the years of the Wilson administration."=20 "This week the State stepped in to save the system by turning off lights an= d=20 computers."=20 "The ISO is governed by a board made up of individuals from the utilities a= nd=20 the power sellers.? There is one consumer representative, and one=20 environmental representative."=20 "The San Diego economy couldn't stand the price volatility of last summer."= =20 "The [former Governor Pete] Wilson administration created the wholesale pow= er=20 market."=20 "The market design of the PX is counterintuitive.? It takes the highest pri= ce=20 bid and pays it to everyone.? So if you offer $50/MWH for a 100 MW, and=20 another person offers $100 for a 100 MW, then both parties get $100." Things FERC and Federal=20 ?@@@ Secretary Richardson Serves Smashed Salmon Pate=20 Mr. Richardson is the U.S. Secretary of Energy.? Most people don't know him= ,=20 nor have ever heard of him.? Last Wednesday, with only four weeks left in h= is=20 job, he decided to take a bold step.? He did something.? Richardson invoked= a=20 rarely used authority in the Federal Power Act to require out-of-state=20 generators and marketers to sell into California upon demand.? The Section = of=20 the statute cited had not been invoked since World War II.? If it was good= =20 enough then, then it is good enough now.=20 Richardson also ordered BPA and WAPA to ship as much power to California as= =20 possible.=20 In a way, the Order worked.? Because of credit issues, out-of-state parties= =20 have been loath to violate their credit policies just to sell to California= .?=20 Hence, the imports into California became scarce, and the ISO was teetering= =20 on another Stage 3 Alert yesterday morning.? Because of the Order, BPA=20 started drafting from its hydro reserves, somewhere in the neighborhood of= =20 1500 MW, and PowerEx delivered another 400 MW.? From where did this power= =20 emanate?=20 Clearly, in the case of BPA, they are selling to California at the risk of= =20 being unable to meet their own requirements later this year and next.? No= =20 rain and cold weather could put BPA in a world of hurt.? Further, the=20 increased hydro spill may effect salmon.=20 I sent by e-mail to Mr. Richardson that included some wonderful recipes for= =20 the damaged salmon. I mean, what do you do with tons of smashed salmon that= =20 you would otherwise love to eat.? Pates, souffl,s, patties, chilled, ground= =20 winter run, smashed spring run primavera, roasted, mashed fall run.? You na= me=20 it.? We can whip up a mess of smashed salmon for just about any occasion.?= =20 And, the added benefit is that California gets to continue the holiday seas= on=20 festively, with lights on, without interruption.=20 I was reminded of a letter written to the Burrito last year.? It was a phon= y=20 announcement that, in retrospect, wasn't far off.? Do you remember it?=20 ? Exclusive: Christmas Lights Cause Crisis Due to increased evening ramps caused by heavy Christmas light loads, the= =20 California Independent System Operator (ISO) will begin running a series of= =20 Public Service Announcements (PSAs) this week designed to lessen electricit= y=20 reliability concerns.? Because homeowners? tend to turn their Christmas=20 lights on at dusk, there is a surge of? electricity demand that can create= =20 havoc on the balancing act between? generators and users of power. The ads= =20 will request that homes with odd numbered addresses turn on their Holiday= =20 lights between 5:00-5:30 pm and? even numbered homes between 5:30-6:00 pm.?= =20 According to Kellan Flukiger, ISO Vice President of Operations, the rationi= ng=20 is required to avert an electricity crisis: "We're seeing extreme ramps tha= t=20 are causing demands on the grid, we'll use this voluntary process for now t= o=20 try and manage the problem."=20 The Author has learned, however, that the ISO intends to turn to a more=20 direct approach to control the problem after December 15th.? Tariff Amendme= nt=20 73g, a little known document that to date has been? internal to the=20 California ISO, could have a major impact on the Holiday plans of=20 Californians.? The memo calls for some combination of a two-pronged attack = to=20 keep Californians from all turning on their Christmas lights at the same ti= me. The biggest question, outside of the deliveries of BPA and PowerEx, is what= =20 price is being paid for the power ordered by the California ISO. The Order= =20 states that power will be sold to the ISO at a level that would ensure=20 generators receive a fair return.? What's that?? I know that some of the=20 Northwest power producers are sleeving their sales through credit-worthy=20 third parties.? But, other than that, I am not sure of the details.=20 Things FERC and Federal=20 ?@@@ WPTF Supports PX Emergency Filing=20 The Power Exchange filed an emergency motion on Monday to keep alive its=20 energy markets in light of the emergency changes made by the ISO the previo= us=20 Friday.? The PX requested an emergency order from FERC removing the "hard= =20 cap" on Adjustment Bids and replacing it with an energy price equivalent th= at=20 allows forward buyers and sellers to transact ahead of the ISO real-time=20 market.? Currently, the ISO hard caps the Adjustment Bids at $250/MWH, whic= h=20 becomes the zonal price if congestion is present.? The mix of hard and soft= =20 caps pushes more people into the real-time market, and wipes out much of th= e=20 supply that would otherwise show up in the forward markets.=20 The WPTF Board filed comments with FERC on Wednesday supporting the PX's=20 motion.? The ISO filed against the PX motion, and the ISO offered a plan of= =20 their own.? Copies of our filing can be found, along with all our other FER= C=20 and PUC filings on our web page.? If you don't have a password for our=20 website (wptf.org), then e-mail? charlotte@wptf.org and request such.? She= =20 will be glad to assist you.=20 Mailbag=20 I received so many great e-mails, that I don't know where to begin.? It's= =20 like opening presents.=20 Julie Blunden of Greenmountain Energy wrote to me in response to the "old= =20 boys" club inherent in the utility industry. She said, "Gary, not only is= =20 power no longer a boys' club, but as I continue to meet all of our new folk= s=20 in Austin, I think it's hysterical that I meet so many of them in the=20 women's' room.? What a difference 15 years makes.? We're all reading the=20 burrito voraciously these days - these are historic, and painful times."=20 Julie, I would like to meet as you do some of your colleagues in Austin.?= =20 Julie's fellow traveler (careful), Rich Counihan, also wrote to me.? He sai= d,=20 "I think your point, and Commissioner Hebert's on the importance of P.R. is= =20 crucial.? As a result, the energy retailers have changed their name from=20 Alliance for Retail Markets (ARM) to Competitive Retail Energy for Consumer= s?=20 (CREC) and hired a P.R. firm in Sacramento to help get the message of=20 consumer choice out there."=20 Our best wishes to CREC, Rick.? We need your success.? Also writing to me= =20 regarding the importance of PR was Tom Allen, VP of External Affairs at=20 Southern Energy.? Tom wrote, "Gary: I am new to this issue as an employee i= n=20 External Affairs, Southern Energy- West Region.? I am in transition to=20 California, and have been on the job about 2-3 weeks.? I could not agree wi= th=20 you more regarding "where" this battle will be won or lost. Generators cann= ot=20 and will not be able to separate themselves from the consumer pain that was= =20 felt in San Diego this past summer.? Consumers elect the Gov et al and thei= r=20 "pulse" will dictate final direction in the political arena.? While we all= =20 prepare for the legislative and regulatory battles, let's not forget that t= he=20 idea here was to provide consumer value over time.=20 "I think a "blanket" attack on consumer messaging is very possible.? The ke= y=20 will be how coalitions (formal or informal) decide to come together to fund= =20 such an initiative.=20 "Being a transplant to the issue and somewhat of an outsider, here are some= =20 messages that must articulated clearly with some sort of definitive=20 documentation (beyond our opinion.... meaning we need to pay for it=20 somewhere) :=20 "1 - The "value" of competition to the consumer.? Why go forward?? What's i= n=20 it for me?=20 "2 - The true effects / cost (negative value) for going back to cost-based= =20 approach.? Let's live in lifelong subsidy.=20 "3 - The issue is bigger than energy.? The investment world is watching.? I= s=20 California a good place for business to do business?=20 "I agree with the P/R blitz.? I think there needs to be back-up when=20 challenged.? What California institution could provide such in a very short= =20 time frame?"=20 Thank you, Tom, for sharing your thoughts, and welcome to the club.? Finall= y,=20 from new GM at the City of Anaheim and formerly of LADWP, Marcie Edwards=20 wrote, "Gary;? Well, Monday is my last day at LA.? I have learned a lot fro= m=20 the Burritos; we'll see if the company can learn to appreciate its rather= =20 piquant flavor without me here to say, "Hey, it tastes just like Chicken!"= =20 Best of luck to you, Marcie.? Thank God Almighty, you are free at last, fre= e=20 at last.=20 Odds and Ends (_!_)=20 ?@@@ WPTF General Meeting Set for February 8 and 9 in Scottsdale, Az.=20 It is not too soon to start planning for our February event.? The next WPTF= =20 General Meeting will be held on February 8 and 9 at the Marriott Resort in= =20 Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona. Their phone number is 1-800-835-6205 or=20 480-945-1550.=20 We have blocked 26 rooms for February 8, and the price is $229.00 per suite= .?=20 All these rooms are on a first-come basis and seeing that the area is so=20 popular at this time of year, we cannot secure any more rooms at this=20 location. The Hotel wants all reservations made ON OR BEFORE January 9,=20 2001.? Please remember this area is extremely hard to locate space at this= =20 time of year for a reasonable rate.=20 Air transportation into Phoenix is available from all major airlines and th= e=20 Hotel is located only 15 minutes from the Sky Harbor International Airport.= ?=20 Transportation costs $10. -$20., utilizing SuperShuttle or taxis.=20 On Thursday, February 8, WPTF members will congregate for a members-only=20 meeting.? That will begin at 3:30 p.m. and conclude at 5:00 p.m.? A no-host= =20 dinner reception ($45/person) will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.? Reservati= on=20 for the dinner must be made with our event coordinator, Barb Ennis, at e-ma= il=20 address baennis@earthlink.net.=20 On Friday, our General Meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at noon. Our= =20 guests speakers will include John Underhill of Salt River Project who will= =20 brief us on Desert STAR and AISA matters; Scott Miller of FERC who co-lead= =20 the FERC study on California=01,s power markets, and Kennedy School lecture= r=20 Philip Sharp (invited) who will discuss likely national energy policies.?= =20 Lunch will be provided by WPTF=20 Odds and Ends (_!_)=20 ?@@@ Have a Smile=20 In olden times, it could be decades before major events were cast in verse.= =20 But The Great 2000 Election Controversy is so big that a bunch of all-star= =20 poets have come out of retirement to quickly set the story to rhyme.=20 ?For starters, history buff Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:=20 Listen, my children, don't dare ignore,=20 The midnight actions of Bush and Gore=20 In early November, the year ought-ought,=20 Hard to believe the mess they wrought.=20 Two billion bucks of campaign bounty=20 All came down to Palm Beach County.=20 What result could have been horrider=20 Than the situation we found in Florider?=20 Edgar Allen Poe is his usual gloomy self:=20 Once upon a campaign dreary,=20 one which left us weak and weary=20 O'er many a quaint and curious promise of political lore=20 While we nodded, nearly napping,=20 suddenly there came a yapping,=20 As of some votes overlapping, energy-zapping to the core=20 'Tis a mess here," we all muttered,=20 as the network anchors stuttered,=20 Stuttered over Bush and Gore.=20 Could there be another election with such a case of misdirection,=20 One with such a weak selection,=20 yet fraught with tension to the core?=20 Quoth the ravers, "Nevermore."=20 Britain's Edward Lear's limerick is lighter:=20 There once was a U.S. election=20 That called for some expert detection -=20 How thousands of pollers=20 Could become two-holers=20 Like outhouses of recollection.=20 Ditto Ogden Nash:=20 I regret to admit that all my knowledge is What I learned at Electoral=20 Colleges,=20 So tell me please, though! I hate to troubya,=20 Will the winner be Al, or will it be Dubya?=20 Joyce Kilmer's a media analyst:=20 I thought that I would never see=20 The networks all so up a tree.=20 Walt Whitman is lyrical, as always:=20 Oh Captain! My Captain!=20 our fearful trip's not done=20 The ship has weather'd every rock, but=20 nobody knows who's won.=20 Alfred Noyes rhythmically rumbles:=20 And still of an autumn night they say,=20 with the White House on the line,=20 When the campaign's a ghostly galleon=20 and both candidates cry, "'Tis mine!"=20 When the road is a ribbon of ballots, all within easy reach,=20 A highwayman comes riding,=20 Riding,=20 Riding,=20 A highwayman comes riding, and punches two holes in each.=20 Dr. Seuss takes a look at election officials:=20 I cannot count them in a box=20 I cannot count them with a fox=20 I cannot count them by computer=20 I will not with a Roto-Rooter=20 I cannot count them card-by-card=20 I will not 'cause it's way too hard=20 I cannot count them on my fingers=20 I will not while suspicion lingers.=20 I'll leave the country in a jam -=20 I can't count ballots, Sam-I-Am.=20 Clement Moore adopts a holiday theme:=20 'Twas the month before Christmas, when all through the courts,=20 All the plaintiffs made stirring bad ballot reports.=20 Which leaves the problem:=20 Perhaps the best way to stop complaints raucous=20 Is to start over again, with the Iowa caucuses.=20 ??? Odds and Ends (_!_)=20 ?@@@ The Toughest Interview Ever=20 The nights I drive my son to hockey practice, especially in winter, are=20 silent.? It's dark, the weather is cold, and we each drift into our own=20 thoughts.? He listens to the rock station of his choice on the way to=20 practice.? I get my choice of station, usually jazz or classical,? on the w= ay=20 home.? We both have agreed to set the volume in either travel direction at = a=20 tolerable level, four ticks on the analogue scale.? Last night the silence= =20 was suddenly broken.=20 "Okay," he said as we started the thirty-minute ride to his practice, "this= =20 is boring. We're going to have a conversation."? "What do you want to talk= =20 about," I asked somewhat startled?? He said he would ask me some questions.= ?=20 "Gary," he asked, always addressing me in the familiar, "what was your=20 favorite thing to do when you were a kid."? I was struck dumb.? I didn't kn= ow=20 how to answer the question because I was afraid that whatever I selected, h= e=20 would say, "BORING."? So, I drifted a bit in my answer.? I was very=20 tentative.? I started with my high school years, and what I liked, and who = I=20 hung around with.? I then spoke about younger days when I was my son's age,= =20 13, and then continued into my elementary school experiences.? He listened = to=20 every word, and asked more questions.? What were my brothers like, which on= e=20 of my brothers was I close to, why did I look forward to going to high=20 school, what instrument did I play in the band, and on and on.? We didn't= =20 stop until we reached the ice rink.=20 I had butterflies in my stomach.? Picture this.? I have suddenly found my= =20 professional life awash with newspaper interviews, TV interviews, microphon= es=20 stuck in my face, and audiences asking me dozens of tough questions.? The= =20 more of that I do, the more comfortable it becomes.? Compare that with my= =20 fear of answering these simple questions posed to me by my son about my=20 life.? Would I be judged harshly?? Would my answers disappoint him?? Every= =20 Dad wants to be a superstar to his son.=20 I guess I passed, and I am thankful for the experience.? I'll probably=20 treasure that conversation for a lifetime, not knowing why.? When you think= =20 about, I received the most precious gift a son can give a father.=20 Well, on that note, I will wish each and every one of you a happy holiday= =20 season, whether you celebrate Chanukah or Christmas, or both, as we do.? It= =20 has been a privilege to write these Burritos for you.? I cherish your kind= =20 comments to me about our weekly get togethers.? I look forward to serving y= ou=20 next year in good health, and with less stress.? I'm looking for a quite=20 time, maybe in April or May, when we can look back at the last few weeks, a= nd=20 wonder how did we ever get through it all?=20 Have a great holiday.=20 gba=20 ?
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