Kate,

I am glad you like "Hidden Order," I think it is one of the few non sedating
economics books out there.  The reason I like this book is because, more
than any other, it tries to show you how economists think -- done mostly
through stories.  As I am sure you've notice, this is not a textbook.
Introductory economics textbooks are usually structured as if every student
were going on to acquire a Ph.D. in the subject.  In this course more
emphasis is on building up your intuition rather than in more technical
aspects of economic theory.  I hope you will find it enjoyable.

Being an assistant commodity trader I sure you have more practical
experience with economics than any of the other students ( and me).

It sounds like you are doing well and I cannot think of anything that you
might be missing.

Feel free to send me any questions about the reading, notes or homework,

Scott



Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2001 18:08:58 -0700
From: kate.symes@enron.com
Subject: A belated introduction

Prof. Merryman -
I wanted to briefly introduce myself, as I am taking this class from
Portland and most likely won't make it into your office this term. I'm
working as a commodity traders' assistant at Enron, an energy marketing
company based in Houston. I'm taking this class to build on my Bachelor's
degree in Journalism, and eventually I'd like to re-enter university
full-time in pursuit of a Master's in Political Science.

Economics is, unfortunately, a subject I avoided in undergraduate studies,
but have become more interested in as of late. I WOULD say I've always
wanted to know more about how money impacts my life, but my revealed
preference has shown that I want clothes, not books or education.

I've found the book, "Hidden Order," fascinating so far - I only hope I'm
understanding it correctly. I'm just getting used to the online class
format, so I'll probably  more "vocal" with my e-mail questions soon. I've
also just signed up for a test time on Fri., Apr. 27th, at the Capitol
Center in Beaverton.

Please let me know if there is anything I might be missing. I'm downloading
the notes, answering the practice questions, and checking out the discussion
board every so often. Sound good?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Kate Symes