Organizing Principles

In Praise of Systems

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I appreciate a good system. Probably more than I should. But a system doesn’t have to be clinical. In the old days if I went to a concert at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, usually the Yo La Tengo Hanukkah show, I would go to that German place across the street beforehand for a beer or dinner. Then I’d head over to see Ira’s mother light a candle on the menorah. That, in my qualification, is a good system.

Some, however, are more scientific. Many have to do with packing. What you always keep in your car. What you always keep in your fishing bag. And, crucially, for me, what I always keep in my pockets. I wear a sport coat for many reasons, most are sartorial or related to some rarefied views of cities and formality. But one reason I wear a sport coat is invisible to all but me: The interior pockets.

Here’s the schematic: