I guess I need to take a minute and just be present, because this month just flew by! Photo cred 

I don’t know what happened to me this month. It got away from me. One day it was February first, and then all of a sudden it was the 28th and the month was over.

Around the Web:

I love this helpful PDF about baggage fees for international travel: http://travelfashiongirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/International-Travel-Baggage-Cheat-Sheet.pdf

One of my goals in life is to be financially independent one day- the earlier the better! Someone created a spreadsheet to help predict when that someday might be: http://www.budgetsaresexy.com/2015/02/early-retirement-fi-spreadsheet/.

Books:

I finally read Toni Morrison’s Beloved.  Wow.  The way that woman writes just blew me away! The things she doesn’t say in her writing are so meaningful.  It is filled with poetry and hidden truths.  Not the easiest book to read because of the difficult subject matter of slavery and infanticide that so shaped the main character. It is still worth it. Five star book for sure.

I also read some of the Covert One series by Robert Ludlum this month. It is fast paced and not too predictable.  Just some enjoyable quick reads.  It is also interesting to me when I read books that describe technology and they mention floppy disks. hahaha I haven’t heard anyone mention one of those in years so reading about it brought back memories.

Music:

I have been a fan of Maroon 5 since “Songs About Jane”. That was the last album they made that I loved every single song on, but that is so rare for me to find, that I still love them because of it.  However, I have liked songs by them here and there since that album; “Sugar” is one of them. Check it out:

TV:

Fresh Off the Boat is a hilarious show focusing on the family dynamics and experiences of an Asian American family in Florida. It is not the normal type of show I go for (most shows I watch fall under the Drama category), but it is too hilarious to pass up!

Movies:

I don’t normally write about movies but I just had to mention Whiplash. I think of myself as a really tough teacher. The teacher in this movie is slightly insane and the story is just incredible. I did not think I would fall in love with this movie because I’m not a musician by any means, but I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. My heart was racing. Sometimes I even cried while I watched it. Just amazing. Watch it.