I’m trying to think of new days and new beginnings… staying positive is hard, though!

Friends, this has been a hard month for me.  I’ve been a bit depressed, worried, anxious, and altogether despondent about the current state of affairs in the US.  I know I try really hard to avoid talking about politics on this blog, but right now it just can’t be avoided.  Some people say that I don’t need to worry about the political situation in the US, but the disaster in the US is now affecting the world.  People I’ve come across in my travels are regularly asking me to defend why I chose to elect President Trump.  I would like to point out that I do not agree with the hateful, racist, and cruel choices that he has made in his first week in office.  I do not support him at all, and while he is the elected president of my country, he in no way reflects my own personal beliefs.

Around the Web:

Here is an article denying Trump’s claims that he is simply doing the same as Obama did in 2011.

I’ve now heard about how Trump is being compared to the late President Hugo Chavez and current President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela.  I can see many parallels in these comparisons and it is a very frightening concept.

One of my favorite financial writers is Andrew Hallam explains how to work with Raymond James if your school has a matching program with them. Hallam suggests a low-cost index fund in this article.

My parents are getting closer to retirement age so I’m starting to wonder if they should stay in Portland or go somewhere warmer.  This article “Best and Worst US Cities to Retire to in 2017” recommends Florida! Hmmm…

This article in the NYT explains how to take great vacation photos, “…make a list of the images that you’d like to capture on your trip and include the time of day….” This is something that I definitely need to remember.

If you have more flexible vacation time than I do, you might be interested in “The Best Travel Deals of 2017”. They made a month by month guide of where to go.  Hmm, anyone want to meet me in Europe in January next year?

Music:

I’ve loved Ed Shereen’s music for years, so of course, I had to buy his single, “Shape of You” while I wait for the album to drop.  I can’t wait to hear a kizomba remix of it! Here is a link to his music video that came out yesterday though I prefer this choreo video, personally.

Books:

The best novel that I’ve read in quite a while is Small Great Things by Jodi Piccoult. This is probably my favorite book by this author. Some parts made me very emotional and were difficult to read, but that’s a good thing in my book! It was nice to read a book by a mainstream author like Piccoult confront issues of racism and white privilege.  This story is about a very experienced nurse who was discriminated against at work while being confronted by racism. The protagonist, Ruth, started out “racially colorblind” to cope with working and living in a white neighborhood, and later starts to see all of the microaggressions and discrimination that she and other people of color are experiencing every day.

Movies:

I’m sure you have already seen it, but if you haven’t, be sure to check out Hidden Figures.  I was supposed to read it for book club this month, but I got sidetracked with Small Great Things and The Magicians.

TV:

I just learned about the TV show called The Magicians! You guys, this is like Harry Potter for adults! Imagine that Hogwarts was grad school and Harry was a bit depressed, drank, and had sex with people. LOL! Not for kids, but perfect for adults.  I’m now reading the second book in the Magician series and while the tv show veers quite a bit off the books, it is still a good show.

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