Investments? What investments!?

I am finally starting to feel my age because I have started to be quite serious about investing in a future. For the past few years I have pretty much brushed all that talk off thinking: "I'm just getting started here, why worry about that stuff?" And now I am starting to see a few reasons.

In my independent self-employed state, I have no 401K, no retirement funds matched by someone etc. Quite frankly it's scary. It's scary to think that I was happy to sit back and not worry about it because I'd have time and James. But not to be morbid, but things can change suddenly and then what? Any security through James is not necessarily security for me. We have to have a better plan.

Unfortunately, I hate research and reading things that aren't so clear and desperately wish I had a financial consultant who really didn't want my money but just wanted to help me out, so that I could have a clue about what to do. It's in the overwhelming stage right now where I know a few terms here and there and that's about it. Roth IRA, traditional IRA, CD's, Mutual Funds, Stocks. I sort of get a basic picture but then I don't know what to do with it. Who knows this stuff and isn't a stock broker or something equivalent in the investment world? I'm on the look out for a savvy investor to hook me up with some good advice and some high earning something or other. I don't want to wake up one day with $26.50 in a checking account and nothing else to my name. so this is what it's like to be 26. Joy.

Random thought of the day: who invented eeesht? And what does it have to do with a chin? And why does it translate to guss, bounce, shneide and who knows what else? (if this looks like a foreign language to you, you probably did not grow up in Zimbabwe...)

On being an Aunt and Cat owner

I'm going to be an Aunt! And not just that, but I'm going to be the aunt of a cheeky little Boy! I don't know if I could be more excited or thrilled about a sister of mine having a child. In fact I keep thinking how it's even better than having one of my own right now since I don't exactly feel up to the full time task. Perhaps it will be inspirational though, who knows. I have come to realize, through the comments from other people, just how much I can blab on about my cat. So if it's so easy to fall in love and be fascinated with the sweet and naughty things a cat can do, I'm guessing that more can be said about a child that is your own flesh and blood. I only hope that I will get to see the tyke through many pics and videos since for now we have to be so far away.

Please mum, may I have some more?!

How did we get here?

From children with infinite curiousity and wide open hearts we somehow find ourselves as stilted adults with too many rules and too little laughter. James and I went to the aquarium on saturday and we had fun. Yes, in theory it's where you take your 5 yr olds so they can ooh and ahh at the cnidaria (for those who have already forgotten high school biology, those would include jellyfish and other such underwater creatures) and of course cheer for the dancing sea lions, but adults can be playful too, can't we? When was the last time you heard a grown person giggle. I don't mean chuckle, I don't mean laugh heartily, I don't even mean snicker, I mean GIGGLE. Where it all just bubbles up inside and spills out irresistably. How does that get squashed out of us?

Sometimes when I'm teaching yoga I encourage my students to be playful. more often than not, the response is pretty much a blank face. I say: "let go, have fun, act like you're a kid again trying something brand new". And again, the response is a tight smile and and a will to contol every inch of the body. "I WILL BALANCE" you can just hear their minds saying. "I WON'T BE THE ONLY ONE TO FALL DOWN!" it yells. So I want to know who put this pressure to perform on us, because by jove, if I meet the guy he/she's in trouble. Can you imagine if as adults we could go up to a stranger and say: "Hi, my name is Sammy, wanna see me do a one-handed cartwheel?" I know it's a bit of an exaggerated point I'm putting across, but I'm just a little fed up of the constant performance that is our adult lives. And it's not like we're only acting that way infront of strangers, we do it in our most intimate settings too - our own families. I am starting a personal campaign this year to boycott stalness and rigidity and to learn to play again. Any takers? Have you tickled your spouse or pulled an outlandish face at someone lately?

And the random moment this morning is: Why do they say that rice crispies snap, crackle and pop when really they just kind of fizz?

The photos are from the aforementioned aquarium visit.

The Holiday Season

This year's season highlight for me was coming across Gigi's hand picked, home cut straight-from-the-woods, christmas tree. It made me want to make postcards and send them out next year saying:

Have a Light Christmas!

I guess I am more of the minimalist and so Christmas with all its commercialism and fanfare just seems a bit too much for me, though thankfully this year did not include the seemingly obligatory viewing of the overly decorated, high wattage houses of Bensonhurst. Someone told me those involved in the excess have a deal with Coned to help pay the electric bill. I wouldn't be the least surprised. If I could dredge up a picture that did it all justice to prove to those who haven't seen, I would. Unfortunately a digital camera was not in my posession at the time.
Not so surprisingly, this year we did not even put our fake tree up. I guess since getting home at the end of November time has been a little off and "the season" never really felt like it. I remind James that it's not really my holiday so if he wants something, he's got to initiate, but I guess for him too, it was not quite there.

As for New Years and the humdrum that accompanies it - once again it will not be my choice of nights to head out and party. Let everyone else do that and I'll go a week or so later!
Instead we had a night in with good food, friends and few games.
To the persians or persian rice cookers out there - I attempted for the third time in my life to make potato tadiq vs. rice tadiq and most satisfyingly, it turned out! I may have gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to speaking and understanding persian, but not all heritage is lost if I can cook the food! I am pleased to say we all enjoyed the sour cherry rice with meatballs. Yum. And after a good go at "apples to apples" we rounded off the night with cherry chocolate pound cake and some kind of cheesecake something - both Tracy creations and delectible. We lit our little sparklers and wooped and hollered for about 3 and a half mins and there ended our celebrations. So to all those with hefty new years resolutions and heftier hang overs, good luck and make dreams happen.

In conclusion, I am going to add a section at the end of my posts for the totally random questions that bubble up in my head from time to time that have no particular place(Feel free to add your own!).

Today's is: why do they call them veggie meatballs if there is no meat? Surely that would make them veggieballs?