I’m introducing a new format for my vlogs (video blogs). I’m going to be sharing “random thoughts on Thursdays,” which is basically the same kind of vlog I’ve always done. However I am now going to adhere to a regular schedule and post a new vlog every other Thursday. Here is the fist of my [...]
A Princess of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs, was the very first full-length non-children’s book I ever read as a child – I was 8 years old. The story drew me in from the introduction, and kept me enthralled until the last page. I was so happy that there was a series of sequels because [...]
As the class warfare struggles continue to come to a head in the US, I keep solidifying my stance of where I stand on the issues. One issue in particular that I am dead-set against is taxing the rich to feed the poor. This “spread the wealth” mentality is so laughable it isn’t even funny. [...]
Ok I’m *not* actually traveling “every day” but over the next few weeks it’s going to feel like I am! So I’m currently writing this while sitting in a vacation rental home in Sedona, Arizona. We’ve been here for about 2 weeks now, on a 6 week stay in the area (our bid to try [...]
As you may know from some of my past blog entries, I’ve been becoming really addicted to YouTube in the past 1-2 years. Not only am I enjoying watching YouTube, but I am also enjoying making my own vlogs and sharing my thoughts and ideas online as well. In the past few months I’d been [...]
2011 was quite a year for me. I started out in a good position career-wise with my clients from 2010 having lots of projects for me early in the year. We also spent the early part of the year getting our upstairs bathroom remodeled, which almost turned out fantastic. The tile work we had done [...]
I know not everyone had a good year in 2011. Unemployment was still high, the US ended up getting entangled in Libya, the Occupy movement went into full-force this Autumn, SOPA seemed imminent. That’s probably why whenever I have a really good year, and the rest of the world feels like it’s falling apart, I [...]
So this year Dave and my relationship passed the 5 year mark, which for me was a great milestone to achieve. My last multi-year relationship ended just shy of 5 years and it was very clear for well over a year before the break-up that it needed to end. This time around things are very [...]
So yesterday I turned 40. That’s a fairly big milestone in a person’s life, considering our distant ancestors often didn’t live much past the age of 30 or so. If I was alive some 50,000 years ago I’d be considered a very old woman (and probably look the part), but in today’s modern age 40 [...]
Now that the leaves have almost completely fallen from the trees, the weather has turned colder and we’ve had our first snow (or two), I have begun to get into the holiday spirit. I know many people barely tolerate the holidays as they can evoke painful or at least uncomfortable memories of stressful family gatherings. [...]
I’m introducing a new format for my vlogs (video blogs). I’m going to be sharing “random thoughts on Thursdays,” which is basically the same kind of vlog I’ve always done. However I am now going to adhere to a regular schedule and post a new vlog every other Thursday. Here is the fist of my “Random” vlogs:
As you can see from what I said in the vlog, I’ll be vlogging about all sorts of random events and things going on in my life. I plan to shoot footage during the 2 weeks between vlogs, and compile it all for posting every other Thursday.
I have a lot going on this year, with our wedding coming up, our honeymoon, remodeling going on in our house, and plans to sell and buy a new house, plus lots of other things. So I think I won’t run out of material for my vlogs anytime soon. Come with me on all my adventures this year, and enjoy the ride!
Cover Art by Frank Frazetta for "A Princess of Mars"
A Princess of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs, was the very first full-length non-children’s book I ever read as a child – I was 8 years old. The story drew me in from the introduction, and kept me enthralled until the last page. I was so happy that there was a series of sequels because I kept wanting to revisit the world of Barsoom* that ERB wove so masterfully in those pages.
To me it’s such a tragedy that this literary work is all but forgotten. Even with the John Carter movie, most people I talk to didn’t even know that it was based on a book. Over the years I always ask people when the subject of books and literature come up, if they’d ever read any of the books about Barsoom, and I’ve always gotten blank stares. I patiently explain that it’s the Martian series, written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. More blank stares. I explain that he was famous for writing Tarzan. Finally a glimmer of recognition!
It’s amazing that as famous as the story of Tarzan is, most people don’t even know the author’s name of even that series of literary fiction. In his lifetime, ERB published over 85 fiction novels (most were science-fiction, with the exception of Tarzan and some other works). With that large body of work, you’d think more people would know who he was.
I had high hopes that with this new movie, there would be a resurgence in the interest in these marvelous tales. Unfortunately I fear the name Edgar Rice Burroughs and Barsoom may remain an obscure footnote in the history of great science-fiction.
Which is truly a shame. Personally I thought the movie was really good. *sigh*
*Barsoom is the Martian name for Mars. :)
As the class warfare struggles continue to come to a head in the US, I keep solidifying my stance of where I stand on the issues.
One issue in particular that I am dead-set against is taxing the rich to feed the poor. This “spread the wealth” mentality is so laughable it isn’t even funny.
So what if the ultra-rich only pay 15% of their incomes as tax (that’s assuming they are only collecting income through the dividends from their investments and not selling any investments where they would be paying 20% tax, or actually still earning a salary, where they would be paying 35% on any income earned over $388,351/year.) Does that mean these people do not contribute anything else to the economy? At all? Do people honestly think they sit at home and hoard their money like Scrooge McDuck? The idea of that is completely laughable.
My fiance and I are at a level of income where we can now afford ourselves the relative luxury of having a housekeeper come to our house once each week and help us with our household chores. Some people may see me as a lazy person for doing so, but I see this is a win-win situation. I am providing income to people who need it and are willing to work for it, and they are providing me with a service I greatly appreciate. In fact I appreciate it so much that we pay them upwards of $20-30/hour (quite a bit more than “minimum wage”).
Another example would be a person that my fiance met at a casino in Las Vegas recently. He was one of the higher-rollers at the table and while he turned his $25,000 into $16,000 – he still generously was tipping the dealers at the table about $500/hour.
Besides that, folks who are well-off, wealthy or just plain stinking rich tend to spend a lot of money. They may spend only a fraction of what they have, but that fraction could easily pay the salaries of multiple people. In fact it often does. Once you get into the upper-echelons of income and wealth you tend to own really big houses. Big houses require a staff to maintain them -full-time maids, butlers, grounds keepers, chauffeurs, maybe even a chef or two. Each of these people earns a salary, and often a decent one (at least one that’s above minimum wage). These wealthy people are already “spreading the wealth” in their own way and on their own terms.
I have absolutely no intention of handing over more of my income to the government as I honestly don’t feel they would do the right thing with that money. They would be collecting it in the spirit of wanting to “spread the wealth” for more people, but in reality they would just line their own pockets with it.
Leave the wealthy (and those of us who aspire to be wealthy) alone, and we’ll spread our wealth much more effectively, and equitably, than the government ever would.
Ok I’m *not* actually traveling “every day” but over the next few weeks it’s going to feel like I am! So I’m currently writing this while sitting in a vacation rental home in Sedona, Arizona. We’ve been here for about 2 weeks now, on a 6 week stay in the area (our bid to try and escape winter while Dave is on his 8 week sabbatical from Intel). So while we’re here, we have plans to travel down to Phoenix to visit family (my godmother, his aunt and uncle).
Then the following week we’ll be going on another side-trip to Las Vegas, and we may try to also squeeze in a day trip to the Grand Canyon. The last week we’re in Sedona, I’ll be traveling to Salt Lake City to attend a business conference, and I get back the day before we drive from Arizona back to Colorado.
Following all that travel, a week after we get back to Colorado – I’m going on yet another trip – to Chicago to attend yet another conference and to spend some time with my family aunt, uncle, and sisters). The final bit of travel I have planned is near the end of April with a weekend in Denver to attend the StarFest convention that I go to every year.
Thankfully after that we have nothing else planned, travel-wise, until November for our honeymoon in Belize. I think this Summer I’m going to become a homebody after all this travel!
As you may know from some of my past blog entries, I’ve been becoming really addicted to YouTube in the past 1-2 years. Not only am I enjoying watching YouTube, but I am also enjoying making my own vlogs and sharing my thoughts and ideas online as well.
In the past few months I’d been seeking out a place where I could discuss some of my favorite YouTubers with others who also watch them. That led me to a forum known as GuruGossip. Love them or hate them, I find that forum to be a very entertaining site to discuss YouTubers on. Admittedly that forum is primarily focused on gossiping about YouTube beauty gurus, but they also have venues where folks can chat and discuss other YouTubers as well.
That being said, it has led me to a realization as to how not all women think alike. I am very much a “geek” and many of the ladies on GuruGossip are more of the ballerina or cheerleader type of gal. I think ballerinas and cheerleaders are awesome people, but it’s become abundantly clear that I share very little in common with them other than the fact that we all watch YouTube videos.
The modern day definition of a “geek” is someone who tends to know a lot about, and has a lot of passion, surrounding a particular topic (movie geek, computer geek, web geek, star wars geek, etc.). This passion for that topic can verge on the edge (or even go over the edge) into obsession (or at least appear to be obsession). I am a geek over many different things – various sci-fi TV series, Web Analytics (which I turned into a career), and now also YouTube. I am especially geekish about certain YouTubers – primarily Ray William Johnson, Meekakitty, Kristina Horner, Luke Conard, Ingrid/Missglamorazzi, Philip DeFrano and Shane Dawson. It would appear my level of knowledge (and interest) in them is bordering on obsession. However it’s not any more of an obsession than my passion to know everything about Doctor Who or Star Trek.
I think folks, especially girls, who are not geeks, don’t understand this mentality and quickly label it as “creepy.” I’ll admit that some geeks will take their passions/obsessions too far and definitely cross the “creepy” line (think about the lady who stalked David Letterman and kept breaking into his home). However I don’t see my interest of watching YouTubers and following what they share online as “creepy.” If I was focused on just a single individual perhaps, but that’s far from the case. Especially since I also have a successful career I keep nurturing and a fantastic fiancee as well (seriously, if I was being a creepy obsessed stalker, my fiancee would kick me to the curb so fast my head would spin! I’m not about to lose a wonderful man just because I find some YouTuber entertaining).
I also think that geek girls are more likely to be obsessive about many different things, while geek boys tend to focus on only a few things, in general. This may be because of the more multi-tasking nature of the female brain in general.
I’ll never be a normal girl – and I honestly don’t understand the normal girl thought processes. Why do they like to discuss makeup and shoes more than the latest scientific advancements of our time will always baffle me (what is it about shoes that is supposed to be so fascinating?).
On the flip side normal girls will never understand us geek girls either. Just don’t automatically label us as creepy because we happen to know a lot about a particular person. It’s just part of the geek girl nature and doesn’t always translate to creepiness.
2011 was quite a year for me. I started out in a good position career-wise with my clients from 2010 having lots of projects for me early in the year.
We also spent the early part of the year getting our upstairs bathroom remodeled, which almost turned out fantastic. The tile work we had done came together really great and replacing the carpet with laminate cherry flooring looks good too, but the other contractors got sloppy and left some work unfinished. We still need to deal with that. However all the major work was done and the new bath/shower looks amazing.
I managed to add some more clients to my roster this year and that kept me busy throughout the Summer, along with taking care of our dog Joey, who we adopted in 2010. He’s turned into a very fine dog.
In late Summer we purchased a new vehicle. I traded in my 2004 Saturn ION-3 Quad Coupe for a 2011 Subaru Outback. Dave wanted me to have a safer car to drive and we both agreed we needed a “puppy-mobile” for Joey.
In the Autumn we took a trip out to Telluride, Colorado for vacation. My Aunt and Uncle also were vacationing in the area, so we were able to spend some time with them. We also visited a family who had adopted Joey’s sister Lexi and we ended up bringing Lexi home with us. Her family decided that she wasn’t the right dog for them and we didn’t have the heart to send her back to the rescue we found Joey at.
After we got back home my Aunt and Uncle also joined us back here as well for a few more days. It was nice to see them and to show them around where I live. My Uncle has been out here before, but my Aunt has never visited me until now.
Also late in the Autumn I finally added my coveted 2nd long-term agency client that I’d been working to add to my client list. Having 2 clients will hopefully give me more steady, regular work in the long-run.
The holidays this year have also been great. We decided to stay home for a change for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. We have a lot of travel planned in 2012 and so we just wanted to enjoy some quiet time at home this year. I also celebrated my 40th birthday and to honor the occasion started my own YouTube channel where I’ve started vlogging. I did a special birthday countdown to commemorate the milestone this year.
I managed to also negotiate myself a higher hourly bill rate with my clients this year, while also almost doubling my earnings Year over Year from 2010. It was hard work, but all the networking and late nights have really paid off!
In December Dave and I also became engaged and we are set to marry sometime in 2012 (I guess the world really is ending!).
On that note … I wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year!
I know not everyone had a good year in 2011. Unemployment was still high, the US ended up getting entangled in Libya, the Occupy movement went into full-force this Autumn, SOPA seemed imminent.
That’s probably why whenever I have a really good year, and the rest of the world feels like it’s falling apart, I actually feel guilty. Like my having a good year is causing all the bad things in the world.
I know it’s silly to think like that but I’m always afraid when I talk about what a good year I’ve had, people might think I’m gloating. In fact I’ve been accused of gloating before when that’s not my intention and so because of that I feel all the guiltier when I do have a good year. When I have success I want to shout it from the rooftops, and not meekly and humbly act like it didn’t really happen.
What people don’t realize is that growing up I was told on a daily basis by my mom how unwanted and worthless I was. To counteract that I learned how to psych myself up by reminding myself of all the good things in my life and all the things I was good at. When she started in on me, I’d remind her about all the good things I’d done and that often shut her up for a few days.
So when I start to talk about how marvelously successful my business has been in 2011, the fact that I have an amazing man in my life and we have a bevvy of really great pets (especially the dogs, who are simply amazing), I’m not gloating. I’m reminding myself (and anyone who will listen) that I am not that unwanted, worthless child my mother always told me I was.
Next time you hear someone talk about their successes, don’t immediately assume they are gloating. Think about what reason they might have to want to tell the world about their success.
A pretty and sensible engagement ring. No expensive diamonds for me, thank you very much!
So this year Dave and my relationship passed the 5 year mark, which for me was a great milestone to achieve. My last multi-year relationship ended just shy of 5 years and it was very clear for well over a year before the break-up that it needed to end.
This time around things are very different. I’m still very much in love with Dave, and I know he is also in love with me. With that being said, I’ve never been big on the whole marriage thing. I don’t see the difference between living with the man I love, and being married to him, other than the legal and financial changes it causes.
It’s the financial reasons why we’ve avoided even thinking about marriage until recently – I had a very poor credit score and a lot of credit card debt. This would have negatively impacted his stellar credit score and neither of us wanted that.
My financial situation is now doing much better – I’ve been debt free for a couple of years now, my credit score went up to a very respectable level and has remained stable. Also we have discovered the tremendous tax savings we are not taking advantage of by not filing our taxes jointly.
So to that end, in our own unconventional way, we’re transitioning our relationship to the “next level.” We’re starting with the common law marriage. That way we can file as “married, filing jointly” for our taxes, which will save us both money on taxes. Because I am self-employed, between federal income-tax, state income-tax, social security and medicare, about 40% of my gross income goes to the government right now. Considering I’m no where near that much maligned “1%” I feel this is a pretty steep bill I’m paying here and I am seeking legal ways to reduce it a bit.
This will also allow me to be added to Dave’s health insurance plan, which would reduce my monthly medical insurance premium from $187 to $0. Over the course of a year that would save me over $2,240.
In the end, marriage is primarily about money (which is also why money and finances is the #1 reason cited for divorce). Dave and I don’t need marriage to be in a healthy, loving relationship, but we do need marriage in order to take advantage of both financial and legal benefits that we would otherwise be denied. At this stage in our relationship it makes sense.
However there will be no fancy weddings, no elaborate bridal showers or bachelor parties. We live by the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid!). When we’re ready (after we have a nice pre-nuptial agreement drawn up and signed), we’ll switch from common law to legal marriage, officiate over our own nuptials and then throw a big party for our friends and family!
So yesterday I turned 40. That’s a fairly big milestone in a person’s life, considering our distant ancestors often didn’t live much past the age of 30 or so. If I was alive some 50,000 years ago I’d be considered a very old woman (and probably look the part), but in today’s modern age 40 isn’t really that old at all.
I can honestly say I don’t really feel that much different from when I turned 30. Sure I have a few more aches and pains then I did then, but nothing really all that bad.
My life is significantly improved since I turned 30, and way more since I turned 20. My 30s was my favorite decade in my life so far – I exceeded my own expectations in both my career and personal life. 10 years ago I would never have imagined being an independent consultant. In fact I remember having a presentation by a lady who was an independent consultant in one of my grad school classes and I thought to myself at the time “I could never do that.” Well I proved myself wrong (thank goodness!).
Also 10 years ago I would be equally skeptical that I’d ever meet a man as wonderful as Dave has been to me over the past 5.5 years. At that time I was still reeling for a big break-up (which was mostly mutual although I did broach the subject first). I wasn’t sure I’d ever find the kind of guy I really wanted and needed in my life. Amazing that he was living less than 1 mile away from me at that time!
I remember looking forward to my 30s, because I was tired of being 20-something and being treated as too young to know anything. Being 30-something seemed to add a level of legitimacy to my words, and people finally started to listen to what I had to say. It was a nice feeling.
I am equally looking forward to being 40-something and having an even stronger level of authority given to my voice. I don’t think your age should matter in how people perceive you, but in our society it still does.
Unfortunately you get to a point where you are considered “too old” to know anything. While I have no problems getting older, I dread the day someone looks at me and says “what do you know, you’re too old!” Let’s hope that doesn’t happen until I’m at least 80!
Until then I am going to keep enjoying my life, and working towards fulfilling the rest of my goals and dreams. I have 2 major goals left to accomplish, living to see my 100th birthday, and buying or building my dream house. Obviously the house goal will be accomplished first and I have no doubt it will be reached before I hit 50.
Now that the leaves have almost completely fallen from the trees, the weather has turned colder and we’ve had our first snow (or two), I have begun to get into the holiday spirit.
I know many people barely tolerate the holidays as they can evoke painful or at least uncomfortable memories of stressful family gatherings.
I guess I got lucky – while my family was full of stress and tension the rest of the year, during the holidays they made a concerted effort to put aside their differences to make the holidays a good experience for me. It was the one time of year everyone seemed to genuinely love each other (at least it felt that way when I was a kid).
Was it all a sham? Yeah, but the holidays still evoke such a profound sense of peace and happiness in me that stems back to those days, and I choose to embrace those good memories, instead of focusing on the lies/sham it may actually have been (I’m an optimist, so sue me!). :p
At the end of the day, this time of year always fills me with nostalgic longing and bittersweet memories of holidays gone by. I try and maintain some of the rituals that my family held when I was a child – like putting up the Christmas tree on my birthday, baking cookies and bread, making capon (a young turkey) for Thanksgiving and leg of lamb for Christmas. And of course always sending a Christmas package to my relatives in Germany. Besides my uncle in Chicago, they are the only family I have left from my childhood.
So it may be a tad early, but Happy Holidays everyone!
(Actually I don’t consider it too early – for me the Holidays begins with Halloween and continues until New Years). :)
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