Thursday, October 30, 2008

Riding the downward spiral all the way to zero

I leave for work around 6:45 AM, or earlier if I'm feeling particularly chipper or if I have just returned from a European vacation (jet lag). I start up my car, scrape my windows, and head off into the cold, dark world (is it time to change the clocks or what??). The first thing I do in the car is turn on the defrost/heat. My next step is to change the station to Bloomberg radio.

I listen to Bloomberg radio on Sirius, which might be best invention ever for committed commuters like myself ("committed" because I spend 2+ hours/day in my car, or perhaps because I should be committed for spending 1/12+ of my life that way; it's a toss-up).

While we were in Italy and watching the downward financial spiral begin, I couldn't help but wonder what Tom Keane--perhaps my new fav finance guy since Alan Greenspan, whom I now know is not infallible, but hey, nobody's perfect--was saying about the current financial markets. I needn't have worried because the drama has only intensified since we returned, and I've had ample opportunity to hear his carefully paced but energetic commentary as well as the opinions of his guests.

His guests have wide-ranging specialties, and some are more scintillating than others, but all offer analysis and predictions that help me understand financial markets a little bit more. After the Dow fell below 8500 (a move predicted by a guest, back when falling to 8500 seemed inconceivable), I vowed not to check my 401k accounts because I knew that I would be met only with bad news.

Sticking to that decision would have been good, but I broke down last week and decided to log on and see how I was doing. Big Mistake. If you haven't checked your accounts yet--Don't Do It! Wait for your next quarterly statement, or better yet, wait for another year, and understand that you're not alone in your 30% loss.

After adding up all of the money that, on paper anyway, I had lost, I considered my options. Curling up in a corner and crying, while tempting, wasn't going to get me anywhere. Taking my money out when the market is at its lowest point is about the worst idea ever. Continuing my current contributions was really my only choice.

But then every day on the radio came doom and gloom, and I could start to feel my heartbeat increase every time I pushed Bloomberg's preset station number on my radio. What bad news would come today, I would wonder. How far will the Dow fall tomorrow, I would ponder. It got to be too much.

And then I had an epiphany. I am a bystander in this crisis. I'm not a trader or a portfolio manager or a hedge fund manager, and the money that I have invested in the stock market is peanuts compared to most. I don't actively interact with any markets. In short, I have zero control over this situation--and that's a comforting place to be. If I can't control what's going to happen in the market, then what's the point of worrying about it?

My new attitude has helped me enormously. Earlier this week when the Dow was flirting with falling below 8,000 and the impending, likely rate cut seemed eons away, I reminded myself of my lack of power and immediately relaxed. Listening to Bloomberg is not nearly as stressful as it was becoming.

But when it gets to be too much, Cosmo radio is always there for a lighter form of entertainment. After all, all finance and no fun makes M a dull girl.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Photos from an architectural exhibit in Venice

On one of our Venice days, we were riding the slow vaporetto down the Grand Canal while listening to Rick Steves's guided tour when the woman sitting next to us asked us what Ben's iPhone was. We explained, and then we explained that we were listening to podcast tours of the canal and its surrounding buildings. She said that she knew we were Americans because of my "bracelet"--a black hair elastic that never leaves my wrist. She had its twin--they were even frayed and stretched in the same part.

The woman, from LA, was in Venice with her husband to celebrate her fiftieth birthday. Several months prior, he had offered her a party or a trip, and she wisely chose the vacation (who would choose the party??). We swapped stories--Yoko Ono and Julian Lennon had walked into their lunch eatery that day; and we had taken a gondola ride the evening before for our anniversary. She wanted to take a ride but her husband was unconvinced, so Ben offered his manly impressions of the experience in an effort to help her convince him.

We were on the boat for a pleasure cruise, but she was heading in the direction of an architecture exhibit that was in town. She said that it originally came from the United States and was supposed to be interesting.

Several days later, for our last full day in Venice, I asked Ben to pick the activity for the day, and he chose the architecture exhibit, so off we went to an abandoned building far from the crowds of St. Mark's Square for some modern art exhibits that were among the coolest we saw our entire trip.

The guidemap said that the exhibit was about more than just structures--it was about art and life and materials and who knows what else (art exhibits are always about something more than they seem to be). It was a cool walk-through experience with lots of photo-taking opportunities--here are a few of my favorites.









Our day trip to Siena

According to Rick Steves, whenever anyone in his office mentions the Tuscan hill town of Siena, someone always says, "Siena? I looooove Siena!" Needless to say, expectations were high.

The chaos started early when we were unable to find the bus station. I managed to find the only person in Italy who didn't speak English, but we were able to communicate enough that I found out where to catch the bus. Unfortunately, our delay in finding the station meant that we missed the direct bus and had to take the pokey bus instead, a two-hour semi-scenic tour of a Tuscan highway.

We arrived in town and made our way to the main square, which, twice per year, features a no-holds-barred horse race around the edges. Each of the villages of the city enters a horse (with a rider) in the race, and the winning village gets bragging rights. Mattresses are placed around the most difficult corners, though they don't prevent ferocious wipe-outs.

We were't in town for the horse race, so we were allowed to walk freely in an around the square. We grabbed lunch at one of the many surrounding cafes and enjoyed the people watching before making our way to the town's duomo (church). Our first stop was the museum, which offered fabulous views of the town.

As we left the museum, the skies opened up. Our hotel's only occasionally helpful weather forecast had promised no rain, so we had no umbrella. We ran for the church and spent over an hour inside as we waited for the rain to calm down.

The church featured many floor carvings, including the following skull. Skull jewelry was also very popular and was featured prominently in the windows of many jewelry stores.
After the rain, we did some shopping in town, picking up some panforte, a specialty dessert of the region, and (natch) some some gelato. I snapped this pic, one of my favs from the trip, as we were wandering around town. (Ok, we were lost and looking for the main square.)After some more meandering and shopping, we decided that we had had our fill of Siena. Did we love it? No, I don't think so, but we enjoyed it, and I'd go back, especially if we can buy more of their sexy pasta:

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Venice "street" scapes

One of the items on my life list is to frame and hang photographs that I have taken. Between our France and Italy trips, I think I am on my way to having some good options to choose from. Here are a few of my favorite Venetian scenes.








Feeling chic in Florence

The thing about Florence is that it's an intimidating city. Designer clothing stores abound, and the prices of the deliciousness in the window prevents you from even entering the store. And the cars, while modestly sized, are fast--really fast. I spent the first two days clinging to buildings as they sped past within arm's reach. "One driver's bad turn," I thought, "And I'm going to get squished."

Luckily, I didn't get squished, and I got over my intimidation. A heavenly meal of homemade pasta with a pink cream sauce made with bacon and mushrooms helped me to appreciate the city, and I was sad to leave after our 5 nights of Florentine fun.

Here are the highlights from the Florence leg of the trip:

* Seeing the David at the Accademia. Museums aren't my favorite pasttime, but B likes them, so I try to be a good sport and go to as many as I can handle. Seeing the David, however, was awe-inspiring. I could have lived without seeing hundreds of versions of the Madonna and child at other museums, though.

*Eating gelato every day. Most gelato stores in Florence offer as many as 7 different cups, ranging in price from 1-2 euro all the way up to 7 euro--or more. One evening we happened into a store and ordered flavors without choosing a size. I should have known by the size of the cup that the girl filled that we weren't getting the bargain 2 euro servings. She rang up the bill and we were staggered by the 18 euro total. We enjoyed our $27 ice creams, skipped dinner, and remembered from our France trip (and my 9 euro Orangina) never to order something until you see a price.

* Shopping at the outdoor markets. No, we couldn't afford to shop in most stores, but we could shop on the streets. B got a leather laptop bag, I got a purse, and we both got gloves. Our bargaining skills are improving but probably still have a long way to go.

Here are a few of my fav photos from Florence.

Our hotel. Five stars are the way to go.


The view from our hotel room--wow!

I fell in love with those little smart cars...
B in front of the Duomo.

Me in front of the Duomo.

We ate a lot of pasta in Italy...


I drank my fair share of hot chocolate.

There was a lot of watch window shopping.

The Arno is in the background.

Here's the Arno during the day.

B was mildly obsessed with this boar. He even got a figurine for his desk at work.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

And we're back

We're back from vacation, and after some mediocre posting stats for September, I hereby vow to do better for October. Granted, "better" is only 3 postings, so this posting means that I am 1/3 of the way toward my goal. Low expectations are much easier to meet than the loftier ones.

Our trip in a nutshell: Fabulous. I was chic in Florence, swooned over canals in Venice, chased windmills (and got sunburned) in Mykonos, saw the effects of plundering in Athens, played Indiana Jones in Corfu, and nearly got blown off a mountain in Split. Some days it was 90 degrees, some days it was 50 degrees, and we had blazing sunshine, pouring rain, and everything in between. I bought more jewelry than even I expected and managed to convince B to buy a few treasures for himself (next time you're over, be sure to admire the woven sheepskin-esque throw).

We passed many an internet cafe in Italy, but I just couldn't break my shopping rhythm and stop in. Plus I didn't carry my passport with me, and you need your passport to access the internet in Italy (post-9/11 security measures). However, I will recap the trip (and provide photos!) in the upcoming days (or, if I can manage only a measly 3 posts per month, perhaps months--by the time I finish it will be time to go away again).

We got back last weekend, and other than unpacking and trying to bring semblance to an unusually disorderly house, here's what we've been up to:

Plotting future vacations.
I've started the Germany/Austria plans in earnest. We had a one-night layover in Frankfurt at the end of the trip and went into town for a few hours. Frankfurt might not be the most historical city in Germany, but it got me excited to go back, and not just because Germany has entire stores devoted to gummi candy. I enjoyed the energy and the language (very excited to pick up some conversational German--I'm going to buy a CD this weekend), and I love traditional German architecture. Plus it will be (nearly) Christmas! I've already told B that we're buying a cuckoo clock while we're over there. Depending on where the dollar goes, it could be a very small cuckoo clock, or perhaps just a cuckoo if we're feeling particularly bearish.

Additionally, we're looking ahead to 2009. Some of our tablemates on our cruise were from San Antonio, Texas, and they raved about the city. I did some investigation when I got home and realized that SAT (I'm a travel nerd and like to refer to cities by their airport codes) has a lot of great-sounding attractions--the Alamo, Riverwalk, several missions, theme parks, historical districts, and more. Did I mention the Tex-Mex food? Bring on the guacamole! We're thinking of heading down for a week or so in April, maybe to see part of their annual Fiesta event.

Hunkering down for winter.
I keep putting of the day of the great closet switch--when I move all of my summer clothes to the bottom rack and all of my winter clothes to the top rack--but it's coming soon. We turned the heat on this weekend, and we've already had our first frost. (Luckily, the newly planted shrubs out front appear to have survived, so far anyway.) I had forgotten how unpleasant it is to scrape frost off my car, probably because B always does it. I have decided that as of this winter, I will no longer warm up my car before leaving (except to turn it on before I scrape), in an effort to save gas/money and to minimize pollution.

Note: I am not a saint, and I will make exceptions on a case-by-case basis, depending on temperature, mood, and warmth of my clothing.

In other non-winter related news, I am preparing to cut off a foot of hair for an excellent cause. I can't wait to be able to dry my hair in less than 45 minutes.