Long time, no write
I got back very late on Monday and was busy getting caught up at work and other stuff the last few days. I had today off since it's the last day of Passover (love these Jewish holidays!) so I stayed up last night figuring my budget and cleaning things up a bit. Today I went to my old place of employment and went out to lunch with my buddy Karri and talked with one of my financial agent friends to go over some things. Of course, I forgot to bring my 403(b) information, which is the main reason we were meeting, but we talked about other stuff I may be interested in purchasing. I talked to him about the life insurance and AD&D I'm getting through my employer and he said he thought that was fine and that since I don't own my home and have no kids that the $95K of one and $80k of the other that I bought (very cheaply) through work should suffice if anything happens to me. That's what I thought, but I feel better hearing it from a person I trust on these things -- especially from a person who could make money from selling me more but says I don't need it. See, this is why I'm using him as my financial guru :) I discussed disability insurance but he didn't think I'd be able to do much until I was there for about a year, as they use the previous year's salary to figure what I need, plus I do have some through work at the moment, although I know that shouldn't be all I have forever.
I'm also going to talk to my sister about long-term care insurance for my parents. They don't appear to be concerned, but if anything happens to one or both of them it will be ME who will have to stop my life and go to help them, and my sister who would probably have to help with any money issues. So, I figure in the long run it will be better if Mo and I share the cost of long-term care insurance, which may be $300-$400 a month total because they are in their 60s. I have to talk to her about it and I know she's travelling for the next two weeks and don't want to bother her then. I don't know if she'll like the idea, and it is rather annoying that I feel we have to do this because nobody else will, but I also see it as saving our sanity and money later. I've been thinking about this for a while, and am thankful I spent some time in an insurance/financial office. Otherwise, I wouldn't have a clue or have heard horror and good stories about people who didn't have the proper insurance or did have the proper insurance and it saved them.
As for my vacation, I had a great time. It was raining most of the time I was there, but that's fine -- getting away is getting away. Mo took me up to Mendocino on Friday and we stayed through Sunday. I really like that little village and it's one of Mo's favorite places, so I'm sure I'll go back. Between the extra time I had and the flight time, I read the first Harry Potter book and Dracula, which I had never read. I also read almost all of The Hobbit, and can finish that on the train tomorrow and on Saturday. I also finished The Glorious Cause by Jeff Shaara, a historical novel about the American Revolution. That's another great aspect to taking the train to work and back every day -- reading time. I have about 20 minutes going and coming out, and if I get to the train or trolley station early I can get in a few more pages. It's great, because I've been focusing on stitching, my health and my financial well-being, so reading has fallen a bit by the wayside.
Speaking of books, that's mostly what I bought for myself on vacation. I don't know why, it's not like there aren't books here -- heck, I work NEXT DOOR to a Barnes & Noble and Borders isn't too far away. However, I found a great little used book store in Mendocino and bought the third Harry Potter book, The Hobbit (which I mentioned earlier), Dracula (also mentioned earlier), Frankenstein (haven't read before), a book about how the Gettysburg Address changed America, and a small 1958 biography of Al Smith. If I'd had more money and suitcase space I really would have gone nuts :)
I did take a few pictures while I was there, but most of the time it was raining so I didn't get as many as I would have liked. Honestly? I forgot half the time that I had a camera with me. I'm not used to carrying a digital camera so just didn't think about it much of the time.
I did want to point you to some cool stuff I found there. I bought a little cat made from nuts, bolts and metal and there's a website where there's more figures made from these materials. The artist has done some pretty cool things with them. Also, there's a store called "Art That Makes You Laugh" and it really did. I didn't buy anything while there but I may end up buying some from their website. The cat and dog stuff is particularly funny, especially "Demando Cat."
Well, I've blathered on for quite a while, but I guess I had a lot to say :)
I'm also going to talk to my sister about long-term care insurance for my parents. They don't appear to be concerned, but if anything happens to one or both of them it will be ME who will have to stop my life and go to help them, and my sister who would probably have to help with any money issues. So, I figure in the long run it will be better if Mo and I share the cost of long-term care insurance, which may be $300-$400 a month total because they are in their 60s. I have to talk to her about it and I know she's travelling for the next two weeks and don't want to bother her then. I don't know if she'll like the idea, and it is rather annoying that I feel we have to do this because nobody else will, but I also see it as saving our sanity and money later. I've been thinking about this for a while, and am thankful I spent some time in an insurance/financial office. Otherwise, I wouldn't have a clue or have heard horror and good stories about people who didn't have the proper insurance or did have the proper insurance and it saved them.
As for my vacation, I had a great time. It was raining most of the time I was there, but that's fine -- getting away is getting away. Mo took me up to Mendocino on Friday and we stayed through Sunday. I really like that little village and it's one of Mo's favorite places, so I'm sure I'll go back. Between the extra time I had and the flight time, I read the first Harry Potter book and Dracula, which I had never read. I also read almost all of The Hobbit, and can finish that on the train tomorrow and on Saturday. I also finished The Glorious Cause by Jeff Shaara, a historical novel about the American Revolution. That's another great aspect to taking the train to work and back every day -- reading time. I have about 20 minutes going and coming out, and if I get to the train or trolley station early I can get in a few more pages. It's great, because I've been focusing on stitching, my health and my financial well-being, so reading has fallen a bit by the wayside.
Speaking of books, that's mostly what I bought for myself on vacation. I don't know why, it's not like there aren't books here -- heck, I work NEXT DOOR to a Barnes & Noble and Borders isn't too far away. However, I found a great little used book store in Mendocino and bought the third Harry Potter book, The Hobbit (which I mentioned earlier), Dracula (also mentioned earlier), Frankenstein (haven't read before), a book about how the Gettysburg Address changed America, and a small 1958 biography of Al Smith. If I'd had more money and suitcase space I really would have gone nuts :)
I did take a few pictures while I was there, but most of the time it was raining so I didn't get as many as I would have liked. Honestly? I forgot half the time that I had a camera with me. I'm not used to carrying a digital camera so just didn't think about it much of the time.
I did want to point you to some cool stuff I found there. I bought a little cat made from nuts, bolts and metal and there's a website where there's more figures made from these materials. The artist has done some pretty cool things with them. Also, there's a store called "Art That Makes You Laugh" and it really did. I didn't buy anything while there but I may end up buying some from their website. The cat and dog stuff is particularly funny, especially "Demando Cat."
Well, I've blathered on for quite a while, but I guess I had a lot to say :)
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