Weekend Wrap-Up

It’s been a while since I described all my exciting weekend activities but I definitely got out and about this past Labor Day weekend:

I went to the 18th birthday party of my friend Sarah’s younger brother on Saturday down in Southern MD. We had a big group dinner of Surf n’ Turf that was delicious. My boyfriend Michael fixed up a recipe we got from our subscription to Gourmet Magazine, sautéed kale and kohlrabi. It was a hit! Sarah and her brother drove back with us to Arlington to hang out.

little yellow things: pistachios

The next day, Sarah and I drove down to just south of the Belle Haven Marina to do an hour of cardio. I think the perfect place to park along GW Parkway if you want to avoid the traffic of the park by the marina and not be too close to the GW trail hills but also get the waterfront experience is here. So we parked and took my bike off the roof of my car while Sarah ran north ahead of me. I caught up with her and did interval sprints while Sarah jogged up to Old Town and back. In fact, I took the bridge to the Belle Haven neighborhood and did some hills (ok two hills). It was fun to ride by her slowly and tell her her speed based on my spedometer and hand off the waterbottle I was carrying. It’s too bad we forgot to bring a camera!

On Monday, Michael and I went to a cook-out at a friend’s place in Manassas. It was more of a cook-in due to the rain but it was good times and we met a bunch of new people. Michael brought another creation from Gourmet which was an interesting combination: watermelon and cucumber salad tossed in lime juice and mint along with mint tzaziki! I made the tzaziki, which I usually use dill. The mint stand-in was a new flavor for me and I still prefer dill, however the combination with the watermelon and cuc’s was fun and fresh – definitely a summertime recipe.

We left the house early to stop by the Buttercup Farm to check out the new bunnies. Apparently, therewas an accidental “explosion” do to an incorrect sexing and unplanned pregnancy that occurred through wire cage walls. So there are over 40 rabbits on the cool farm that’s tucked away off Rt 66. The owner is very nice and she has a fan page on Facebook. We picked out two grey bunnies that are only seven weeks old to bring home. I posted some videos to Facebook and YouTube here. So far besides being super cute, they love to run in circles around my giant couch, sit on my lap during movies, and evade Michael when it’s time to go to bed. They are a blast.

Things to Consider When Entering: The Exit

Do you often wait to make decisions until you make considerations in the case of deciding or needing to  change course? I myself find it hard to imagine that I’ve already made a bad decision and I find it especially infuriating to play devil’s advocate with my own future while trying to make a decision now. But in general, the considerations that will make me change course are the same. And buried deep in Fidelity’s own information pages, I found them spelled out.

For investment advice,  if you are so inclined to do your own research, I recommend that you check out The Motley Fool website. Or pay a tax attourney, accountant, and/or financial advisor to help you. Remember that you are responsible for the outcome and they are responsible for their advice. Big difference.

On the Fidelity webpage that tells me how to get my money out of L-3’s 401k, which is filled with information for people who’ve already decided to exit, are these three bulletpoints introduced as “considerations” for leaving the money IN:

•	You may have more restrictions than active employees (such as limited number of annual transactions)
•	You may be charged fees
•	You may have limited investment options

Points one and three are essentially the same. Fidelity lightly reminds you that you “may” want to leave your options open. And that you “may” be paying fees along the way no matter what. I assume that for most people, this info generally isn’t what you’re looking hard at the time you decided to get into this. Hey, me neither. I had just heard that Fidelity is like, the best place for a bourgeoise like myself to “invest.” Now I know that just like any other choice I make, options and fees are the main themes to get more information on when deciding what to do. It’s all the same.

So how about thinking through these sentences next time you’re deliberating:

• “This may restrict me __how_”
• “This may cause me to pay __what_”
• “This may limit my options __where__”

The use of the auiliary verb “may” is both a present and future possibility! Just keep it in mind.

Flowchart of Dog’s Mind @ Dog Park

*Via Holy Taco

A picture that elicits good-natured, knowing laughter

Louis Armstrong Sings to Bambi and Kitty

Free Screen Cleaner

It’s here!