Book Review: Capital of the World

Truth be told, I haven't been seeking out much non-fiction these days given the amount of heavy reading I do for the CFA each week.  But when I was asked if I'd like to review "Capital of the World" by Charlene Mires for a TLC Book Tour, I couldn't say no!  It tells the story of the the race to host the United Nations.  While I knew the UN was headquartered in New York City, I did not know much more about the roots of that organization.  I had a vague recollection of learning about the formation of the UN in a high school history class, but that is about I knew about the UN.  It was interesting to read about the various cities that campaigned hard for the opportunity to host the United Nations in their city.  A lot of cities threw their name in the hat from big cities like San Francisco to smaller, less known areas like the Black Hills of South Dakota.  That one shocked me the most to be quite honest.  I have been to the Black Hills several times, but I can't say I would have ever guessed that they tried to house the United Nations headquarters!

If you enjoy reading non-fiction and are curious about the origins of the United Nations, then this is the book for you!

Do you enjoy non-fiction?  Do you read many non-fiction books each year?  These days I don't but once the CFA is behind me, I would like to start reading a non-fiction book every 2-3 months.  My heart will always belong to fiction, but I do see the benefits of sprinkling in some non-fiction among the lighter fiction books I read!

Looking Forward: The North Carolina Edition

Well, it's officially moving week.  Tomorrow is my last day in the office, the movers come Thursday morning to pack/load my belongs and my car, and then I will be staying with Phil until Sunday when I take my one-way flight to Charlotte...  Yikes.  I think that might be a 'sunglasses on' kind of flight to hide the tears I imagine I'll be crying. 

That said, I think I am well overdue for a positive post about this move, given the fact I have not written anything positive about it thus far.  So I thought I'd do a looking forward post with a North Carolina focus.

When I move to NC, I'm looking forward to...

- spring.  I know Charlotte has had cooler weather lately, but it's still a walk in the park compared to what we've had lately (hello 8 degrees with the windchill on April 1st).  I am looking forward to green grass and trees with leaves and blooming flowers.  And temps that don't require a winter coat, hat, and gloves!!  And maybe I can wear my cropped pants without freezing!  

- attending a good friend/co-worker's wedding later this month.  She graciously invited me to her wedding when she found out I would move in time to be there for her special day.  She is getting married in the Lake Norman area, which is apparently a very beautiful area.  I will also be attending her 'last night out' dinner the first weekend I am in Charlotte.  It feels good to have social plans the first two weekends I will be in Charlotte.

- visiting John and his family in the Raleigh area!  I have known John through blogging for many years and we met briefly last year when I was in Charlotte for work.  In June I am planning to visit him, his wife, and their 2 adorable girls.  John is preparing for an Ironman in the fall (I might go spectate since it's in Wilmington which is about 3-4 hours from Charlotte!) so we will definitely be doing a long run together!

- checking out the U.S. National Whitewater Center.  It's about 20 minutes from Charlotte, so very easy to get to.  I am considering getting a season pass for this place as I can see myself going there often.  Judging by the name you might think I will go white water rafting, but I am actually not a huge fan of that; instead I want to paddle board, kayak, zip-line, check out their trails (Kyria, I might actually try trail running!), try canyon crossing (whatever that means), and maybe try rock climbing. 

- visiting the Asheville area.  I have heard nothing but wonderful things about Asheville.  It's in the mountainous area of NC and that is where the Biltmore is located (which apparently looks like a French Castle!).  There are so many things to do, I might have to go here more than once to take it all in.

- visiting the Outer Banks.  This is another area that I have heard nothing but good things about.  It sounds like such a beautiful, charming place to visit.  It's a LONG drive from Charlotte, though, so I am not sure if I will get there this year, but we'll see.

So there you have it.  Some positive aspects to this move, most of which I'll work on discovering after the CFA exam is behind me.  I think I am going to treat myself to a North Carolina travel guide book after the move as I figure that will help me find other areas to explore.  After all, I do want to make the most of this year (or however long it ends up being) that I spend in Charlotte.

Have you been to North Carolina?  Any must-see places I should add to my list?

Music, Books, Miles, and Looks of March

And just like that, another month has come and gone.  The frantic pace of life continues for me but I am hopeful that things will slow down once the move and the CFA exam are behind me.  March was a challenging month due to the amount of traveling I did for work, but it did have it's highlights, like my going away party and celebrating Easter with my family yesterday!  I could have done without the tearful goodbyes, but such is life these days.

Music:

 

Just Give Me a Reason by Pink - I really love this song.  I imagine it is something that most married people can relate to (from what I've heard), but even if you aren't married I think the concept of being bent, not broken is something resonates with most, if not all of us.

Books:

I had another ok month of reading.  I fit in just over 74 hours of studying and managed to read 3 books on top of that.  Not too shabby.


Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe - Phil highly recommended it as he was certain I would love it.  Luckily he was right!  It was really fun to discuss this book with him.  In a way it kind of reminded me of the book "The Rules of Civility."  Long story short, it's about a Wall Street executive who makes a mistake that throws his life into a tailspin.

The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe - I have wanted to read this since I first heard about it, but I patiently waited until my book fast ended to purchase it.  It is such a great book.  The author's mother finds out she has pancreatic cancer and Will begins to attend treatments with her.  They start to talk about books so decided to form a 2-person book club.  The book is a love letter to Will's mother and to the written word.  It is definitely worth checking out!

The Walk by Richard Paul Evans - I was in need of a light, easy-to-get-into book, so decided to read this book.  It is a really fast read and was just what I needed.  It's not spectacular and it's not something I'd necessarily recommend, but it was an enjoyable read.  It had one quote at the end that really resonated with me:  "we can be victims of circumstance or masters of our own fate, but make no mistake, we cannot be both."

Miles:

Not the best month for me in terms of miles.  I ran 59 miles which isn't great but is better than last month.  It doesn't help that it was wicked cold last month.  I'd like to say the number will be higher next month but I'll be dealing with unpacking/settling in, so it might be another lackluster running month.  We'll see.  I really need to get my mileage base built up again as marathon training will start in June!


Looks:

My favorite outfit of the month was actually the outfit I wore for my going away party, but I haven't gotten the pictures from my boss's wife yet as they left for Spring Break shortly after my party so maybe I will share the photos next month!


Here are 2 runner-up looks, though!

I pulled out this springy blazer for my trip to Florida as I figured the seer-sucker material was appropriate for that climate!

This top is a little bit 70s between the color and the lace, but it is springy so I wore it so I could feel like it is spring even though it's clearly not spring based upon our weather (will the snow ever melt?).

5 Things Friday

Happy Friday, everyone!  I hope you all had a good week.  It was kind of my last 'normal' week.  Next week I work Monday-Wednesday, the movers come on Thursday to pack my goods and load them, and then I fly out to Charlotte on Sunday.  Yikes.  Sh*t is getting real, people.

Here's 5 things on my mind this Friday:

1. Eggs.  I really hope that I get to the lake on time on Saturday to partake in some egg dying with my nephews and niece.  I also hope they receive some of those Reese's Peanut Butter eggs from the Easter Bunny and that one of them is kind enough to give one (or share one) with their aunt.  :)

2.  Delta.  I am steadily becoming a very valuable customer to Delta.  I purchase two flights this week - one for a trip to visit Alli in New York in August (eeks!!  So excited!!), and one for my trip home for Christmas.  Yes, you read that right.  I already bought my ticket home for Christmas as the flight price was already starting to creep up and I didn't see it going any lower so I figured I'd buy it.  I will probably be buying my ticket home for the 4th of July soon, too.  Now that I have flown the Charlotte-Minneapolis route many times, I know how low prices go, and how sickeningly high they can get, so I figure I might as well lock in the lower price point when I can.

3.  Study.  I am once again using a vacation day today to study.  Go me.  But this will allow me to take Saturday and Sunday off and *hopefully* not feel guilty.  I won't hit my 18 hours for the week, but oh well.  Some weeks I just can't fit everything in and I am sure I will make up the hours missed when I am in Charlotte.

4.  Eat.  Eat.  Eat.  I have been eating out so much lately as I have so many good bye lunches/dinners/etc.  Like yesterday, my boss took me out for breakfast, a friend at work took me out for lunch, and a former co-worker treated me to macarons in the afternoon.  I usually try to only eat out once a week but that is just not possible these days, and it's only going to get worse next week when all my kitchen stuff gets packed up as I won't have my things for as long as a week possibly. 

5.  Moving?  It still doesn't feel real that I am moving.  I have done a lot to prepare for the move like set up utilities, donate belongs to Good Will, sell furniture, and submit a change of address form, but I have not packed a single box.  That is because the moving company does it for me (which is paid for by my company).  Which is awesome!  But it makes the move feel less real because if I was in charge of the move, 80% of my things would be packed by now!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!  And for those who celebrate Easter, Happy Easter!

Practicing an Attitude of Gratitude

A couple of weeks ago on my day off from work, I met up with a good friend for lunch.  I had lunch with her shortly after I found out about my move, but we hadn't had a chance to meet up since, so we had lots to catch up on.  I think I held it together last time I saw her as the news of my move was so new and I was still working through my emotions.  Well, at this lunch, the reality of the move had started to set in and I was a bit of a total crying mess. Luckily this friend is a fellow crier so she didn't pass any judgment over the fact that I pretty much cried through our entire lunch - and luckily I was facing the wall of the restaurant so I had some privacy.

Nearly 10 weeks after finding out about this move, I continue to really struggle with it.  Maybe it's the fact that it's being forced on me (yes, I could have said no, but I really couldn't for financial reason).  Maybe it's the fact that I have no control over the timing.  Maybe it's the fact that I am already stressed to the max January-June due to CFA studying and just can't really handle another major life event.  Maybe it is the sum of all of these things.  Whatever the reason -no matter how many times I try to tell myself that it will all work out, that it will be ok, and that this next year won't be a dark phase of my life, I am just really struggling to believe it.

So after my friend listened to my litany of complaints about all the things happening related to the move, she gently recommended that I consider starting a gratitude journal.  She explained how she had kept a gratitude journal during a challenging time in her life and thought I might benefit from it as well.

And she is completely right.  I had received a couple of journals for my birthday, so I decided to make one of them a gratitude journal.

So each night, usually after I finish studying, I think back on the day and come up with 3 moments/things that I am grateful for.   I know that eventually this dark cloud that has been hanging over me will part and I will find it easier to focus on the good things in life - but for right now, it's a conscious exercise to focus on the good.  I am hoping that by focusing on the good things in life, it will help me move past the feelings of anger and resentment that I have been harboring lately.

I don't expect this gratitude journal to make a difference over night.  But hopefully with time, it will help me shift my attitude and become a little more of a "Tigger" and a little less of an "Eyore," as my former boss so succinctly put it in the card he gave me at my going away party.

Have you ever kept a gratitude journal?  Are you good about practicing an attitude of gratitude?  With the exception of difficult times in my life, I feel like I am pretty good at focusing on the positive in life.

Love Where You Live

For those who know me well and have read this blog for awhile, I think it is pretty clear that I really, really love Minneapolis.  So much so that I could practically be an ambassador for this city.  My deep love for Minneapolis is part of the reason the move to Charlotte is so hard for me.  Now, I do realize that Minneapolis is not perfect. Our climate leaves something to be desired from December through March.  And it can be hard to be a new person in this city as people tend to stick to their groups of friends.  And it's not the best city for single 30-somethings since people tend to marry in their 20s around these parts.  But all in all, the good outweighs the not so good.

It's no secret that I am not exactly excited about the city of Charlotte.  I know quite a few people (mostly through work) that call Charlotte home and say that they love it... A frustrating aspect of this move has been the fact that most of the people who claim to love Charlotte can't succinctly explain what it is that they love.  It's almost like the city has, as the French would say, a certain "je ne sais quoi."  When I ask people to explain why they love the city of Charlotte, their love of the city is just something they can't seem to explain.

Maybe I expect too much when I expect people to have a succinct reason for liking the city they inhabit.  After awhile, I guess you probably just accept that it's where you live and you stop thinking about the reasons that you love where you live.

So maybe the average person can't succinctly explain why they love where they live.  But I can.  If someone was moving to Minneapolis and asked me why I love Minneapolis, I could easily answer that question.  I'd tell them that we are one of the top 10 cities for running and that we have beautiful running trails, many of which are along lakes and rivers.  I'd tell them that we battle Portland each year for the top spot for Friendliest Biking City and that our bike sharing program has been very successful and is something I utilize daily April-November.  I'd tell them that we have a wonderful live music scene and it's rare for a musical artist to not include Minneapolis on their tours.  I'd tell them that our downtown is vibrant year round and offers a great selection of restaurants - some of which have awesome happy hours.  I'd tell them that there are great farmer's markets throughout the city, my favorite of which is the one in my neighborhoood.  I'd tell them that many large companies, such as General Mills, Target, Medtronic, and Best Buy, are head quartered in Minneapolis which means we have lots of employment options (just not in my field of Fixed Income, unfortunately).

I'd tell them all of this, and so much more. 

If you love where you live, do you think you could succinctly explain why?  If someone was moving to your city, what selling points about your city could you provide?

Virtual Friday Coffee Date

Greetings and Happy Friday, everyone!  I am back from what I believe is my last business trip before my move (which is in about 2 weeks - yikes).  It's been over a month since I did a virtual Friday coffee date post, so I thought it'd be good way to catch up on what's happening in my life these days!

If we were having coffee today...

- I'd tell you that I am tired.  Really tired.  I have traveled every week since the week of February 18th and all this time zone hopping and the disruption to my schedule has worn me out. 

- I'd tell you that I am really excited to meet a friend's baby tonight.  I think some baby snuggles with her baby boy who turned 1 month yesterday are just what my soul needs.

- I'd tell you that on Wednesday, a vendor from work who is around my age was also on my flight so we shared a cab to the hotel and then decided to go for a nice long walk since it was a balmy 55 degrees in Charlotte (it was 6 in Minneapolis so that felt awesome).  We walked past  my apartment and checked out an area where I can see myself running so that was fun.

- I'd tell you that while I want to see as many people before I leave, it's getting increasingly difficult to plan things as I am so tired between work stuff and CFA studying.  Trying to juggle my study schedule and packing tasks and seeing people on the weekends is just not working very well.

- Speaking of CFA studying, I'd tell you that I am ahead of my study schedule so will probably have about 2 months to review, which is a very good thing as the essay format of the morning half of the exam is FREAKING ME OUT. 

- I'd tell you that I went rogue in the kitchen when I made dinner for Phil and I on Tuesday night and that the dish I made (stir fry with steak) is now one of Phil's favorite things I've made!  I was so sure it wouldn't turn out as I really don't trust myself to cook without a recipe.  I guess I can afterall!

- Lastly, I'd tell you that the highlight of my week was finding out that my sister Abby is coming home for Easter!  My brother from Chicago is coming home as well, so this means I get to see all of my siblings, and all of my nephews and my niece.  That is a VERY big deal as we are so rarely all together (I can't remember the last time that happened - I think it's been years).

If we had coffee this morning, what would you fill me in on?