tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74391678927765460542024-02-20T02:37:14.453-06:00Paragon2PiecesParagon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.comBlogger248125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-60347578657326874292024-01-27T22:20:00.004-06:002024-01-27T22:31:04.737-06:00Six New-to-Me Vegetarian Recipes<p>I recently finished cooking my way through six new-to-me vegetarian recipes. They were all tasty and worth repeating, so I'm compiling the list of links below for future reference.</p><p></p><ol><li><a href="https://smittenkitchen.com/2023/03/bean-and-vegetable-burritos/">Bean and Vegetable Burritos</a> by Smitten Kitchen</li><li><a href="https://www.budgetbytes.com/honey-sriracha-tofu/">Honey Sriracha Tofu</a> by Budget Bytes</li><li><a href="https://www.thegardengrazer.com/black-bean-spinach-enchiladas/">Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas</a> by The Garden Grazer (thanks to a link from Lag Liv)</li><li><a href="https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/creamy-cauliflower-soup/">Creamy Cauliflower Soup</a> by Gimme Some Oven</li><li><a href="https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/chickpea-curry/">Chickpea Curry</a> by Chelsea's Messy Apron</li><li><a href="https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/roasted-sweet-potato-and-chickpea-bowls/">Roasted Sweet Potato & Chickpea Bowls</a> by Gimme Some Oven</li></ol><div>Often, because of busy days at work, I resort to convenience foods. Historically, this hasn't been much of a problem, but I've recently noticed that a meal with too much sugar or fat seems to slow me down. After tracking how I feel after different meals, I noticed that I feel great after eating vegetarian entrees. So, more vegetarian entrees it is!</div>Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-15119736175975466152024-01-15T18:03:00.001-06:002024-01-15T18:03:50.640-06:00Return to the Firm - The First YearTwo years ago, while I was working at a great (but somewhat boring) in-house job, I heard from a friend that the star senior associate in her practice group was in dire need of a dedicated, reliable lieutenant. Said star associate was running a sizable client relationship on behalf of an equity partner that had disengaged from the day-to-day as he neared retirement. It was working out well for her except that other associates staffed on her deals were frequently prioritizing other work that they received directly from partners and missing deadlines on her deals as a result. The idea was that I would join as her dedicated associate, free up some of her time to work on client development and, frankly, give her time to sleep a bit or maybe even take a vacation.<div><div><br /></div><div>I thought about it, met with the senior associate in question to confirm that she lived up to the hype and decided that this was my chance to be the change I wanted to see in this little corner of private practice.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I resigned, took a severe class year cut and started at this law firm working for star senior associate. We got off to a great start, finishing deals quickly and efficiently, working around the clock, keeping the client happy and collecting at each closing. I saw a grand total of about ten emails from the equity partner during that time--he just wasn't involved. </div><div><br /></div><div>Then, at the end of the first year, star senior associate hears from the equity partner that the book will not be passed to her when he retires after all. Instead, the book was going to a male junior partner, but could she and I please continue working as if nothing had changed? (As you can imagine, there are many painful, frustrating details around this that cannot be shared publicly.)</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Did star senior associate make partner as planned? No.</div><div><br /></div><div>Did I blow my billable target out of the water? Yes.</div><div>Did I get great reviews and an above-market bonus at the end of that first year? Yes.</div><div>Did I achieve what I had set out to accomplish? No.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was the worst great year I've ever had at a law firm.</div>Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-58627358281556494772022-07-19T01:58:00.001-05:002022-07-19T02:06:09.147-05:00One Year in the New HouseIt's been a little more than a year since I closed on the house. This was a custom-ish new build through a national, publicly traded homebuilder and a very different experience than my first home purchase (which was a new build with a boutique builder). I could write a novel on the experience, but want to start by jotting down some summary notes.<div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Why move when I loved my first house?</b> </li><ul><li>My first house was centrally located in a desirable neighborhood, but small enough that it had only one garage space. Fiancé wanted a four (!) car garage so we could each have a parking space and he could have room for projects. To achieve that in the neighborhood where my first house was located, we would have been looking at a price tag >$2MM, likely $3MM (which was not doable).</li></ul><li><b>What do I miss about my old house? </b></li><ul><li>The central location and smaller size of the house. Keeping up with chores and errands was a relative breeze when everything I needed (outside the house) was nearby and the spaces I needed to keep clean and organized were small and manageable. </li><li>The excellent build quality. When I sold my old house, the buyer's inspector wasn't able to identify a single required repair. I get some credit for being a good steward of the house, but the lion's share of the credit goes to my builder. I didn't know just how good my experience with him had been until I started working with the national builder on construction of the new build.</li></ul><li><b>What do I like about the new house?</b></li><ul><li>Quiet neighborhood.</li><li>I have an office! (I spent most of COVID working at the kitchen table in the old house.)</li><li>Locked in pricing just before construction prices soared.</li><li>Locked in a sweet mortgage rate of 2.1%.</li><li>Friendly neighbors.</li></ul><li><b>What do I dislike about the new house?</b></li><ul><li>Poor process management and customer service provided by national builder. There is an extraordinary amount to say on this topic, but in short, building this house has been the worst customer experience of my lifetime. At every stage--from the sales process to the warranty process--I have been shocked by poor performance of the builder. Of course, COVID delays made the build challenging, but COVID isn't an excuse for massive communication failures as between the builder and its prospective homeowners. More than a year post-closing we have approximately 50 open warranty items.</li><li>Remote location. We traded location for a larger house, which seemed like a good idea because I was pregnant at the time that I signed the purchase contract. But then I miscarried and being in a big/mostly empty house in a very suburban neighborhood surrounded by families with children and retirees (when we are neither of those things) has been a bit tough on the psyche.</li></ul></ul><div>As I wrap up the warranty process with the builder, I hope my memories of the build process and first few months in the house (when we had neither a refrigerator nor couch) fade and I enjoy living here more and more. This house is beautiful, but I've often wished I had just stayed put in the old house. </div></div>Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-31390184366562658782022-02-05T17:44:00.000-06:002022-02-05T17:44:09.553-06:00Never Say Never<p> I quit my low key government attorney job to go back to a law firm at the beginning of December.</p><p>There is so much to say (that I will say eventually), but for now I'll keep it simple: I am happy.</p><p>When the pandemic caused the abrupt cancellation of major life milestones (ahem, our wedding), slowed others (the new home build that never ends), and stripped away so many day-to-day joys, there were no distractions left and I had to admit that the slow and steady government job that would be a dream for many transactional lawyers was not working for me.</p><p>This led to a new job. And a new puppy. More on both to follow.</p><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8w2-H71RmcI58oHtIGX5QS1BgPwmRTX-n-4xapkXKE2-ENP6EeBKF54naw-x7-_kvCL8c30IeInc9IpO6z9ZJ4EMS6c4g8CnEo3RuZ9ry0_D0QnQullit2ItBr9LDDbwen1LuFZ5loRXkLLfOtqE593_jIrA2_WQ3Mq8dxG1fQJb9P-cxucXoP0jW" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2319" data-original-width="2319" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8w2-H71RmcI58oHtIGX5QS1BgPwmRTX-n-4xapkXKE2-ENP6EeBKF54naw-x7-_kvCL8c30IeInc9IpO6z9ZJ4EMS6c4g8CnEo3RuZ9ry0_D0QnQullit2ItBr9LDDbwen1LuFZ5loRXkLLfOtqE593_jIrA2_WQ3Mq8dxG1fQJb9P-cxucXoP0jW" width="240" /></a></div></div>Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-61775231227315062342020-03-23T01:22:00.001-05:002020-03-23T03:05:53.552-05:00The Wedding that Didn't HappenWe had planned to get married Saturday, March 21st, but cancelled due to coronavirus, specifically, our concern for the older members of our family (fortunately, there are many of them) and the various recommendations, orders, etc., requiring seniors to stay at home in California, advising Americans not to gather in groups larger than ten, and requiring restaurants to close.<br />
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The transactional attorney in me had seen the likely need to cancel on the horizon and reviewed each of our vendor contracts in advance so as to understand whether we should preemptively cancel or allow the government's action to force the vendor to cancel on us. In almost all cases, the termination provisions in the contracts worked such that waiting for the vendor to cancel minimized our financial loss. So we waited. Here are the results:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Chapel and chair rental: full refund of our deposit</li>
<li>Officiant: no fee involved since the officiant-to-be was the groom's brother</li>
<li>Photographer: no charge*</li>
<li>Musician: full refund of deposit (contract explicitly provided for cancellation and refund in the event of an epidemic)</li>
<li>Restaurant: no charge (contract provided that restaurant would charge us $2,500 if we cancelled our dinner for 20, but because they cancelled first due to a government order that shut down the restaurant, there was no charge)**</li>
<li>Flowers: we ordered a bouquet and boutonniere from Farmgirl Flowers, who wasn't able to process our order cancellation because the company chose to staff customer service with a skeleton crew after San Francisco issued its shelter in place order; customer service was not taking any phone calls; by the time customer service replied to my cancellation request by email a few days later, they indicated our bouquet and boutonniere had already shipped and therefore we would not receive a refund, but a credit for a future purchase</li>
<li>Wedding license: our application fee was just $21 since we had completed a marriage counseling class at M's church, but it looks like we will need to re-apply because you only have 90 days to get married from the date that you file your application and pick up your certificate</li>
<li>Invitations: we used Paperless Post because we planned the wedding quickly, so we're only out of pocket $10.50 on invitations</li>
<li>Wedding bands: we'll hold on to M's wedding band for use when we eventually marry; at my insistence, I'm not getting a wedding band because I discovered M is making payments on the engagement ring</li>
<li>Groom's updated dress uniform and shoe rental: we're out of pocket here as M had to buy an updated set of medals and a new dress shirt and pants, and his rental shoes arrived at the house before the wedding was cancelled, however, we assume we'll use all of this when we eventually marry and he'll just need to re-rent the shoes</li>
<li>Bride's dress and shoes: we're out of pocket here as my dress (which I don't like, but chose as the best of the available options given that we planned the wedding so quickly) cannot be returned because it had been hemmed</li>
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* Our photographer didn't collect a deposit from us because we were booking her for just two hours. I asked whether we could make an arrangement to pay her some amount now for photos to be taken later and she declined because she has a day job that will keep her afloat. Still, if the world is still upside down in two weeks, I plan to circle back to her and make the offer again just in case she needs help.<br />
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** We understand that many restaurants are struggling to survive and plan to eat our first meal out post-pandemic at this particular restaurant.</div>
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We are one of a great many couples that have had to cancel or postpone a wedding this week. I use the word "cancel" here because, at this moment--after planning and unwinding a wedding all in the span of less than 30 days--I have no appetite to plan another wedding. Seems more likely we'll just get married at a courthouse. Time will tell.</div>
Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-91162674076793529642020-03-13T03:18:00.001-05:002020-03-13T09:33:07.963-05:00Getting Married (or Not) During a PandemicTwo weeks ago, an opportunity to get married at a venue that we love opened up. We jumped on the opportunity and managed to plan a small (~20 person) wedding and dinner for our family members to attend. The planning was going as smoothly as could be expected:<br />
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<ul>
<li>we used Paperless Post invitations because there wasn't enough time to print high quality invitations (the part of me that adores fine stationary was a touch heartbroken about this)</li>
<li>we found a photographer </li>
<li>we tried to find a harpist, but ended up with a violinist and cellist to play at the ceremony</li>
<li>we ordered a bouquet and corsage </li>
<li>we found a restaurant near the venue to host our group (after a few restaurants closer to downtown laughed at our inquiry because they were booked to the brim due to SXSW--of course, now that SXSW has been cancelled, these restaurants have circled back to us)</li>
<li>my family found flights and hotels located outside of downtown and closer to the venue (his family lives in town or within driving distance)</li>
<li>he updated his dress uniform to reflect his current rank</li>
<li>I found a great pair of shoes and a mediocre dress (a three-week planning period wasn't enough to order a real wedding dress)</li>
</ul>
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And then SXSW was cancelled, the work conference in California that I should have been at this very moment was cancelled, and the US reaction to COVID-19 escalated.</div>
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None of our vendors have cancelled on us, as of yesterday, some family members began notifying me that they'd cancelled their travel plans and wouldn't attend. Ironically, the guests at highest risk (late 80s and 90s) appear to be the least concerned.</div>
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It seems like everything could change in an instant. I'm not confident that the wedding will actually happen.</div>
Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-13311089556000256522020-02-12T01:45:00.001-06:002020-02-12T01:49:06.175-06:00Weekend in TampaThis year, M wants to take a few weekend trips, the first of which took place last weekend when we went to Tampa to see Billy Joel in concert (a bucket list item for M), watch the Lightning play the Islanders, and visit M's old stomping grounds.<br />
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We got lucky in that we both had accumulated enough miles with Southwest to book free tickets. It's a short, easy, and direct (!!!) flight from Austin to Tampa. This meant we arrived in Tampa ready to hit the ground running, take a drive down Bayshore, and visit McDill.<br />
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The Billy Joel concert was great. M is older than me and the youngest in his own family by a wide margin, so Billy Joel's music features prominently in his childhood memories. While my memories of his music are not so clear or close to my heart, I still enjoyed the concert. By the time Billy Joel pulled out his harmonica for Piano Man, I felt downright sentimental. We had wonderful seats in the first row of the first tier, sitting right above the tunnel that connected the side stage to the arena exit. This meant that at the end of the show, Billy Joel and his band walked offstage and right underneath us. It was a fun and memorable moment for M :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdbrHHedr0bN0l8TVG3MCdlSf079KKetACzze8O5hepOX7GVRiqnmyUJcrR1S_9jnEizP9By4v4DchdjN52Udn2NrFniaJwhbL7t_7wVo6pY0ss4Rwi5FkR63w8bkDlUE4XVBcx-XY0pM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-02-12+at+1.29.27+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdbrHHedr0bN0l8TVG3MCdlSf079KKetACzze8O5hepOX7GVRiqnmyUJcrR1S_9jnEizP9By4v4DchdjN52Udn2NrFniaJwhbL7t_7wVo6pY0ss4Rwi5FkR63w8bkDlUE4XVBcx-XY0pM/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-02-12+at+1.29.27+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fuzzy Billy Joel (bc I want to remember the great view from our seats)</td></tr>
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The next day, we ate lunch at <a href="http://www.cicciocali.com/menu/">Ciccio Cali</a>, which was by far my favorite meal of the trip. I had the Hot & Crunchy Bowl--seared Ahi, cucumber, jicama, scallions, soy sauce, avocado, crispy tempura onion, sesame seeds, and sriracha aioli on a bed of sticky rice. I'd love to eat like this more often!<br />
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That night we went to the hockey game. It's one of our favorite sports to watch live. M picked out another great set of seats. In the final minutes of the game, the Islanders were just one point behind the Lightning, so they decided to pull their goalie and make a run at a tied score. They didn't succeed, but the Lightning scored on the empty goal and won the game.<br />
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All in all, the trip was much more relaxed (and less educational) than the vacations of my childhood, but I really enjoyed the trip, appreciated that M took the lead on planning our activities, and came home well rested. Thanks M!<br />
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<br />Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-49575858247979530652020-01-23T23:07:00.001-06:002020-01-23T23:19:46.733-06:00New Dessert/Snack Recipes Tried in 2019<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">One of my 2019 goals is to try six new-to-me dessert or snack recipes. Mission accomplished!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. </span><b style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;">New Orleans Bourbon Bread Pudding</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuCcG7lcVZtr_nWmhWLySdepv7PdDDGqcJTAK733TytLg3gX62Z7TIGQRe2ySaw5TPd6tvaVOAfWd65rCrONV2OwXi7DLnlHDkSsni5yaUBO85-eVqREIukhyU5on4tWK0YXTvdoR1bY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-01-23+at+10.32.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuCcG7lcVZtr_nWmhWLySdepv7PdDDGqcJTAK733TytLg3gX62Z7TIGQRe2ySaw5TPd6tvaVOAfWd65rCrONV2OwXi7DLnlHDkSsni5yaUBO85-eVqREIukhyU5on4tWK0YXTvdoR1bY/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-01-23+at+10.32.46+PM.png" width="319" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-size: x-small;">We got engaged just before Christmas, traveled to California for the holiday, and celebrated NYE at home with steak, brussels sprouts, and New Orleans Bourbon Bread Pudding.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">M picked bread pudding out of my all-time favorite cookbook: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">America's Test Kitchen's </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JEOMV1E/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1" style="color: #2288bb; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; text-decoration: none;">Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">Truth be told, I did not have high hopes. I mean... golden raisins? But I've learned to trust the recipe and the process where America's Test Kitchen is involved.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">How did it turn out? A delicious vanilla custard. Golden raisins transformed into bourbon flavor bombs. A crisp, buttery crust. Y'all, it turns out I love bread pudding.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">The cookbook includes a variation using chocolate chips in place of the golden raisins that I plan to try in 2020.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. </span><b style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;">Peanut Blossom Cookies</b><b style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">My grandma had a habit of making these during the holidays, but I've never found a written copy of her recipe, so I turned to America's Test Kitchen's The Perfect Cookie 2019 (this was a magazine that was sold at Costco during the first quarter of 2019, not the current hardbound cookbook).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">I made a batch of peanut blossoms because we needed a treat to gift to M's dad in appreciation for his help with a project. They turned out great--loved the addition of 1/2 cup ground, salted dry-roasted peanuts to the cookie dough.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">3. </span><b style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;">Chocolate Turtle Cookies</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4vkeneSd3u3P47YdLuRAyEL3pfHEY3bEeEABjmEgLl8noFRCXnGlxNlDQKtOUxVeg41782VVw1WtrlF25ok7AgHy21rC2qoJqTlYecBTXGfUT1-MZqY8hQdUETUAEoIC3HIT4hqIX3E/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-01-23+at+10.49.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4vkeneSd3u3P47YdLuRAyEL3pfHEY3bEeEABjmEgLl8noFRCXnGlxNlDQKtOUxVeg41782VVw1WtrlF25ok7AgHy21rC2qoJqTlYecBTXGfUT1-MZqY8hQdUETUAEoIC3HIT4hqIX3E/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-01-23+at+10.49.20+PM.png" width="319" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">I like caramel, so I thought this cookie would be a slam dunk. It's a chocolate thumbprint cookie </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">crusted with toasted pecans and filled with caramel. That I didn't like. I don't have the words to account for this--was it holiday fatigue? Maybe, but this recipe is not on my repeat list.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">This recipe can be found in </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">America's Test Kitchen's The Perfect Cookie 2019 (this was a magazine that was sold at Costco during the first quarter of 2019, not the current hardbound cookbook).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">4. </span><b style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;">Peanut Butter Cup No Churn Ice Cream</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zt_5cBj17a-OiIVIzofLSMMuSpAmJGiKurNwxH-iNyfAkbi2tFxFGVCYKSS2nHtCNT3BpnPB6CdhTJrXE-PVH1PgQPs_sICbHjjtyYaQeHciZmRsFZXnW4XmukN_SxePHElRZGRTz50/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-01-23+at+10.53.52+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zt_5cBj17a-OiIVIzofLSMMuSpAmJGiKurNwxH-iNyfAkbi2tFxFGVCYKSS2nHtCNT3BpnPB6CdhTJrXE-PVH1PgQPs_sICbHjjtyYaQeHciZmRsFZXnW4XmukN_SxePHElRZGRTz50/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-01-23+at+10.53.52+PM.png" width="319" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-size: x-small;">We have been debating using an old gift card to purchase an ice cream maker for over a year, but we don't have space to store any additional small kitchen appliances. A discussion of no churn ice cream on the America's Test Kitchen Instagram account has solved our problems. Easily the best ice cream I tasted in 2019 (and I have ready access to Bluebell!).</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">This recipe can be found on the America's Test Kitchen app</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">5. </span><b style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;">Wheat Thins w/TJ's Everything but the Bagel Seasoning</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GYrJWE0Og3An09jcfcQc5-GyFwc_oTns-Qy2-vkp6ErnuOsIXxSFLb80njkvo2SoqtYZP-cwgS6wID_G_7Ht8dLup5MFxkEp8IYCveAM3gi7zax7ZwRTAVxvafhAD_vPSzxx49HClrs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-01-23+at+10.59.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GYrJWE0Og3An09jcfcQc5-GyFwc_oTns-Qy2-vkp6ErnuOsIXxSFLb80njkvo2SoqtYZP-cwgS6wID_G_7Ht8dLup5MFxkEp8IYCveAM3gi7zax7ZwRTAVxvafhAD_vPSzxx49HClrs/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-01-23+at+10.59.19+PM.png" width="319" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I made <a href="https://smittenkitchen.com/2012/09/homemade-wheat-thins/">Smitten Kitchen's Homemade Wheat Thins</a> numerous times this year. Easy. Tasty. A great way to use up some whole wheat flour that had been sitting in my pantry a little too long. I love the addition of Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel seasoning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;">6. </span><b style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;">Confetti Cookies</b><b style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXYO1wLU8Dr2VVuChDco46wHFoyvIMcECsj6JcO3VzHAFPTZTP38qdZjOM68tw8EFxDXJ9VDUfFBpHQ7IxjUo4m39cS8vn2urlJFH8RmhG_Uz8LidhmgniRLGE-3DWulqCzDdQWJaKNYg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-01-23+at+11.04.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXYO1wLU8Dr2VVuChDco46wHFoyvIMcECsj6JcO3VzHAFPTZTP38qdZjOM68tw8EFxDXJ9VDUfFBpHQ7IxjUo4m39cS8vn2urlJFH8RmhG_Uz8LidhmgniRLGE-3DWulqCzDdQWJaKNYg/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-01-23+at+11.04.32+PM.png" width="319" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">They scream celebration. I look forward to resurrecting Smitten Kitchen's Confetti Cookie recipe when/if I have little kids in the house at some point in the future.</span></div>
Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-5494900760405693002020-01-16T23:20:00.000-06:002020-01-16T23:20:19.412-06:00Stretch GoalsLiterally.<br />
<br />
One of my exercise goals for 2019 was to make time to stretch for at least five minutes on one hundred days. Mission accomplished (albeit a tad late--I didn't finish my 100th stretching session until today).<br />
<br />
I'm a bendy person by nature. I plopped down into a full center split as a toddler and never looked back. Sure, I had to work on developing strength to support my flexibility, but flexibility itself hasn't been something I've worked at in a long time.<br />
<br />
This changed once I started spinning thanks to a helpful nudge from Peloton in the form of a prompt to begin a five-minute post ride stretch after every ride. I'll probably never be as limber as I once was, but I feel better now that I'm stretching again.<br />
<br />
Speaking of "stretch goals," in 2020 I plan to tend to the (many!) <a href="https://paragon2pieces.blogspot.com/p/2019.html">2019 goals</a> that weren't completed timely and stretch to complete the goals listed under my <a href="https://paragon2pieces.blogspot.com/p/2020.html">2020 tab</a> (and copied below), which include some items that are less practical than in years past on account of my recent engagement to M.<br />
<ol style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Engagement photos</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Plan wedding</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Plan 1 date night per month</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Finish pre-wedding counseling @ M's church</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Prepare for baptism</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">2,020 miles cycled on my Peloton</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">400 cumulative Peloton cycling classes</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">250 cumulative Peloton stretching classes</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">100 cumulative Peloton strength classes</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">100 cumulative Peloton meditation classes</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">12 yoga classes</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">12 barre classes</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">15lb weight loss (resulting in weight of 120lbs)</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Vegetarian Mondays</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Trip to Joshua Tree</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Birthday trip/honeymoon</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Big, out of town concert</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Max out 401(k)</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Max out 437</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Hit net worth milestone</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Earn $25k side hustling</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Finish IPL series</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Build out/use Skinceuticals skincare routine</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Finish future family member's Bucilla stocking</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Take four dance classes w M</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Pass CFA Level I exam</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Pass CIPP exam</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Attend two work conferences</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Finish reading PE treatise</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Apply for adjunct position</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Read 12 non-fiction books related to investment management and private equity</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Call grandfather at least 1x/month</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Create tutoring modules</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Interview Stanford applicants</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Mentor law student</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Repair weather stripping </li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Paint garage</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">New auto insurance</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Update personal investment strategy</li>
</ol>
Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-60238680957809137242020-01-12T01:21:00.000-06:002020-01-12T01:37:51.916-06:00Peloton: 200 Rides InIn April 2019, <a href="https://paragon2pieces.blogspot.com/2019/04/peloton-150-rides-in.html">I wrote about completing my 150th ride</a> or cycling class on the Peloton I purchased in August 2018. In early December 2019, I finished my 200th ride.<br />
<br />
Generally, rides 151 - 200 were shorter and less intense than the first 150 in the aggregate. I've included some data points below:<br />
<br />
<i>Rides 1-150</i><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Average length: 42.33 minutes </li>
<li>Average output: 304.99 </li>
<li>Average distance: 12.24 miles </li>
<li>Average calories burned: 390.53 kcals </li>
</ul>
<br />
<i>Rides 151-200 </i><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Average length: 35.10 minutes </li>
<li>Average output: 227.32 </li>
<li>Average distance: 9.73 miles </li>
<li>Average calories burned: 290.22 kcals </li>
</ul>
<br />
What happened? Something is wrong with my knee. I injured this same knee in a dance performance in college and had a surgery to repair it. The repair has held through regular exercise and even a few half marathons, but started giving me trouble for the first time in 2019. I visited the ortho for insight and ended up with an X-ray and cortisone shot. The doctor indicated that this sort of problem could require exploratory surgery that's unlikely to be a success and that it's best to hold off. This is discouraging, especially since cycling is viewed as pretty low impact. As a result, I've reduced the intensity of my workouts in order to avoid pain.<br />
<br />
Still, a workout doesn't need to be perfect to be worth doing. The big win here is that I'm exercising consistently and I've added regular stretching to the routine. Over the course of 200 rides, I've cycled 2,313 miles.
I'm hoping to complete my 400th ride by the end of the year. Onward!Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-77795952640361965342019-10-08T20:37:00.002-05:002019-10-08T23:49:20.734-05:00CFA Investment Foundations ProgramI recently completed the Investment Foundations Program developed by CFAI. This involved:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Completing approximately 1,400 practice questions</li>
<li>Passing 100-question exam</li>
</ul>
<div>
Topics covered by the program include:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Ethics and Investment Professionalism</li>
<li>Regulation</li>
<li>Microeconomics</li>
<li>Macroeconomics</li>
<li>Economics of International Trade</li>
<li>Financial Statements</li>
<li>Quantitative Concepts</li>
<li>Debt Securities</li>
<li>Equity Securities</li>
<li>Derivatives</li>
<li>Alternative Investments</li>
<li>Structure of Investment Industry</li>
<li>Investment Vehicles</li>
<li>Functioning of Financial Markets</li>
<li>Investors and Their Needs</li>
<li>Investment Management</li>
<li>Risk Management</li>
<li>Performance Evaluation</li>
<li>Investment Industry Documentation</li>
</ul>
<div>
The program is free and available on the CFA website and probably takes 40-80 hours to complete depending on the student's prior exposure to the material or lack thereof.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Truth be told, the program is not level appropriate for a 9th year corporate attorney with an MBA, but I completed it in order to cooperate with my employer, who will support my effort to pass the CFA Level I exam next year.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I'm under the impression that this program was created for back office financial services staff, but think it would be equally useful (and I would recommend it) for a law student headed into an investment management or fund formation practice without prior industry experience.</div>
Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-34012354677983146752019-08-22T00:10:00.001-05:002019-08-22T00:10:24.549-05:002019 Reading Challenge Complete!One of the joys of life after law firm is having enough time to read for pleasure. This year, I planned to read at least twelve non-fiction books (<a href="https://paragon2pieces.blogspot.com/2019/07/finished-reading-12-non-fiction-books.html">done!</a>) and twelve novels (see below). I've been surprised to learn I'm not as excited about fiction as I once was, but reaching this goal has helped me work on that.<br />
<br />
I just finished the last of the twelve novels I set out to read this year. Here's the complete list of novels, in the order in which I read them:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/After-You-Novel-Jojo-Moyes/dp/0143131397">After You by Jojo Moyes</a>. The sequel to Me Before You, which I read last year. An easy read.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Still-Me-Novel-Before-Trilogy/dp/039956246X/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_img_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=4VQG3K3FYGZK2A1X1HWB">Still Me by Jojo Moyes</a>. The final book in the trilogy about Louisa Clark.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Our-Souls-at-Night-novel-ebook/dp/B00PP3DNDI/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=our+souls+at+night&qid=1560743140&s=books&sr=1-1">Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf</a>. A friend recommended Haruf's Plainsong trilogy, which was available through the public library, but all copies were checked out when I searched for it. I placed a hold and read this while I was waiting. Short and sweet.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Milkman-Novel-Anna-Burns-ebook/dp/B07JH1DPXP/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=milkman&qid=1560743210&s=books&sr=1-1">Milkman by Anna Burns</a>. Don't take this one with you on a vacation. It's exhausting and slow moving although I enjoyed the conclusion. Perhaps this is more of a reflection on my own taste in fiction, as this novel won the Man Booker Prize in 2018.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Book-Essie-Meghan-MacLean-Weir/dp/0525520317">The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir</a>. <a href="http://www.wheremysoulbelongs.com/">Brittany</a>'s high praise for this novel influenced me to read it. It's a fast read, but not light.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Plainsong-Kent-Haruf/dp/0375705856">Plainsong by Kent Haruf</a>. Read on the recommendation of a friend. This is the first book in a trilogy that follows the place more than the people in it.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Eventide-Kent-Haruf/dp/0375725768">Eventide by Kent Haruf</a>. This is the second book in the trilogy. More sparse language. More affection for the characters developed in Eventide than those met in Plainsong.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Casual-Vacancy-J-K-Rowling/dp/0316228583">The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling</a>. It's no Harry Potter, but that's the point. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Red-Sparrow-Novel-Trilogy/dp/1476764174">Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews</a>. The book is better than the movie (isn't that almost always the case?). Enjoyed learning that the author once worked for the CIA and looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy at some point.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gentleman-Moscow-Novel-Amor-Towles-ebook/dp/B01COJUEZ0/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3ADJQOX239EPZ&keywords=a+gentleman+in+moscow&qid=1566449947&s=digital-text&sprefix=a+gentlem%2Cdigital-text%2C176&sr=1-1">A Gentleman in Moscow by Amol Towles</a>. Tedious in parts, to the point that I felt somewhat confused as to why this book is so widely recommended, but then I reached the end of the book, where the pace of the story picks up in order to deliver a happy ending.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Benediction-Plainsong-Book-Kent-Haruf-ebook/dp/B00985E52C/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2DX1PWXPJQQWI&keywords=benediction+by+kent+haruf&qid=1566450086&s=digital-text&sprefix=benediction+by+kent%2Cdigital-text%2C177&sr=1-3">Benediction by Kent Haruf</a>. This is the third book in the trilogy. More sadness and suffering in this book than the prior two.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Alice-Network-Novel-Kate-Quinn-ebook/dp/B01LZFL63S/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=the+alice+network&qid=1566450255&s=digital-text&sr=1-3">The Alice Network by Kate Quinn</a>. My favorite story of the year. Many strong female characters. The story is driven by interesting female characters, but probably a bit too racy in parts for young readers.</li>
</ul>
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Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-17741860887280108092019-07-23T23:19:00.001-05:002019-07-23T23:24:50.997-05:00Read 12 Novels (Part 2)One of the joys of life after law firm is having enough time to read for pleasure. This year, I planned to read at least twelve non-fiction books (<a href="https://paragon2pieces.blogspot.com/2019/07/finished-reading-12-non-fiction-books.html">done!</a>) and twelve novels (<a href="https://paragon2pieces.blogspot.com/2019/06/read-12-novels-part-i.html">in process</a>). I've been surprised to learn I'm not as excited about fiction as I once was, but I'm working on it.<br />
<br />
I'm eight novels deep (see the novels 1-4 <a href="https://paragon2pieces.blogspot.com/2019/06/read-12-novels-part-i.html">here</a>):<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Book-Essie-Meghan-MacLean-Weir/dp/0525520317">The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir</a>. <a href="http://www.wheremysoulbelongs.com/">Brittany</a>'s high praise for this novel influenced me to read it. It's a fast read, but not light.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Plainsong-Kent-Haruf/dp/0375705856">Plainsong by Kent Haruf</a>. Read on the recommendation of a friend. This is the first book in a trilogy that follows the place more than the people in it.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Eventide-Kent-Haruf/dp/0375725768">Eventide by Kent Haruf</a>. This is the second book in the trilogy. More sparse language. More affection for the characters developed in Eventide than those met in Plainsong.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Casual-Vacancy-J-K-Rowling/dp/0316228583">The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling</a>. It's no Harry Potter, but that's the point. </li>
</ul>
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Onward!</div>
Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-30843256257967953282019-07-11T15:44:00.003-05:002019-07-11T15:51:09.387-05:00July 4th Weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Thanks to an administrative holiday on Friday, I had four days off work to celebrate July 4th. It was glorious. I powered down my work phone at 6pm on Wednesday and didn't even look at it again until Sunday evening. (I wish that past me--a law firm associate that spent most family-focused holidays in front of a computer editing and exchanging documents with opposing counsel--could have seen this light at the end of the tunnel more clearly because <i>life is good</i> now.)</div>
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I spent my weekend reading, tutoring, entertaining, and relaxing at home. On July 4th, we went to <a href="https://www.terryblacksbbq.com/">Terry Black's BBQ</a> for dinner. We had originally planned to walk over to Zilker Park afterwards, but the restaurant's patio has an excellent view of the Auditorium Shores fireworks so we stuck around. It was simple and easy.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TLlnkVt_5ZHwxNUlRQQP5ZQP4L4BZItbITRy8z1sLVzSGqhwEU3ZIz849cWXZsXnDFlIuowDd-dfh2IgW7aeh3p0yiKvNUUcW1nmyieEjx-MkCUx-APAnxmdyukUxaCsSlWIqyDhUZE/s1600/fullsizeoutput_6c7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1449" data-original-width="1600" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TLlnkVt_5ZHwxNUlRQQP5ZQP4L4BZItbITRy8z1sLVzSGqhwEU3ZIz849cWXZsXnDFlIuowDd-dfh2IgW7aeh3p0yiKvNUUcW1nmyieEjx-MkCUx-APAnxmdyukUxaCsSlWIqyDhUZE/s320/fullsizeoutput_6c7.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">July 4th dinner at Terry Black's BBQ</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Since we’re more than half way through the year, I also spent time over the weekend thinking about what I want to accomplish before the year-end holidays. At a minimum, I’ll continue to chip away at the 2019 goals that I set back in January, try to rehabilitate my recent knee injury, book a vacation, update my financial planning, considering how I can grow my tutoring “business,” and earn a certification relevant to my day job.</div>
Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-15191803917392986802019-07-02T23:50:00.002-05:002019-07-02T23:50:48.730-05:00Finished Reading 12 Non-Fiction BooksOne of the joys of life after law firm is having enough time to read for pleasure. This year, I plan to read at least 12 non-fiction books and 12 novels.<br />
<br />
I listed six non-fiction books that I finished earlier this year in <a href="http://paragon2pieces.blogspot.com/2019/05/read-12-non-fiction-books-part-i.html">a prior post</a>. Since that time, I've finished six additional non-fiction books (listed below) and finished my non-fiction reading goal for 2019.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bad-Blood-Secrets-Silicon-Startup/dp/152473165X/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=bad+blood&qid=1562128925&s=books&sr=1-3">Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou</a>. An incredible read. I will forever think of this book when someone tries to tell me we don't need to complete due diligence in late series deals because the investors in the prior rounds were household names that are probably better equipped to diligence the company than we are.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mating-Captivity-Unlocking-Erotic-Intelligence/dp/0060753641/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3P9NNARJX1W6T&keywords=mating+in+captivity+esther+perel&qid=1562128843&s=books&sprefix=mating+in+%2Cstripbooks%2C163&sr=1-2">Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel</a>. Because acquainting yourself with a perspective other than your own never hurts.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Conceivable-Assisted-Reproduction-Changing/dp/1400095379/ref=sr_1_1?crid=30CW2RPXENSG3&keywords=everything+conceivable&qid=1562128430&s=books&sprefix=Everything+conc%2Cstripbooks%2C153&sr=1-1">Everything Conceivable: How Assisted Reproduction is Changing Men, Women, and the World by Liza Mundy</a>. I first read this book in my twenties. I had recently donated my eggs and read this book out of academic interest. Reading it again a decade later, childless, my perspective had shifted so dramatically that it felt like a different book.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Experiences-Donor-Conception-Parents-Offspring/dp/184310122X/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Experiences+of+Donor+Conception%3A+Parents%2C+Offspring+and+Donors+through+the+Years&qid=1562128167&s=books&sr=1-2">Experiences of Donor Conception: Parents, Offspring and Donors by Caroline Lorbach</a>. I bought a hard copy of this book when I wrote a paper about gamete donation for a law school seminar, but had not read it cover to cover (until now).</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Mind-Divided-Politics-Religion/dp/0307455777/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+righteous+mind&qid=1562128040&s=books&sr=1-1">The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion</a>. A reasoned approach to understanding what contributed (and continues to contribute) to the current political climate. Poli sci majors, this book is for you!</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Educated-Memoir-Tara-Westover/dp/0399590501">Educated by Tara Westover</a>. The similarities between this memoir, Hillbilly Elegy and Heartland are striking. </li>
</ul>
Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-37411215662575923082019-06-25T22:05:00.002-05:002019-06-25T22:09:12.187-05:00Petsitting a Pomeranian<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUff0YRAaILF-HF2PRs9yFLuGzeZVwJYv-k3viBGIv4sNvvU78LqPsKoyohbrq5zih4ZBLMfJQIO82ijn3cSy0k3v7ojZAmUpeG6woxBvVDpKCK1i5HxNXI9SQwmWWOODx-XAPcoADGu0/s1600/2033C83A-363E-4645-AA15-16816E50F5E5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUff0YRAaILF-HF2PRs9yFLuGzeZVwJYv-k3viBGIv4sNvvU78LqPsKoyohbrq5zih4ZBLMfJQIO82ijn3cSy0k3v7ojZAmUpeG6woxBvVDpKCK1i5HxNXI9SQwmWWOODx-XAPcoADGu0/s320/2033C83A-363E-4645-AA15-16816E50F5E5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cute but cantankerous.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I've started reading <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Your-Life-Well-Lived-Joyful/dp/1101875321/ref=asc_df_1101875321/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312025907421&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2495802682721548064&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028279&hvtargid=pla-433516710851&psc=1">Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life,</a> by Bill Burnett, which is about getting unstuck and changing your path forward (or at least that's what I think it's about after reading only a few chapters). The earlier chapters talk about prototyping your ideas--trying them out on a small scale with limited commitment before going all in.</div>
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Makes sense, right?</div>
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If you're an associate in a law firm interested in moving in-house, a secondment with a client prototypes the idea.</div>
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If you're contemplating early retirement, an extended staycation prototypes the idea.</div>
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Or, in my case, if you're spending a little too much time wistfully perusing #maltipoosofinstagram, a few petsitting gigs prototypes the idea.</div>
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I logged on to Rover, created an account, and quickly booked three petsitting gigs: one shih tzu, one pomeranian, and one maltipoo (YES!).</div>
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Y'all, this gig is not for the faint of heart.</div>
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I found that pet parents leave out the most important details, for example:</div>
<ul>
<li>my dog is on anti-anxiety medications and has severe separation anxiety</li>
<li>my dog doesn't respond to his own name, but will come running if you yell "TREATS!!!"</li>
<li>my dog will fight you to the death if you try to clean up after him because we regularly allow him to feast on his own poop</li>
</ul>
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The list goes on.</div>
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I learned that maltipoos are every bit as precious as I'd hoped, but that it's not the right time for me to add a puppy to the family. I'd known the worry of leaving a dog at home during a thunderstorm, cleaning up accidents, and encountering aggressive dogs while out on a walk with your own tiny dog for nearly two decades earlier in life, but the memories had faded. </div>
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I love dogs, but think I'd like to wait until retirement to bring a puppy home.</div>
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Prototyping works.</div>
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<br />Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-61805885610367016492019-06-16T22:52:00.001-05:002019-07-23T23:25:02.820-05:00Read 12 Novels (Part 1)One of the joys of life after law firm is having enough time to read for pleasure. This year, I plan to read at least 12 non-fiction books and 12 novels. I've made progress and posted the six non-fiction books I've completed so far <a href="https://paragon2pieces.blogspot.com/2019/05/read-12-non-fiction-books-part-i.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />
I'm four novels deep:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/After-You-Novel-Jojo-Moyes/dp/0143131397">After You by Jojo Moyes</a>. The sequel to Me Before You, which I read last year. An easy read.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Still-Me-Novel-Before-Trilogy/dp/039956246X/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_img_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=4VQG3K3FYGZK2A1X1HWB">Still Me by Jojo Moyes</a>. The final book in the trilogy about Louisa Clark.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Our-Souls-at-Night-novel-ebook/dp/B00PP3DNDI/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=our+souls+at+night&qid=1560743140&s=books&sr=1-1">Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf</a>. A friend recommended Haruf's Plainsong trilogy, which was available through the public library, but currently on hold. I read this while I was waiting. Short and sweet.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Milkman-Novel-Anna-Burns-ebook/dp/B07JH1DPXP/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=milkman&qid=1560743210&s=books&sr=1-1">Milkman by Anna Burns</a>. Don't take this one with you on a vacation. It's exhausting and slow moving although I enjoyed the conclusion. Perhaps this is more of a reflection on my own taste in fiction, as this novel won the Man Booker Prize in 2018.</li>
</ul>
<div>
I thought I would power through another novel this weekend, but no such luck as the pomeranian I'm petsitting has no chill and is on a mission to do all the naughty things.</div>
Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-70754556489953931542019-06-09T18:30:00.000-05:002019-06-09T18:30:38.621-05:00Stretch GoalsLiterally.<br />
<br />
One of my exercise goals for 2019 was to make time to stretch for at least five minutes for fifty days. The hope was that completing this goal would create a daily habit. Mission accomplished!<br />
<br />
I'm a bendy person by nature. I plopped down into a full center split as a toddler and never looked back. Sure, I had to work on developing strength to support my flexibility, but flexibility itself was never work to the point that, after I retired from dancing, I didn't continue to make a conscientious effort to stretch.<br />
<br />
This changed once I started spinning thanks to a helpful nudge from Peloton in the form of a prompt to begin a five-minute post ride stretch after every ride. I'll probably never be as limber as I once was, but I feel better now that I'm stretching again.<br />
<br />
Next, I'll work on incorporating some strength training into my exercise routine.Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-63701563003209891542019-06-02T23:09:00.000-05:002019-06-02T23:29:00.677-05:00GraduationThis past week, we drove out to the eastern edge of Texas--past at least two <a href="https://www.buc-ees.com/index.php">Buc-ee's</a>!--to Beaumont to attend my boyfriend's niece's high school graduation. Watching each graduate crossing the stage, with happiness or anxiety or a bit of both written on their face, I wished I could see into their futures. What would become of the valedictorian headed to nursing school or the guy with the flashy red loafers?<br />
<br />
The graduate we were celebrating will attend Baylor in the fall. At the family lunch the day after graduation, there was some talk at lunch about SAT scores and admissions essays. I couldn't help but think of the high school seniors I had interviewed on behalf of my own university in years past.<br />
<br />
Each interview has been a precious window into what's it's like to be a high school student today, which--it turns out--is not that different than what it was like twenty years ago when I graduated from high school. Sure, the technology tools are different, but the anxieties and aspirations are, at their core, unchanged.<br />
<br />
Will college live up to my expectations?<br />
Will I live up to expectations?<br />
What will I become?<br />
Who will I help?<br />
Who will I marry?<br />
Where will we live?<br />
How many children will I have?<br />
Will I matter?<br />
<br />
These were the questions I had in mind when I walked across the stage at my own high school graduation. Twenty years later, some remain unanswered, but I have more time and for that I am grateful.Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-7456338796135539422019-05-26T21:22:00.000-05:002019-05-29T21:48:12.526-05:00Read 12 Non-Fiction Books (Part I)One of the joys of life after law firm is having enough time to read for pleasure. This year, I plan to read at least 12 non-fiction books and 12 novels. I've made significant progress.<br />
<br />
Here are six non-fiction books that I read during the first half of 2019:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Barbarians-Gate-Fall-RJR-Nabisco-ebook/dp/B000FC10QG">Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco</a>. A detailed account of the RJR Nabisco LBO. A bit tedious, even for this former M&A attorney.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Boys-Boat-Americans-Berlin-Olympics/dp/0143125478">The Boys in the Boat</a>. An account of the American rowing team that won gold at Hitler's 1936 Berlin Olympics. While not a central theme of this book, the author spends considerable time discussing the role of flow state in competitive athletics (a concept I wrote about in my undergrad application!).</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Truth-About-Animals-Lovelorn-Wildlife/dp/0465094643">The Truth About Animals: Stoned Sloths, Lovelorn Hippos, and Other Tales from the Wild Side of Wildlife</a>. If you've loved learning about animals since you were a kid, you will love this book full of quirky facts ripe for discussion at your next cocktail party.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Factfulness-Reasons-World-Things-Better/dp/1250107814">Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World--and Why Things are Better than you Think</a>. I came across this book on a list of must-reads compiled by Bill Gates and picked it up because of the upbeat and hopeful message.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Heartland-Memoir-Working-Richest-Country-ebook/dp/B07CLFY5JH">Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth</a>. Like Hillbilly Elegy, but set in Kansas.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Origin-Story-Big-History-Everything/dp/0316392006">Origin Story: A Big History of Everything</a>. Another book from a list of must-reads compiled by Bill Gates. To be frank, it read like a 368 page LSAT reading comprehension passage.</li>
</ul>
Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-35794843445826359412019-05-19T20:24:00.000-05:002019-06-02T23:36:41.331-05:00LSAT ClassOne of my goals for the year was to teach an LSAT prep class. Mission accomplished as of last week!<br />
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I taught my first LSAT class back in 2002 (yup, 17 years ago) and "retired" from teaching a few weeks before I took the bar exam in 2010. In the intervening years I worked at law firms and did not have enough control over my schedule to teach, but last year when I went in house I started thinking about teaching again and returned to the classroom to prep students for the November 2018 LSAT and June 2019 LSAT.<br />
<br />
Why teach an LSAT class at this point in my career?<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Ownership</b>. In my full-time role, I have very little ownership over my matters. This bugs me. In the classroom, I have full responsibility for student comprehension and I can measure my effectiveness by tracking student score improvements.</li>
<li><b>Public Speaking</b>. The curriculum I teach currently includes twelve three-hour lectures. No matter what my future holds, it's great to practice communicating clearly, thinking on my feet, and engaging an audience.</li>
<li><b>Connection</b>. In my full-time role, our manager structures our workflow in such a way as to deliberately stymie the development of attorney relationships with client teams. It's isolating. The LSAT classroom gives me an opportunity to work with the same set of students over the course of a few months and watch them progress. It's rewarding.</li>
<li><b>Cash</b>. When I transitioned from a law firm salary to a gov't salary, I created a hyper-aggressive budget so I could maintain the amount I save each month, which required cutting out all the extras. I earn $70/hour teaching LSAT classes. I've used this money to pay for my Peloton, dinners out and "extras" for the house (e.g. shades for the bedroom--finally!).</li>
</ul>
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There's probably only one more LSAT classroom course in my future--the classroom course business has been cannibalized by online course offerings.</div>
Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-32599395853914840492019-05-13T00:17:00.000-05:002019-05-13T08:19:28.252-05:00Hoarding PTOMy current employer, a government agency, does not offer paid parental leave. So, just in case, I'm hoarding as much PTO as I can to try to minimize the financial impact of any parental leave (should I be lucky enough to find myself in the position to take parental leave). Incredibly frustrating since one of my objectives in leaving the firm was to be in a position to take an annual vacation.<br />
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How much PTO do I need to accumulate? The agency allows employees to take up to 12 weeks off for parental leave. That's 480 PTO hours needed to avoid unpaid leave.<br />
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How many hours can I accrue in one year assuming I take no PTO?<br />
<ul>
<li>96 hours of vacation time, accrued at a rate of 8 hours per month</li>
<li>96 hours of sick time, accrued at a rate of 8 hours per month</li>
<li>Up to 190 hours of comp time, accrued at a rate of 1 hour per 1 hour of overtime worked</li>
</ul>
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How many hours can be carried over from one year to the next?</div>
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<ul>
<li>180 hours of vacation time can be carried over from one year to the next (vacation in excess of cap not used converts to sick time)</li>
<li>No limit on the number of hours of sick time that can be carried over from one year to the next</li>
<li>No comp time can be carrier forward from one year to the next</li>
</ul>
</div>
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Given these policies, my strategy is to avoid using vacation or sick time, and use comp time only when its expiration is imminent. So far this has worked for me. To date, I have saved the following hours:</div>
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<ul>
<li>88 hours of vacation time</li>
<li>88 hours of sick time</li>
<li>120 hours of comp time</li>
</ul>
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This means that although I haven't hit one full year of service, I've met my goal of banking 240 PTO hours.</div>
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Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-2222265054746543222019-05-08T23:54:00.000-05:002019-05-09T00:13:16.331-05:00Attending a Conference as a Government EmployeeOne of the professional goals that I set at the beginning of the year was to attend a conference. This sounds simple. Our GC is supportive of conference attendance. There are myriad conferences on offer. Easy peasy. Right?<br />
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Wrong. Now that I'm a government employee instead of a law firm associate, there are many rules surrounding travel and the value of complimentary food or entertainment we can receive. I appreciate the need for ethics and compliance rules to make sure all travel arrangements are above board and all agency resources are used appropriately, but the red tape sometimes left me wishing I had never volunteered as tribute... er, volunteered to travel on behalf of the agency.<br />
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How was traveling on behalf of the agency different than traveling as a firm associate?<br />
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<ul>
<li>Internal approval process resulted in significant delays in booking airfare, resulting in additional expense to the agency.</li>
<li>I handled all arrangements, except for the purchase of the flight, because our department does not have a dedicated administrative assistant.</li>
<li>There is a relatively low cap on the daily rate on lodging--the best option available to me on this trip was a Best Western.</li>
<li>There is also a low enough cap on the meal reimbursements that it was difficult to avoid coming out of pocket at the conference location. </li>
<li>There is no reimbursement for tips (on meals, Ubers, etc.). </li>
<li>I had to decline certain dinner, reception or entertainment invitations due to the value that could be assigned to such events.</li>
<li>The conference fee was waived for LPs. (Law firm attendees, on the other hand, paid a conference fee in excess of $1k.)</li>
</ul>
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The conference content was interesting, but I think I learned more from the informal conversations that took place before and after the formal sessions. I left the conference with a better understanding of how business teams (on both the GP and LP side of an investment) approach a deal and how they view the negotiation of legal documents. (There were few attorneys in attendance so folks were speaking... freely.)</div>
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Oh and did I mention the beautiful conference setting?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBh2p-1c8JCSn0PRfWB5WCOf6OAuasueunsmASblxljNTsmzL8F8w7StbeSCJkbu27lyIzsnxTr8Phz9Qvo14iYlPqRGHeR4lcEkXc5Ef0CDhJZQSZr3ukd06rGxBQD83LpQ1c5IP-u-E/s1600/fullsizeoutput_53e.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="750" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBh2p-1c8JCSn0PRfWB5WCOf6OAuasueunsmASblxljNTsmzL8F8w7StbeSCJkbu27lyIzsnxTr8Phz9Qvo14iYlPqRGHeR4lcEkXc5Ef0CDhJZQSZr3ukd06rGxBQD83LpQ1c5IP-u-E/s320/fullsizeoutput_53e.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The ritzy location was what was driving the struggle to keep expenses within the agency's various expense caps. I'll take that struggle in exchange for the spring sunshine, this view, and the sheer delight of the conference lunch coinciding with a major butterfly migration.</div>
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Coincidentally, a dear childhood friend lives halfway between the conference hotel and the closest airport. I was able to meet her for a quick meal before I caught my flight home. Truly the icing on the cake.</div>
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In the future, I'll look for conferences with more technical content located closer to home.</div>
Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-14085114984440790402019-04-28T13:00:00.000-05:002019-04-28T13:00:04.084-05:00How Should I Have Spent my Tax Refund?I filed my tax return at the beginning of February 2018 and received a refund of nearly $10,000.<br />
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My 2018 refund was the result, in part, of my transition from the law firm to my current job in the middle of the year. The law firm withheld the maximum amount of certain taxes (<i>e.g.</i>, social security tax) from my pay prior to the departure from the firm. However, my new employer did not take my prior employer's withholding into account. This means that too much of my pay was withheld and I had to wait for that pay to come back to me in the form of a tax refund.</div>
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In the interim between filing my taxes and receiving my refund, I fantasized about spending the sum on a trip to Europe, a new wardrobe, or updated furniture for the house. (Do not get me started about my family room couch--a now too small white couch that I originally purchased in 16 years ago.)</div>
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Instead, when my refund hit my bank account, I used it to make a mortgage principal payment that will save me up to $17,667.51 in interest expenses over the life of the loan and shorten the term of the loan by up to 13 months. Here are some reasons that I wanted to pay down my mortgage:</div>
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<ol>
<li>In the near term, I may recast my mortgage. As nerdwallet explains <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/mortgages/what-is-mortgage-recast/">here</a>, a recast is a reamortization of a mortgage that results in reduced interest expense without lengthening the term of the loan. Why would I do such a thing? I'd consider it if I were to move out of my home and convert it into a rental because the recast would allow me to maximize cash flow from the property by reducing my monthly mortgage payment.* (Currently, my bank does not require a minimum lump sum principal payment to recast or I probably would have invested my refund elsewhere in the interim.)</li>
<li>Regardless of whether I convert my home into a rental, I've decided to pay off my mortgage by a certain age. Especially as an unmarried person, I worry about a future disability that might keep me from working and, by extension, paying my mortgage. Even if such a disability never comes to pass, owning my house outright will give me more flexibility (to work fewer hours or a different, more "fun" job) as I age. When I reach retirement age, I may be very alone in this world with no one to lean on but myself.</li>
<li>I couldn't come up with a better use for my refund that would be accretive to my net worth. I don't have debts other than my mortgage. My emergency fund is fully funded. I have plenty of investments in the market (and continue to be bearish on equities), which are constrained by my employer's compliance policies.</li>
</ol>
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It turns out that my mortgage principal payment may have been a not-so-good idea. About a month after I made my principal payment, Financial Samurai posted this article about <a href="https://www.financialsamurai.com/paying-off-your-mortgage-is-a-bad-move-when-the-yield-curve-is-inverted/">why it's a bad idea to pay off a mortgage when the yield curve is inverted</a>. How do you think I should have spent my tax refund?</div>
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*You may raise an eyebrow given the historically low interest rates offered by banks over the last several years. While it's important to remember that my mortgage amounts to a "cheap" loan due to a low interest rate, I'm primarily aiming to get the aggregate amount of my mortgage payment, property tax and homeowner's insurance below the prevailing rental rate for homes similar to mine.</div>
Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7439167892776546054.post-62261779404600567612019-04-21T00:15:00.000-05:002019-04-21T00:17:02.223-05:00Peloton: 150 Rides InIn January, <a href="https://paragon2pieces.blogspot.com/2019/01/peloton-100-rides-in.html">I wrote about completing my first 100 rides</a> or cycling class on the Peloton I purchased in August 2018. Last weekend, I finished my 150th ride. This is a milestone I wanted to reach during Q1 2019. I'm a little behind schedule.<br />
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Generally, rides 101-150 were shorter and less intense than the first 100. I've included some data points below:<br />
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<i>Rides 1-100</i><br />
<ul>
<li>Average length: 45 minutes</li>
<li>Average output: 332 watts</li>
<li>Average distance: 13.15 miles</li>
<li>Average calories burned: 426 kcals</li>
</ul>
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<i>Rides 101-150</i></div>
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<ul>
<li>Average length: 38 minutes</li>
<li>Average output: 259 watts</li>
<li>Average distance: 10.71 miles</li>
<li>Average calories burned: 331 kcals</li>
</ul>
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What happened? I felt blue in January and February. It was also the case that at the beginning of the year I finished a "collection" of 45 minutes classes and started two collections of 30 minute classes. This explains the drag on my numbers in part, but I was also bringing less intensity to each ride.</div>
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This isn't the end of the world. A workout doesn't need to be perfect to be worth doing. Still, I hope to crank it up over the course over the next 50 rides before I check back in.</div>
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The big win here is that I'm still exercising consistently and I've added regular stretching to the routine (more on stretching in a later post). Since my Peloton was delivered in August 2018, I've cycled 1,836 miles over 6,350 minutes.</div>
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I'm hoping to complete 350 rides by the end of the year. Onward!Paragon2Pieceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16186204100704440304noreply@blogger.com0