Jana Says

Weekly six pack, 2017, v28

November 10, 2017 by Jana 9 Comments

Coming to you live from my phone so we’ll save my rants about the shitstorm we’re living in for next week.

Reading. Finished The Heart’s Invisible Furies. Currently reading The Financial Diaries. Picked up Ghettoside, Lincoln in the Bardo and Chuck Klosterman’s X. Don’t forget Show Us Your Books on Tuesday!

Watching. Stranger Things 2 (hot mess of a plot but if you don’t love Steve now something is wrong with you) and bingeing the final season of Longmire this weekend.

Listening. Or attempting to listen to some new podcasts. Specifically Professional Book Nerds and A Murder on Orchard Street. No verdict yet but I’ll get back to you.

Drinking. All the hazelnut coffee I can. I don’t know why. But I can’t stop.

Celebrating. The fact that my cat survived over 48 hours on the streets. Last Saturday, an in-home vet came to the house to give the cat a rabies shot (necessary in the event adopting another dog is in the future) and, without going into too much detail, she traumatized the fuck out of my cat. As soon as she had the opportunity, Boots took the hell off, spent a night outside in the pouring rain, and came home late Monday after I spent 2 solid days in hysterics. It was nice to stop crying and finally get some sleep.

Laughing.

Have a great weekend! This is the last one until January that I have no plans and I am going to love every single minute of it. See you on Tuesday for the best day of the month (and you might see some changes, too)!

New post-election words for my daughter

November 8, 2017 by Jana 6 Comments

Last year, after our presidential election, I wrote a letter to my daughter (you can read it here). Although we didn’t have any off-year elections in Delaware, I think the results of what happened last night across the country bear a revisiting of that letter.

Yes, he, as you call him because you refuse to utter his name, is still president. He’s still running his mouth, purposefully and calculatingly dividing our country over both trivial and important matters while simultaneously scaring the shit out of everyone in an effort to distract from what he’s attempting to accomplish. I know you wish impeachment would happen and I’d tell you to be patient but that’s never been a quality of yours.

In the meantime, though, I want you to know this: resistance works. It worked in Philadelphia and New Jersey and Virginia and across the country. It means that on a local level, citizens are expressing their discontent and engaging in behavior that affects real, actual change. It means that those who might otherwise sit on the sidelines are stepping up and doing their part to combat societal divisiveness and degradation of social progress. It means that, with the volume of women elected to office, we are recognizing on a micro and macro level that women are just as capable as men in making policy decisions (I know this one makes you the happiest, my little feminist).

It means that enough people are as angry and as frustrated as you are.

I also want you to know that people are paying attention. Those with big platforms are using their voices and those with small platforms are using their voices. We are united in our desire for better because what we’re getting is not at all what we deserve. Conversations are happening now (though they should have happened earlier is a moot point), people are using our Constitution as it was intended, to protect citizens’ basic rights (although, as you’re way too unfortunately aware, we still need a bigger one about the 2nd) rather than harm them because our watchdogs are WATCHING, and enough people are dissatisfied with incumbents and institutions and status quo and are recognizing it’s time to shake shit up.

And selfishly, it means that all the good I saw in our county wasn’t wrong. It came out in droves last night.

This is only the beginning, though. We still have a lot of work to do. But I want you to know that work is being done. I know it’s hard for you to trust adults right now, and I don’t blame you, but we’re working on it. And in the meantime, don’t forget all the things we talk about.

Your voice is important.

Speak for those who can’t speak for themselves.

Science matters.

Love is love.

“No” is a complete sentence.

QUESTION EVERYTHING. Don’t accept something as fact if it seems wrong or misleading.

Stand up for your beliefs, your values, your morals, and yourself.

(And I know you make fun of my hairbands but these are inspiring words:)

12 things I learned about myself in Dallas

November 6, 2017 by Jana 11 Comments

I spent most of last week and weekend in Dallas at a blogger conference. Not because I blog about the topic, mind you, but because some of the work I do is with a foundation that helps the financial media community. And also friends. And drinks.

Despite the fact that I’ve attended this conference for each of its 7 years, this year was different for reasons that maybe don’t belong in this post (because they’re either way too personal or way too boring). However, since I am permanently on a mission to better understand myself, I did some reflections while my flight was delayed and those do belong in this post. So I’ll share them.

New people and situations don’t necessarily scare the shit out of me. Certain TYPES of new people and situations scare the shit out of me
Public speaking is way outside my comfort zone but only because I prefer to be in the background. Not because I am a terrible public speaker
Cider gives me heartburn #oldladyproblems
Watching the World Series with people who love baseball like you do is spectacular
I am perfectly capable of functioning on a steady diet of vodka and sleep deprivation
Finding a place where you can be yourself 100% of the time, no matter how weird you might be, is my type of place
I can and will find bookworms and corral them into hour long conversations #booknerdsunite
I don’t believe in the single bullet theory #sorrydrkelly
Sightseeing makes me incredibly happy, particularly if there’s history involved
There are a lot of people doing a lot of amazing things and I’m thrilled to know some of them
My master’s degree was not entirely a waste of time and is actually relevant to my life now
I’m really bad at recapping trips

And now, here’s an eyeball statue that hangs out in Dallas for some reason unknown to me:

P.S. While I did a bunch of pretty fun things, my favorite conference relevant event was sponsored by The Center for Financial Services Innovation. It involved working in randomly assigned teams to conduct financial transactions as an unbanked person. In the 7 years of attending FinCon, it was the most eye opening activity I’ve done. While my master’s is in Public Policy and many of the nonfiction books I read revolve around this types of issues, living it was something I’ll not soon forget.

Weekly six-pack, 2017, v27

October 20, 2017 by Jana 13 Comments

I think this feature needs a new name. I don’t always have 6 things to talk about. But I am lazy and I like routine so who knows when a change will happen. If ever.

Reading. Caroline. It’s very tedious but not terrible enough to quit. Nothing new from anywhere but anxiously waiting to get to my NetGalley books.

Watching. Mindhunter. This show is incredibly well done and interesting but they really play up the serial killers hate women angle. It’s kind of annoying.

Feeling. Accomplished. The husband and I finished our couch to 5k training and I ran for 35 minutes. IN A ROW. My life is weird now.

Wondering. Why the fuck a kid who I have seen hit her dog with a newspaper would think I would ever EVER pay her to walk my dog. Also I have a child her age who can do it for free and I enjoy walking my dog myself. I commend her desire to make money but COME ON.

Loving. That Michael’s had Hanukkah decorations. It is incredibly hard to find anything for Hanukkah where I live, including menorah candles, so you can bet I spent money I shouldn’t have on some stuff.

Laughing.

So I probably won’t be around next week as I’ll be in Dallas but before that, we’ll be celebrating my husband’s 40th (it was on Tuesday) this weekend with food and drinks and beach time. Hope you all enjoy your weekend and week and I’ll see you when I get back!

My heart hurts

October 18, 2017 by Jana 8 Comments

My heart hurts.

It hurts because there are way too many women sharing stories of sexual abuse, assault, and harassment. #metoo

It hurts because we have a president who is not only dividing this country on purpose but who is actively seeking to harm the vulnerable, sick, and poor.

It hurts because Puerto Rico is still not receiving the aid it deserves and people are drinking contaminated water. But apparently racism is greater than providing basic needs to fellow citizens.

It hurts because despite the fact that we had the worst mass shooting in US history less than 2 weeks ago, the conversation about gun control has ended.

It hurts because October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month and it reminds me not only of the baby I lost but how many other families have lost babies as well.

It hurts because I’m still sad about my Dobie’s unexpected passing.

It hurts because of things I’m not comfortable sharing.

And while I want my heart to stop hurting, I just don’t know how make it stop. So for now I’m just owning the hurt and the pain and the anger, knowing that it will let up at some point and I can move back into normal. Whatever my normal looks like now. Because that has yet to be decided.