Year: 2019

The Fabulous Investing Decade of the 2010s (What’s Next?)

Chris

I started investing square in the middle of the decade, in April of 2015. We were already about six years into a fabulous bull market for stocks, and many people doubted it would continue. Yet continue it has, to this day. As the above chart shows, investing in U.S. stocks over the last ten years has been a whizz-bang good idea (FYI, here’s a link to the original page from macrotrends.net). The S&P 500 hovered at near 1,000 at the beginning of 2010 (1,132.99, to be exact), while this year…

Ducks and Cats Would Understand

Chris

If you have ever had a cat, you will realize that they are basically constantly cleaning themselves. This never-ending grooming process can range from seeming amusing to seeming downright obsessive. They just don’t stop! My wife and I especially notice how our girl cat will frequently snuggle up with us in bed and then an instant later begin a fit of intense self-licking, without any regard for how it impacts us (surprise, surprise: I have found that cats generally act in this way). Obviously, lots of animals (maybe all?) spend…

A Heartfelt Connection with My Audience

Chris

This afternoon I performed a solo piano show for an enthusiastic audience which I would nearly describe as raving fans. I have performed at this venue numerous times before, and there are always really cool aspects to it, such as: audience members who always get up and dance people who address me by name and clearly look forward to having me back people who sing along with the songs I play people who line up to come and thank me afterword good food always provided 🙂 people who come to…

The 2010s: (My) Decade in Review

Chris

Well, here we are, a few days away from the end of the 2010s! Soon, it will be but a memory, like all decades before it. This decade was quite significant for me personally, as I went from an unmarried guy playing retirement home piano shows in the Bay Area and dreaming lofty dreams of being a rapper to being the illustrious Me who types now on this blog. Since I’m so into self-analysis and especially lists, I would like to create a list of some of main breakthroughs I…

Don’t Stop Believin… In the Joy and Magic of Life

Chris

I have always thought of today as the most magical day of the year. Christmas sparks in me many positive emotions, Joy, Love, and Magic being on top of the list. So now I would like to offer a few inspired words to encourage others to tap into that Joy that is possible in all of us Every Single Day (and not just during the Holidays!). You have joy and magic inside. You are composed of love and possibility. Your vantage point is unlimited in creative potential. You need only…

A Holiday Plea For Common “Cents”

Chris

The Holidays can bring out the spendiness in a lot of us. It can be tempting to want to play Santa Claus with all our loved ones and friends. I certainly have felt that pressure. There’s so much glitz and glamour and anticipation and glittery malls and stores and commercials and offers, and the idea of being giving (translation: spending lots of money) is so appealing… or at least, it’s been drilled into us from Day One of our lives in this country. There’s nothing wrong with that, as long…

Attack of the Sweets!

Chris

Ah, the Holidays. The music. The friends and family. The sweets… Yikes! In the last two weeks, we have held two Holiday parties. We have attended several more. In the course of the festivities, we have been exposed to a lot of sugar-filled Holiday goodies (par for the course in our American culture of sweets). The picture above shows what was leftover from our party last Tuesday. I admit, I have indulged. After spending the last year primarily avoiding processed sugar (basically sticking to the diet I describe here), in…

Questions I Asked Myself for 2019

Chris

At the beginning of the year, I wrote myself a list of questions intended to help me have a great year: QUESTIONS FOR 2019 How can I keep a clear my mind no matter what is occurring in my life? How can I stay in charge of my mood and my mind state? How can I stay focused continually on feeling good? How can I forgive myself ongoingly if things get uncomfortable, or if I make mistakes or get disappointed, even with myself? How can I stay present and in…

I’m Actually Enjoying This Holiday Season

Chris

So I went back on TV yesterday 🙂 I played piano on set “Good Day Sacramento”‘s Christmas Holiday Special, to be aired Christmas morning. I wrote about my last experience going on “Good Day” a year ago. If you read that post, you may notice that I was… way… stressed out… back then. This time was much easier. I had fun, and most important of all, I was light on myself! And I came out of it satisfied, instead of confused and slightly messed up in my head. As I…

Overcoming the Silent Killer

Chris

As I wrote last year, we bring our clothes to be dried (we have a washer at home) at the nearby laundromat. This usually has worked out quite well, especially since the only expenses are for drying (which for several years now has been paid for with recycling money, as I once noted here). However, as of late the paid dryers at the laundromat have raised their prices: instead of buying 10 minutes of drying time, $0.25 now buys 8 minutes. Ee-gads! That’s a 25% increase in the price of…