Future plans

I have neglected this blog. Yes, I know. But it does serve as kind of a diary for me and to look back at moments of my life in recent years. Anyway. My life has changed a lot in the past 2 years. Firstly, I am living with my gf Valeria here in Rome and it's going well although no relationship is perfect. Those who paint theirs out to be as such, are liars and or good actors. Second, I have really changed my mindset from existing to focusing on living. What do I mean by this? I am looking to get out of teaching eventually and possibly into entrepreneurship in the future. One of the first steps to doing this are two things. I'd like to write a book on my experiences here in Italy and then I'd like to promote it on a youtube channel. The youtube channel is somewhat of a gamble and it will most likely be a test of patience and probably of my own mental and linguistic capabilities. Why linguistic? Well, anyone who knows me, knows that I stutter, talk too fast and at times I am incomprehensible. I made a practice video yesterday and as painful as it is to watch myself on camera, it was necessary to recognize the flaws in my speaking style. I will HAVE to slow down and focus on clarity if I want to captivate a Youtube audience. Also, I want to keep the focus on living and vacationing here in Italy because I feel people could benefit from advice before coming. I will use myself as an example; I think talking about something from someone who has lived something makes it more real. In other words, practice over theory.

Another milestone for me was having invested in the stock market. I have been studying stocks since last fall and I feel it is a wise choice and a way to provide for myself (maybe just in part, we'll see) when I am past retirement age. Is it risky? Yes. So why did I do it? I invested in a good company, a major one and also I bought into a fund that tracks and pays out the return of the overall SP 500 market performance. In my opinion this is a defensive strategy but I feel it will pay off in the following decades. My next goal is to look for companies that focus on products that everyone uses, toothpaste for example. How can I keep buying more stock? Patience is key. I will set aside some money each month which I will then use to put into the market and in the investing world this is called dollar cost averaging. This way a consistent amount of money is invested no matter what market conditions are. Anyone who looks at stock and market performance sees that it goes up and down, thus you are catching the dips and peaks evenly.

For those still following or if anyone comes across this blog, watch out for me on Youtube!

Almost 38

It's high time I post something for 2018! I've found out that perhaps my students are reading this and that's fine as I have nothing to hide and they seem respectful of my privacy. Anyway, today is my mother's birthday and she's 70. Yikes! I take aging now with a grain of salt and a gift from God that I am still here considering all those who left prematurely. That grain of salt includes its color which I now see specks of in my hair and as much as I don't like it I have to accept it. At least I am not bald! Things are fine with Valeria and I as I moved in with her 2 months ago. I do miss my single independent life but if I want a family someday, some things need to be sacrificed. But with relationships you never know how things will turn out to be honest. For now I am quite happy with her, although no relationship is perfect. She quite enjoyed herself in the USA and I still can't believe she came to see the place where I grew up. Actually, I like that she came as it's nice to get an outsider's opinion of Connecticut. It was bitterly cold, even for us but I think the fact that she has me as a guide and we have cars and that my parents house is super warm made all the difference and she was able to enjoy herself. I liked introducing her to my parents and relatives and our day out in Boston was very nice despite the continued cold! Another highlight was having her meet my friends and this was good for her English!

I really have a few simple yet significant goals this year. 1. I want to get a full health inspection which will happen as soon as I get my health card in a month or two. I think I am fine but I want get a few blood tests and have my cholesterol checked. 2. My continued research into stocks and trading as I feel this is the wise choice for my future and it could be very profitable in a few decades (give or take!). It's frustrating as I have always shunned finance and numbers in general. I am overwhelmed but how much there is to learn, but if you want results, you gotta put in the work. I have learned a lot in the past few months and little by little I am getting closer to deciding how I want to invest my cash. 3. I wouldnt mind a career change as I am not sure teaching is for me anymore. As I get older I am not sure that I can handle the stress of teaching, in particular teens. Italian teens are a challenge as I have 30 kids in one classroom and they are chatterboxes and look for any excuse to joke around and talk about things not relevant to the lesson. Not all of them are this way and I adore some of them. Others make my job quite difficult and when I get angry it is not good for my health. I am open to suggestions and other career opportunities. 4. Last, and definitely not least, I would like to continue to develop and dedicate myself to Valeria. She might be the one and I need some more time to understand this. We have a great relationship and we have the same goals and outlook on life.