A new element in the blog

I spend far too much time surfing the internet.  This is a problem, and I am trying to work on it.  I thought that I would put this absent-mindedness in a new column called ‘Wednesday Wool-gathering’. The idea is to curate in one place all of the random bits of stuff that I read that helps me learn something new.

These links will be based mostly on my interests (both personally and professionally as a History teacher):

• Financial Independence
• Travel
• History
• Politics and Culture
• Other Random Things

 

Here are this week’s wool-gatherings

I thought I would start of this new series with the article that kick-started my interest in financial independence.  It is quite old but still holds much value.  It is ‘The Shockingly Simple Math Behind Early Retirement‘ by Mr. Money Mustache.  Here MMM talks about the role that savings rate plays in being able to retire.  When I read this, I realized how unprepared I was for retirement; how I needed to change my financial situation as a public school teacher in Florida; and the way I spent money. It also got me to redouble my efforts to use personal capital much better to track my own finances.

A second article that is part of my go-to for financial independence comes from my favorite blog at the moment Go Curry Cracker.  Jeremy and Winnie retired in their 30s and now travel the world.  One of my favorite articles is “$10,000 of Free European Travel” This got us started on our travel hacking exploits a bit more.

As a History Teacher, this Washington Post article about Winston Churchill piqued my interest.  I had listened to a Revisionist History podcast (another strong recommendation) about Churchill’s role in the 1943 Bengali famine in India, but this article really does bring attention to the role of historical perspective.

This New York Times article called ‘The Man who Knew Too Little‘ was a fascinating read.  It is about a guy from Ohio that has purposely shut himself off from news from the outside world following Donald Trump’s election.  It is interesting to look at the strides he has gone to shut off news – he calls it “The Blockade”. Interesting look at whether or not his life is simpler or better from not knowing.

 

On our bookshelf

In this section we (including Simon although we might put some words into his mouth at times) will be giving you our reading list (as current as possible but it is hard to read a book a week!)

I am a sucker for Historical Fiction, so a book that I have read recently that I enjoyed was Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.  Interestingly enough, I know that they made a TV mini-series out of it, and I couldn’t get into it, but the book is rich in detail. It follows the world of Thomas Cromwell, protégé of Cardinal Wolsey in the court of Henry VIII.  A great narrative and the winner of the Man Booker prize.  I want to get my hands of the sequel, Bring Up the Bodies.

I am normally a huge Philippa Gregory fan (having read quite a few others in the series). I just can’t get into The Other Queen right now.  Maybe because of the use of 3 separate narrators, it is a difficult book to pick up and put down (a necessity with a toddler) I just don’t like being jerked around from one perspective to another.  It took me ahile to get used to.  Not my kind of easy read.

I particularly like the colors in this book.  I like how the planets stick out.  I especially like Jupiter, it’s big!  I like that the words rhyme and I usually finish the sentences for mommy or daddy. For some reason, daddy doesn’t like the last line, “the leaves Pluto which is too small to be one”. — somthing about his childhood being a lie.