Read part one of this series.

Within hours of the news that the U.S. government was normalizing relations with Cuba, I clicked open the first of several emails I’d ultimately get from American travel companies. Each of these messages informed me that though the island is not yet open to public tourism from the U.S., their organization is licensed to take visitors to Cuba and, in the words of one such email, offer them “the opportunity to see Cuba as it is now, and before any potential policy changes inevitably change the experience.” I mean, I guess it made sense. The emails were informative, timely, and were responding to demand, but they still felt a little ... gross.

My conflicting feelings on the subject actually started to spin in earlier in the day, as I tried—and failed—to answer umpteen questions from friends and family all to the tune of “Are you glad you got to see it before this happened?” Yes? No? Honestly, I don’t know…

I travel for perspective, and this closed off, time warp of an island gave me that in heaps. It made me think about what I have, (and don’t have), what I need (and don’t need), how I live my life, how that life fits into the world around me … I could go on, endlessly. So am I grateful for my trip to Cuba? Not one shred of a doubt: I don’t think I’m overstating to say that it was life changing.

But at the same time, I sort of have difficulty with the implication that opening Cuba up will somehow “ruin" the experience. Cause lemme tell you, much of Cuba is already in ruins. Sure the music is awesome, Havana is vibrant, the people are friendly and resourceful…  but stand on any street corner and you see an awful lot of decay. Buildings are crumbling, infrastructure feels spotty and at times inexistent, and Cubans line up diligently at ration stores for a truly humble amount of provisions. 

So there you go. I am glad I got to see what I saw, listen to what I heard, feel what I felt. But would I rush out the door just to see it now “before potential policy changes inevitably change the experience”? I’m not so sure. If seeing Cuba a few years down the road, sans ’57 Chevys, Revolution billboards, and the shadow of intrigue that hangs over it now, means that it’s because Cubans have access to global markets, a voice in their own elections, and a more open society …. well, what an even more powerful travel experience that would be.  And I wouldn’t wish to rewind for anything in the world.  

Exciting news! I’m in the throes of putting the final touches on our 2015 budget and …. Wait, that was it. That was the exciting news, full stop. As always, there were things we did well with, budget wise, this past year, and there were things that weren’t so hot. Here’s what I’m focusing in on for 2015:

Wining and Dining: We’ve come SO far on this since I started budgeting, but we’re still not where I’d like us to be. Rather than planning for one or two lovely, special date nights a month, we’re often still using our “entertainment” budget line for random, last-minute pit stops at the local burger joint and such—mostly when we don’t feel like eating (or cooking) whatever is in the fridge. I’m so aware of the fact that the key to a successful budget is spending deliberately, and this is just one area where spontaneity keeps gnawing at our bottom line. I WILL MASTER YOU, RANDOM DINNERS. Watch me.

Celebrations and Such: Despite the fact that we know when our family’s birthdays are (eeer, most of the time.), when are friends are getting married, when they’re having babies, we just can’t seem to get it together in terms of saving in advance for the necessary gifts, travels, etc, that come with those “precious life moments.” (Remember Precious Moments? Those things were cuh-reeeeepy. Why with the big eyes? WHY?) This year, we’re building weddings, birthdays, and the like into the budget so I’m not having a financial conniption at the last minute, yelling at George when he tries to, you know … buy groceries.

Utilities: The infamous “Polar Vortex” (Better or worse than Snowpocolypse?) destroyed us last year. And by us, I mean our “utilities” budget line. It decimated it. It froze it, and kicked its lifeless body out of the wood chipper. (Get it? Fargo? Come on, guys.) This year, we’re doing everything we can to be super conscientious about our in-home energy usage, and I’m banning myself from “just turning the heat up one more degree.” In fact, I am wearing two sweatshirts right now. (And I look gooooooood.) I’m thisclose to basically purchasing a Little House on the Prairie bed-warmer thing. Try as you might, Northeastern Winter (and impending, humidity fueled Summer), you will not best me this year. 

How about you guys? What are your budget goals for 2015? 

Here, Boy!
Me: These dog treats smell really bad.
George: Yeah. I forgot to tell you that I was on the phone the other day, got confused, and put one in my mouth.
Me: [stares]
George: Uh, it wasn't in there long enough to get a taste?
Riiiiiiiiiight.


Here, Girl!
This reminds me of my second favorite moment from when I lived alone. I was on hold with Verizon for about, mmm, 400 years? I was so bored I just sort of absent-mindedly put a GINORMOUS handful of peanuts in my mouth at the exact moment the rep finally answered. Panicked about 1) choking to death due to trying to chew too fast and 2) losing the rep, I just sort of slow motion dribbled the 97 peanuts out of my mouth onto the floor. Then I laughed so hard I almost lost the rep anyway. SCORE. 


And so...
That brings me to my number one living alone moment. I was having one of those nights where you're feeling all independent and proud of yourself and so I decided to make some popcorn on the stove because WHO NEEDS MICROWAVES? AMIRITE? All my ladies who independent throw your hands up at me! Or something. So my corn is a poppin' and I went to put the bag of kernels back in the pantry when they just starting pouring out of the package and onto my super sweet linoleum floor. OBVIOUSLY, I pulled a sort of Fred Flintstone-type move where I slipped on top of them, proceeded to sort of run in place for a second, and then launched  up in the air and landed directly on my back. So good. 

I’ve been thinking a lot about our 2012 trip to Cuba in the wake of last week’s news that the Cuban and U.S. governments are moving towards normalizing relations after a 50-year political stalemate. It’s clearly a divisive issue in the United States: News footage out of Miami, in particular, shows Americans, young and old, shouting at each other, just as cameras in D.C. deliver squabbling politicians to our television screens. But all the clips out of Havana highlight something quite different—where we’re yelling at one another, Cubans seem to be shouting together, in a unified voice of celebration. I just hope we can all take a breath and listen.

When we visited Havana, I was so shocked at how quickly the Cubans we chatted with—in cafes, in bars, on the street, and in classrooms—opened up on their opinions of U.S./Cuban relations. One after one, they assured us that they really liked Americans—particularly their feisty, can-do spirit—and just wished our governments could get it together and put to rest the grudge match that had long since run its course.  Maybe, just maybe, such a move would ease their economic and political woes, they said. The sentiment was so consistent that it felt like a new party line, swapped in for some 1960s style rhetoric about the U.S. being the Great Satan.  And the thing of it was, the Cubans we met really seemed to believe it.

So that’s what I’ve been focused on over the last few days—thinking about what all this change might possibly mean for real Cubans, the people we’re all supposedly rooting for. (And not to dive too much into politics, but let’s dismiss the argument that normalizing relations means we’re caving to an anti-democratic regime. If human rights were truly at the core of our diplomatic maneuvers—and not, say money, oil, or that ol’ classic called scoring political points, among other things—we wouldn’t have ties with China, Saudia Arabia, and a handful of other nations with equally dismal records on that count. So that’s a bit of a non-starter for me personally.)

In particular, I’m excited for the piece of the agreement that states that Cuba intends to open up Internet access and make communications hardware and software more widely available. The Cuban government is notorious for clamping down on free information flow between Cubans—and the world around them—unless it’s been sanctioned by the Communist Party. A breakthrough in access to information would be a huge step forward. (A very worthwhile read on this subject is famed Cuban dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez’s book Havana Real, which catalogues the horrific hurdles she faces in trying to write the truth about life in Cuba. For her take on the political thaw, check out her op-ed "Goliath Opens His Wallet" from The New York Times.)

And while I’m at it I’m also delighted that, with news of the normalization, the regime can no longer hold up the United States as the big, bad boogeyman to the north. Pick up an issue of the official government rag Granma--or check it out online—and you’ll see how powerfully the Cuban government has wielded the age-old diplomatic standoff to their advantage. Taking that away (at least partially--the economic embargo is still officially in place and can only be removed by Congress) means they’ll have to answer for their actions directly, with no one left to blame for missteps but themselves. 

Additional components of the new policy include relaxing some restrictions on import and exports, travel, and banking regulations—all designed to, one hopes, make life easier for the average Cuban citizen.

Whether all of this will really materialize or create a more open society for Cuba in the future is a question only time can answer, but for the sake of the Cuban people, I think we owe it a shot. 

Between Thanksgiving and New Years Day, I go on something of a personal shopping ban. Not because I'm so super generous that I'm saving every last penny for gifts for loved ones (Sooorrrrry loved ones.), but because I know that paying full price for anything during this period of hyper consumption is crazytown.

And I'm not talking, like, the latest in wearable technology (Is that a thing? Aren't there Jetson's watches happening now?), but more like .... i dunno, socks. As much as possible, I save my shopping for ... socks ... and other sundries for the weekend after Thanskgiving and the weekend after Christmas. You think I'm joking, but I picked up like no fewer than 900 pairs of socks for a grand total of approximately 50 cents at Target after Thanksgiving this year. Okay, not quite, but close. When everyone else is slamming their carts into one another trying to get to the flat screen TVs, I think fondly of my circa 1999 tube set, toss another pair of socks (or, let's be honest, slipper socks) into the cart, and cackle wickedly to myself. 

Ditto in the days after Christmas. If I see a, say,  sweater, coat, or scarf that I love--even if it's on sale pre-Christmas--I hunker down and resist the urge to click "Buy" until the 26th. And nine times out of ten, it pays off. Post Christmas sales are waaaaay better than pre-Christmas sales, and totally make sense to tap into if you're shopping for yourself. (They also make sense to tap into if you aren't seeing particular friends and family with whom you exchange gifts until after the 25th. What? I SAID I WAS CHEAP! Plus, it's not like they'll know. Unless they're reading this right now. Sorrrrry again, loved ones.) Check out this article from Deal News that  lists six types of items that you should wait until after Christmas to buy: clothes, electronics, furniture, fitness equipment, laptops, and the big-no-duh of Chritsmas decor. 

So here's to four more days of letting your hard-earned cash fester in your wallet. (Or,  you know, earn a few dimes in an interest-bearing savings account.) Hold out, dear friends, for sock sale time is nigh.