Mutual Fund Distributions and Capital Gains Taxes 2011
January 19, 2012 | 
Author 
I was never interesting enough to be invited to the big parties. I understand. Tough to imagine, huh? Didn’t all the well-liked kids want to grow up to be financial bloggers? Thank heavens I wasn’t born within the 1920s. I wouldn’t have known any of the speakeasy locations. But, maybe that’s what saves my liver. Regardless, just like speakeasies were only whispered about then, you will find there’s little known tax secret now in the mutual fund world. It’s my hypothesis that “the man” disguises what a big tax break this secret can be by giving it the boring title of “Capital Gains Distributions.” Yawn. Someone see my bed sheets around here?
Here’s the scoop: Do you know when there’s a pizza pie with eight slices but there are 12 people? There’s no fair strategy to cut the pizza. Some individuals get more, and others less. Mutual funds have a similar problem.
Consumers buy and sell mutual fund shares every day, while the fund’s managing team buys and sells shares of stocks or bonds. Typically (hopefully) these trades bring about an increase in value. Here’s where the bad news starts: every time a fund sells for a profit, there is a tax due to investors.
How does the mutual fund decide who to tax? Imagine the nightmare of trying to split up the “tax pizza” among a large number of investors who owned the fund for differing time frames? Yuck.
So, funds took the easy way out. They decided on a day at the conclusion of the year. Anyone who owns the fund that day eats the tax. If the fund bought Apple 10 years ago for $30 per share and sold it recently for $375, you’ll be on the hook for your portion of the whole “she-bang,” even if you’ve only owned the fund for a few days.
As mom says, “Life ain’t fair.”
The cool part (to use the technical term), is that fund families actually publicize ahead of time how much each fund is anticipated to pay out as “capital gains distributions,” as it’s called. This announcement is the speakeasy password. Nobody listens until they’re hit next year with a nice, fat capital gains tax bill. That hurts.
Listed here are what some large fund and ETF companies are estimating, as of today (November 30, 2011).
American Funds have only three funds announcing a capital gain distribution this year, with the earliest occurring 12/22.
Vanguard has over 60 funds with capital gain distributions or dividend distributions near year end, and Ten Exchange Traded Funds. The very first will take place 12/15.
Fidelity has over Ninety funds paying capital gain distributions in 2011. The very first is on 12/5.
Major ETF consumers will be happy to hear that 99 percent of iShares exchange traded funds will be capital gain distribution-free this year. Only 2 iShares ETFs are expected to have distributions, with an ex-date of 12/1.
Lastly, as of this writing, Franlin Templeton funds continue to have many capital gain distributions listed as pending, but the DynaTech fund ex-date is tomorrow, December 1st. This is the exception, though. most of Franklin Templeton’s funds have distributions listed as December 15th or later.
What should you do relating to this information?
1) Determine if you own the fund inside an IRA, Roth IRA, 401k or similar tax shelter. If so, none of this is going to affect you! Whew! Go consume a doughnut. If the fund isn’t in a tax shelter, keep reading, minions.
2) Figure out your tax. This really is easier than it sounds. Multiply the distribution amount by the quantity of shares you have. This number is your full distribution amount. The highest level capital gain tax rate in 2011 and 2012 for the United States is 15 percent if you’ve held the fund more than a year. Multiply your distribution amount by Fifteen percent. Bingo. This number is your maximum tax which will be due if you do nothing.
3) Judge your reaction. If you head for the liquor cabinet, grab a Barbara Streisand album or can’t stop shaking, it’s probably time to perform evasive movements. Read on. If your pulse remains even or you start to giggle, you’re done! Go eat a doughnut.
4) Work out your capital gain. If you decide to sell the fund to prevent the capital gain, you might cause a ton of tax difficulties for yourself if you’ve held it forever. This is the mutual fund double-whammy. These people “getcha” with the manager’s taxes, but they “getcha” again with taxes due based on your sale. Look for the share price you used to originally buy the fund and today’s fund information (we use bigcharts.com historical quotes to estimate the tax if we can’t locate the purchase information.)
5) Duplicate step #3 above. Now, if your tax to sell will be high, execute more comprehensive tax planning before doing anything. For now, go eat a doughnut! If the capital gain distribution is high enough and your personal capital gain tax low enough to justify a sale, read on.
6) Sell the fund.
7) Don’t aim to time the market. Find one more fund similar to the one you sold. Wash sale rules require that you stay out of a fund for Thirty days if you’re planning to claim a loss.
By using this method, you legally sidestep a mutual fund disaster. Now, even if-like me-you weren’t the coolest kid at the party, you’ll be able to throw your own private party with all of your tax savings.
PS-This method doesn’t benefit everyone, and shouldn’t be viewed as precise financial advice. If you work with an accountant, have a financial advisor, or know a money geek close to your personal situation, run it by them before making any changes to your portfolio. You might end up damaging your overall plan to save a few bucks!
Fun Gangster Themed Party Invitations
This party season continues to see the Gangster theme near the top of the popularity charts. And with Valentines just around the corner combined with the unceasing popularity of the Gangster Movie it’s easy to see why this theme continues to capture the imagination.
So if you’re thinking of planning a gangster themed party, it’s time to dust off the violin case, dig out your flapper beads or spats and send out an invitation that no-one will be able to resist.
Fun ideas for your Gangster Party Invitations
The Speakeasy Invitation
The Speakeasy was a secret location where prohibition beating booze parties were held and was the home of the Flapper. Kept secret for obvious legal reasons, an invitation to a Speakeasy would be expected to be in code. Using code is a fantastic way of preparing invitations but it does need careful planning. Easiest method is to detail everything the invitation is to contain, we would suggest that it include; the name of guest, name of party giver, date, location and start time. This is a minimum information required for any invitation and don’t forget to include to note if you want everyone to dress up.
Having gathered all of the information you want to include the next step is to encode it. How you construct the code and how complicated you make it will depend, to a large part, on the age of the guests. Across all age groups visual clues always work and puzzle books will provide you with plenty of examples to follow. The code should be fairly easy to decipher and you should always include the correct answer on the back of the invitation.
Speakeasy or ‘The Warehouse’ Location Invitation
This is based on the old treasure map invitation where you draw a stylised map of the area surrounding the party venue. Use plenty of Gangster symbols and naming – like warehouses, Italian Restaurants, Nightclubs and have a large curved arrow pointing to the position on the map where the party is to be held. As an option you could include the party details into the map in gangster talk like; ‘you’ve had this coming for a long time’, ‘now you’re going to get it’ etc.
As with all clue based invitations, be careful to ensure you include enough real information and the solution to the map should be included on the back.
The Hostage Invitation
These take a considerable time to prepare although the advent of the computer has really come to the assistance of party hosts. Either cut the individual letters from newspapers and then use different sizes mixed and stuck to paper to create the invitation. This is the old school method but produces the best results. The modern way would be to download a font (Google ‘free fonts’) and then create your invitation electronically. This has the benefit of being far quicker and ultimately cleaner than the old school method.
For either method, you could start with the fact that the party is being held hostage and that to free it, guests are required to attend and are also required to pay a ransom of a bottle of bootleg hooch.
These are tried and tested Gangster themed party invitation ideas and here are some additional tips to make them even more successful. All of these invitations are based on disclosing a secret party venue so they should be kept in keeping with this and should look a little tatty and crumpled. They look great on scraps of paper rather than on square cut fresh stock. A great tip for aging new paper stock is to stain it in a weak solution of tea and then leaving a few (not too many) coffee granules to add darker spots – these will spread with the dampness in the paper. When dry, crumple and tear as required.
If it’s an invite to a St Valentine’s Day massacre then you could add a few drops of fake blood fluid to the paper as it dries to achieve the ultimate Gangster effect or for a very simple idea you could cutout the template of a machine gun from black card and use a silver gel pen to create the invitation.
Having spent the time to create great looking invitations, don’t spoil it by giving them out in plain envelopes. Use your imagination to decorate standard envelops; the theme of this decoration will depend on the overall theme of your party. If you are using the St Valentines Day Massacre, you could apply ‘crime scene – do not cross’ tape to the envelop or alternatively for a speakeasy theme you could scent the envelope with some whiskey or brandy and perhaps add a feather or small length of flapper beads.
Or, if you can afford to do it, buy an old violin case and a machine gun shaped purse (handbag) and keep the invitations inside the purse and keep the purse inside the violin case, the when you give the invitations out you will be opening the case and taking the machine gun purse out – just like the stylized black and white movies – before you reveal the invitation. And both accessories will be valuable for the party.
Also remember that a great Gangster themed party requires great Gangster themed fancy dress costumes and accessories. These are readily available in stores or alternatively through the internet from either specialist Gangster themed websites or from general fancy dress costume providers.
Lastly, whatever invitation style you choose and however you hand them out you will be getting the party off to a great start by building a sense of excitement, after all, if this is how good the invites are, how great will the party be….. Have a great time.
Office Christmas Party – The Holiday Drag!
The Office Christmas party is often one big holiday bore. An event most employees feel obligated to attend but few enjoy. It’s time to break the crappy celebration cycle! With a little creativity and imagination your office Christmas party can be an event that the company staff looks forward to each year.
Let’s start with some newer planning ideas. If your company is a small to mid-sized operation a shared party is a great option. Like minded or complimentary companies share the venue and expense. A shared Christmas party will inject that “new and different” element to your affair. Guest will meet new people, and make professional connections; the companies will share in the expenses making it a “win-win event for everyone. Shared parties can be organized by party planning agencies who have experience in knowing which types of companies mix well. If your company party is being planned in-house, another option for organizing a shared party is to team up with vendors or clients that your company members enact with regularly.
Themes can go a long way to set the mood for party fun. The right theme spells fun but the wrong theme can be a party killer! Your party theme should fit the profile of your company and staff. Are most of your staff in their 20′s and 30′s? A party atmosphere with emphasis on music, dancing and drinking fits the bill. If the majority of your company is in their 30′s and 40′s or older a celebration focused on a wonderful dining experience followed by light music and dancing is a good option. Maybe your staff is very family oriented? An event that includes children with family-type games and activities would be a nice option. Consider two smaller type celebrations – a breakfast with Santa for the families and an evening of music and dancing for everyone.
Christmas parties don’t have to stick to holiday-type themes. Getting a little creative with different themes can make for a great night. There are a number of great party themes that will set a fun and festive party mood without the old worn out red and green décor. Some super theme ideas are:
Rio Carnival
Las Vegas Casino
Futuristic Fantasy
20s Speakeasy
Murder Mystery
60′s, 70′s or 80′s
Scavenger Hunt
Indoor Sports Party
Talent Show
There are hundreds of great party ideas with activities and events that follow the theme perfectly to get the party started and keep it going until last call. Professional party planners can help you choose a great party theme for your crowd and coordinate activities, refreshments and events for the celebration.
Another option to ensure office Christmas party success is to let your staff choose their own party. Giving your staff members party options to vote on is a great way to boost attendance and guarantee a great time. Put out a survey with party options and let your staff vote for the type of party preferred by the majority.
Whatever theme and venue is selected there are a number of activities that can add to the party fun. A roaming photographer can put guest photos with funny sayings in a presentation that is run throughout the party. Activities, games and contest always add to party fun. Management could volunteer childhood photos for the party guest to guess who is who. Door prizes with a great prize is a good way to keep an air of excitement as guest wait to see who wins the big prize.
If your office Christmas party is a more intimate affair there are a number of fun group games to keep the party interesting. Games are an important part of any party or celebration. Try some of these holiday games:
Christmas Gift Swap Have each guest bring a wrapped Christmas gift to exchange. Players will then each draw a number out of a hat. Whoever goes first gets to choose and open one of the gifts. Player number 2 will then have the option of “stealing” that gift or selecting and opening another gift. As the play goes on, players who have the higher numbers will be able to select from any of the opened gifts or a new gift. This games is great fun!
Christmas Scavenger Hunt Create a list of clues for Christmas-themed objects hidden around the party area. Guests first must solve the clue and then search for the item. The first person to find all of the items on the list wins. This is a great game for teams or departments for light-hearted competition.
Christmas Carol Game Sit the players in a circle and begin by having the first person sing the first line of a popular Christmas song or carol. The next player must sing the second line of the song. Play continues until a player doesn’t know the next line to the song. That person is then “out” and players can start over with a new song. Have song lyric sheets available for players to refer to if there is a question over the correct words to the songs.
Whether your office Christmas party is a large lavish affair or a small intimate celebration; a little creativity, planning and imagination will make it an event that everyone looks forward to attending.
Easy Poodle Tricks You and Your Dog Will Love
Teaching your dog Poodle tricks is the best way to make your pet more lovable, smart, and rewarding. Using praises and small treats as a reward will drive your pet more to follow and remember every trick you introduce to him. But beware of practicing those new tricks for a long time or he will get bored, which means everything you have taught him will just fly out in the air.
Start by the very basic Poodle tricks like “shake hands”, “turn around”, “lay down”, and so on. Here are the easy tricks you and your dog will love:
Shake Hands. Have your dog sit on the floor facing you, say shake hands and take his paw with your hand. Hold his paw, say “good dog” as a sign of appreciation for following you and then let go.
Repeat the activity after a few minutes but do not take his paws this time. If he does not respond to it, take your Poodle’s paws again, repeat the process until such time that he responds to the command.
Turn Around. Let your Poodle stand up facing you for him to see a treat in your hand. Stand still, say turn around, lead his nose around with the treat so he walks in a circle. When he is back facing you, praise him and give him the treat.
Lay Down. Allow him to sniff the treat you are holding but do not let him have it. Lower the treat to the floor while your dog follows it down, too. Be sure to say lay down as your dog begins to lower himself. Only give him the treat once he has lowered himself all the way on the floor, and repeat the words many times.
After your Poodle has learned to lay down, you can practice him with stay. It is okay to let your dog stay for 15 or 20 minutes or even to fall asleep, for it is helpful when he needs to calm down once in a while. Give him the treat while he is lying down and not after he gets up.
Crawl. Let your dog lay down, hold a treat just in front of his nose and say crawl. If he starts to stand up, say crawl again and again while pulling the treat away, keeping it low near the ground. When he moves even an inch or two without standing up, praise him and reward him with the treat.
Speak. Choose a game that your Poodle loves to play, like catch with a ball, or hide and seek with a toy. Then get him excited by saying, “Let’s play! Want to play?” and show him the ball or toy. Jump and act silly so he barks and then say, “Good dog, speak!” Then play the game as his reward for learning “speak“.
Easy Poodle tricks like those mentioned above work because words are being put with something your dog does. Pretty soon, every time your dog hears the words you often say like “shake hands” and “turn around”, he will just give you his paw or walk in a circle. At this point, give him a hug, rub his ears, give him a treat and say, “Good boy!” because he deserves the praise and dogs love that.
Northern Thailand Visa Run – Chiang Mai to Mae Sai in One Day
If you are in Chiang Mai and need to do a visa run, the closest border to reach by land is Mae Sai. The quickest, most comfortable choice is to go to Mae Sai via the VIP Green Bus which departs from the Arcade Bus Station in Chiang Mai. It leaves around 7:45 AM and returns back to the city in the evening. It’s advised to book your ticket with a return ahead of time because it is often full. The seats are spacious and comfortable and they provide a snack. A toilet is located in the back. It is a non-stop ride and the air conditioning is full blast so remember to bring a sweater or a light blanket.
There are a host of other buses that depart daily to Mae Sai between 6:30 AM and 3:30 PM with a few buses departing later on the weekends. The fares range in price from about 150 – 400 baht one way. The ordinary bus stops frequently along the way. Depending on which line you choose, the times vary between 3.5 and 5 hours to get to Mae Sai, with the least expensive generally taking the longest.
An alternative is to book a bus ticket from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai; this trip takes around 3 hours. You can then catch a local bus from Chiang Rai to Mae Sai for about 50 Baht. They run every 20 minutes and the trip takes around 90 minutes. The bus stops at a station about 7 km from Burma where you hop on a red songthaew for 15 baht that goes straight to the border. Remember to allow yourself about 30 minutes on the return to your bus as they stop along the way to pick up other passengers. After you have dealt with your visa, you will see the red trucks lined up on your left in front of the 7-Eleven.
Two more alternatives: rent a car or drive your own motorbike.
You may also opt for going with one of several minivan companies who organize day tours that include lunch and a trip to the border for your stamp. These tours cost about 800 baht from Chiang Mai and combine sightseeing with a visa run, going to some of the interesting places in the area. Most guest houses can make arrangements for you, as well as any of the tour offices.
When you get to the border, you will see the Immigration office on the Thai side and hand your passport to an immigration officer behind the counter who will then stamp it with an official seal which simply states you are leaving Thailand. You then walk across the bridge and you will see the Burma immigration office on the right side. You walk inside, if there is no line, and hand an officer 500 baht or US$10 with your passport.
Be sure your money is in good, clean condition with no tears or markings on it. If you arrive and are in need of a bank, assuming it is not the weekend or a holiday, there are a few Thai branches on the right side of the street, before the bridge, as well as ATM machines.
If you have time and want to continue inside Burma to the nearby market, you will receive a temporary day permit and then pick up your passport afterwards from the same office before heading back across the bridge into Thailand. Otherwise explain that you are going straight back and not shopping and they will take care of you right away. There is also a duty free shop on the bridge opposite the Burmese immigration office which sells designer leather goods, sunglasses, alcohol, etc. Each adult is limited to three bottles of spirits upon reentering the Kingdom of Thailand.
The border market is just down the stairs on the right side at the end of the bridge and you will most likely be swarmed with different vendors desperately trying to sell you cheap cigarettes, Viagra, and bootleg DVDs, etc. There are many little stalls and shops selling touristy trinkets crammed into the area. You might prefer to sit down in one of the cafes or tea shops and enjoy a cold beverage or a snack, of which there are many to choose from.
Keep in mind that Burma is on a different time zone, 30 minutes behind, and the border closes at 6:00 PM Thai time which is 5:30 PM Burma time.
When you have finished exploring and are ready to return to Thailand, you walk back up the stairs and head back to the office which will now be on your left. Go inside and retrieve your passport from an officer and head back to the Thai office where you will be asked to fill out a simple information form before re-entering the kingdom. It’s basically your name, nationality, passport number and where you are staying in Thailand. After you fill it out, hand the form along with your passport to Thai immigration, who will then stamp your new visa in your passport and you are on your way.
If you are traveling on a 30 day visa on arrival, you will receive only a 15 day extension. Be aware that, by law, you are required to show 10,000 baht cash but this is rarely enforced. If you look like a bum, though, you might very likely be checked, so don’t look like a bum.
The laws change frequently in Thailand, especially regarding visa rules and regulations, so it is always a good idea to check the current situation beforehand so you do not run into any surprises.
In summary, a visa run from Chiang Mai to Burma is not particularly difficult, but it does waste a day of your life.
The Best Kept Secret For Rehearsing Your Presentation Effectively
The 1st thing you must recognize and accept in practicing your presentation is that reading your script over in your mind or thinking about what you will be saying is not a practice or a rehearsal. Just like athletes must practice and musicians must rehearse, you must work on your material out loud. Anything else is a waste of time.
For many people, the idea of actually saying their script out loud is something which they are reluctant to do. I can’t tell you how many of my clients and students come unprepared for their presentation, explaining that they read it over to themselves. Again, reading it over to yourself or saying it over in your mind is not practice. You must stand and treat your rehearsal just as if you were in a live venue.
The real question deals with how to handle 10, 20 or even 40 minutes of material? My advice is to break your presentation into block of information. Good public speaking courses will teach you to outline your material in the creation of your presentation; and, outlines are an excellent means of arranging your thoughts. But for means of practicing this material, you may find it easiest to look at your outline as blocks of information.
Your opening is obviously one block as is your closing; but, if you break your development down into blocks and learn each block of information independently from the others, you will discover a very effective means of identifying the purpose of each block with ideas, phrases, anecdotes and statements. In essence, each major point is a block.
For lengthy presentations, breaking your major points or blocks of information into sub-points or sub-blocks would be very beneficial; i.e. one major block of information may contain 2 or more sub-blocks. Learn each sub-block and then put them together into the main block. Rehearse each block or sub-block separately just like a professional musician would. If, during your practice, you have more difficulty with one block or sub-block, work specifically on the problem area until you know it. Practicing the entire presentation over and over is not going to fix the problem in one area. Go over the problem until you know it and then move on.
Recently, one of my newsletter subscribers told me that he had taken my advice: he practiced his 45-minute presentation in blocks and could not get over the difference it had made in his delivery. He was more confident and felt he knew his material better than he had in prior experiences.
By treating your presentation as blocks of information and practicing it in that manner, you will discover a much more effective means of truly knowing what you plan to say. And, the assurance in that knowledge is a marvelous benefit.
Breaking Old Stuttering-Stammering Habits To Achieve Fluent Speech
They say old habits die hard. That certainly applies to stuttering / stammering. Much of a person’s stuttering is a learned response. Why not learn and maintain a fluency technique to create a new neural pathway – a new fluent way of speaking? Changing your speaking habits takes effort and commitment. Controlling your stutter and staying that way is not a short-term gig. It requires a whole change in the way you speak and think.
That may seem overwhelming, but it’s really not. You just need to know which steps to take and then take them. The best way to break a bad habit is to replace it with a new habit that is healthier for you.
Don’t take the easy way out. As an adolescent or adult who stutters, your dysfluent habit has probably been ingrained for many years. If it was easy to recover from stuttering, there wouldn’t be millions of people around the world suffering from this affliction. For a PWS to maintain ongoing fluent speech, it takes dedication and a conscious effort to practise technique regularly and use it every time you speak.
The temptation to let it slip, to not be diligent about maintaining fluent speech, can be devastating. Motivation is the key. Can you relate to the teenage lad who attended an expensive intensive stuttering therapy course ten years ago, who came away speaking fluently and has successfully maintained fluent speech ever since? This lad’s parents were struggling financially but they scraped together the money for that course. The lad genuinely wanted help and obviously felt indebted to his parents. This was his motivation. Others who attended the same course have fallen back into old speaking habits because they lacked the motivation to persevere.
Once you’ve found your inner driving force, this motivation will spur you to success with your speech fluency. Your speaking technique will work for you not against you.
Quit making excuses! Making excuses for why you’re not succeeding is self-defeating. Using an excuse as a crutch will keep you from making any progress. PWS do achieve ongoing fluency when they put their mind to it and stick to it.
While the speech habits of a PWS substantially contribute to their stuttering, their habits of thought and perception are likely to be major contributors also. Stuttering / stammering is a communication disorder. It does not only involve our speech, but our whole self including our emotions, perceptions and physiological responses. As John C. Harrison wrote in his Forward to Bob G. Bodenhamer’s book, Mastering Blocking and Stuttering: A Cognitive Approach to Achieving Fluency: “I had to look at stuttering as an interactive, dynamic, self-sustaining system. If I wanted to achieve a lasting recovery, I had to address, not just my speech, but the entire system.”
Empower yourself to change your stuttering habits and become proactive in your desire to speak fluently. Join me on the road to fluency.
Speak Simple German: How to Teach Yourself Basic German With Limited Time
If you want to learn German for an upcoming holiday, but you don’t have a lot of time, you’ll have to take a few shortcuts. There is no point in ploughing through a detailed German text designed for university studies. You need to focus on speaking simple German, and learning crucial words and phrases to get you through the key moments.
The first thing you’ll want to do is head to your local bookstore and get yourself a good pocket-size phrase guide. All the large language publishers have their own version, so just flick through a few of them and see which one you like best. You’ll want one with useful phrases separated by topic… meeting people, asking for directions, public transport, restaurants, shopping, and so forth. Plus, a good phrase guide should also have a mini-dictionary with the most common words, as well as word lists for days of the week, months, numbers, food, and so on.
A phrase guide is a great way to familiarize yourself with the alphabet and with key words and phrases that you’ll need. It is especially useful since you can fit it into your pocket or handbag and refer to it when you’re actually there and needing to communicate in German. At worst, you’ll be able to point to the phrase and get the message across that way.
To really speak German, however, a phrase guide is only of limited value. The main reason for this is that it doesn’t have audio, so your listening skills don’t get a workout and your pronunciation is simply an educated guess. Therefore, in addition to your pocket phrase guide, the second thing you’ll need to learn simple German in a short space of time is an interactive audio course.
Using an audio course gives you the benefit of being able to hear native speakers, and practise correct pronunciation. It forces you to learn key phrases as they are used in natural conversations, and this is by far the most useful way to learn a language. Since you’ll want to be able to speak German while you’re there on holidays, learning it in an audio format like this will enable you to do that with confidence.
Most audio courses are now available in mp3 format, so you can listen to them easily on an mp3 player, or on your computer. The best courses also provide additional information about grammar and colloquial use of the language, so they can also be used by students who want to learn German to a serious level as well. The courses are usually broken up into short lessons of approximately 30 minutes, which is an ideal length to fit into your daily routine.
In the days and weeks leading up to your holiday, give some thought to the situations you think you will need to speak German. This will help you to focus your study time on the topics that you’ll need. For instance, if you are visiting Germany for a tour of the wine regions, the German words you’ll need to know will be quite different to those you would need if you were visiting Germany to watch football! Just focus on the topics that are important to you. Not only will you enjoy learning these words and phrases, but it will also make your holiday much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to interact with the locals and experience a taste of German life!
Anxiety Over My Husband’s Cancer
My husband is a musical director. Through the years I’ve come to understand that musicians have a particular way of thinking. Everything is exact and has its place. Each sheet of music is lined with specific notes. I’m an actress, therapist, writer and much more open to exploring choices and drawing outside of prescribed lines. So, when my husband had cancer, twelve years ago, I wanted him to use the alternative health care procedures that I find helpful when I’m not well in addition to his medical treatment.
“Why don’t you try acupuncture with Dr. Boaz,” I said one morning during breakfast. “He uses healing herbs as well as needles.” I tried to sound casual so I wouldn’t let him know how stressed I was over the cancer that had just been found in a walnut size lump on his neck.
“No thanks,” my husband answered while sipping his tea. “I’m just going to follow the program my doctor set up for me.”
My heart sank. Fear raced up my spine. If he doesn’t listen to me cancer is going to do him in, I thought. I can’t bare thinking about what would happen if he isn’t a part of my life.
A few days later, I came up with another solution. “I could whip up a high protean drink and add some healing herbs.” I took a deep breath and waited for his reaction.
“If my doctor wanted me to take anything else he’d give me a prescription for it.”
I spent a week fretting over his lack of desire to include my alternate ways of healing. Worry turned my stomach into a tight ball. The hard, fast thumping of my heart made me breathless. Sleep became a joke and focusing my mind on anything constructive was like trying to lift a two ton elephant off my shoulders. I felt helpless about changing my husband’s way of thinking and helpless with my bodies fearful reactions to his dilemma.
I knew I had to let go of taking care of him the way I wanted to and support him in the ways that he felt were right for him. But, it was easier to say than to do.
I dug out my journal book from the side drawer in the bedroom, sat on the bed and wrote, what do I need to learn to move this fear into a peaceful place? I closed my eyes and tried to breath deeply into my body so I could hear my inner voice. It’s a voice I’ve listened to before that has given me guidance.
As I took one deep breath, a shorter one, filled with fear emerged. After ten minutes I gave up and went for a walk outside. “Maybe being in the fresh air will help my head stop racing,” I said to myself.
When I returned to my journal book I tried another tactic — making friends with my fear. “It’s all right to be scared,” I said. “I know you’re there for a reason.” But, the fear was so great that it kept breaking through what little stillness I could create. So, I put my book away yet another time.
On the fourth day, while hiking in the hills and still anxious about my husband’s health, an answer to my constant agony zipped in and took me across the valley of fears.
“Your fear is taking away from your husband’s vital healing energy,” my inner voice said. “He is connected to his own source of healing, just as you are. Let go. Trust in a Power that is much greater than yours.”
The answer took my breath away. It sent chills up my spine and brought tears to my eyes. I knew it was the truth. The answer I’d been searching for.
I stopped walking and looked out into the green meadow below. For a split second, time stood still. Everything seemed motionless.
Memories of trying to save my parents from the devastating effects of alcohol flooded through my mind. I had tried so hard to change the way they lived. After they died, I continued to agonize over losing them.
Their death left me with a hidden false belief that if I’d been smarter, tougher, better, then I could have saved them. I’d visited this old belief before, but this time the answer that came through struck deeper. It wasn’t just about letting go, it was about getting out of the way.
After a while tears streamed down my cheeks. Each small drop released more and more anxiety until I was left with a sense of peace and understanding. I began to trust, not just my husband, but everyone in a deeper more respectful way.
Roaring Twenties Gangster Parties
The glitzy style and exciting culture of the Roaring Twenties has fascinated every generation since. It was a time of gangsters, bootlegging, flappers and speakeasies. It’s no wonder then that the idea of throwing a 1920s gangster themed party is a popular one. So if you’re interested taking an evening to step back in time with your friends to an age of glamour and corruption, here are some easy ways to make your party a success.
Dress The Part
The swanky fashion of the 1920s is one of the main signatures of this time period, so dressing up like gangsters and flappers is a given. While there are resources on the web for making your own costumes, if you aren’t so skilled with a sewing machine then I recommend purchasing a costume. Online you can find a great selection of gangster costumes and vintage flapper dresses in all sizes and price ranges, not to mention tons of fun accessories like vintage cigarette holders and feather boas. Plus, gangster and flapper costumes are always a hit at Halloween, so you’re sure to get your money’s worth if you purchase one of these timeless costumes.
Set the Scene
When thinking about gangsters in the 1920s their infamous speakeasies come to mind. Dim the lights and have your guests enter through a back or side entrance. Require a code word to get in. (Print the code word on your invitations) For serving drinks, consider shopping at a second-hand store for some vintage, mismatched tea cups. Tea cups were sometimes used to serve drinks to hide the fact that people were drinking illegal liquor. You could download pictures of famous gangsters and movie stars of the time to hang in your speakeasy or, if you have time, shop for some art deco posters. Maybe find some red scare propaganda to scatter around. Have a bar area for snacks and drinks, then perhaps a game table for poker or even a classic board game, like Monopoly. Play some jazz.
What to Serve
Speakeasies were famous for serving bad liquor because that’s all that was available. But you could splurge and serve some nice cocktails from that time period instead, like a Manhattan or a gin fizz. Some popular foods or foods that were invented at the time include; marshmallows, peanut butter cups, Caesar salads, pretzels, chiffon pie, pineapple upside down cake and club sandwiches. Sweets and sodas in general were popular because they provided an alternative indulgence for the booze deprive citizens of the time.
Anything Else?
For the perfect finishing touch, purchase an assortment of 1920s themed props, such as flapper beads, feather boas, sequined headbands, toy tommy guns and other items commonly found in the era. Allow guests to add the items to their costumes and you’ll have lots of great photo opportunities. Consider having some friends arrive late dressed as police officers to make a bust! Other ideas include creating a murder mystery for guests to solve or teaching everyone to dance the Charleston.
Roaring twenties themed parties are tons of fun, they allow us to romanticize the past and escape our every day routine, even if only for an evening. Besides, when else do you have a valid excuse to wear a cool zoot suit or sequin and fringe flapper costume?