3 on Thursday

Now that the long Thanksgiving weekend has come and gone, I'm already counting down to Xmas break.  The time will pass quickly as it always does when I'm happy - and happy I am because spending Thanksgiving at home reminded me of how many amazing things I have in my life: wonderful family and friends, the culture of a beautiful, historical city, and a cozy new apartment that I get to call home.

My latest Netflix pick was "Jiro Dreams of Sushi," a documentary following Jiro Ono who, at 85, is still working every day to perfect the sushi he serves at his small 10-seat restaurant.  In addition to learning about the fishing industry and father/son relationships in Japan, you get to watch Jiro - who may be the most adorable man ever - in his element.  I was fascinated by the rigorous apprenticeship process and Jiro's work ethic.  I'm not sure you can call it work ethic because that implies perseverance through work and Jiro loves what he does so much that "work" clearly has a different definition for him than it does for me.    

Heavy post alert: Now that I'm a homeowner, my parents told me it's time to set up a will dictating where my assets should go in the [hopefully unlikely and unfortunate] event of my passing.  Since I am unmarried and childless, the first instinct is to just dump everything into my parents account; however, I saw this as an opportunity to do something good.  I have decided that should I die before I marry and have kids the majority of my money will go to charity.  I am now in the process of picking the right charities and there are TONS to choose from.  The point of this post is not to talk about death and bring you down.  The point is to remind you in the middle of this holiday season how important it is to give back.  I haven't finalized my charity plan yet, but I can tell you that I want to donate to causes that are near and dear to my heart.  This is where everyone is different and there is a charity for everyone from pet lovers to cancer haters.  I am not here to judge what's important to you, but I do urge you to figure out what tugs at your heartstrings and spread the good.  While I was trying to sort out what I care about most, I discovered Charity Navigator, which organizes charities based on cause, financial status, popularity, and more.  Based on personal experiences both good and bad, I have decided I would like to support groups that fight domestic abuse and groups that support literacy and study abroad.  What cause is most important to you?    

A few weeks ago while I was in Athens, I spotted one of the greatest inventions: a Towable Tailgate.  These guys take tailgating to a whole new level.  You can customize this mini trailer with a tv, grill, stereo system, cooler stand, and more. It's super intense and I want one.