Decisions, Decisions

I turned another year older this month, and along with celebrating my birthday with loved ones, I was thinking about a couple ways in which I've been trying to grow. One theme that has been inescapable this year is the presidential election, but with that, I've been paying more attention to state- and local-level politics.

National political figures always fascinated me with their legacies and personalities (starting with the fairy tale of the Kennedys' Camelot as well as the People Power Revolution in the Philippines, up to the Obamas). More recently I realized that I needed to pay attention to the policies that impact my community and me at more local levels, since these changes would probably have a more direct impact on me. This was partly driven by having moved to California, where there are dozens of state and county/city propositions on the ballot, and the devil, as usual, is in the details. I'd also like to avoid voting on the wrong side of history.

One weekend a friend actually rented out a church basement one weekend afternoon and summarized the ballot measures for folks. And thanks to the Twitterverse, I was directed to http://www.peterates.com which summarized and gave recommendations for the state proposals. I've been reading up on the San Francisco country proposals as well and am looking forward to casting my vote. Although I probably will never enter politics myself, I feel more empowered doing my civic duty and trying to become a more informed citizen and voter. After all, voting is a privilege, so I don't want to take it for granted.

.@gridmonte @anildash UX Designer Peter Stahl's guide is always a treat https://t.co/4KaerKaOiP

— Steve Portigal (@steveportigal) September 27, 2016

Links Roundup (Reading Lately)

I have to admit, I spend so much time glued to a screen and read as much as I can to keep up with the world. Here's what's caught my eye lately:

The WSJ on the Queen Bey: "The Houston-born singer’s business savvy goes back to the late 1990s, when she was managed by her father, who taught her the music business." I remember totally jamming to Destiny's Child when I was a pre-teen and I continue to be in awe of the empire she's built. May we all remember, we have just as many hours in a day as Beyonce.

The Missing Piece - oldie but a goodie from Shel Silverstein on what to remember about love and relationships. Maybe all the life lessons we need, we learned as children.

Also on relationships: The Divorce Lawyer's Guide to Marriage. Interesting to see it from the perspective of someone who's seen the failures.

I watched this movie a couple weeks ago when I was feeling some New York nostalgia, but I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to pull off a Margot Tenenbaum costume.

Online privacy: cancelling forgotten accounts and seeing what Facebook's got on you.

Newsletters (the email kind): I've mentioned a couple before, but I also enjoy Another Round, The What, and Of a Kind.