Jacob's Journal

Where are you and where are you going?
dragoncar
Posts: 1316
Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2010 7:17 pm

Post by dragoncar »

Look, he's posting again! If you get found out, maybe you should switch to a pseudonym. I recommend JacobTheOtherOne


Marg
Posts: 24
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2011 2:32 am

Post by Marg »

What a fun job :) I'm glad you decided to post an update here.
This may not be possible, or even desirable, on these forums but I wanted to share an idea. I was once on a forum that also had some people writing journals and anything posted in the journal forum could only be seen by people who were logged into their accounts and had a certain number of posts. I think they had some other private categories as well. Just in case you want to try harder to avoid the swarm of douchebags :) Other people might like it as well as the information posted wouldn't be available to anyone who wanders by.
Margaret


beav80
Posts: 61
Joined: Mon Jul 18, 2011 8:36 pm

Post by beav80 »

All the best Jacob. You're in an enviable position, but for me this is motivation to keep working and saving like my life depends on it (it does in a way).


teewonk
Posts: 101
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2011 2:19 am
Contact:

Post by teewonk »

"This is an unresolved problem: Finding things to do that are fun but don't require any kind of mental or physical effort."
You could get cable. I hear it's only $79.99/mo, with internet and phone included (introductory rate)!
Many games don't require a game pad, for example, with the Kinect or even just keyboard and mouse. You could find games that aren't speed critical. I've never played it, but what about Minecraft? I'm not a game person myself, maybe others can recommend.
I dunno. Playing an instrument, knitting, whittling, doodling, reading, listening to music, hanging out, tea, meditation, paper folding, card games? Anything that doesn't require mental effort can get boring pretty fast, so rotating activities seems necessary.
"What to do with all those digits on the bank account?"
Space tourism?
I'm glad your new phase of life is working out well.


george
Posts: 296
Joined: Sat Mar 05, 2011 9:41 am

Post by george »

Hi Jacob
Thanks for the update
Mindless, non physical activities.
Wasgij, humorous puzzles from the thrift shop. Use a picture painting covered with glass so you can move it around, put it away.
Pixel puzzles, every picture tells a story. You can find them on the internet, but I prefer the magazine
http://www.lovatts.com.au/news/puzzles-comps/
http://www.conceptispuzzles.com/index.a ... /pic-a-pix


Seabourne
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Jul 30, 2010 10:22 pm

Post by Seabourne »

Jacob,
Welcome to Chicago! Glad to hear that things are working out so far - which neighborhood did you end up in? If you're looking for some potential activities, send me a message. Particularly if you're interested in sailing on some of the ships this summer as a volunteer or just to get out once or twice.
Seabourne


jacob
Site Admin
Posts: 15907
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:38 pm
Location: USA, Zone 5b, Koppen Dfa, Elev. 620ft, Walkscore 77
Contact:

Post by jacob »

1) I agree on the social component. I used to do something sportsrelated up to four times per week for my social fill but I gotta dial that back a bit since I have an overtraining injury [tendon]. As it is I haven't figured out anything sufficiently local. It would suck to have to subway it for 45 minutes each way to do something... I dunno yet.
2) I got the table glued together only to learn that the sunk holes I drilled for the bolts to fit the tabletop to the frame had a too small diameter for the socket [wrench] to get in. ARGH! Woodworking can be so relaxing! There's a lot of tacit intelligence involved. Hundreds of little "rules" that are learned from experience.
3) I think Chicago is fine for ERE but I think that should only come as a surprise to the "But I don't want to have to live in an RV to retire early"-crowd. One good thing about Chicago is that whereas it would require up to 3 hours of travel to bring 6 people together for a meetup in the bay area, there are at least that many within the city here. A big city certainly has the advantage of being able to cater to and support more people. For example, there are probably more software jobs here than in Dover, NH.
4) I think the most useful research comes out of at least initially defining the subject and providing some raw material, e.g. "how to adjust this particular carbon dating method for nuclear testing residuals" and then see what comes out. If you want to explore unknown territory you got to at least have a way of getting them and some idea that something might be there. This is where people with more experience are helpful to newbies.
5) The weather is kinda nice, la nina + global warming does its thing. It's not much colder than the bay area we left. We adjusted rather quickly... in fact I'd say even though the bay area tends to be warmer the day night differences are often almost 30F making the nights feel really cold. Here it's almost constant temperature.


Seabourne
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Jul 30, 2010 10:22 pm

Post by Seabourne »

Jacob - you're being badly spoiled by this winter so far. Chicago can get bitter cold with a wind that cuts. I'm not complaining - I'm loving this mild winter so far, but don't assume that this is anything like normal. Just enjoy it while it lasts :-)


dragoncar
Posts: 1316
Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2010 7:17 pm

Post by dragoncar »

It's hard to characterize Bay area weather -- I think the day/night difference is mostly true in the east/south bay. On the other hand, SF gets more buffering effects from the ocean.
As for Chicago, all I have to say is http://usfencounter.stfrancis.edu/wp-co ... drive1.jpg


User avatar
C40
Posts: 2748
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2011 4:30 am

Post by C40 »

Note that this winter it has been abnormally warm up in this area.


Scott 2
Posts: 2824
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 10:34 pm

Post by Scott 2 »

I joined the forum to thank you for the update Jacob. Glad to hear the job is going well. It would be interesting to see how your lifestyle evolves as your wealth grows.
Aldi is a great place in Chicago to get food, especially if you shop early on a Saturday or Sunday morning. I assume you are shopping there, but if not, give it a try.
If your work is in the loop, another option for housing is along one of the metra lines. I managed just fine without a car in the Chicago suburbs for several years. As long as you get a place walking distance to the metra, the travel time is about the same as going across the city. The amount of crime and number of beggars goes down a ton once you get out of reach of the L.
I would not want to live in the city with a car. Outside of insurance and gas, parking can be a real pain and get quite expensive. Cabs all the way, IMO.
75% savings rate on top of being almost FI as a couple? Tough problem to have.
Maybe you are in a position to buy time back? Higher rent for a shorter commute is an option. At the indlugent end of the specturm, you could hire a personal assistant one day a week, have them get your groceries, clean your place, cook food for the week, run laundry, etc... It is something I have considered, but since I am not yet FI, have choosen not to do. I am confident that extra time re-invested in work would more than pay for itself, but I don't wanna work that hard. I also kinda like buying and making my food.
Investing some of the money in socializing with your coworkers, maybe even going out to lunch or to bars after work, could yield significant returns. It might be fun too.


jacob
Site Admin
Posts: 15907
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:38 pm
Location: USA, Zone 5b, Koppen Dfa, Elev. 620ft, Walkscore 77
Contact:

Post by jacob »

Here's a fun observation. My "nightmares" (which I'd rank as annoying rather than terrifying) usually consist of either
1) Being chased by something (random) and being unable to hit it and make it stop following me---I never get caught either.

2) School examinations where I'm significantly dumber than I usually am in reality.
That's pretty much it.
You don't really need a BA in psychology or be a street corner psychic doing $5 hand readings to interpret that one.
So here's the interesting thing ... after I quit my career in physics, these dreams stopped within a few days and didn't reoccur for the almost three years I was retired. Now they're back.
In other news: I cut my equity exposure down to 30% in my tax-deferred accounts. It's getting a little rich for me. Also, thanks to the recent run-up I set a new net worth record.
Also, this week I had to relearn the following important life lesson: Never discuss index funds with boggleheads. [Closely related life lesson: Never discuss the benefits of the deadlift with water aerobics instructors.]


Dragline
Posts: 4436
Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2011 1:50 am

Post by Dragline »

That last paragraph made me laugh pretty hard.
Try Valerian root for the nightmares. Or some physically exhausting activity. It works for my wife. Whiskey works better for me. ;-)


beav80
Posts: 61
Joined: Mon Jul 18, 2011 8:36 pm

Post by beav80 »

The #1(physical weakness) nightmare, #2(stupidity), and sexual dysfunction or perversion would be pretty common fears that most people would dream about.
The deadlift thing is funny, speaking as a trainer. "But I feel it in my back."


Landor n Stella
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Dec 11, 2011 11:43 pm

Post by Landor n Stella »

@ Jacob

Re: activities for when your brain is fried-

1. puzzles- it can be relaxing to just look for the pieces

2. Crochet/knitting- actually, can be manly and you can make your own scarves and hats! Ravelry.com for ideas and instructions. I love this for the repetitive motions

3. card games- Magic the Gathering is one, Ascension is another idea. Relies on having a playgroup, which could add some social in if you can find a card store nearby


Maus
Posts: 505
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2010 10:43 pm

Post by Maus »

@Jacob

Nightmare #2 must be a universal for anyone with a graduate degree and a stressful job. My version is an unshakeable awareness that I have an exam or a paper due in one hour and I am completely unprepared and paralyzed by the consequence of failure.
I have initiated a similar shift -- though not as aggressively -- in my non-taxable accounts. All new inflows are in a cash-equivalent money market fund that returns a laughable, but stable, 0.01% per year; and I've begun converting the majority of the equities into a Permanent Portfolio. While the PP mantra is that you cannot time the markets, it does seem like time to batten down the hatches based on valuations and the P/E 10.


LiquidSapphire
Posts: 510
Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2011 6:40 pm

Post by LiquidSapphire »

I have a recurring dream similar to your dream #2 - In my dream I realize that I registered for some class weeks ago and completely forgot about it and just plain stopped going to the class because I forgot I had it on my schedule... and I have a final or midterm Today and I am not at all prepared and I am freaked out about how I am going to catch up and pass. I believe it's linked to general stress and anxiety.


S
Posts: 288
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2010 8:02 pm

Post by S »

I also have a variation on #2. My high school had a complicated class time rotation schedule. I still have nightmares that I'm back in high school on that schedule and can't figure out what class I'm supposed to be in. I used to frequently have dreams about my teeth falling out and filling up my mouth so I couldn't talk which creeped me out, but those are mostly gone now.


Spartan_Warrior
Posts: 1659
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2011 1:24 am

Post by Spartan_Warrior »

I've had the chase nightmare before, never the examination one. Actually, I rarely remember my dreams at all. So when I do, even if it's a "scary" one, I usually think of it as something pleasant and interesting.
@Landor and Stella:

Hah, if you're going all out nerd, I would say skip Magic the Gathering and go for tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons. D&D requires no further investment than a set of dice (rulebooks can be found at a library)--no recurring costs for buying new cards and the like, which I assume is required in card games like Magic.
</nerd>


Freedom_2018
Posts: 479
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2010 12:10 am

Post by Freedom_2018 »

I've found that dreams and diet are somewhat correlated:
- Going to bed after drinking lots of fluids...generally uncomfortable dreams..maybe the body's way of waking one up so that they can empty their bladder.
- When I used to eat pizza a lot (years ago) ..I thought it was the meat and cheese ("bad foods" per the soon to be vegetarian phase I was in) giving me uncomfortable dreams. Years later I realized it was the wheat!


Post Reply