Early Retirement Extreme Forums

As an ME graduate, I'd say I'd like best to be an employed engineer.
Seriously, am I the only one that knows engineers on the long term unemployed list? Cause I know several, verging on a lot.

@Surio - I also feel the same way about onions and garlic, so I've thought you were crazy ever since you mentioned you didn't eat them.

I'll second the Pink Floyd.
16 Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford

You Can't Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd - Roger Miller
And one that you can't find anywhere yet,
Whirlwind of Mistakes - The Hanyaks written by my husband about the mindless pursuit of pleasure.

@The Dude - Cheese grits made from cornmeal. Until I started making oatmeal stuffing it was the only way I could get my hubby to eat fiber for breakfast.

<t>@Maus - just some stuff off the top of my head while I work on a more cogent response. <br/> The arete business is fabulous for others, but it's never going to ring my bell. Get on down with your bad selves. <br/> It's more the idea that indulgence should only come after (sometimes severe) depriv...

<r>@Freedom - As another INTP, I totally get you. I really lack the internal motivation to complete projects. I am completely OK with this, but others like to turn it into a character flaw. "lazy" "flighty" - pssht <br/> PS I have never felt the urge to engage in debate about the philisophical merit...

@irononmaiden - Firefly. Word.

I'm just as much of an ass irl as I am here, so I try to be a little extra forgiving of other's foibles.
The general consensus around here seems a little extra-spartan to me. Which is ok in small doses, but quickly grows tedious and pedantic if applied too stringently.

I recently learned my favorite swimming hole is infested with gar. The nastiest fish known to man. Never had a problem. I am always scared to get too far out because if I can't see to the bottom I'm certain that a sea monster will eat me.

<t>How do you see vices fitting into the scheme of ERE? Do you feel virtuous once you eradicate a bad habit? What about others' vices? <br/> If you can afford the consequences of your actions would you still consider it a vice? If someone sharing your vices could not afford them, would you judge the...

<t>I'm currently a month into this project with minimal funkiness. I didn't start it to save money on shapmoo (but that and not throwing bottles away all the time is a nice perk), but to reduce the amount of time I spend washing my very thick and long hair. I'm actually spending more time on it now ...

@bigato - there are all kinds of drug companies looking to give you money for renting your body out to science.

@Moxie - "the participation seems predominantly male" In my experience, men are more likely to express opinions than women. They also tend to be more emphatic in discussions regarding those opinions. So it makes sense that they would be participating more.

Naked swimming. Best ERE activity ever!
Of course, the best way to do it is with some cheap champagne (sorry, sparkling wine!) and smokes, so less ERE that way.

I could more easily give up toilet paper than salt.
Potatoes are my favorite cheap and delicious food.

<t>I guess I'm more pessimistic about the economic recovery than both of those articles. <br/> Also, neither on addressed the problem of houses that were/are in foreclosure coming back on the market and driving prices down. That's a real thing, right? <br/> And who ends up taking care of all those a...

I think a lot of our current difficulties can be attributed to people that died in the red, so to speak. Financially, environmentally, karmically...

I would argue that it's unethical to spend 45+ years boggarting a job that could be taken by someone trying to establish himself.
Then you also have the whole different problem of the devaluation of manual labor.

<t>@bigato - that's just what I was going to mention. In the fabulous memoir "Little Heathens" the author (sorry the name excapes me at the moment) mentions the precision of hanging the clothes on the line in such a way as to reduce ironing and judging the rest of the townsfolk by their efficiency o...

<t>Sorry to dig up a tired old thread, but what AlexOliver isn't taking into account is that the VAST majority of Macbook produced "music" is complete dreck. Poor sound quality, recorded by musicians with no understanding of the recording process. You know what would be awesome? 15 toms! Sweet! <br/...