Phase III - Deja Vu All Over Again

[Tyler9000]

I came pretty close to putting in my papers at work yesterday afternoon--far closer than I've ever come before. I was thinking about the why of it and really couldn't come up with a specific reason. Something in my reptile brain could have been behind it.

Me, too! I came very close on Wednesday, was sure I would by Friday, and now that I've given it the weekend I climbed back down from the ledge. There must be something in the water. The social isolation is getting to me as well, but DW helpfully pointed out that because of the lockdown quitting isn't going to change that. Sometimes the best action is to just make the best of the moment.

In any case, being stuck at home has taught me a bit about what I do and don't value these days. Without acting too hastily, I may start thinking more about the future I want to build once things get back to normal.

BTW, I dig the track! It makes me want to learn guitar, or at least mess around with VST.

[classical_Liberal]

I came pretty close to putting in my papers at work yesterday afternoon--far closer than I've ever come before.

Me, too!

I'm just gonna throw this out there, because I've felt the same way lately. Maybe it's not just the social isolation. At least in my case, work is proving to be one of the few remaining social outlets. Rather, I think we (FI based ERE'ers) have all been subconsciously fearing this inevitable, dreaded bear market for so long now. Since it's finally here, and it's really not such a big deal, maybe there is a sense of subconscious relief? Like, the S&P was down 35% in a month and everything was/is fine. I think it's taken a monkey off my shoulders from a financial anxiety standpoint. This creates room for a little reevaluation of priorities.

[IlliniDave]

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[IlliniDave]

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[IlliniDave]

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[classical_Liberal]

@Idave
Yeah bad for sequence of returns, but at least there is some more certainty in future returns at current pricing levels. It's also different living through a 35% monthly decline than it is modeling it. When it happened, I felt fine. Actually better than fine, because I have too much cash and wanted to deploy it. We very well may retest those lows, but It probably won't be quite as dramatic in the second run. The 35% in a month is about as bad as can get, and I weathered it fine psychologically. Which tells me my whole set-up with semi-ERE is financially stable. I still have about a 50-60% savings rate, so I'm wondering if that's really even necessary given how well I weathered this downturn.

[IlliniDave]

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[IlliniDave]

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[Frita]

I am so sorry for your dad’s loss of his friend. As you mention, COVID-19 is changing how we handle many things. Memorials and funerals can be challenged during the best of times.

[IlliniDave]

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[IlliniDave]

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[IlliniDave]

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[jacob]

... an 11th-hour problem of significant magnitude cropping up on the eve of a closing. I've always been amazed by how frequently things like that seem to happen right around final inspection time based on listening to different peoples' anecdotal tales of woe.

Yes. I'm thinking it has to do with how one figures out how to live with slightly wonky stuff/mechanics to the point of forgetting the workaround which is has become fully internalized and automatic. For example, a door that binds except if pushed at a certain angle when opening it. All the residents open it no problem, but the first non-resident who tries will get stuck and break something. We have a door handle on one of our closets that for some reason was installed so the door handle turns in reverse. I can only imagine ...

[Quantummy]

Happy birthday early! Congrats- you're doing great and ahead of some of us on the ER path.

WRT "Next up is an exterior paint job, which I'll also probably hire out. My discomfort with heights and ladders is an expensive personality trait, alas." I'd say since you are over the age of 29, avoiding ladders is less expensive than being on them more than 6' off the ground.

[tonyedgecombe]

That got me thinking about my dad. He doesn't text but we talk on the phone weekly at minimum. He seems upbeat and his sense of humor is intact, but he's lost two since-high school or longer friends during April, and his social routine (Fridays beer at "the club" with his high school pals, weekly breakfast with other school pals, bi-weekly poker night with his old work pals, and church on Sunday) is completely shut down for now. Even the family gatherings are curbed as both my Aunt and oldest sister (who share the family matriarch role since my mom passed) have health concerns and are being extra cautious in their self-quarantining. My brother and other sister look in on him as often as they can, but they both struggle with maintaining an orderly lifestyle so it's haphazard. Reading those texts knowing the end result has me a little worried that Dad's putting on a brave face that belies something a bit more concerning.

There was an interesting program on suicide on the BBC last year. They said one of the best things you can do if you are concerned about a friend or relative is to ask them if they have been contemplating it.

[IlliniDave]

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[IlliniDave]

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[IlliniDave]

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[jennypenny]

Happy Birthday! I can't believe you're 56. That would mean I'm going to be 54 next month.

I complained (a lot) about turning 50 but I'm actually enjoying my 50s. I saw the new Seinfeld special on netflix this week. He said he likes being in his sixties because when people ask him to do something he can just say no. He said at 70 he'll just stop responding altogether lol. I think that's how I feel now. Like 'hey, this is me ... deal with it'.

[tonyedgecombe]

That said I might Google around to see if I can find a video of the program online somewhere.

This is the program page: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bgv82g. It's offline at the moment but that might be different in your part of the world.