Five Years, Lord Willing

Where are you and where are you going?
slowtraveler
Posts: 722
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2015 10:06 pm

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by slowtraveler »

So many interesting stories. I seriously thought I heard it all but Shrek and sasquatch fetishes are new to me.

I actually enjoyed acid but mushrooms much more. I remember becoming a centipede god eating itself as a sacrifice to the mosquitos. I saw food turn to mold before my eyes, I could swear I was one of the fungi eating my food ... I happened to have the strongest mushrooms of my life during a tropical storm while living in a tent on Hawaii. All the food in my tent was actually moldy when I looked again with sober eyes.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

Damn. Centipede god eating itself as a sacrifice to the mosquitos? Talk about bugging out.

I don't remember my mushroom trips so well. I think I just ended up playing pinball. I do remember taking mescaline and weeping.

Timothy Leary came to speak at our university. The guy was so acid fried he couldn't say one coherent thing except "Question Authority." Yeah, thanks for the bumper sticker, Timmy. But the worse public speaker in the history of the universe, Corretta Scott King. I'm reading the MLK in America trilogy and they say great things about her, but all I can remember is thinking "What in the fuck did Martin see in this woman?" I guess it was an opposites attract thing because if MLK was there he would have been saying "I had a dream my wife shut her fucking mouth." And it wasn't the sound of her voice thing, like Hillary Clinton. It was so bad and meandering I wanted call to the fire department and have them shoot her with a fire hose.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

(1) Due to escrow adjustment my monthly mortgage payment went down $10.00 and I got a refund check in the amount of $90;
(2) I just complete my 40th book this year. I'm hoping to finish at 48, four books per month;
(3) I am really trying to deal with crippling anxiety, fear issues. Some progress.
(4) Life is war, but I get to pick which battles I will fight. Now that I wrote that, I cringe at the stink of such bullshit;
(5) Our net worth at this moment is +445K. My wife is vested in a pension that is targeted to reap approx. $1500.00 a month. I do not include that as our governor is an immoral, fat piece of grade A obnoxious money grubbing shit;
(6) My father told me to never trust a man who wears white shoes. I've extrapolated to include men who wear bow ties. My father is dead. I am not;
(7) I wouldn't attend a rock concert if you paid me but the best one I ever saw was Tom Petty. I went with a girl who loved Tom Petty and two other guys but not me. She once wore a pant suit that embarrassed me. I can still picture it. Christ. Anyways, he did this acoustic version of "The Waiting" which I always remember. He wrote songs that you would say "I can write that" but you couldn't which IMHO is genius. I'm not crushed, a little surprised, another cinder block from the foundation of my youth removed. The precipice will soon completely collapse. Good night Tom Petty. I hope you banged Stevie Nicks, like so many others of your generation;
(8) I am prepared mentally to retire. I would not miss one fuckin thing about my job or the people it involves;

Noedig
Posts: 191
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2014 10:15 pm

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Noedig »

My father told me to never trust a man who wears white shoes.
"Never trust a man wearing a camel hair coat" quoth my mother in law.

Also: "There's many a man sleeping on the Thames Embankment tonight, because he didn't know when to play his trumps"

I cast my mind back for pithy saws from my father ... and find none. He was taciturn and unreflective, was Dad, RIP.

Our own family has coined some expressions. Some minced oaths e.g. "By the snebbing sneb snubblers of Snarb!" and some recycled from elsewhere like "Hear me now .. believe me later!" or when something predictable happens: "Cause" <holds out left hand palm upwards...."Effect!" <holds out right hand palm upwards>. Or "I am shocked surprised and astounded!", similarly. Or in a Jeeves-like tone "I will alert the media" when someone announces a trip to the bathroom. You get the idea, it is familial banter and all the better for that.

Thanks for the progress report. Seems like things are going OK. Keep on keeping on.

7Wannabe5
Posts: 9344
Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 9:03 am

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

What books did you read this month?

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

@ Noedig - when people ask me about my father, I tell them the story of when I asked him why he only had two children. I was a kid at the time. His response was “so we could fit comfortably into a restaurant booth.”

@ Seven

(1) The Human Condition - Hannah Arendt. Hannah Arendt is the mother I wish I had even if it meant Heidegger was my father;

(2) The adversary - Edward Carre - He’s French. It’s the true story of how a seemingly Normal man lied about being a doctor for years and then murdered his wife, his kids, his parents. The author uses it as comparison to his own life;

(3) Ordinary Men - Christopher Browning - true account how “normal” middle aged police officers were recruited by Third Reich to track, hunt down and execute Jews. As much psychological as historical study;

(4) The Enlightenment In America - Henry May- self descriptive;

7Wannabe5
Posts: 9344
Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 9:03 am

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

Respectable. Somebody else (who?) mentioned Hannah Arendt recently. Will add 1 and 4 to my list. I don't think I would like 2 or 3.

My pretend mother is a cross between Cokie Roberts and Goldie Hawn. I always say that I only had 2 kids because I was afraid I would lose #3 when I took them to the park.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

Hannah Arendt should be mandatory reading, specifically The Origins of Totalitarianism.

A cross between Cokie Roberts and Goldie Hawn to me is a stripper with a political science degree.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

(1) Yesterday we reached 385K in investments savings (no house). I don't know if it will stay that way but that is our high water mark;
(2) I will finally be reading ERE (library) copy in order to get deeper into this shit. I realize when JLF posts, I really don't know what he's talking about. I get the goal and ethos, but not the underlying systems;
(3) We decided to spend 30 minutes each day (individually) to decluttering. We hope that in one year our place will be streamlined to the point that if we were to move, we would be ready;
(4) I really need to figure out this individual stock vs. indexing situation. I think when all is said and done, Its probably a wash but I have some stocks that I have no clue about;

slowtraveler
Posts: 722
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2015 10:06 pm

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by slowtraveler »

Dude you are kicking ass. From the days of you longing to buy books, you've come a long way quick.

Decluttering has changed my life. I feel so much lighter emotionally without old yearbooks I never cared about or all that. Take a pic of what's important. I realize I don't even care to look at the pics. Life is too exciting to spend it drowning in shit I don't need.

One thing a day is enough if 30 minutes is too much. It is often more than 1 thing decluttered even in that case.

Systems thinking is about making it so your goals/desires are automatically met. Like me living here, I automatically get to walk. The rooftop gym makes working out a breeze and the walk up the stairs is part of my warmup. Walking in town provides food, entertainment, and exercise in one go. My total lifestyle is both cheaper than a decent central studio in Silicon Valley and far more fulfilling to me.

Fwiw. I own no individual stocks but do hold multiple asset classes in various types of accounts. Indexing has worked far better than my initial stock picks and takes much less time. Warren Buffet trusts his wife's livelihood in the s&p.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

A sub-text to the book issue, or maybe symbolic of it, is that the JLF's book is currently lent to another patron. So I decided to wait until its returned. I think my wife and I may have been thinking along systems lines without actually being cognizant of it.

My decluttering at this point involves shredding which I find therapeutic. A customer of mine distributes high end shredders (metal not plastic gears) so it goes smooth smooth. I find it is emancipating. I wish there was a shredder for impure thoughts but then I'd be shredding all day. And the room does feel "lighter."

I think the indexing is the way to go for me because I won't feel compelled to check the market all the time and it takes the emotion out. Literally the day after I bought Starbucks, Howard Shultz resigned. I was like are you fucking kidding me. Really, dude. I buy a few K of your company and now you decide to retire. The stock has finally gotten back to break even but I didn't need that emotional expenditure. Maybe I'll start transitioning today.

taemoo
Posts: 43
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2010 3:59 am
Location: Madison, WI

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by taemoo »

Jason wrote:
Wed Oct 11, 2017 12:31 pm
I realize when JLF posts, I really don't know what he's talking about. I get the goal and ethos, but not the underlying systems;
*Raises hand* me too, lol. I feel like the dumbest guy in the classroom when I come here. The book went over my ahead in many of the places.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

I expect I will have the same experience. I just want to learn more. I do not expect to cross the divide, but maybe have a better view.

Plus, I know JLF will not be able to retire in peace until I have read it and expressed my views on it. So I'm really doing it for him more than myself.

I'm big that way.

SavingWithBabies
Posts: 882
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2015 2:50 pm
Location: Midwest, USA

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by SavingWithBabies »

I'm looking forward to your views on it @Jason. I ended up buying the Kindle version as, at the time, I would have had to pay $6-8 in public transit fees to get to the library and it was $10 on Amazon. I don't regret buying it though as rereading it multiple times will be of value. I'd rather read a paper copy though.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

I picture it as the Barkley Marathon of financial advice books.

P_K
Posts: 44
Joined: Wed May 04, 2016 9:47 pm

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by P_K »

I'll second the Kindle version. I've reread it a few times so owning it has been valuable to me. Also looking forward to your assessment.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

To me, JLF is reminiscent of an Old Testament prophet so I am assuming I will see a conflation of geometric terms like "cubit" with apocalyptic terms like "reckoning."

In the Judeo/Christian definition, a prophet is not someone who solely predicts the future, but moderates between the authorities and the people. This moderation is done primarily through a "warnings against disobedience/promises for obedience" dichotomy. The prophet assails both sides for their "sins" i.e. materialism, idolatry with regard to the people and corruption, harshness with regard to the rulers. The message is not only unpopular but failure to obey involves impending judgment.

It's a dangerous role because you are delivering a message that at times, opposes both sides - the people and the powers to be. Think Martin Luther King, Jr. He moderated between the people and the government without being seduced by either, the call for violence from the people or selling out for political power by the government (women was his weakness). You can visit both sides, but you have to make sure you leave your sandals at their gates upon entrance.

Fortunately, I don't see JLF being martyred for his message of the benefits of being an excruciating tightwad. Although if it did happen, it would no doubt bring a spike to his book sales, at least for a couple of hours.

FBeyer
Posts: 1069
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2015 3:25 am

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by FBeyer »

I'll give you a very quick primer on the book then:

1) Do not be a tightwad. Find ways to find everything you need to live an accomplished life, but find ways of finding it away from 'the monetary market'. (AKA skill acquisition, bartering, social capital)
2) Build your life in a manner that adresses as many advantageous aspects of your life aspirations at the same time. (systems thinking)
3) Put great effort into learning the things you need to learn when you need to learn them. Do not worry about becoming a paid expert, but primarily on becoming self-sufficient in the aspect you're learning. (Pareto optimization and The Rennaisance ideal)
4) Investing is only necessary until you find other ways to cover basic needs that you have to expend money on. In a ERE utopia you wouldn't need to invest that money at all because the output from some of your activities provide the input for other activities (systems thinking again).
5) Always be a good person. Always strive to turn the ressources you expend into more net value. Only consume in order to create.

There. Done.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

Thank you for taking time out to provide synopsis. I think I still need to read it because that's how I learn. I have to marinate.

That fact that JLF still allows me to post here confirms #5.

I guess my expectations may be off. I was expecting chapters "How To Raise a Family Inside a Discarded Storage Container" or "Capitalize on Organ Donations Before You Die."

I just finished lunch with the mob. Its something I have to do periodically because of my job and where I conduct it. They don't actually invite me, they just text me instructions - date, time, Garden State parkway exit- knowing I know I have to show. I got there early so we went to the Supermarket first to buy the food and then brought it to the restaurant where they cooked it for us. I'm assuming the owner of the restaurant is in life threatening debt to my customer, but there was a bartering aspect to the meal. It was very delicious. That being said, there's always a relief when I return home safely.

Jason

Re: Five Years, Lord Willing

Post by Jason »

Alrighty:

Just The Facts Mam: Non-primary residence net worth at all time high $387K. Come hither, $400K;

They Must Be Reading My Blog: The public library now features a "How Much You Have Saved By Not Buying This Book" in one's personal activity record;

I might have to get used to people kissing both my cheeks every time I fuckin see them: As mentioned in other post, Italy has become a possible retirement destination;

Please, just shut the fuck up already: I realized how "work talk/think" opposes what I "like to talk/think about". Generally speaking, work/think talk is weighted towards people as opposed to "ideas." I like ideas more than people. I also like the idea of people more than people themselves. Retirement to me is not so much doing what I want to do, but not having to do what I don't like doing;

You got to be fucking kidding me, is it that time again: Each year, I loathe the fucking holiday season more and more. It's just fucking gluttony and a drain of time, thought and money. It is the real and symbolic anti-ERE event/ideal. Thanksgiving came up this morning. I said let's not talk about it and maybe no one else will. Maybe the world will forget this year. Or maybe we will find out Turkeys are the number cause of pancreatic cancer, and that Jimmy Stewart was really an Islamic Fundamentalist pedophile and that all the other reindeer were sodomizing Rudolph with their antlers every time Santa Claus was busy squeezing his fat ass down a chimney and musicologists have discovered that on the ninth day of christmas my true love gave to me a big fucking canker sore on my dick, and that Biblical scholars have determined that Celine Dion's camel toe is the sign of the anti-Christ. Anything, just fucking anything to stop this bullshit.

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