Lemur Journal!

[Lemur]

@ertyu

Hope so. My goal is $200k by end of 2020. Just need to keep my job, market growth, and find additional ways to invest (increase income). Possibly through bonuses or even side-work.

@mooretrees

I think we got the best possible outcome. I didn't shell out any money, home situation did not change, and relationship with sister stayed in tact. Family situation worked itself out...I kind of figured it would once that car was dropped. The loser in this situation was my sister who has become a free uber. But that is on her....The good news by mid 2020 (or is it 2021?...can't remember) my Mom would be eligible to apply social security so any income is good news + all other senior citizen benefits.

[Lemur]

Well I failed to dodge my employer's Christmas Party, I am not FI enough to say 'no' yet lol. It was the introversion talking, OTOH they're treating us to a lot of good food, alcohol (which I very rarely ever engage in but since there will be a lot of people...only natural), and bowling so considering I only have to do this once a year, I'll suck it up for the sake of appearances and being a 'team player.'

In other good 1st world news, my investments hit $150k. 2019 goal met. These next two days I'm 'at the finish line' because it will be the first time in a long time I can remember where I had 12 days off in a row. Looking forward to sleeping in everyday and doing what I want.

[Lemur]

Closing out 2019...I'm off work until January 2. I haven't had 10 days off (in a row) for a long time now...I can't remember the last time I had this long of a break. Maybe in 2018 at some point I did. That is crazy if you think about it.

I spent some time today building up 2 4' x 4' garden plots (filling them up with composting material + cardboard + mulch layer). I need to build a few more plots and fix my compost "bin" which right now is just a chicken wire fence. I also studied Python and just browsed on my phone at my grandparents place watching football...didn't feel like doing much.

Other then that, even just having these days off, it is hard to shut off my mind completely from work. I'm already thinking about 2020's goals. This has its pluses but also has its drawbacks. How in the world can I long for a break ...I've been thinking about this break for a few months now and now that I am here; all I think about is getting back to work.

I think it is because even if it is 10 days...still not enough. 10 days is on the horizon and will get by fast.

[ertyu]

hi-five, same here, off for 10 days and it's awesome! I know what you mean though, no matter how long you take off, just the knowledge that you must go back eventually changes things and makes you unable to completely let go and change tracks. You will still be interrupted - maybe after 10 days, not after a couple of hours, but you will and that makes a difference. May 2020 bring us all freedom.

[Lemur]

My work break is coming to an end as I go back into the grind tomorrow. Today is also my birthday. I turn 29. Initially, I was bored but found some things to do the past few days to keep me occupied. A lot of time to have introspection as well. If all goes according to plan and nothing catastrophic happens, this is the decade I will be able to retire from full-time work.

A word I've been thinking about a lot lately is conviction: a firmly held belief or opinion. In 2019, I felt I accomplished a lot but with my mind set on FIRE for most of this decade and on accumulation (started saving money in 2012...learned about FIRE concepts in 2015), I did not put too much deep thought into why I'm doing this (other then full time work sucks yo), what kind of life I want to live after this, and what keeps me going.....Another thing I noticed: because of my high salary now and even higher net-worth, I started becoming a little bit intellectually lazy; not pushing the wheaton level further.

Major hobby I picked up 2 years ago: gardening. And this started changing everything for me. I started reading about composting (recycling waste scraps). This lead me to down a rabbit hole of learning how plants grow, where our food comes from, how farmers live......and then somehow branched into politics + global warming + climate change. In 2019, I decreased my meat intake significantly with increases in bean/lentil consumption (mainly motivated to simply decrease food costs to increase savings); however, I couldn't quit meat just yet because of the nutritional evidence showing that meat has high quality protein, a good source of some minerals, etc..stuff like that. To me, meat isn't bad for you (red meat and processed probably are though) and lean meat like chicken breast and most fish can even be good for you.

But, back to the word conviction. If I must admit, my conviction is weak at least compared to some of you here. This transition took too long. I appreciate Rob Greenfield and some members on these forums; you guys have set the bar real high! It has become really hard to see the evidence of climate change and not changing my own daily living habits to combat it...the realization that political action is slow, not drastic enough, etc...if I've learned anything from my readings here is that one must lead through personal action and ethics. "They" is never coming...or coming slowly. To change anyone else around me, I must change myself. I think the cognitive dissonance has finally caught up to me. Two days ago I declared myself a vegetarian and made drastic change...I haven't worked out the details just yet (I dropped dairy milk and replaced with soy milk and oat milk, keeping eggs in my diet for now, drop cheese?, will probably still consume fish if my spouse cooks it but need to read further on this...what about fish oil etc ....and the list goes on) and I don't want to be wasteful either (I will be finishing off the whey protein I have but afterwards when it runs out I'm picking up pea protein or some other green source of protein isolate) and I have bulk Vitamin B12 coming in. Basically why I'm doing this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environme ... etarianism

Being vegetarian just makes too much sense for my lifestyle as it fits well. 1.) I can eliminate the cognitive dissonance and 2.) prove to myself that I have a stronger conviction. With more money going towards plant-based whole foods, I will therefore have more plants scraps for my garden. Also I should expect health improvements. It isn't just about dropping meat - it is also allocating that capital towards whole grain, plants, fruits etc.

Other things I need to think about - my commute. Its not favorable towards the environment. One of my goals this year is to potentially get on a project where I can work from home. Shopping - a few weeks ago we decided to bring bags into the grocery store and other places. No more using plastic bags. I've other changes to make in daily living but a good test is how often the trash can fills up in my house.

So to wrap up my goals for 2020:

1.) Networth $200k by end of year.
2.) Record results of vegetarian diet. I need to dig further into the details...right now I'm satisfied with simple recipes but will need to enhance my cooking skills further.
3.) Continue to educate myself on climate change and what we can do at the individual level to help combat it. I'm mentally ready for lifestyle changes.
4.) Develop work skills: python (continue studying), social skills (presentations/public speaking). The later was big in 2019 as I've defeated most of the anxiety but I've to keep practicing. The former is to help pivot me into remote work, the later is just for character development.
5.) Move away from thinking about myself and my goals to how I can impact others for positive change. Lead by example.

[Lemur]

@bigato

With regards to the diet, I'm very confident this is the right choice for health reasons. Eliminating processed foods will also be real easy as I don't want to purchase the waste that accompanies those foods. I have this strong motive now that goes beyond just my personal health...

Climate change was initially trickier to adjust. Like I know the evidence is strong, but I was reading so much doom and gloom it was making me a nihilist and giving me feelings that nothing can be done about it anyway. I'm now looking forward to the day where I'm doing my part on a subconscious level. It was almost like seeing Rob Greenfield's positivity and upbeat attitude that knocked me out of it.

And yes I agree. This is the minimum. If we can't help the planet, for whatever reason, the minimum is to reduce destruction to the best of one's ability.

[ertyu]

Going vegetarian is also good from an antifragility pov. Usually, in a severe economic crisis, meat becomes scarce and too expensive. Most westerners - especially most americans - have never needed to consider this because the last 70+ yrs have been ok and have coincided with the proliferation of roided up, antibiotick-ed animals in concentrated feeding operations. Thus most americans are used to thinking of meat as plentiful and cheap, but bad quality on the lower end. People really aren't prepared for a world where meat is scarce and expensive and the textured soy protein needs to come out not cause you're a great vegetarian but because in an environment of food scarcity, that's what you've got for protein.

Developing your cooking skills with legumes and other meat substitutes is thus another way of making yourself more robust in the face of potential changes.

Edit: consider very high inflation/hyperinflation. Your best strategy? Stockpile on as much non-perishables as possible as quickly as possible, because time burns cash. Lentils, beans, and the like are way way easier and cheaper to store and stockpile than meat.

[Lemur]

@ertyu

Good points.

I've been reading much on food production lately...and I've come across many alarming statistics such as 33% of all agricultural land is used just to raise the crops to feed the livestock. Umm...something tells me this is simply not sustainable given that the global population is expected to increase to 9 Billion by 2050. With that, livestock has to grow as well substantially...more CO2, more methane, more nitric oxide...Like we need anymore of that. Not to mention all the water that has to be consumed to support this ever-growing system. A lot of the later info is really starting to sink in for me and will simply define my thoughts for 2020.

I simply can't help but to suffer from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eco-anxiety lately. But I am happy that I am becoming much more aware of this feeling and reacting to it positively (making behavioral changes to support climate change) as opposed to inaction from dread.

[Lemur]

Red Lentil Curry
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/16641 ... til-curry/

My new favorite meal prep for work lunches. I throw in a apple, banana, carrot, sometimes a mix of nuts + raisins as a snack. 2020: Have not bought a single food item at work. Interestingly, I haven't found red lentils in my area...just the standard brown ones but works the same.

Keeping up with my normal updates ...moving to a 'monthly' basis as opposed to bi-weekly....will update Feb 1.

Investments
Physical Health / Diet
Mental Health
Job
Gardening
Family / Other Thoughts

Still reading Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. I hold the world record title for slowest reader.

[jacob]

Red Lentil Curry
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/16641 ... til-curry/

Try replacing the sugar with 1 potato (cube it and put it in when you put in the lentils). Also 1 carrot, same time.

[Lemur]

@jacob
Nice. Good change. No noticeable change in taste but also adds bulk to me. Also am mixing in brown rice for more bulk.

[Lemur]

January 31, 2020

Continuing my outline of journal updates...moving to monthly first update post of 2020.

Investments: $157k. Up $9k since mid-December and $2k over my goal for this month. Probably the largest noticeable increase. About $3700 was due to actual contributions, the rest due to market growth. I need to see ~4k growth per month to meet $200k goal by end of year. My spouse maxed out her Roth IRA. We finished our taxes and getting $4k back. Need to take into account child tax credit ($2k) also my spouse got some type of qualified business deduction. In any case, my spouse and I will split the refund when it comes. I will be investing my $2k into tIRA as per tradition.

Physical Health / Diet: So first month going vegetarian. (Well technically Pescatrian since I still consumed fish oil this month). All is well. I dropped a couple of pounds. Took a bit to get used to the increased fiber intake. I feel slightly more energetic too. Actually had an initial issue with focus and brain-fog but it was because my calories were too low the first two weeks. This has been resolved.

I have deep-dived into the culture and social identity around food. It would probably be worth my time to learn more about about Indian Cuisine since most are vegetarian. I'm still learning much but I think I've spotted what looks like a Wheaton like progression towards veganism...

[*] Carnivore ...("Steak and Potatoes is for real men hurrr" Bacon = breakfast of champions)
[*] Omnivore ...(Standard American diet)
[*] Flexitarian ...(Begins seeing some benefits toward reducing meat consumption for savings, environmental reasons, animal welfare, what have you. Doesn't want to be a social pain in the butt to others at social gatherings and will still eat meat when offered)
[*] Pollo-pescetarianism ... (Restricts meat consumption to just chicken (fowl) and fish while excluding other meat)
[*] Pescatarian ... (Eats fish but not meat. May or may not consume dairy, eggs, cheese).
[*] Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian ... (Does not eat any meat but will consume dairy and eggs)
[*] Ovo Vegetarian or Lacto Vegetarian (The former does not eat meat or dairy but will consume eggs . The latter does not eat meat or eggs but will consume dairy).
[*] Vegan (Does not consume any meat whatsoever)
[*] Vegan Level II (Does not consume any meat and will avoid products with animal parts as well such as leather shoes, fur coats, etc.)

I have a go-to meal plan for the day as I'm not too creative yet but this has been solid

Breakfast - Oatmeal with blue berries, cinnamon, and ground flax seeds (needed for Omega 3 intake). Supplement vitamin B12 and Calcium / Vitamin D3 mix.
Lunch - Lentil curry as main course. Meal prepped on Sunday. Snacks - apple, carrots, banana, and sometimes trial mix.
Dinner - Either Tofu & Veggies or Beans & Rice.
Dessert (if hungry before bed) - Peanut butter on toast or fruit/veggie smoothie.

Mental Health: Mostly good. I still hate this weather. Winter lasts forever around here and I'm longing for the days it is over with.

Job: It has been busy. We're resource depleted and since I'm 'that guy' for our audit support work, I ended up being tasked with all the things my co-worker had that just left for a new project. I did not refuse this work. I am bored and looked forward to the challenge of some of these new databases. Sometimes I'll take work if it means I can avoid other things I don't want to do.

Gardening: A random garlic sprouted in one of my beds today. Lovely surprise.

Family/Other: Umm...my sister has a romantic interest and they're moving fast all of a sudden. Spouse and I have discussed plans if things get serious with my sister + significant other. It would probably be best to part ways at this point or my sister would want to part ways and move in with SO. I welcome this development because I've a long commute and don't mind making a move if I have too. We want to move into a better school district for our son anyhow. That is coming up quickly too. This would shake up the family dynamic quite a bit...my spouse says this is a sitcom as my sister has kept the SO secret from my Mother this whole time.

[theanimal]

I don't think you can find levels with diet as it will vary per individual since everyone reacts so differently. Me for example I was vegan for a few years then pescatarian then for the past few years I have been keto. I was raised on a fairly healthy version of the standard american diet but I went opposite of your chart after that which presumes I've gone down in how much I care about food. But the reality is that I care about optimizing my food intake more than ever. It's just a different end result.

PS. Carnivores don't eat potatoes

[Lemur]

@thenaimal

I should've been more literal in my definition but was trying to mix in mindset with diet...Tough to do and not something that should be too generalized like I've done - what one eats ties heavily with their culture and identity.

I will say though, speaking of optimization, it varies person to person depending on lifestyle, certain genetics, goals, etc...but in general if I'm painting a broad brush - I think the consensus shows most benefit from a whole foods plant based diet. Whether one chooses to eat certain meats or not delves into, like @bigato says, political stances, culture, etc.

[Lemur]

3 weeks in a row with lentil curry for lunch prep. I'm still not tired of that recipe but this week I was feeling lazy so I tried out a new recipe with Pinto Beans in a crock pot:

1.) 16 oz of beans soaked for a day or overnight.
2.) Pour beans into crockpot (I do not strain the soaked water). Add more water if necessary to cover above 1" of beans.
3.) Saute 2 diced medium white onions or 1 large diced white onion + 1 large diced red bell pepper in olive oil for about 10-12 minutes. Add water when necessary to avoid burning onions.
4.) Pour sauteed goods into crock pot.
5.) Add 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of black pepper, 1 tablespoon of cumin, 1 tablespoon of chili powder.
6.) Mix Well
7.) Cook on high for 6 hours.

This recipe the beans come out perfect (not too crunch but not too mashed either) but also very spicy but I do have a preference for this. I have discovered that I really like cumin in 2020. I went with this recipe because it was a set it and forget it. With the lentil curry recipe, there is a lot of steps involved and a lot of individual ingredients and steps to make the curry paste...this recipe is simpler. Next time I will double up on the ingredients to make more meals. So 32 oz of beans....2 large onions....2 tablespoons each.

[ertyu]

you should drain the soaked water it contains stuffs you're better off without

[Lemur]

@ertyu

Explain. Are you talking about possibly dirt residue? I've read various recipes that state you should keep the soaked water because it contains more flavors...Now before I initially soak the beans I do clean them through a strainer (also helps catch a stray rock)...unless you're referring to something else in the nutrition?

[Frita]

From what I understand, consuming beans cooked in the original bean-soaking water produces more gas than adding fresh water. (This doesn’t affect me but my spouse and our kid, who do not eat as many legumes as me, claim otherwise.) I water my plants, indoors or out, with the soaking water.

[Lemur]

@Frita

Makes sense. The soaking water likely contains nutrients thst are good for plants as well.

[basuragomi]

I think @Ertyu was referring to the presence of phytohaemagglutinin, which leaches into the soaking water and can give you gastroenteritis if undercooked. It occurs in dangerous amounts when using kidney and broad beans so not really an issue with pinto beans.