The life and times of ... distracted_at_work

[distracted_at_work]

May I ask what you own? that seems like a lot to me. Also, I wanted to mention - have you considered buying an online business? It would be a good way to be location independent, without the hassle of starting a business up.

You may. To save me from listing out every possession, here was what took up the most room.*

-Homebuilt computer and associated boxes I lug around
-The bedspread. Winter is cold and my quilt is large.
-The furniture. Desk. Chair. Filing cabinet.
-Hockey equipment. Skis. Ski boots etc.
-Camping gear.
-Homebrew equipment.
-Enough kitchen supplies for 1-2 people.
-Large quantities (bless Costco) of food.
-Metric fuck ton of clothes; look out goodwill. Working on this.
-Books, textbooks and games (one bin but worth mentioning) and university mementos.
-Edit. Forgot the keyboard.

I had not considered buying one but I like the thought. It'd have to be the right business, of course. I could see myself transitioning into that as I move into ERE mode. Would be a good way to diversify assets and generate income. Have you put any thought/work into one?

Funny you bring that up right now. My new roommates are working on an online software development business themselves. I think they are using evenings to interview for the first new employee this week, in fact. Lots of exciting things going on.

*Important to note, I moved 10 minutes away so I wasn't quite playing Tetris when packing the car.

[distracted_at_work]

Trying not to make these posts super personal...

But that's hard.

It's, honestly, boring to write about the financial side. I save over 60% of my income all the time. Some months I save over 70%. Yearly net-worth updates are plenty. I'm trying to have more months where I save over 70% and less where I save over 60%. We've all read the blog and are here for the same reason. This isn't rocket science any more. I'm sticking around to figure out the life side which I think falls into the philosophy part of the ERE tagline.

Go read this post for an idea of how I spend my free time.

Had a fairly different weekend that's just too dam personal to talk about anonymously but I need to throw something out there. It involved people close to me and impending death and what happens when you don't prepare for that. The death of, not only yourself, but those close to you. It has reaffirmed my desire to do something interesting with my life. I cannot have another day where I go sit uselessly at the computer in an office pretending to work. I just can't. Life is too short.

On a cheerier note... I discovered PFJerk on reddit late last night and I have not laughed so hard in ages. You need to occasionally browse the personal finance section of reddit for any of the jokes to make sense.

Other

-So close to six figures nw, so very close.
-I think this is the best time to start a business and I've decided to go down this life path. I'm already committed to spending my twenties working so I may as well double down on it and do something cool. It's most likely going to be a brewery. The numbers make sense, the demand is here, I have access to the capital I need. I can do it. Right now my focus is on finishing the b-plan, interviewing potential partners and getting first-hand commercial brewing experience.
-I have goals for after the brewery. Vandwell ala C40. Live in Spain, or somewhere in S.A, for a number of years to truly become fluent in Spanish. If married, start a family? Start teaching myself trades to build my dream homestead.
-The new job is dope. The team is amazing, the work is interesting. I'm learning again. I'm engaged with the work. Hell ya.

-Should be a great summer.

[SustainableHappiness]

-Booze. New roommates are heavy drinkers and that rubs off on me. ... If married, start a family?

Ya, get a pregnant partner, although you'll then be drinking for two, you have a sober partner to convince you the White Russians at 3am may be a bad idea (from experience). Just kidding...but seriously...

Kudos, focusing on homebrewing as a skill seems like a good idea for the extroverted ERE social drinkers, we've debated testing out some wine. Another useful skill for drinkers and eaters a like, pickling. I've begun it this year for the first time, it's interesting and intriguing to try new recipes (a la homebrew), plus it'll allow me to make some seriously wicked caesars with all the fixins this summer.

[CS]

@CS. It's a grey area. Omission uses the same process that I do to remove the gluten. The key is this clarity ferm. I haven't tested the beer using a kit but it has worked out fine on my celiac body. I'm confident it's under 20 ppm. I'll buy a kit and test my next batch if you want.

Oh no, don't test it for my sake. I can't drink Omission (got sick off it). I've actually come to hate the stuff because I'll go into a store and ask for Gluten free. The sales person will proudly show me Omission and I'll have to burst their bubble that it's not gluten free. It pisses me off it is taking the market share from actual good, truly gluten free beers. If you can, try Glutenberg (trendy cans), Greens, or best yet, Groundbreaker from Portland. Groundbreaker is a dedicated gluten free brewery, with a pub on premises. The beer is phenomenal. The food is even better. Nom.

There are also good African (or pretending to be African) beers. Found those in Wisconsin of all places.

[distracted_at_work]

Oh no, don't test it for my sake. I can't drink Omission (got sick off it). I've actually come to hate the stuff because I'll go into a store and ask for Gluten free. The sales person will proudly show me Omission and I'll have to burst their bubble that it's not gluten free. It pisses me off it is taking the market share from actual good, truly gluten free beers. If you can, try Glutenberg (trendy cans), Greens, or best yet, Groundbreaker from Portland. Groundbreaker is a dedicated gluten free brewery, with a pub on premises. The beer is phenomenal. The food is even better. Nom.

There are also good African (or pretending to be African) beers. Found those in Wisconsin of all places.

I ended up ordering some testing kits to satisfy my own curiosity. I'll post here what I find. Currently have four batches in development, a Lager, a IBA, a Brown and a Kolsch. Will test the darker beers as they have a heavier grain bill. I've all but given up on truly gluten-free beer brewing. Too difficult to source the sorghum/buckwheat not to mention brewing it. Sorry that I'll be contributing to the gluten-reduced beer

Glutenberg is one of my favorites. It used to be reasonable as a treat but the price has come up so much lately, I stopped drinking it. Never heard of Groundbreaker. Part of my brewery research has had a couple guys recommend I take a trip out to Portland as that is where most of the beer research and development is taking place. Never tried an African beer before, do you remember the brand?

Kudos, focusing on homebrewing as a skill seems like a good idea for the extroverted ERE social drinkers, we've debated testing out some wine. Another useful skill for drinkers and eaters a like, pickling. I've begun it this year for the first time, it's interesting and intriguing to try new recipes (a la homebrew), plus it'll allow me to make some seriously wicked caesars with all the fixins this summer.

Love a good caesar! A white russian @ 3 AM does indeed seem like a poor choice. After this last weekend, however, I'm not one to comment about poor choices I highly recommend trying to homebrew! You can make some seriously wicked beer and save a ton of money doing so. Not to mention it's fun and makes you endearing to your friends.

[TheRedHare]

Wow man it sounds like you've been having quite the adventure!
I've been wanting to do a travel abroad trip like that, but I'm a bit too focused on career stuff...maybe sometime next year.
Food poisoning must have been a bitch to go through, ugh, I can't imagine.....another reason why I don't really find the 'travel the world' idea appealing to me.
Congrats on the nearing 6 figures man, that's insane, and at only 24!

[distracted_at_work]

@Red.

Thanks man! Life has been wild ever since I joined this forum

Food poisoning was scary bad, I must say. Don't let that dissuade you from at least trying a trip abroad. Absolutely worth it. Seeing new cultures, meeting new people from all around the world, speaking different languages, eating new food, waking up and not having any plans ... it really is a ton of fun. I'd recommend you check out Isle de Ometepe, Nicaragua or Railay, Thailand. Those are the two places from my travels that have really stood out plus are cheap cheap cheap.

Congratulations to you on finding renters so quickly, I'll admit I was skeptical. I hope it continues to work out!

As a total aside, I've been dancing like a maniac to the new Arcade Fire song and I thought the forum goers would appreciate it.

[TheRedHare]

Wow man it sounds like you've been having quite the adventure!
I've been wanting to do a travel abroad trip like that, but I'm a bit too focused on career stuff...maybe sometime next year.
Food poisoning must have been a bitch to go through, ugh, I can't imagine.....another reason why I don't really find the 'travel the world' idea appealing to me.
Congrats on the nearing 6 figures man, that's insane, and at only 24!

Thanks man! Life has been wild ever since I joined this forum

Food poisoning was scary bad, I must say. Don't let that dissuade you from at least trying a trip abroad. Absolutely worth it. Seeing new cultures, meeting new people from all around the world, speaking different languages, eating new food, waking up and not having any plans ... it really is a ton of fun. I'd recommend you check out Isle de Ometepe, Nicaragua or Railay, Thailand. Those are the two places from my travels that have really stood out plus are cheap cheap cheap.

Congratulations to you on finding renters so quickly, I'll admit I was skeptical. I hope it continues to work out!

As a total aside, I've been dancing like a maniac to the new Arcade Fire song and I thought the forum goers would appreciate it.

Just realized I was commenting on an old ass post of your's lol....must have been the booze last night.

The brewery idea sounds cool as hell. I don't know anything about the beer industry, but I have noticed there has been a pretty big beer craze these last couple years. I don't see myself taking it as far as you have, but I would be interested in learning how to make my own beer for cost savings- although I'm a Whiskey/Scotch guy....wonder if there is a way to make my own.

One thing I'm looking into is building my own garden in the backyard, now that I have a yard. My cousin has been working on his for the past couple of years, and now has an automatic irrigation system including a small aquaponic system he built himself. We're actually thinking of spinning it off as a business idea - custom built irrigation systems - we would build the software to monitor all the ph levels, oxygen, etc.

I've never heard of this band, they sound great!

[jacob]

I'm a Whiskey/Scotch guy....wonder if there is a way to make my own.

As far as I know, you can't make spirits legally for human consumption unless you get a ton of permits in order first. However, there are kits like this
https://www.amazon.com/Outlaw-Kit-Ameri ... B00HPSVVT4 ... where the alcohol is essentially something like vodka or everclear.

Then you just wait forever (years!). I've tasted some two-year old kit whiskey once. It was good but kinda "vague" compared to the standard 12yo ... and even compared to a cheap 7yo. However, it did have the whiskey taste.

PS: Pleeeeeease don't use the quote function to reply to an entire post. Just use @name ... Quoting is for quoting a limited number of sentences.

[bryan]

https://www.reddit.com/r/firewater
http://homedistiller.org/forum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL3UHF5SlEU - Uganda's Moonshine Epidemic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glQjCKAI4gA -
This is the Last Dam Run of Likker I'll Ever Make (full movie)

I wouldn't worry too much about the legality (for small amounts). Though I suppose it's good to know what to expect

To make whiskey/scotch (or any other aged spirit.. some longer than others) means oak barrel ageing. Some folks resort to some alternative fast-ageing techniques (e.g. pressurized vessel w/ oak chips inside).

I would be more interested in making less known liquors that don't compete directly against 15yo scotch or 10yo bourbons. Best if you have some fruit (or anything that you can ferment and then distil) growing on your property already.

[distracted_at_work]

Today is a day for ERE confessions

Extremely hungover this morning but thankfully it's a slow work day as most of the downtown core appears to be off in anticipation of Canada Day 150. That means I get to hammer out a journal entry, to you, the lovely forum reader. So many things have been going on I actually wrote an outline for this post so I wouldn't forget what I wanted to say.

Way back when I talked about putting in a garden to practice growing some food. I didn't mention it on here but I did follow up and try growing beets, lettuce and some mystery squash. The experiment seems to be going well. I water when they appear dry and otherwise leave them alone.

It's a shame that I will have to abandon my lovely garden. I lasted two months in the ERE party-house guest room bunk-bed. Fuckers kept eating my food, drinking my beer, wouldn't clean a dam thing, bringing loud 19 year old girls home, bringing random couch-surfers home (last night wtf).... my grievances could go on. Luckily I had no down deposit and signed nothing so I told them I'm bailing and they were cool about it. The landlord raised the rent by $150/mo when I moved in and as a courtesy I'm paying that out for two months until the end of the lease. We are all still friends, of course. It's just not the living situation for me.

Typically I analyze my roommates more before moving in with them so I partly blame myself and partly blame the timing. Going to Nicaragua and then having 4 days to move is not something I recommend. Have your life in order before you go traveling, especially if you intend on returning.

Now for the ERE confessions. I'll now have moved 5 times in the last 2.5 years. I'm done tethering my life to roommates which means I'm moving into an apartment all alone! Unfortunately, I could not justify renting a shitbox in the name of retiring early. I'm going from a rental cost of $700/mo in the bunk-bed to $1300/mo for a modern top floor downtown view low-rise. I had to go for an 18 month lease to even get that price and it's only partly furnished. I can't really justify it in terms of ERE mostly because I have been enjoying my new job immensely. I also did some mental gymnastics to directly apply my additional $100/mo transit allowance I'm paid into renting a nicer place as I will be walking again. What are the implications? Well I'll realistically spend roughly $2K/mo for the next 18 months if I change none of my habits. Without expecting any bonuses this year that locks my savings rate in around 65%. If I get bonuses, then I'm still killing it. For the joy of not having to move anymore and of having my own personal space, I think it is worth it.

I'm also planning on renting out the covered parking space for $100/mo so that can offset some of the rental burden. I can park on the street for free and people will pay stupid amounts of money to not brush snow off their car in the winter.

I'm really bad at ERE. I tried cooking dried beans instead of canned and nearly poisoned myself. I had to buy a brand new mattress and did little-to-no research but realized I hate mattress shopping. I searched the forum for old mattress posts and concluded used, cots, floor, tatami, etc was not the solution for me. Got some $800 job online, cha-ching. Is this what lifestyle inflation feels like?

Some ERE good news is that the new job involves a ton of client lunches/dinners and as a result my personal food costs have substantially dropped. I also collect that sweet sweet cash back on the credit card which has turned into a little $20-$50/mo bonus.

Other life things

Over one of the longer dry streaks regarding females in my life in recent memory. Like all things, when it rains it pours. This is an early retirement forum and not a relationship advice forum so unless asked to elaborate I won't. However, I will share a quick story. I went hiking two weeks ago to clear my head space and ran into a cute girl also hiking alone. We started chatting and she convinced me to summit this mountain that I was not at all prepared for. Well by the time we made it to the top we were ... making out ... Seriously couldn't make this shit up if I tried.

What's coming down the pipe? The Calgary Stampede! The craziest time of year. This is a paid week of partying for the downtown oil industry. I need to focus on not getting alcohol poisoning during a normal year. Now that my job is partly sales, I have 5straight days of partying planned, almost all expense-able, starting around 8 AM each day. If I disappear off this forum abruptly, check the obituaries and know that I died a happy man. Jacob can have what's left of my dried beans.

My portfolio is down down down but so is the market. Dividends are still being paid and I haven't done anything stupid like selling. Bought SHOP.

With all this going on, in addition to the usual summer activities, I haven't had time to work on my business plan. I'm rather ashamed of this. The updates on that front are that I couldn't swing a job in the brewery due to them not working evenings or weekends. Instead, I've befriended the brew-master of my nearest competitor. He lets me bring home-brew in to his production area to share while I pepper him with questions about the whole plan. I also brought on a partner. My partner hasn't actually done anything this month other than help me make beer as we've had similar busyness levels. I'm going to set specific times of the week for us to get to work once we are through the mayhem that is July. One close friend brought up that talking/typing about the brewery idea releases similar dopamine levels in my brain (or something) compared to actually doing it. He said that could be another thing that has hindered my progress. I really need to refocus.

[TheRedHare]

That room situation sounded like it would be miserable...I would have done the same as you and bail.

$1300 a month for an apartment is definitely crazy in terms of ERE standards, but if you're really fed up with roommates I would totally understand. What about just getting one roommate that you already know, like a co-worker?

I laughed when you mentioned the dried beans, as I am getting used to eating rice and beans 7 days a week...spices make all the difference haha. Are you sure you cooked the beans right? I've heard of people not cooking them properly and getting stomach cramps. Your body might also need to adjust to them. As for the mattress situation, have you tired sleeping on the floor or a thin mat? I've been sleeping on a thin (3in.) futon for the past month and don't have many complaints from it....again, something your body needs to adapt to. The paid lunches are always sweet! Take advantage of that haha.

Please elaborate on the relationship thing, I'd be interested. I too face some relationship difficulties...mostly finding a girl I actually like. Although you sound much more outgoing than me....I mean...I don't think I could see myself making out with another random hiker after only meeting her a few hours ago haha. You must have a way with words lol.

[distracted_at_work]

@Red. I'm more interested in not tying the fate of my living situation to that of another person for a while. Co-workers are out as, once again, I'm the youngest in my company by a solid margin.

The time I mentioned, I definitely had not. I improperly assumed that beans after soaking could be cooked the same way as rice could be. I've got 100-days with the new mattress "risk free" so I'll try it for that period. If I can't stand the idea of sleeping on something so expensive I'll rethink the purchase.

To somewhat elaborate... a few girls that I had been trying generate some interest with all started giving me the time of day at the same time + a random hiker who I've now been on a few dates with. I got a haircut recently so I don't look like a hippy, maybe that did it? Now I'm trying to figure out whom to spend my time/energy on.

I'm no casanova but best advice I can could give without knowing you personally would be to focus on having fun. Developing yourself so you are interesting. Practice empathy, listen well. Take care of your body. Don't pressure yourself to find someone. Do all that and things tend to work out.

[TheRedHare]

@distracted_at_work
wow man, that's a pretty nice problem to have haha. A haircut might help, but usually it has to do with your energy. As far as who to spend time with, I'd just say whomever you think you are most compatible with...I'm not trying to sound sarcastic, but I honestly don't know either haha.

It's not so much that I have a hard time with women, or that I don't understand them, it's mostly that I have some insecurities in that I don't like letting people in and messing around with my emotions. My last relationship was pretty bad, and because of it I made some bad decisions with my own life. I try not to be cynical about it as that is just ridiculous, but I just have a hard time letting people into my deeper emotions...hence why I guess some people see me as if I have something to hide or don't care to get too involved with.

[CS]

... Never tried an African beer before, do you remember the brand?

I don't remember sorry - the bottle was black and yellow. It was sort of fruity, in a good (not blueberry or other horror) sort of way.

Sounds like you've been having some adventures lately. Congrats on getting the new place - still keeping a decent savings rate.

[distracted_at_work]

Late Summer Update

Here's some music to listen to. My summer student this year was an idiot (boss' kid) but said one smart thing. "August in the Sunday of summer". It sure is. For the first time since my last post, I took a weekend off from doing activities and stayed in around home. The overwhelming fear of missing out was strong. Fairly standard feeling of depression hits around the end of summer every year but it doesn't get any easier to deal with. Had a breakup last week too so ya-know that's never fun. Pretty well over it this week...

Joined an Ultimate Frisbee Team and we came in 3rd for the league. That's a great ERE sport. $60 for 8 weeks of competition. Can ride my bike to every game. Don't need any fancy equipment and get really good exercise, sprinting on/off for two hours. Below is a pic I snapped of the skyline, sunset and mountains on my way home one night. I love nothing more than bike riding. The feeling of freedom, stopping to watch a sunset. Would never do that in a car. Can't beat it.

Hit a couple music festivals this year. If you are cursed/blessed with a baby face then it's time to break out the old student ID for those sweet sweet savings. The new one in my music festival lineup was Wapiti out in Fernie, B.C. Tiny little festival with a ton of amazing indy/bluegrass/funk bands. Cheap tickets, ride bikes all over town and great company. Me and some amigos set up a little hobo village on some crown land just outside of town. We would ride bikes into the festival with a stash of booze just outside that we could run out to. Music festival done ERE style. Ate peanuts and vegetables all weekend other than splurging on one restaurant meal.

With ALL THESE POSITIVES... I still spent 50% of my income/month last two months. Not terrible but far off my 65% estimations. Doing things is expensive. Furnishing an apartment is expensive. Driving around the country side to go hiking or whatever is expensive. I won't even talk about my investments. We are down down down folks. The last two days are the first signs of life on my portfolio all summer (other than making a quick buck on Shopify). What's the saying? Sell in May and go away? Maybe next year.

Living alone for the past two months has absolutely been fantastic. I leave things and they are in the same place when I get home. Dishes are always done. It's quiet at night. Friends will come over and stay on the floor and I don't have to clear it with anyone. I'm living the dream. Still ashamed of what I spend monthly on rent ($1300) but so far it has been worth it. Occasionally my bike commute gets delayed by train.

It's been extremely hard to work on my own business idea. Breweries have been springing up all over town like you wouldn't believe. I haven't had the willpower to say no to friends in order to work in my free time. Not to mention now that I enjoy my job it's tough to find motivation. I'm leaning towards it now being a post financial independence project when the risk is lower and it becomes more of a hobby with the goal of breaking even. At that time I figure I can pick up some equipment at a serious discount. Not all the breweries in town can succeed. Even if they do? I'll buy the old equipment off them as they move into a larger space.

To muddy the waters further, this company I joined in late May was recently bought out by a larger one. The old owners are already talking about starting another one after they work through the full payout period over the next three years and want me to be involved in that. Oil and gas companies tend to be much more lucrative than breweries. Overall, things are good.

Edit: Forgot that I started swinging kettle bells around! After I learned how not to bang my wrists up it's an awesome exercise. Really wish I would have started these earlier. Got a 35 lb to start and quickly needed to go up weight so either between technique or muscle, something is working.

[Jason]

Chicks, you can't retire with them, you can't retire without them.

[TheRedHare]

Cool stuff man, I feel ya on the savings. I don't think I put anything away for August. Spent a little much, mostly on my new mattress and loaned my dad some cash so he could repair his old guitar, hopefully I can put most everything away for September.

The new company idea sounds pretty good, might be a good idea to get in on starting something new.

Haven't been looking at any stock or investing, at least until I pay off my student loans so I can't relate. Although I'm really interested in bitcoin and blockchain...might be something to look into?

Sorry about the girl thing man...shit always sucks. But hey, there are plenty of fish in the sea.

[distracted_at_work]

@Red. Thanks dude. @Jason. Indeed. I'm not super torn, it wasn't going to work out based on our personalities but still never a fun feeling.

@Red. You'd be more knowledgeable on bitcoin/blockchain than I. I've read up on it only a little so don't know about it as an investment. It's meteoric rise has sure been spectacular to watch. You'll kill those loans soon enough and be rich off the next bitcoin I'm sure.

Regarding work. It's been super hard to find motivation. I still think I'd have to do my own thing to be satisfied. We have an awesome team right now though so if we stick together to start a company it would be fun. We shall see.

[TheRedHare]

I feel ya on the motivation part. You've gotta have some skin in the game...that's what really pushes you. Ever since I started working with my cousin I've noticed how much more involved I am with work because I have a larger impact on what can happen. I'm in charge of things like payroll, and managing other aspects of our little company and with that it's made me become more involved with the business. Instead of chasing after a simple paycheck, I want the company to succeed. You can make good money as an employee, but the real money is made when you own something.

So I think if/when you get the chance to strike out on your own, do it...especially while you're young and can take risks. If these other guys have more experience and are older than you, and they are thinking about doing there own thing, I'd consider going with them. It'll give you great exposure to how the deals are made and how the top dogs play. Keep up the good work man!