Early Retirement Extreme Forums

oh wow that must have been a very nice hike

@ertyu and @alpahaville - thanks for the comments. Happy to share some nice scenery with folks in other locations.

@M2aS - I'm a big Bill Bryson fan. I read Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid before A Walk in the Woods and was pleasantly surprised when Katz reappeared in the latter. He really adds some good humor to the story, though it was painful imagining them hauling canned goods on the AT.

@AH - You're welcome. There were at least a couple other near misses that I forgot to include but remembered after reading your comment. I definitely think one facet of backwoods competency is humility. Realizing when you've done something slightly foolish and taking the time to slow down and reevaluate is very valuable in my experience. Glad to offer some inspiration. One of the cool things about interacting here is to keep that inspiration bouncing around by sharing our experiences.

@theanimal - I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. It is hard to compete with some of the epic landscapes you have access to in Alaska.

Ptarmigan are present in the Cascades in Washington State, but I think you're right that it is a grouse. After doing a bit of online digging I think it is a female spruce grouse. I spotted it at a pretty high elevation (about 5,000 ft.) which is more common for the spruce grouse. They also don't fly off when disturbed as I'm used to with the ruffed grouse. I thought the "unusual" behavior was the result of the solar eclipse, but it turns out its just the MO for the spruce grouse.

Walking in the Snow

Last Friday I had a lovely walk on my lunch break. We had a fresh few inches of snow the previous night, which accented the four inches already on the ground. It always surprises me how differently I perceive my environment when it is blanketed in snow.

Lately I've been thinking about how I can be surrounded by beauty, but take it for granted simply because I've become accustomed to it. I'm not sure if this is just a natural human tendency, or a mental construct that needs to be reframed. I suspect it is probably a combination of the two. The new layer of snow had me in high spirits.

I walk through this area almost every day, but a fresh dusting reframed my perspective.





I spotted this badass out in the river fishing despite the temperature:



I walk along the river almost every day. I regularly see Osprey, but only see Bald Eagles a few times a year. I was walking towards a couple and they asked if I had seen the eagles. Sure enough, there were two perched on the telephone poles directly in front of us. I sat and watched for a few minutes before continuing along the rocks toward the river. Lovely seeing them take off down the canyon.



That afternoon was a good reminder that I can have meaningful interactions with nature without straying too far from home. I still love the epic journey deep into the mountains occasionally, but there is a lot to be said for choosing a home base with good access to trails and natural areas.


Sourdough bread and baking adventures:

We are three loaves deep into our sourdough adventures. The first loaf turned out pretty good, but was somewhat dense. We didn't use parchment paper on the second loaf, and it stuck to the pan even though we used oil. DW was pretty upset with that, but we salvaged some of the bread and used the rest for croutons that were delicious. We made our third loaf last weekend. We added garlic and rosemary to the dough. This one didn't rise very much, either before or in the oven. The sour taste of the last two loaves was amazing, but it doesn't seem to be rising as much as we'd like. We are using a ceramic bread pan, so that may be part of the problem. But I suspect that we don't have enough active yeast through the wild fermentation process.

My brother-in-law was a baker and has a 10-year old sour dough starter. He sent us some dried starter, but we haven't started over again yet. I also bought some commercial yeast, but didn't want to add it to our starter because it looks like the commercial and wild yeast compete with each other. It's all been a good learning experiment, but we are looking forward to when we have light airy loaves after spending a couple hours in the kitchen. We'll keep our eyes out for a dutch oven when DW is thrifting.

On a more positive note, our sourdough pizza (with some commercial yeast) has been amazing. We've done pizza Saturdays the last two weekends and it has been a lot of fun. Sci-fi marathon with a fresh mozzarella and artichoke heart pie last weekend:

Financial Update:

457 B - 148,811
Roth IRA - 62,472
Savings - 29,451
Pension - 37,776
DW Roth - 53,856
DW Savings - 1,312
Brokerage (shared) - 21,509

NW - 355,187 (Increase of $13,092)

Another step in the right direction financially. I could cover my share of the household expenses at a 5% SWR right now. I'm currently covering 60-70% of our expenses to allow DW to save more and because I make more money. I'm planning on working through at least the end of the year, and possibly until the middle of 2022. I have now started seriously considering whether to request a sabbatical or whether to just plan on leaving for good and jumping into a semi-ERE lifestyle. Health care is still a big unknown variable in my plan if we plan to live in the US.

DW and I talked about her teaching English online while we are slow traveling. She is very open to the idea, and teaching for a few hours per day would bring in more than enough income to cover her expenses. This strategy could dramatically change our plans and allow us to extend the trip for a much longer duration. I also think it would provide a bit of structure, purpose, and balance for DW.

In terms of investments, I've shifted future contributions in my 457b so that 50% of my bi-monthly contributions are in emerging and global index funds. I'm not a very savvy investor, but it seems like international markets have a lot more room for growth based on current valuations. We are heavily tilted towards US markets, and that has worked really well for us since we started investing a little over five years ago. I figure additional diversification is probably wise at this point.


Baking Updates:

We finally produced a very respectable loaf of sourdough yesterday. Our starter is very active and was actually growing and expanding as it was supposed to. I'm not exactly sure what caused this, but I have a couple theories. Our landlord adjusted the boiler so our apartment is much warmer now. I also don't think I was feeding it appropriately. I never really dumped part of the starter out, and usually just added a bit of flour every morning. I think using the starter with the first few loaves of bread and a couple weekends of pizza may have mimicked the feeding process I should have been implementing all along.

Either way, it is nice to have an active starter and high-quality bread as a result of my labor. We also made a couple pizzas last night, which turned out the best yet. This morning I made my first savory sourdough pancake with garlic and rosemary. Very tasty. The only problem is that I'm eating way more carbs than I normally do and it has been too cold to get outside lately. I'll probably have to slow down on all this baking to keep my nutrition in check. Luckily, it is supposed to warm up this week so I can get out on my bike quite a bit. I'm planning on heading out for a ride this afternoon as the weather is finally in the high 30s. I realized in the fall that anything below 35 wasn't a particularly pleasant ride.

Morning Routines:

One of my goals has been to develop a better morning routine. I've finally developed a good habit (on weekdays) of starting the day with 10-12 minutes of meditation. DW and I share a headspace account. I really like the guided meditations, and the one focusing on anxiety was/is particularly helpful.

I used to always try to meditate sitting up with a straight back, often against a wall or something for additional support. A few months ago I adopted DW's practice of meditating lying down under blankets. I was taught that posture was really important to support appropriate breathing, so I resisted a habit of lying down. I realize now that it is much more relaxing and peaceful, which makes me look forward to the practice and has made the habit stick.

Very nice journal and impressive pizzas. I just had dinner and you got me hungry...

It looks like you are right on your path to ERE. Good for you guys!

yo, that's a beauty.

i've seen an italian pizzaiolo that combines commercial yeast with sourdough, so i would not fear.

see... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIuklKEkNQs

lievito madre appears translated as "mother yeast" (lmao) but it's sourdough
also mistranslated dry active yeast as "brewer's yeast" .

i originally found him in this lollercoaster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGsGYcnpV50
great video full of good advice (and hilarious mockery)

Nice update there WRC! Sounds like the money goals are very much within sight.

And nice to hear about the sourdough experiments working out. I've tried twice and came away with very dense unappetizing loaves. I may try again someday.

@FC - thanks for stopping by and for the encouraging words. I've been enjoying your updates and photos from Spain. My ERE/FI mantra has always been poco a poco.

@Alphaville - Thanks for the links. That guy has some good energy!

@Jimmy - It was definitely demoralizing pumping out a few dense loaves. Ironically, now that my starter is actually active I'm thinking of slowing it down because I feel like I'm eating too many carbs/flour.

------

I primarily wanted to explore sourdough due to an increasing interest in fermentation. I've been trying a strategy of focusing on hobbies based on what piques my interest, rather than focusing on things I think I "should" be doing. This resulted in me stopping my daily Spanish practice last fall, mostly because I was just going through the motions and I wasn't progressing.

I'm not sure if this is the best approach, but it seems like I'm going to make more progress in areas that offer inspiration. As with most things, a middle path is probably ideal. Sometimes self-discipline to go through the difficult, early-learning stages is necessary. I started photography lessons on linked-in learning over the weekend. Only made it halfway through the first module, but, a journey of a thousand miles....

------

I watched a webinar on my deferred compensation account yesterday. Not too much new info, but it was helpful better understanding the process of withdrawing funds after separation from my employer. I realized that I'll need to approach withdrawals a couple months ahead of time. I can't do what I want/need online.

I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to move funds from the 457b to a Roth IRA. After doing some more online digging, it looks like I should be able to do a direct transfer from that account to my Roth. If I use a rollover, they are required to withhold 20% for federal taxes, which would complicate things.

I have a general strategy of moving all funds out of that account before 65. At 65, I'll have additional income from SS and my pension. The expense ratios in that account are really solid, equivalent to Vanguard, so I don't necessarily want to move them out too quickly. I also don't necessarily want to move them out to my brokerage too soon because I should be able to take out a lump sum at any time to cover living expenses. I'll probably have at least a few years living expenses in cash when we slow travel, so I'd like to transfer as much as possible (under the standard deduction) into my Roth IRA while I'm using that cash. If DW is working we'll need to track her income closely so I can optimize the amount we transfer.

-------

I've been focusing a lot more on travel and adventure in my downtime. Until a few months ago, I still had a lingering notion of buying a house. I'm now in a mental state of being comfortable with long-term vagabonding, and would be comfortable being nomadic over the next 5-10 years.

Last week I learned more about hiking and biking Scotland. I was vaguely familiar with the right to roam philosophy from Ken Ilgunas, but hadn't thought seriously about doing some long-term hikes or bicycle trips there:

https://www.scotlandsgreattrails.com/

The John Muir Way crosses the country and looks appealing. The Speyside Way goes through half of Scotland's malt whiskey distilleries, so that has a certain allure. Lots of amazing options

https://www.speysideway.org/

Hiking or biking in Scotland and Ireland represents a good option for travel in more expensive regions.

If your interested in walking in Britain the Ordnance Survey Explorer 1:25000 scale are ideal; they are so detailed they will literally show every building in the country.

It's quite astounding just how many footpaths and rights of way there are which allow you to cross private land. It's very easy to plan your own route.

I'm not sure if they are available in Ireland though.

@Chenda - thanks for the tip! One of the reasons I've honed in on Scotland is that it appears the right to roam is much more integrated into the culture and property laws. I like the option of wild camping, and that seems to be limited in England (at least on private property). The outdoor access code also meshes well with wilderness ethics I practice in the PNW.

https://www.apidura.com/journal/freedom ... d-to-know/

It feels like spring is finally here. Longer days and sunshine have really brightened my spirits. I've made sure to get out every day, with some long bike rides and walks. I made it out for a 7.5 mile hike yesterday, and the clouds and views were spectacular! I posted some photos of this area in the snow a few pages back, so it may look familiar.



About halfway through the hike I sparked a conversation with another solo hiker. He had never been to the area and was planning on just going back. I told him that there was a 7 mile loop with another great lookout. He was a little hesitant to proceed without a map, so we finished the last 4 miles together. He had a cute corgi with him and seemed interested as I explained some basics about the local ecology and geology.

Can you spot the Corgi?




Turkey vultures tend to really like this area. Lots of great views to spot their next meal:



I came home and made a delicious shrimp scampi over rice. My first time making it, but we had a little white wine sitting in the fridge so it seemed like a good opportunity to use it up. I served it over "purple rice" with some of my homemade pickled radishes and carrots, and homemade sourdough bread. I used some fresh basil from the windowsill rather than parsley. DW has always been a much better cook, but she's been impressed by some of my dishes lately. The ERE mindset is bearing fruit in the kitchen.



I first discovered purple rice in South Korea. It's very easy to make. Just add a small handful to a regular portion of white rice (the color isn't quite as dramatic if you mix it with brown rice). A simple way to impress company.



ERE Victories:

I was pleased to see a surprise deposit in my bank account this weekend. I was furloughed periodically throughout the summer last year. My unemployment claim had run into some major obstacles, but I was finally able to get it sorted after 8 months. I've been waiting to file my taxes because I need to include unemployment, so I was very happy to see it approved. It was enough to live well for three months in SE Asia. The beautiful thing about it is that I made it out for a camping or backpacking adventure on almost every day I was furloughed. I think that counts as an ERE victory in my book.

I canceled one of my credit cards before the annual fee. I'm not the greatest travel hacker. I usually sign up for a new card every couple of years, when I know I have a major expense coming up so I don't need to stress about the minimum spend. I've been regularly buying groceries for my parents until they are both vaccinated, so it was a good opportunity to sign up for a new card and cancel the old one. I went with the Alaska card, and transferred the equivalent of 82,000 miles from my old Marriott/SPG account. I will get another 50,000 miles once I hit the minimum spend. I was looking at the mileage charts and that should be more than sufficient to get us to Central America and Asia for upcoming travels. I'm counting this all as a bit of an ERE fail because it will incentivize more air travel, but at least we won't be paying large sums of money for it.

I still have two free hotel nights to use by the end of July. I'm hoping they open the Canadian border up before that so we can visit family and spend a couple of nights in Vancouver after that.

----

Reading through Frugalchicos journal inspired me to use ebay and craigslist to unload items rather than just donating them. I've never really bothered with online sales, but I think it was a salaryman mindset influencing my decisions on that front. I occasionally pick up items at a good deal, knowing I could sell them for more, but never bother with it. For example, I bought a copy of Outkast's Stankonia on vinyl a few years ago on Record Store Day. They limited the release to 3,000 copies. I still have it sealed and it is selling for $200+ on ebay right now. I paid $25 for it. I have lots of random stuff like that hanging around that doesn't really bring any value to my daily life.

I also have more than a 150 Michael Jordan basketball cards, along with an autograph 8x10 of his slam dunk contest dunk from the free throw line, and a bunch of other random sports collectibles. It seems there is a bubble in trading cards right now, so it may be time to offload it. That is a bit harder for me, because of all the childhood memories.

I haven't actually sold anything yet, but I've found that just the mindset shift is the most important part of change.
-----

All of my bike riding has inspired DW to get out. She was talking about bringing her bike for a tuneup, but I told her I would do it. She's had an issue with uneven brake pads for awhile. It's a good opportunity for me to learn more about bike maintenance. I'm looking forward to that this afternoon.


Work Stuff:

I feel like my thoughts on an end date for work are wavering quite dramatically lately. Earlier this week I had decided that it really makes sense professionally and personally to work until at least next spring - probably until July. I had a stressful day on Friday and was thinking about getting out ASAP. My big project is wearing on me, and I really don't like project management in general. All of this isn't in my general job description and is on top of my regular duties. I've had a couple conversations with my supervisors about the workload and getting some extra support, but nothing has changed yet. I need to keep my perfectionism in check, but it would also be nice if some other team members would take care of simple tasks in a timely fashion.

DW is helpful when I need to vent, and helps me remember that soon we'll sitting on a beach and all of this will seem trivial in hindsight.

Glad I inspired you to sell your shit. Cut throat with that stuff and make money out of it!

Cabin Time

I was able to take off a few days last week to make it up to my parent's cabin. There was still snow up there, but it is quickly melting and a good opportunity for me to get out of town, enjoy some solitude, and spend time in nature. I had to work 4 hours last Sunday and pull a 12 hour shift on Monday, but it was worth it to have some extended time away from work. Lots of great opportunities to read, play my djembe and guitar, and work the land a bit. I had a multi-hour bonfire as there was a lot of brush that my dad cleaned up after a large windstorm took down multiple trees last month.

I've noticed over the last two years that any lingering anxiety seems to fade away after 24 hours up there. It is probably a combination of time away from work, the fresh air, and the restorative effects of nature.

My trips to the cabin always lead to a lot of self-reflection. There are a couple layers to this. I spent my first eight years living there, so I have numerous memories of trees my brother and I climbed, woods we ran through, and adventures we had. I sleep in the same bedroom that I was born in, so there is a certain dynamic at play there - thinking where I've come from and where I've been, only to come back to where it all started. I'm also regularly thinking about my parents and what their experiences and lives were like.

I've talked to my dad a lot over the last 5-10 years about the build, his philosophy on the lifestyle, certain features of the property, the geologic and economic history of the area, the neighbors, and his own "adventures" up there. He really enjoys talking about all this and appreciates how much interest I express. He has a great sound system and it is a lot of fun digging through his records up there - some of which he hauled over from England and listened to in their early homesteading years. I'm a big Van Morrison fan but had never heard His Band and the Street Choir until last fall. I probably played it 3-4 times while I was up there. I'm also a big Bob Dylan fan, but don't have a copy of Street Legal or Planet Waves (w/ The Band) which he has on vinyl. When I went up last fall I discovered Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin's Love, Devotion, Surrender. It's a pretty amazing tribute to John Coltrane's A Love Supreme with an interesting Indian vibe. I blasted it while looking at stars on the porch. Lots of great classical and jazz records up there too.

I happened to catch most of Dick Proenneke's documentary on PBS before I went up there. Watching that helped me understand the many explanations my dad provided about the construction process. My dad completed the build over one summer - two stories w/ a kitchen, living, dining, bathroom, storage room, and three bedrooms. He added an extra bedroom and an entryway later. Part of the land deal included the ability to harvest the timber he needed on the neighbor's property. He cut down two Tamarack's per day, and peeled the bark off with a chisel immediately after felling them. I think he spent a couple months harvesting logs before starting on the build. He salvaged oak floors and windows from an old house that was being torn down about 30 miles away. He told me that he used a chainsaw to make the notches for the logs. I finally understood how he was able to get the cabin constructed so quickly after watching the PBS documentary. The notches certainly looked rough in some places, but it's not anything you would notice unless you are really looking closely.



I usually don't make it up there this early in the year. Great to see some snow-capped peaks in the distance:





This is a view from one of the decks. The snow covered area was the site of their old garden and orchard. It usually produces a good harvest of Morels in the spring:



This is a view from the neighboring property they purchased a couple years ago. The land was heavily logged over the last four decades (3 harvests). It's really interesting looking at the difference between the two properties, as my parents never logged their land. The tree without needles is a Tamarack. They tend to grow tall and straight, which is one of the main reasons my dad chose them for the cabin. They are also a bit more water and rot resistant.





Baking:

On the baking front, I produced the best loaves of bread yet! I gave my dad the circular loaf, along with a book about the early Beatles tours in the UK that I found at a little free library, for his birthday. ERE victory on multiple fronts!

Wow, that is very cool, WRC! What an amazing place to grow up in. You and your dad also have good taste in music!

It really feels like the documentary project is simmering in the background for you. It's cool that you've got some much time and interest to listen/learn from your dad. So many good memories. Do you have him on any recordings? I can't tell you how many times I've wished I could listen to my favorite grandfather's voice. I can hear him in my mind, but oh boy it would be so lovely to actually HEAR him.
I see Wild Fermentation in the background, props! I just ordered the new edition and I'm super pumped to try out new things.

Beautiful loaves there WRC!

Looking good! Dick Proenneke's journals are likely the most influential books I've read in my life, with ERE being the second. It's cool that you're able to talk to your dad about those things and appreciate the whole endeavor. If you do end up pursuing the documentary, I'd love to watch it.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I appreciate the encouraging words.

mooretrees wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 20, 2021 10:47 pm

Do you have him on any recordings? I can't tell you how many times I've wished I could listen to my favorite grandfather's voice.

I don't have much that I can think of, but I think they have some old reel-to-reel recordings with my sisters when they were in England. It was a trip to hear my Mom with a thick English accent on those things. She apparently picks up accents with ease.

mooretrees wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 20, 2021 10:47 pm

I see Wild Fermentation in the background, props! I just ordered the new edition and I'm super pumped to try out new things.

Good eyes. Funny that you mention that. I always try to look closely at the books people have in the background when they send me pictures. I've been looking closely at all of the personal libraries of different TV personalities during the pandemic.

I haven't taken any substantive steps on the documentary front, but still have plans to move forward with it. I did have a chance to upload and review the footage I recorded while I was up there in the fall, which was interesting. Perhaps I've been too busy looking at touring routes and cycling tips

Financial Update:

457 B - 155,758
Roth IRA - 64,646
Savings - 35,454
Pension - 38,279
DW Roth - 57,252
DW Savings - 2,709
Brokerage (shared) - 22,026

NW - 376,124 (Increase of $20,937)

Q1 Increase - $39,112

We keep plugging away. Another solid month financially in terms of NW increase. I used to feel a little discouraged in my first few years of the FI journey when I would see regular NW increases of five figures in other journals. I underestimated how much the power of compound interest can affect those increases. It's good to keep the snowball rolling downhill.

We received a nice $5,000 boost from a delayed unemployment payout and the federal stimulus. Unfortunately, it looks like I'm not going to be able to claim the $3,100 unemployment on my 2021 taxes, and receive the new exemption for that money, even though the claim was based on furloughs in the 2020 calendar year. Reporting oversights by my work, and a lack of response from the state unemployment department left me in limbo for about 8 months. I'm just happy the payment went through though.

Our spending this month was through the roof. It's a good reminder that my $2,000 per month average spend is based off a regular/lean budget that doesn't typically include larger expenditures. DW had talked about doing a "no buy" year, but she has a couple exceptions to her rule. She allows herself to buy health and beauty products for her routine if she is completely out of products. She also allows for birthday gifts, which is coming up. She ended up spending a couple hundred on random stuff (travel yoga mat, clothes, water bottle, etc...). The funny thing is that I had actually been successful with a no buy year through the first 10 weeks without even trying. I paid for a month of Sling TV so I could watch the college basketball tournament, and paid $20 to enter my friends bracket group. Then I bought a used touring bike, some chain cleaner and lubricant, and used my 20% off REI coupons to pick up a new helmet and a dry sack for future tours. I don't feel bad about any of those purchases, but it kind of came like an avalanche.

We took our car into the dealer to get serviced today as the check engine was on and the estimate was $1,795. That's probably almost half of the value of the car (but I still think it has another 75-100 thousand miles in it). I was busy leading meetings while DW was dealing with that, and told her to call her dad to get his opinion. We just decided to pay it. I think it was a bit of an ERE fail because if I was there I probably could have figured out what was critical, and what minor stuff I could have done myself. Even my purchase of the touring bike and trailer - viewtopic.php?p=239860#p239860 - felt a little like an ERE fail because I was buying this beautiful bicycle, that someone had spent a lot of time adding personal touches, rather than crafting my own. With that said, I know I tend to procrastinate on purchasing "stuff" and that by picking up the whole package for $300 I was much more likely to take off this summer on some overnight adventures. No regrets on the purchase, but a reminder that I'm still in a mental state of using money to fix problems. And sometimes that makes sense.

The nice thing about the car bill is that I wasn't really even fazed from a financial perspective, it just triggered me a bit from a philosophical perspective. After I got the news from DW and finished my meetings, I went out on a nice 12 mile bike ride, rocking some Tom Petty in the headphones, enjoyed the sunshine, and didn't worry about it. I'm privileged to not have to worry about that kind of unexpected bill.

*ETA - The dealership gave DW a "special" discount of $80 off the work because they said she was so nice. She is really nice, so I'll call that a win

Work:

It's been a busy and stressful month at work. I had a "crucial conversation" a couple days ago with my immediate supervisor about our manager bailing on scheduled meetings, showing up late, or leaving early. He's being pulled in a lot of different directions and is doing a lot of really important work right now, but it's hard for me to operate when I can't trust a critical team member to show up to meetings with dozens of stakeholders. DW overheard most of the conversation and thought I handled it really well, but I was stewing and didn't sleep well that night. I had another opportunity to talk and apologize about my approach yesterday, and had the opportunity to schedule a 90 minute strategic planning session today. I've been operating in the "anxiety" quadrant of the flow chart for awhile because I'm a senior employee, but haven't dealt with project management of this magnitude before (high stakes and lots of competing interests). After talking with a colleague in another division, I realize we are seriously understaffing the project and I was able to come up with some creative solutions (I think) to add capacity and resources to the project.

It's all a learning curve, and I realize I'm actually developing a lot of high-level skills that could come in handy in the future. This post from Lemur caused me to reevaluate my perspective on everything:

Lemur wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 17, 2021 4:59 pm

I was promoted to product lead...something I would have shied away from in the past. I didn't even ask for the promotion, it just found me lol. I have status reports to develop and a weekly or bi-weekly 20-30 person meeting to set up. Project tracking tools to update...I also was given additional resources under me. Best of all - no one to report too directly. I am to act independently in a leadership role. The client does not want to hear from me unless their is problems and I need their leverage. This is my first role that isn't just a worker bee. I'm now the owner.

Idk I just had no fear about doing this. I think just having some pressure pushes me like inertia. I can't fail...I've internalized so much that if I was ever let go I'd just leverage the experience gained into something better. Maybe this is what I needed all along...a new challenge and consequences for failure. Am I being underpaid for this sort of role? Don't care. I succeed, great resume booster. Maybe I negotiate more money later after a proven track record in leadership. I fail, leverage experience anyway and dare I say "personal growth." lol I hate the careerist terms but I do admit my consultant role has developed me a bit socially. I used to have social anxiety issues a few years ago - not so much anymore. That could also just come with age too but probably not.

I'm in a good mood today.

I basically have complete autonomy over my schedule, and I'm working on really cool shit that is going to have positive impacts on the environment. My manager gave me complete control over the project because I know my stuff, I'm organized, and I can handle a lot of different personalities. I've had mixed feelings about all the extra work because I'm not that far away from FI, but I think I just need to be a little less selfish and finish strong. Thanks @Lemur for the reframe.

Personal Accomplishments:

I finished a 37.5 mile bike ride last Friday, which is the furthest I've cycled in my life. Feels good, and hopefully just the beginning. I probably wouldn't have done that if I wasn't active on these forums. After the ride, I felt so good I spent an hour on our patio drinking a couple microbrews while working on our other two bikes. I also grabbed some new herbs from the store and repotted those. The chives don't look that happy yet, but the lemon thyme, basil, Italian oregano, and spearmint are doing great. The light in my apartment sucks, but I think I can keep multiple herbs going. It makes such a difference in terms of taste for our cooking projects.

DW should be on her way home right now with a disc of photos of my parents in the late 70's early 80's documenting their cabin build and associated family adventures. This is critical to a future documentary. Poco a poco.

Dirtbags, ERE, and WL:

I listened to a new podcast with Alex Honnold yesterday that got me thinking about the WL discussion a bit more. It was really nice to hear something that wasn't completely focused on Free Solo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQEXNUy-IIA

Around the 45 minute mark he starts talking about his foundation, climate change, and personal responsibility to do something about it. He's a vegetarian leaning vegan. They spend about 30-45 minutes talking about those issues, and he supported my belief (unorthodox around here) that larger policy change is more appropriate to address those issues. I think folks underestimate how significantly we can move the needle through policy, rather than bottom-up change.

Honnold seems like a HOWLI in my opinion, but one who basically skipped the whole WL progression and jumped to level 7 or 8. His foundation also hits on the notion of legacy, of doing something bigger than your individual goals for humanity, which I think is really important and a trend among higher WL folks. If you watch Free Solo closely, it's interesting because his story demonstrates how establishing relationships requires compromise, and maybe a "regression" on the WL table. I love the scene where they are shopping for a new fridge, for their new suburban home, and he lands on the smallest possible fridge that is totally out of scale with the cut out in the kitchen, but he's thrilled with because of its energy rating and the fact that he's been living in a van for the last decade.

I'm still planning on doing a more detailed review of Yvon Chouinard's memoir and the relationship between dirtbags and ERE, but I've been both lazy and occupied.

Reading:

I've given up on doing detailed reviews of books here, but I still keep them in my personal notes. Stuff I've been reading over the past few months include:

Talking to Strangers - Malcolm Gladwell
Eat A Peach - David Chang
Educated - Tara Westover
The Boys in the Boat - Daniel James Brown

I'm currently in the middle of The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein and Lazy B (Growing up on a cattle ranch in the American southwest) by Sandra Day O'Connor.

The compounding feels extremely rewarding after the savings build and the power of the snowball takes affect, congrats on seeing your hard work pay off. Good luck on the new position at work and sounds like it is for a great project . I have the Alex Honnold episode cued up on my podcasts for the next big bike ride as I try to consume most everything from Rich Roll. The work Alex is doing is much needed, he is doing it all because he believes in it, he remains outspoken and tru to his convictions. I follow him on instagram and he is inspiring and also not afraid to loose fans because of his passion for the environment. Looking forward to listening.