Jump to content

The Original Greaser Bob

Certifiably Surly
  • Posts

    1720
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by The Original Greaser Bob

  1. My mom recently passed away and so I am working on getting the finances in order.  Both parents were both Texas teachers but there was also military and civilian work there so they get a combined five different retirements/ss payments.  (And yes, the SS payments are small - you could eliminate them and the savings/wealth overall wouldn't be much different.)

    Even so, they did a great job of socking away additional money in IRAs/Thrift Savings Plan and even have a couple of small annuities.  No extra real estate, I don't think they ever used a financial planner. 

    But the biggest thing is, they simply never wasted  money.  The took trips (Europe, etc. but never five star hotel) but they were happy with with  black coffee with milk, cooked at home, etc. 

    Ultimately, they followed the Micawber principal from David Copperfield: 

    Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen, nineteen and six, result happiness.  Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.

    But with a twist.  The basically bought what they needed for themselves.  (They gave generously -- maybe too much -- to us kids.)

    I need to knock on wood, because even though they saved well, my dad may have some significant expenses going forward, but they did a great job of saving for being teachers (dad was an enlisted AF man for 20 years).  

    Ultimately, it's a bit sad -- I wish they had maybe splurged on themselves more, but I don't think spending money made them happy.

    Worrying about parents is a big burden that we never think about, but the fact that my parents made it such that we kids don't have to worry about the finances -- that's a big deal I hope that I can pass on to my kids.  It's a challenge, made more so because I often buy what I want, and not what I need.  

    "Happiness is what you have divided by what you want." - Arthur Brooks.

     

    • Hook 'Em 2
  2. 51 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

    3. However, at a more realistic pace of 2 messages per hour, this endeavor becomes even more daunting. To complete 7,500,000 messages at such a rate, Giuliani would require 3,750,000 hours of continuous work.

    kcb7vxgh4r92rmbmnrne.gif

    • Haha 2
  3. Velvet Underground (documentary - Todd Haynes) 2021

    l-intro-1670447313.jpg

    Beautiful and skillfully done but all of these dudes certainly insisted upon themselves.   It's really fascinating how I can respect the music until Rock 'n Roll comes out of the screen and then I realized how much I like "pop" Lou Reed.

     

  4. On 3/5/2023 at 11:51 AM, wackawacka said:

    Lucia is still great and the neighborhood vibe still rocks.

    Last time we were there we ate at the bar.  To me, it looked the like bar was the best place to be.

    • Hook 'Em 1
  5. I love pecan pie.  I almost never eat it though, which is part of why I like it so much.  (No good pie makers in the family.) 

    Where can I pick up the best pecan pie in Dallas for Christmas?

     

  6. 59 minutes ago, HornOnTheBayou said:

    Are these for sale? I would be more than happy to plant them around my neighborhood during my runs. 

    No shit.  If anyone has a link.  Although may be easier just to create some for myself.

     

  7. Whalefall (2023) (Audio)

    Dude gets swallowed by a whale.  Fantastic idea.  I wasn't crazy about the narrator in the audio book, and I also didn't like the faux dialogue with the guy and his dad, which just didn't feel true, although the whole book is based on a pretty wild premise. 

    Still, I think it could have been fantastic if there was a second narrator who talked about the science of whales and diving and they nixed the dialogue and just had the guy thinking about the dad as he was going about surviving.  There were also some secondary characters that could have been interesting if fleshed out.  Less dad, more dad friends.

     

    whalefall-9781665918169_lg.jpg

    • Like 1
  8. 1 minute ago, Leanderman said:

    If they expand the playoffs to 100 plus teams the gomers have a chance for the play offs :)

    The season should be one long six loss elimination tournament.  Or however the math works.

×
×
  • Create New...