T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 32

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #32!

Here are some things I really like and that you might too. 

Finance Articles

Marriage, Mental Health, and Money: Protect Your Most Valuable Assets (Can I Retire Yet?) – “We pride ourselves on a DIY ethic and frugality. Sometimes you need help. I’ve written about times when it may be beneficial to seek help with your finances. This applies when you’re stuck or struggling with mental health or relationships as well.”

A Real-Life Journey to Financial Freedom (Retirement Manifesto) – “Cutting yourself a break becomes salient. You realize as you look back over the journey that mistakes happen.”

Video

If you’ve never been highlining don’t worry, I haven’t either.  But if you don’t know what it is and want to see something scary, crazy, and beautiful in nature, check this out.  

Who’s Inspired Me

The thousands of scientists who have been working their butts off to create the COVID-19 vaccines that are now being given.  As recently as a few months ago most “experts” said it was impossible by years end, yet they did it.  And thanks to the government for getting the endless bureaucratic hurdles out of their way through Operation Warp Speed, making the fast timeline possible.  

And as always, any overtly political comments will be deleted.

What I’m Grateful For

My local jurisdiction who’s leadership has been approving lots of new bike lanes and pedestrian-friendly changes to streets in the past few years.  Anything that gets deadly drivers to slow down and makes it safer to get around by walking or cycling is good for humanity.

Lyrically Speaking

If you must write prose and poems
The words you use should be your own
Don’t plagiarize or take “on loan”
‘Cause there’s always someone, somewhere
With a big nose, who knows
And who trips you up and laughs
When you fall

From “Cemetry Gates“, by The Smiths 

When the Smiths rose to fame in the mid 1980’s many didn’t know what to make of them.  With dark brooding songs sometimes clad in happy music, they were out of place in the synthesizer-drunk mid-80’s.  These lines show Morrissey in all his bookish and pompous glory, chastising a woman for misquoting Shakespeare.  The song is about condemning plagiarism.  In typical too-smart-for-school Morrissey style the song also name-drops Keats, Yeats, and Wilde.  

Last month I found a blog that had been copying every one of my posts since early June, word for word, and claiming them as it’s own.  It also had posts from a few other FI bloggers more well known than me.  Me and the others filed DMCA take downs with the IP service provider of the offending blog and it was taken offline.  I laughed when they fell, and then I played this song on loop for a while.

Back to the song…  for you guitarists out there it’s a super fun song to learn.  The rapid Buddy Holly-speed chord changes will keep you on your feet.  Johnny Marr drives this song with the jangly brilliance most critics only came to appreciate 20 years later.

Miscellaneous

Resistance training: here’s why it’s so effective for weight loss – “Resistance training helps with excess fat loss by increasing both after-burn after exercise, and by increasing muscle size, thereby increasing the number of calories we burn at rest.”

How Your Diet Affects Your Mental Health – “What you eat changes how you feel. These foods are the best for your brain”

With protests muzzled, Hong Kong takes aim at the press – “Hong Kong silenced protests. Now it’s moving to muzzle the media”

Bob Dylan Sells Entire Songwriting Catalog (possible paywall) – My comment on this – When you create you build assets, and in many cases those assets can keep earning you money. I’m no Bob Dylan, but I have simple graphic designs that I created over 10 years ago that are still making me money. If you are as talented as Dylan, you might be sitting on $300 million…

*FINAL NOTE – I will not be posting new content next week but will be back on the 29th. THANK YOU for reading – I value it more than you probably think – and I wish you a safe and joyous holiday!