T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 33
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #33!
Here are some things I really like and that you might too.
Finance Articles
Reflecting on Financial Mistakes (One Frugal Girl) – “None of these financial mistakes will break us. Thankfully, they won’t result in us forgoing anything we need. I need to reflect on them, learn my lessons, and move on.”
Can we live off dividends? A case study of geo-arbitrage (Tawcan) – “Our financial independence plan is to one day live off dividends.”
Video
For over 50 years Baltazar Ushca has harvested the glacial ice of Ecuador’s Mount Chimborazo. This is a bit of a lengthier video than I usually post but it’s well worth the time investment. The New York Times did a feature piece on this in 2015.
Who’s Inspired Me
Charley Pride.
When Charley Pride broke into country music with his first single in 1966, it’s an understatement to say he was different. Many including Chet Atkins took a risk with him, not because he wasn’t talented, but because he was black. Pride no doubt endured frequent and harsh racism and discrimination during his early years in country music, but he took it all graciously. His voice and talent were undeniable and he quickly became a mega-star, showing again how music unites and is a common language of humanity.
Charley Pride died on December 12th, but he led a life of inspiration.
What I’m Grateful For
A 2020 that wasn’t really too bad for me personally. I’m blessed.
Lyrically Speaking
I got no deeds to do, no promises to keep
I’m dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep
Let the morning time drop all its petals on me
Life, I love you, all is groovy
From “The 59th Street Bridge Song“, by Simon & Garfunkel
So here we are in 2021. Feeling better yet?
I thought this would be the perfect little ditty to start off a new year, a better year. And the four lines above ring especially true for me. No real deeds, no promises. Also no alarm clock needed, no commute, no more miserable management job, and on and on.
All is groovy indeed.
Miscellaneous
Excessive body fat around the middle linked to smaller brain – “If you’re too heavy, especially around your middle, you probably have shrunken gray matter volume in your brain”
Just How Dark Were the Dark Ages? – “After the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe wasn’t quite the horrible and backwards place earlier historians would have you believe.”
“Stress Hormone” Cortisol Linked to Early Toll on Thinking Ability – “Brain changes, visible on scans, are also associated with Alzheimer’s precursors”
How the Beatles Wrote ‘A Day in the Life’ – “Dave’s comment – 50 years after it’s release major publications were still writing articles about how a band wrote one song. That’s how good and important the Beatles are. And I learned how to play this on guitar last week :)”
Yes, the iceman video is really cool, and worth 15 minutes to see how others live.
I actually wouldn’t mind that job, better than sitting in an office all day clicking a mouse 🙂
Damn it! This post somehow sucked me into a nostalgic youtube journey. I started out with Simon and Garfunkel and The Beatles, moseyed along to the Led Zepplin Kennedy Centre honours (Stairway To Heaven rocked!), and ended with the Freddie Mercury tribute concert (George Michael and David Bowie…wow.). So many talented people from my generation whose music will live on long after they’re gone. Dave, thanks for all your great, thought provoking and inspiring posts in 2020. Your fans are looking forward to 2021.😊
Oh man, when it comes to nostalgic music stuff I do that all the time on YouTube. Those Kennedy Center Honors shows are awesome, I watched the one for Billy Joel recently. You have great taste in music Mary – thanks for the kudos and Happy New Year!
Re the music from the latter-1960s and into the 1970s: It’s the pop music that has always resonated the most deeply with me, even though it’s from an era that slightly precedes the time when I would have been listening to it on the radio or buying the records. Even today, decades after it was composed and recorded, I love the intensity and honesty of the music from that time. To me, there was a feeling of positive cultural revolution and experimenting — a freeing of minds and spirits –, a deep optimism that the world could be made better and a dash of naiveté that make the music so compelling.
I believe that each period has its good and less-good music, but if I had to name a moment in time that seemed to offer so much compelling pop music it’s definitely between 1966 and into the mid-1970s.
Man I’m so with you on this. The era you mentioned – mid 60’s to mid 70’s is probably my favorite too. Lately I’ve been diving in deeper to the early 70’s singer-songwriters when that movement exploded with James Taylor and Carole King leading the way. So much good stuff came out then, much of it lost to history. Happy New Year and thanks for the great comment!
all is groovy indeed. speaking of s+g we just watched a big chunk of “the graduate” a few nights ago. great soundtrack and great movie we hadn’t seen in decades. financial mistakes? i’ve made plenty but we keep charging forward.
I need to watch that one again, and I love the S&G soundtrack because there’s unique versions of some of their classics recorded specifically for that movie. Great stuff.