T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 36

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #36!

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

Finance Articles

When rules bring freedom (Get Rich Slowly) – “In a very real way, rules bring freedom — with poetry and with spending.”

Detoxing, Part 1 of Infinity (Living a FI) – “You might be wondering what it’s like to suddenly unplug from the corporate matrix….”  (Dave’s note: Living a FI was one of the best FI blogs out there and had a huge following including me, but the guy just stopped blogging not long after he quit his job and got out. I encourage you to read his posts from the start, they’re that good)

Video

Otters are cute little buggers.  And probably tasty too, if you’re an orca that is.  Watch this amazing video of an otter escaping the fate of becoming an hors d’oeuvre by jumping on a boat.  Nature is a cruel bitch, and animals are constantly eating and killing each other in brutal ways.  If you want to follow a great Instagram account that reminds us of this, check out Nature Is Metal.  I have no affiliation with them.  I’m warning you, much of the content is a bit gory, but it’s reality.

Who’s Inspired Me

Tom Brady. 

Yeah I said it.  I’m not a huge fan per se, for regular schmoe’s like me it’s easy to hate him with the supermodel wife and poster-boy looks and all.  But he’s 43 and just won his 7th Super Bowl with his 2nd team.  Playing at that age in a sport as brutal as football – when most guys are thinking of hanging it up in their mid-30’s – is almost unbelievable.

And what’s a huge factor in this?  His diet. 

Folks, you are what you eat.  America is now at 42.4% obesity.  How high will it get before people wake up and realize this?  If you want to be more like Tom & Gisele, then you’ve gotta start eating more like Tom & Gisele.  Cut out the processed foods and sugar, and eat whole/real foods.  I’m a good deal older than Tom and although not a fraction of the athlete he is, as a former obese guy I can attest that putting healthy food in your body everyday changes everything.

What I’m Grateful For

That it still gets cold enough for me to climb ice in Virginia (barely).  I finally got out for some ice climbing and there’s more on tap.  And it’s something that I’m better at than Tom Brady.  Life is good 🙂

Lyrically Speaking

you take a position
in the old man’s firm
he signs all the papers
you agree to the terms
they let you run errands
and you don’t get days off
you take off the garbage and hope it pays off
’cause you’re painting by numbers
connecting the dots

From “Painting By Numbers“, James McMurtry

As one of the YouTube comments from the link above says, James McMurtry is one of the best songwriters you’ve never heard of.  “Painting by Numbers” is about how regular folks just go through life according to a script.  It’s from his 1989 debut album Too Long In The Wasteland which I bought back in the day and was immediately hooked on.  The songwriting is that good.  As the video shows images of everyday blue collar folks the song has other stellar lines like “You work from the neck down, you don’t call the shots”.  

If you can learn to like his voice which like Dylan or Petty is unique and perhaps not the strongest, I encourage you to check him out for the songs alone.  And be sure to self examine to see if you’re painting by numbers in your life or career.

Miscellaneous

The childhood obesity crisis started before Covid-19. The pandemic has made it much worse.

Deep Frozen Arctic Microbes Are Waking Up – “Thawing permafrost is releasing microorganisms, with consequences that are still largely unknown”

Fruits and Vegetables Are Trying to Kill You – “Antioxidant vitamins don’t stress us like plants do—and don’t have their beneficial effect.”