T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 70

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #70!

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

Financial Independence/Retirement Articles

FIRE update: one year anniversary (Monevator) – “I have been FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) for over a year now and it’s fair to say the novelty has worn off.“

Easy Money is Money Easily Lost (A Wealth Of Common Sense) – “Hard money in the long run is more sustainable than easy money in the short run.“

Video

When James Brown played Zaire Africa in 1974, it was a big deal.  Third world countries in Africa didn’t attract popular musicians and most had nowhere for them to play.  If you want to see what I consider probably the greatest intro to any concert in history, just observe this, starting at 37 seconds in.  He flips the mic, twirls while the mic is falling, re-adjusts it carefully, then proceeds to do James Brown-ish type foot stuff with two full splits to boot.  And he somehow has the oxygen to start singing after all that jazz, right on time.  It will make your liver quiver!

Who’s Inspired Me

James Tuck. 

Tuck is a former Army Ranger who has lung and colon cancer.  He’s in hospice care, and his time is very limited.  So what did he do?  He asked to go skydiving one last time on Memorial Day, and he got his wish.  I saw this story in my news feed and it was too good to not share.  Tuck served his country with honor and he’s going out on his terms, doing something he loves to do. 

Bravo sir.

What I’m Grateful For

A reader who sent me a lovely email thanking me for introducing her and her husband to new music in these posts.  Best email I’ve gotten in a long time.

Lyrically Speaking

Everyone’s creeping up to the money god,
Putting tongues where they didn’t ought to be
On stepping stones of human hearts and souls,
Into the land of “nothing for free”
Well the way that we’re living,
Is all take and no giving,
There’s nothing to believe in,
The loudest mouth will hail the new found way,
To be king for a day  

From “King For A Day” by XTC. 

Despite being popular in Europe since the late 1970’s and having legit underground success in America, I didn’t discover XTC until the mid 1980’s when their song “Dear God” got a bit of mainstream commercial radio play.  That song was from their Skylarking album released in 1986 which marked a pretty big change from their punk roots.  Their next release however was their magnum opus and saw the band shooting for the stars. 

Oranges & Lemons, released in 1989, is a magical collection of music that defies classification and that cemented the band as a creative powerhouse.  With elaborate orchestration, complex song structures, and sophisticated melodies, Oranges & Lemons alienated XTC’s punk fans but was an undeniable tour de force of music genius in a landscape dominated by hair metal with nothing more than a “show me your tits” ethos. 

Like the Beatles more than 20 years earlier, XTC decided to forego touring and become a studio band in the mid 80’s due to lead singer Andy Partridge’s stagefright.  That allowed them to vastly expand their musical palettes and bring in orchestras and odd instruments without the stress of having to perform the songs live.  Both Skylarking and Oranges & Lemons are overtly Beatlesque.  Even the cover of Oranges & Lemons bears more than a passing resemblance to Yellow Submarine and Magical Mystery Tour. 

And the lines above from “King For A Day” above are a great reminder that all take and no give is no way to live.

Miscellaneous

Deaths and injuries in road crashes are a ‘silent epidemic on wheels’ – “The COVID-19 pandemic has generated mind-numbing statistics over the past two years… but another, less-publicized global scourge preceded it and is likely to outlast it: traffic deaths and injuries.“

Should we be eating three meals a day? – “Our data suggests that having an early dinner and increasing the time of your fasting window increases some positive effects on body, like better glycaemic control.”

Old skins cells reprogrammed to regain youthful function – “Scientists have developed a new technique for rejuvenating skin cells.“