T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 73

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #73!

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

Financial Independence/Retirement Articles

Think Outside the Portfolio (Of Dollars And Data) – “No matter what the markets throw at you, there are always ways in which you can improve your situation.“

The Real Cost of Underliving Retirement and Life (Retires Great) – “Just as outliving your savings is the number one fear of most retirees, not living a full life after retiring is an equally serious risk.“

Video

Witness the terrifying power of nature.  Mountains are beautiful and dangerous, and that’s why I love them.

Who’s Inspired Me

NASA and the folks who created and deployed the James Webb Space Telescope. 

The first images from the newly deployed telescope came in this week and holy schmoly, just amazing.  As compared to the Hubble telescope, the James Webb Telescope has a 6.6 meter mirror compared to Hubble’s 2.4-meter mirror.  It also has six times more collecting power and collects in the infrared spectrum, versus Hubble which collects largely in the visible and ultra-violet part of the spectrum.  The biggest difference to me is that Hubble orbits the Earth while the James Webb Telescope orbits the sun.  The downside of that is that it can’t be fixed as we famously did with Hubble years ago, but the upside is it’s in much colder and clearer space to get the best data. 

Anyhoo, if you want to feel small today have a look-see at the first images from the James Webb Telescope.

What I’m Grateful For

That a majestic Blue Heron has decided to establish a homestead (and nest I assume) in the stream right behind my house. 

Lyrically Speaking

Same old road
Sad, but familiar
Miles and miles of colorful billboards
Selling things that I don’t need.
Same old road,
Sad, but familiar
The sign says
Welcome to Nowhere,
No where I wanna be.  

From “Sad But Familiar” by Lou Ford 

What can I say about Lou Ford….  First off, Lou Ford is a band not a person.  The band was fronted by the Edwards brothers and they emerged out of Charlotte North Carolina in the late 1990’s riding the wave of Americana and “alt-country” along bands like Whiskeytown, Wilco, Son Volt, and the Jayhawks.  Though they never achieved the fame or following of those bands, they released three albums that to me at least are some of the best of that genre.  With lyrics that often drip of sarcasm and social commentary, Lou Ford combined melancholic and rootsy sounds with rural imagery that landed with me when I found them and still hits home today.  Any band who’s debut record is published by Sorry Ass Records is good in my book.

As for the lyrics above, I’m taking more road trips this summer and I will 100% be seeing lots of colorful billboards selling things I don’t need. 

Miscellaneous

Mice Fed Fatty Diets For 30 Weeks Show Signs of Depression, Anxiety, And Alzheimer’s – “The cheap, readily available, highly processed food we’re consuming too much of is bad for us.”

Keeping our options open – “Frantic human activity has reduced both cultural and biological diversity. Now we must protect the dwindling alternatives”

Richard Branson won the space tourism battle, but his company lost the war – “Blue Origin already won the suborbital space tourism race on July 20, 2021.”