T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 79

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #79!

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

Financial Independence/Retirement Articles

It’s Happening! I’m Retiring At Age 29 With $650,000 (Financial Mechanic) – “Personally, I watched my net worth drop $150,000 from the beginning of the year with no sign of stopping, the market eating up my paychecks and spitting out red. Despite all of this, I quit my job and retired early at the age of 29.“

How To Get In Shape For Retirement (Retirement Manifesto) – “A secret on how to live your best life in retirement?  It’s easier than you think.“

Video

I haven’t posted nature porn in a while so the time has come.  Drones have done so much to expose the majestic mountains on this beautiful planet and I could sit and watch endless hours of footage like this.  Behold the sheer walls and jaw-dropping splendor of Cerro Torre in Patagonia.  Don’t watch this on your little phone, put this one on the big screen, you won’t be disappointed.

Aerial Cerro Torre 4K from Jeff Wright on Vimeo.

Who’s Inspired Me

Hilaree Nelson.

Nelson, one of the best mountain skiers on the planet died last week on Nepal’s Manaslu, the eighth highest peak in the world.  Nelson’s exploits in the mountains are legendary, including being the first person – not woman but person – to ski the Lhotse Face in Nepal.  To me her legend was cemented long before that when she participated in the crazy expedition to climb Hkakabo Razi in Myanmar.  The Nat Geo story on that trip was one of the best I’ve ever read.  And Nat Geo just did this piece on her to pay tribute. 

The inevitable internet trolls came out to criticize her after her passing for doing such dangerous things in the mountains.  Ski mountaineering was Nelson’s career, it’s how she made a living.  Yes it’s dangerous, but so are other jobs like being a police officer, firefighter, or workhand on an Alaska fishing boat.  Nelson inspires me because she pursued a life of adventure.  R.I.P. Hilaree.

What I’m Grateful For

My closest climbing buddy.  He’s a much better climber than me and most importantly he climbs safe.  He and his wife have been hosting me in their beautiful mountain hideout and the stoke is high!

Lyrically Speaking

They shake your hand and they smile
And they buy you a drink
They say we’ll be your friends
We’ll stick with you till the end
Ah but everybody’s only
Looking out for themselves
And you say well who can you trust
I’ll tell you it’s just
Nobody else
Money
Money changes everything

From “Money Changes Everything” by The Brains 

Oh how I love this song, but I have a confession. Like millions out there I didn’t know of the original until Cyndi Lauper covered it on her massive debut album She’s So Unusual in 1983 and made it famous.  Lauper exploded in 1983-84 with her massive hits “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and “Time After Time”, she was hard to get away from for a while.  When I heard her version of “Money Changes Everything” I had a hunch it wasn’t her song, it somehow didn’t fit in with the rest of her record.  And I was right. 

Later on I found out about the Brains and I really love their low-fi original, from 1980.  The Brains were an obscure band from Atlanta who released three records and vanished, but I’m sure Lauper made them some nice cash. 

As for the lyrics, well enough said.  Money does indeed change everything, often for the worse.  But when used wisely it’s a powerful force for good.  If you’re reading this blog you probably already know that 🙂

Miscellaneous

Is alternate-day fasting superior to calorie restriction for fat loss in lean adults? – “A recent study suggests ADF is no magic bullet”

Why we crave – “The neuroscientific picture of addiction overlooks the psychological and social factors that make cravings so hard to resist”

Lots of strange things about Saturn can be explained by a destroyed moon – “Simulations appear to tie up lots of loose ends.“