T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 97

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #97!

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

Financial Independence/Work Life/Retirement Articles

Money Where Art Thou? (Happily Disengaged) – “To keep holding onto a job that one no longer needs simply for the sake of not losing what was built, is a trap.“

The Changing Landscape Of High-Yield Savings Accounts (Financial Panther) – “Whatever you do though, if you have money in a savings account that’s still paying nothing, you absolutely need to move it.“

Video

In 2020 the height of covid had musicians starting to perfect how to play live ‘together’ while being in different places, sometimes across the globe from each other.  Modern tech is amazing. I recently dug up one of my favorite performances from that time.  Check out this friggin amazing rendition of Heart’s “Barracuda” featuring none other than Nancy Wilson herself, with the amazing Nuno Bettencort, and the sadly now deceased Taylor Hawkins on drums.  Who could possibly sit in for Ann Wilson on vocals?  Liv Warfield.  Holy shit, those pipes!

Who’s Inspired Me

All of the crazy cyclists attempting the Tour Divide. 

Right now there are hundreds of brave endurance cyclists attempting the Tour Divide, the hardest long distance mountain bike race in the world.  It goes from Banff Canada to the U.S./Mexico border staying close to the continental divide the whole time.  Riders must be entirely self-sufficient and carry food, water, shelter, and everything.  If you’re into this sort of thing and inspired by folks who do a bike race that takes 2-3 weeks for even the fittest riders, then you can follow the action on trackleaders.

What I’m Grateful For

Hawaiian pizza.

Lyrically Speaking

Especially at night
I worry over situations
I know will be alright
Perhaps it’s just imagination

From “Overkill” by Colin Hay/Men At Work

Colin Hay was the lead singer of Men At Work, an Australian band that were a really big deal in the 1980’s.  Men At Work had four top 10 hits and sold over 30 million albums.  The song “Overkill” (<- that’s the original 1983 version) was one of those top ten hits and like most of their 80’s output the song is great but the production and instrumentation is classic 1980’s, although not nearly as bad as many other 80’s songs.  While I like to hear those original versions for nostalgia’s sake, I also like it when artists redo old songs to bring the production into the modern world.  Or – if they’re great songs that can stand on their own – when they strip them down to the basics.  Colin Hay did exactly that in 2003 when he recorded eight Men At Work songs as acoustic versions for his album Man @ Work.  I love this album.  Hay’s unique voice shines over the simple arrangements and he proves himself a talented guitarist which of course was not highlighted on the original albums. 

As for the lyrics above from “Overkill”, I feel seen.  Even though I’m way past my FI number and getting closer to death every day, I still often catastrophize about things.  Perhaps it is just my imagination.

Miscellaneous

The Link Between Highly Processed Foods and Brain Health (possible paywall) – “Eating packaged foods like cereal and frozen meals has been associated with anxiety, depression and cognitive decline. Scientists are still piecing together why.”  *Dave’s comment – if you can’t see the NYT article because of a paywall here’s the new study that it’s referring to. Of course this link between ultra-processed carbs and lower cognition, depression, and anxiety has been demonstrated in many studies (here and here are two). Oh wait this was discovered 11 years ago but no one is listening.  Please folks, if you want to get healthier, lose weight, and have better mental health eat real food, not processed junk.  And exercise every day. I’m proof that it works.  Off my soapbox…

The US surgeon general thinks social media poses a “profound risk” to teenagers’ mental health – “In a new advisory, Dr. Vivek Murthy calls out tech companies for failing to protect adolescents.”

The Origins of Mountains Could Lie Much Deeper in Earth Than We Thought