T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 117
Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #117!
Here are some things I really like and that you might too.
Financial Independence/Work Life/Retirement Articles
Retirement Drift (Life In FIRE) – “Lately, however, I’ve started to wonder: “As I’ve stayed in my groove so long, is it wearing deeper and deeper turning into a rut?”“
The Fed Just Paused Interest Hikes Again. Here’s Why That’s a Good News/Bad News Situation (The Motley Fool) – “The Federal Reserve is pausing interest rate hikes for the fifth consecutive meeting.“
Video
It’s been a while since I shared nature porn so here we are… enjoy this short video of one of my favorite places in America – Acadia National Park!
What I’m Grateful For
A running friend who, though they moved away from the D.C. region more than 4 years ago, always hits me up when he visits so we can go running together. The D.C. region is the most transient in the U.S., and most friends who move away don’t necessarily stay friends. This one has.
Lyrically Speaking
Well it’s got nothing to do with anything that is real
You just believe in it and it’s true
You can sooth like an angel or sigh like a saint
You can dream it and see it through
You will live to see a sea of lights
Sparking on the face of a pearl
Climb your own peak
Find a new streak
Get yourself along to the world party (party!)
From “World Party” by The Waterboys
Way back in T.G.I.F. Friday Volume 23 I highlighted Karl Wallinger and his band World Party in this section. Wallinger fans know he got his start in the legendary Irish band The Waterboys, joining them on their second album titled A Pagan Place. The Waterboys wanted Wallinger because he could play guitar, drums, and keyboards among other instruments and was adept at all of them. He left the Waterboys in 1985 with his own ambitions and started World Party, the rest as they say is history. Though never a superstar, Wallinger and World Party are a favorite among music nerds and did have numerous charting songs.
Karl Wallinger sadly died on March 10 at the way-too-young age of 66. R.I.P. Mr. Wallinger and thanks for the music. As for the lyrics above from the Waterboys song that inspired the name of his later band, all I can say is I’ve climbed tons and tons of peaks, and I’m still finding my new streak.
Miscellaneous
Alzheimer’s: Exercise-induced hormone may help reduce plaque and tangles in the brain – “Researchers say they have found evidence that exercise helps produces a hormone called irisin that could prevent Alzheimer’s disease.”
Why The U.S. Leads The World In Reducing Carbon Emissions – “The data unequivocally supports the fact that the United States has achieved the most substantial reduction in carbon dioxide equivalent emissions over the past 15 years.”
Urban humans have lost much of their ability to digest plants – “In general, the more fiber in the diet of a culture, the more diverse their cellulose-digesting bacteria were. So, their diversity in humans has been going down as more of our population has shifted into urban living.“
it’s easy to get into a rut. even a good habit rut. i’ll plead guilty to a little too much auto pilot. i need to get off the reservation more.
So true, I guess a good habit rut is much better than a bad habit rut, but still a rut. I’m kinda there now, and I need a big trip or something to shake things up. Either way, there’s much worse problems to have.
Good for that friend for making the effort. It’s sad to hear you saying that friends who move away don’t stay friends. Life is so busy in the moment, but we have to make the effort to make it worthwhile. Study after study has shown that relationships are what make life joyful and satisfying.
I do my best to maintain those friendships, but as we all know bonds are strongest when you routinely see someone in person. Of course I have some longtime friends from childhood that will always be friends even if we go years without contact, but for shorter-term friends it’s really hard to keep that bond.
I’ve been lucky enough to stay friends with 3 people I met in training class for our first post-college job. We are managed at least an annual get-together over the past 44 years, even when one of the group was working in Abu Dhabi for 7 years. A great group to meet up on NYC and travel with. And you are right about the shorter-term friends – both sides need to want to commit to getting together regularly or it falls apart. Thanks for the article link to remind me not to let a rut start!
That’s awesome Josie and those sound like lifetime friendships!
Groove-to-rut is a perpetual concern.
We’re definitely in a rut this quarter, a very happy rut with lots of fresh food and walking and people doing things for us.
I’ve managed to progress from cautiously lifting 10lbs, to RDL 70lbs in a couple of months. Now I am working on translating the progress to bodyweight workouts so I can take a similar routine back on the road…
Bodyweight stuff is the way to go, your gear is always with you 🙂
Dave, I love reading your thoughts and your curated content. I’m not sure how I ended up on your radar with my random thoughts but thank you for sharing my “too much Kevin” to the greater world.
Your thoughts always make me think more and (attempt 😎) to better myself.
I also LOVE your activity tracker. I do the exact same thing for each year. Numbers/Spreadsheet Geeks unite!
I think I found you from Apex Money if I remember correctly and love your writing styke. Yes – us data dorks rock! What gets measured gets managed… thanks for stopping by!