T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 118
Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #118!
Here are some things I really like and that you might too.
Financial Independence/Work Life/Retirement Articles
Lessons from Five Years of FIRE (Stop Ironing Shirts) – “April 2024 marks five years since I quit my corporate job for a life of financial independence. With that anniversary approaching, here are five lessons from nearly five years of financial independence and early retirement.“
Where All the Time Went (Raptitude) – “Time always feels like it’s speeding up, but you might feel like time has been going exceptionally quickly these past few years.“
Video
Watch Sailor the frisbee dog catch a record 109 yard throw on a football field for an end zone to end zone touchdown. I love the way she looks both ways when she starts to run back as if to say “Did you see how awesome that was?”.
What I’m Grateful For
That one of the D.C. area cycling race teams invited me on a few team training rides recently. The team is full of 20 and 30-something year old studs who race at a very high level and I was the oldest guy by far. But I think I surprised them 🙂
Lyrically Speaking
Would you love me for my money?
Would you love me for my head?
Would you love me through the winter?
Would you love me ’til I’m dead?
From “Northern Sky” by Nick Drake
The legend of Nick Drake only grows larger with time. Unknown in his own time but with undeniable talent, Drake’s career went nowhere and ended with a fatal drug overdose at the age of 26 in 1974. Then capitalism came to the rescue. Drake’s haunting song “Pink Moon” was used in a Volkswagen commercial in 1999 and his album sales took off, a mere 26 years after his death. I distinctly remember seeing that commercial and also saying “Wow, what’s that song!”. And yes I was one of the folks who had never heard of Drake and immediately went out and bought his three releases. I love those three Drake albums to this day, it’s confounding how someone so talented could be so unappreciated in his time. But such was the late 60’s and early 70’s, when music and culture were exploding. It was hard to get noticed when you had the Beatles and the Stones, and Dylan and Hendrix pushing music in all directions. There’s a great documentary about Drake on YouTube and I encourage you to check out his music.
As for the lyrics above which are from my favorite Nick Drake song, apparently there are people who want to be loved for their money. I am not one of those people.
Miscellaneous
Eggs may not be bad for your heart after all – “Subgroup analyses signal a possible benefit among older adults and those with diabetes.”
Even hands-free, phones and their apps cause dangerously distracted driving – “Using your cellphone in hands-free mode while driving is not a perfectly safe activity, despite the impression you might be getting from laws, marketing messages and the behavior of people around you.”
After Concorde, a long road back to supersonic air travel – “Supersonic flight without loud booms? NASA is working on that.“
i’ve always said we needed more awesome dog videos on tgif. also, we used to listen to quite a lot of nick drake in le smidlap chateau about 20 years ago. i think we need to revive that.
I’ll try to fulfill that dog request 🙂 And I think everyone needs more Nick Drake, the world would be more peaceful.
loved the dog video. Sailor was fantastic, but who knew anyone could throw a frisbee over 100 yards!!
That dude has obviously done that a few times before!
LOL that is exactly what I was thinking, awesome dog but dang I couldn’t even throw a frisbee 50 yards. Skilled work by owner and by the dog!
I’ve always wanted to explore D.C by bike, I heard the trails are impressive given that I’ve heard its “suburban sprawl” meets poor city planning. Sometimes it’s nice hanging with the younger crowd, you feel more energy and optimism hopefully!
We have some of the worst traffic in the country BUT some of the best bike trail networks too, and yes those young guys keep me on my toes!
The awesome part of Sailor wasn’t just the catch but also carrying the frisbee back with such amazing enthusiasm. I throw a ball 30 feet in the our yard and get the middle finger when I ask our pup to bring it back for another round. Thanks for another great Friday post Dave. The FIRE articles were also interesting and food for thought.
Ha, maybe you need to try bribery tactics 🙂
Congratulations on your five year anniversary. Well done!
I love your blog.
I’m learning how to live on a social security budget on Hawaii island. Not easy.
It’s Robert who has the anniversary, but good luck with SS and Hawaii!