T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 123

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #123!

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

Financial Independence/Work Life/Retirement Articles

Maxed Out: Inside America’s Credit Card Debt Crisis — and What We Do Next (CNet) – “Consumers are collectively $1.12 trillion in credit card debt. Interviews with both everyday borrowers and experts reveal a complex web of policy, psychology and profit.“

Mental Health and FI (Escaping Avalon) – “What I hope makes you ok with proactively improving your mental health is understanding that while our society has been optimized for GDP, this has come at the expense of our sanity.” (Dave’s comment – this is along post as it’s from a presentation but with the mental health crisis that continues to worsen in America I think it’s well-worth a read.)

Video

Watch these badass ibex free solo an Italian dam to get some electrolytes. There’s a nice money shot at 2:27 that would make Alex Honnold proud!.

What I’m Grateful For

The hundreds of friends who showed up for a memorial ride for a fallen cycling friend. To those who ride, be careful out there

Lyrically Speaking

I was thinking that the world was going to change
And all my friends and families debts were paid
But it’s not about the money that you make

From “American Dreamer” Frankie Lee

I love discovering new and unknown musical talent.  My latest find is a really talented singer songwriter named Frankie Lee.  It’s very unlikely you’ve heard of him but Rolling Stone gave him the “debut album of the year” award in 2015 for his 1st release American Dreamer. So yeah, I didn’t discover Lee, he’s released two full length albums and an EP over the past decade. He has a unique voice and, in line with things I like, writes literate songs about the loss of youth, the dissolution of love, and the lives of the working class.  Lee’s second release Stillwater is on Bandcamp so if you like his music support him there.  It’s hard to make a living creating art, I should know 🙂 

As for the lyrics above, it’s easy for us who have amassed a good amount of wealth to say “it’s not about the money that you make”, but I’m telling ya it’s true.

Miscellaneous

Reducing heavy alcohol intake: a lifeline for cardiovascular health – “Can reducing heavy alcohol intake significantly lower cardiovascular risk, or is the damage already done?”

Like to bike? Your knees will thank you and you may live longer, too – “…She points to a study that found people who cycled one hour per week were about 22% less likely to die prematurely. This was a study of people with diabetes, so it’s possible that the benefits are greater for people without the disease.”

Poop has been an easy target for microbiome research, but voyages into the small intestine shed new light on ways to improve gut health – “Much of the small intestine microbiome remains an undiscovered frontier.“