T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 136

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #136!

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

Financial Independence/Work Life/Retirement Articles & Content

Maxed Out: Inside America’s $1.14 Trillion Credit Card Debt Crisis (CNET) – “A complex web of policy, psychology and profit has consumers staring down record-high balances. Five everyday borrowers shared how they got here.“

Video

This underwater photographer caught some amazing footage of a humpback whale accidentally when he dropped his camera to the ocean floor.  Pretty amazing!

What I’m Grateful For

The messages I received in 2024 year from readers who somehow still like and appreciate my blog, despite my infrequent posts beyond my T.G.I.F. Fridays.  I passed my 7 year blogoversary in November and feel blessed.

Lyrically Speaking

Well the rich are gettin’ richer
And the poor are gettin’ drunk
In a black and white picture
There’s a lot of grey bunk

From “Asking Me Lies” by The Replacements

In February 1989 the Replacements released Don’t Tell A Soul.  In a very un-Replacements style they had some radio and chart success with the single “I’ll Be You” and some television appearances.  To many longtime Replacements fans this album was instantly detested for it’s melodic style and lean toward commercial success.  The one big change in the band was that original guitarist Bob Stinson was replaced by Bob “Slim” Dunlap.  So those longtime hardcore fans who hated the new sound kind of scapegoated Dunlap.  In reality Paul Westerberg, the leader and only songwriter in the band, was maturing and honing his writing into a more accessible and melodic style.  I was in high school when Don’t Tell A Soul came out and instantly fell in love with it.  It prompted me to go back and discover the 5 previous Replacements albums and become a fan for life.

Slim Dunlap died on December 18th at the age of 73 of complications from a stroke he had years earlier.  Dunlap has the distinction of being the very first artist I highlighted in my T.G.I.F. Posts, way back in issue #1 from October of 2019.  He wasn’t the flashiest guitarist or a renowned shredder but he contributed beautifully to each song what it needed.  R.I.P. Mr. Dunlap and thanks for the music. 

Miscellaneous

Tiny, daily bursts of vigorous incidental physical activity could almost halve cardiovascular risk in middle-aged women – “An average of four minutes of incidental vigorous physical activity a day could almost halve the risk of major cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks, for middle-aged women who do not engage in structured exercise, according to new research”

Parker Solar Probe survives historic closest-ever flyby of the sun, NASA confirms – “On Christmas Eve, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe flew closer to the sun than any human-made object ever — a stunning technological feat that scientists liken to the historic Apollo moon landing in 1969.”

Ozempic linked to rare cases of vision loss in Harvard study – “Patients who took the drugs for weight loss were more than seven times more likely to be diagnosed with a stroke-like eye condition, known as NAION, than those taking other classes of drugs for obesity...“