T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 142

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #142!

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

Financial Independence/Work Life/Retirement Articles & Content

Dreamdasher (Escaping Avalon) “Seeing how this fucked up cycle works; barely paid people with few choices make the food, delivered by similar people, to miserable people who make lots of money but no time to spend it. A whole system which few think about. The food just shows up at your door. Tip your driver. Move on with life.”

Late car payments hit their highest level in decades, alarming economists (Quartz) “One economics professor called car loans the “canary in the coal mine”“

Video

What do you do when you’re an octopus and you want to get somewhere faster?  You hitch a ride on a mako shark!  Check out this amazing video of an octopus riding a mako shark near Kawau Island off New Zealand.  Octopus are smart, and for all we know they might have a phone app that uses mako sharks as Ubers.  Nature’s the best.

What I’m Grateful For

That I’ve been able to beat a couple of PRs on bike segments in early-season training. So far I’m feeling pretty good and looking forward to getting my on-season fitness tuned up!

Lyrically Speaking

Margery’s dreaming of the middle of the day
Tiyuri to win, Perfect Dozen to place
Money is the matter that’s been on her mind
Time ticks by her, one race at a time

From “Another Horsedreamers’ Blues” by Counting Crows. 

This week I’m taking a break from my usual highlight of a small or indie act and featuring a band who have sold over 20 million records worldwide.  The Counting Crows burst onto the scene in 1993 with their seminal debut August And Everything After which went on to sell over 7 million copies.  Their lead singer Adam Duritz was thrust into instant stardom, with all the associated trappings.  In the golden age of the TV sitcom Friends, he dated both Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox.  But he got weary of it all and struggled with things.  He was recently interviewed by Rick Beato and as a massive fan I found it enthralling. 

I was in my early 20’s when August came out and was floored by it.  But a few years later their second album was still nowhere to be seen.  Then they released Recovering The Satellites in 1996.  Having a debut album that sold millions of copies and touring the world for two years, the pressure to follow up the success was enormous.  In the music industry this is called the “sophomore slump” – when a band can’t match their debut record because of pressure and impatience from the record company.  The Crows bucked the slump and released a gem.  And better yet, they evolved and did something different.  Their record company pressured them to release another August, but they changed course and put out a record full of guitar rockers and songs with odd melodies and time signatures.  For my money Recovering the Satellites is one of the best records of the 1990s, hands down. 

As for the lyrics above, the song is about a woman who’s life revolves around gambling on horse racing.  I grew up in Baltimore which has along history of horseracing and still hosts the Preakness.  Off track betting was a big thing when I was a kid and I saw more than a few people fall prey to it and lose all their money.  Thankfully I avoided that trap.

Miscellaneous

Exercise of any kind boosts brainpower at any age – “Whether it’s an early morning jog, or a touch of Tai Chi, groundbreaking research shows that any form of exercise can significantly boost brain function and memory across children, adults, and older adults.”

Nearly 100% of bacterial infections can now be identified in under 3 hours – “Scientists have made a major breakthrough in the accuracy and speed at which often deadly pathogen infections can be identified and treated. This is time that, in many cases, is critical to saving a patient’s life.”

Does all intelligent life face a Great Filter? – “The Universe should be full of alien civilizations. Why can’t we find any?”