T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 172

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #172

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

**Note To My Readers – I sometimes get complaints about ads on my blog (too many).  I’m kind of astonished that anyone browses the internet without an ad-blocker.  I haven’t seen ads in over a decade, and you shouldn’t either.  Please use an ad blocker, your life will improve 500%

Financial Independence/Work Life/Retirement Articles & Content

Resilient Investing (Humble Dollar) “For starters, bonds provide flexibility during stock market downturns. And since bear markets always arrive without notice, and can last multiple years, it makes sense to hold bonds, more or less, at all times.”

Bankrate’s 2026 Annual Emergency Savings Report (Bankrate) “Roughly 3 in 10 Americans have more credit card debt than emergency savings”  

Video

Drones have revolutionized many things and a particularly good one is the ability to film wildlife with much less noise and thus disturbance than a helicopter.  Enjoy this amazing drone footage of whales including the elusive blue whale which is the largest creature on the planet.  When the blue goes for the crill it’s awe-inspiring!

What I’m Grateful For

The small family of rabbits that have apparently taken up residence very close to my back yard.  Almost every morning I’ve been getting to watch 2 or 3 rabbits just hanging out, doing rabbit things like grooming themselves and eating dandelions.  I would get a random rabbit every now and then in the past, but these new ones have made some roots.  Mi casa su casa!

Lyrically Speaking

And we’ll count up all the goods now
There are more than you ever thought you’d own

From “Goods (All in Your Head)” by Mates Of State

Mates of State are a husband and wife team of Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner.  They are both multi-instrumentalists and make infectious stripped down pop-rock with upbeat rhythms and lyrics.  They have eight full-length albums dating back to 2000 and numerous EPs and singles releases.  Fans of Rilo Kiley, Stars, or New Pornographers will likely find some Mates of State songs they like.  They win the award of best blog name as Gardner started a blog called “Band on the Diaper Run” when they were towing around 2 young daughters and touring the world. 

As for the lyrics above, I think it’s fair to say we all own more that we though we’d every own.

Miscellaneous

Obesity and cancer: new research reveals gaps in our understanding – “Two separate studies have highlighted the impacts that obesity can have on cancer prevalence, revealing that more than half of cancer patients in England had a history of obesity and that excess weight is a key driver behind rising cancer rates in younger adults

How cryopreservation could end death as we know it – “Other plans for the tech: organ banking and deep space travel.”

A New Type of Neuroplasticity Rewires the Brain After a Single Experience – ““Neurons that fire together, wire together” is not the full story. A novel mechanism explains how the brain can learn across longer timescales.“