T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 183

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #183

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

Financial Independence/Work Life/Retirement Articles & Content

Escaping the Middle Class Trap (Can I Retire Yet?)  “I went looking for real life examples of people “caught” in the “Middle-Class trap.” I found they are similar to the Canada Lynx, Pangolin, or Giant Panda. They’re known to exist, but are extremely hard to find in the wild.“

What Is the ‘Couch Economy’ Costing You? (Nerd Wallet)  “Delivery, streaming and online shopping make it easy to live life from your living room. Keep costs in check with a solid strategy..“

Video

Autumn is my happy time, enjoy this spectacular 4k video of autumn in Yosemite.  It’s, uhhh…  almost 12 hours long. It’s actually looped footage, so you can just leave it on as your TV screen saver.  Meant for a big screen!.

What I’m Grateful For

Autumn. I know, it’s something that comes on schedule and is not unexpected, but this summer was particularly bad here in the DC region. We even hit 90 degrees on October 14th, blasting through an all-time record by 3 degrees.  This past week mornings have been in the high 40’s and it feels absolutely glorious.

Lyrically Speaking

Cause now I’m walking down the street
Got no money for a car
I’ve been walking for so long
And I never got very far

From “Feels Like The End” by Shane Alexander

Shane Alexander is your classic “singer-songwriter”.  Hailing from Pennsylvania and Maryland as a kid he’s now living and working in California and has 9 full-length albums and an EP to his name, dating back to 2000.  After moving to California he met contacts in Hollywood which eventually led him to getting songs placed in TV shows.  And boy has he had a lot of that.  His songs have been in more than 20 shows, everywhere from Nickelodean to Dutch TV.  He’s also toured with Jewel, Styx, and Yes.  Alexander’s music leans towards what I snarkily call the “sad white boy” genre, but he’s really good at it and a talented guitarist as well.  My favorite song of his is “Coffee Kiss” which has a melody that just sticks in your head. 

As for the lyrics above, this aptly describes the old friends I had in my childhood and teenage years in Baltimore.  Even after turning 16 or 17 no one could afford a car, and their parents surely couldn’t afford to get them one like seemingly everyone’s parents today.  We definitely took the bus a lot.  But me, I put that behind and got far, very far 🙂

Miscellaneous

Scientists discover a way to kill dangerous gut bacteria without killing the good – “Scientists have discovered a natural compound that targets dangerous C. difficile bacteria without wiping out the gut’s beneficial microbes.”  Dave’s Comment: My mother almost died from C. Diff and a good friend of mine spent over 2 weeks in the hospital after contracting it.  This is good news. C. Diff is in all of us in small amounts but if allowed to flourish it kills thousands every year.

AI is forcing us to reckon with a 400-year-old problem – “René Descartes drew a line between humans and machines. AI is blurring it.

Microplastics in water aren’t inert and make damaging chemicals on their own – “Its effect on people remains an ongoing question.“

**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%