T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 100

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #100!

I can’t believe I’ve done 100 of these, if you’re a T.G.I.F. Friday fan and reader I thank you profusely!!

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

Financial Independence/Work Life/Retirement Articles

Is Downsizing in Retirement Actually Worth It?  (Yahoo Finance) – “The decision to downsize to a smaller home in retirement is a highly personal one that depends largely on an individual’s financial goals and desired lifestyle.” Dave’s comment – But with the ridiculous size of so many homes these days, it should be an easy choice for many.

Committing The Personal Finance Sin Of Auto-Renewing Subscriptions  (Impersonal Finances) – “When was the last time you tallied up all of your subscriptions?” 

Video

Danny Macaskill (aka spiderman on a bike) is known as the goat of stunt riding.  This is one of my absolute favorite videos of his.  The fact that he can almost backflip with a baby trailer attached is mind blowing.  And as always he shows some nice crash footage at the end because he can’t possibly get all these tricks right the first time. The vid starts off slow but the stunt riding starts at 42 seconds in.

Who’s Inspired Me

Sepp Kuss.  

Sepp Kuss is an elite American pro cyclist.  He’s what’s called a domestique, which means he’s usually a helper on the team who supports and works for the team leader to get the win.  Kuss rode the 21 day Giro d’Talia (or ‘Tour of Itay’) in May in support of his team leader Primoz Roglic.  Roglic won, and without Kuss he probably wouldn’t have. 

Then just this past week Kuss helped Jonas Vingegaard win the Tour de France, the biggest bike race in the world.  On the second to last stage he crashed in the opening miles and had to race over 100 kilometers looking like this.

After the stage he was all smiles and cheery because he did his job and his team, called Jumbo Visma, secured the overall win in the Tour for Vingegaard.  Domestique riders like Kuss are the ultimate in selflessness, they give up their own dreams and ambitions to support a teammate.  And in Kuss’s case, they often endure more than just sore legs to do it.  Kuss is a warrior, and an inspiration.

What I’m Grateful For

My 39 year old Black & Decker Lawn Mower.  I hit a landscape rock with the blade last week and thought I bent the main blade shaft.  Turns out I only bent the blade plate and was able to whack it back to form with a rubber mallet.  She’s still kickin’.  Plans for a surprise party for her 40th next year are in the works!

39 years old…. doesn’t look a day over 37

Lyrically Speaking

You don’t wanna be rich like everybody else does
You just wanna grow old, sit still, while everybody else runs
In the meantime, tell me your star sign, I’ll make something up
About how you have to fall apart to really be someone

From “Nothing Else” by Angus & Julia Stone

Angus & Julia Stone are not a married couple but brother and sister.  They’re Aussies, and I like Aussies.  After all Australia gave us ACDC and for that we’re eternally grateful.  Angus & Julia’s music could be described as folk-pop with a mostly relaxing and chill vibe.  They’re at their best when trading vocal lines in a back-forth way that plays to the lyrics or topic of the song.  Angus & Julia Stone have 5 full length releases and some EPs, they’re not on Bandcamp but check them out on your favorite platform. 

As for the lyrics above, I had to practically fall apart in my misspent youth to be someone in the end.

* On a somber note Sinead O’Connor died Wednesday. She lived a turbulent life but had an amazing voice. R.I.P. Sinead and thanks for the music.

Miscellaneous

A case study on the importance of taking charge of one’s own health – “If we are willing to take control and jump into the driver’s seat, we have far more power over our healthspan and lifespan than many believe.”

Neuroscience research triggers revision of a leading theory of consciousness – “A new finding that unconsciously processed images are distributed to higher-order brain networks requires the revision of a popular theory of consciousness.”

Ancient Mayan City Found in Mexican Jungle – “No one knew of the city’s existence, and there had been no previous records of it.“