I seem to have lost the fire in the belly

brewer12345 said:
.... Or maybe its that there is nobody waiting to test me on the book....
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I think having a "project" to apply your learning is important especially as we get older.

For example, I loaded Linux on a computer a few years ago to "learn" it. Never got beyond refreshing what I already knew. A few weeks ago, I decided to create my own DVR using open-source software. I haven't been this engaged in a technical project in years! And I'm learning a lot about Linux and other stuff. I even built my first PC to accomplish this.
 
bbbamI said:
Doesn't your tongue hanging out give them a clue? :angel:
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I still have an old pair of mirror sunglasses that work well for stealth watching............:cool:

I have excellent peripheal vision..........:cool::whistle:
 
FinanceDude said:
I still have an old pair of mirror sunglasses that work well for stealth watching............:cool:

I have excellent peripheal vision..........:cool::whistle:
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As long as black patent leather dress shoes are not involved...you're good to go. :cool:

The "shoes thing" is a very obscure reference that many of you may not catch on to. Let us see who guesses correctly. :LOL:
 
Too many posters are blaming their attention span getting shorter and shorter on vision problems, whether real or imaginary. :)

While we are talking about our poor eyesight, I will say that, being near-sighted since early teenage years, I have found that there has been a payback at older ages. Now, I have been able to read books, use computer screens, and probe circuit boards with tiny components simply by taking off my prescription glasses. I have no need for reading glasses. :cool:

Back on fire, or rather lack of it, in the belly, perhaps it was quenched by ...

beer in the belly? :LOL:
 
brewer12345 said:
Or perhaps I am just getting old and intellectually fat. Anyone else run into this?
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yep, you're toast !!!!

I've run into this problem several times in the past and in my case I've needed a change to re-start the fire. Sometimes this has meant a job or location change, other times I've found a new project or challenge within my current job.

You probably just need find something that create a big enough spark to re-light that fire inside.
 
freebird5825 said:
The "shoes thing" is a very obscure reference that many of you may not catch on to. Let us see who guesses correctly. :LOL:
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Biblical -profane, earthly
coolsmiley.gif
 
freebird5825 said:
As long as black patent leather dress shoes are not involved...you're good to go. :cool:

The "shoes thing" is a very obscure reference that many of you may not catch on to. Let us see who guesses correctly. :LOL:
Click to expand...
Well, I have a guess about the 'shoes thing' but it has nothing to do with patent leather...
 
brewer12345 said:
Could be. Not likely any time soon, between work, bus travel, taking care of kids, weekend chores, etc.
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You know you probably need some Brewer time in there somewhere. What do you do for fun? When was the last time that you and Mrs Brewer went away for the weekend and just did instead of worrying about chores, kids, jobs and how soon can we FIRE?
 
DangerMouse said:
You know you probably need some Brewer time in there somewhere. What do you do for fun? When was the last time that you and Mrs Brewer went away for the weekend and just did instead of worrying about chores, kids, jobs and how soon can we FIRE?
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Need and possibiity are highly divergent, unfortunately.

We have never had a weekend away since the oldest kid was born in 2004. Supposedly going away for a weekend in March, but we will see if it comes to pass.
 
Wow, I hope for your sake that it does come off. Sounds like you guys have been on the treadmill for a while. Everyone needs to stop and take a breather every now and then, no matter how much they enjoy what they are doing. I'd offer to come and babysit for you so you could get away, however not sure if your kids would survive the experience.
 
brewer12345 said:
Could be. Not likely any time soon, between work, bus travel, taking care of kids, weekend chores, etc.
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Brewer - I think we're about the same age, and I've noticed the same thing too. I really think having young kids and the associated lack of sleep (or more accurately, lack of ability to catch up on sleep on the weekends ... remember waking up Saturdays at 11am?) is a big part of the problem, although maybe not the only part. Having a Blackberry on me at all times has also seemed to cut into my concentration on the train, as I will read/respond to email. And I'm maybe just feeling a little burned out in general.

Instead of doing much reading on the train this past year, I've been listening to some NPR podcasts (e.g. On Point with Tom Ashbrook is a great one) which are informative, if not as intellectually beneficial as reading.

I still think it's a phase that will pass, because every once in a while I'll pick up a book that really keeps my attention.
 
Lusitan said:
Brewer - I think we're about the same age, and I've noticed the same thing too. I really think having young kids and the associated lack of sleep (or more accurately, lack of ability to catch up on sleep on the weekends ... remember waking up Saturdays at 11am?) is a big part of the problem, although maybe not the only part. Having a Blackberry on me at all times has also seemed to cut into my concentration on the train, as I will read/respond to email. And I'm maybe just feeling a little burned out in general.

Instead of doing much reading on the train this past year, I've been listening to some NPR podcasts (e.g. On Point with Tom Ashbrook is a great one) which are informative, if not as intellectually beneficial as reading.

I still think it's a phase that will pass, because every once in a while I'll pick up a book that really keeps my attention.
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Funny how you mention that you listen to podcasts instead of reading. I have a long commute in the car, so my "reading" has been reduced to books on CD. Not a bad way to pass the time, but I seem to retain more knowledge if I actually sit down with a book, highlight those portions I want to remember, and take some notes.
 
At this point, no, I do not remember sleeping in until 11. Before the kids there was grad school and the cfa at night and on weekends for years.

Mountains of aggravation from work assuredly does not help either. I just split a couple hours early because I was so angry I literally could not stay in the building any longer. I am getting really sick of being the rented mule of career do-nothing, oxygen-wasting, lazy bureaucrats.
 
brewer12345 said:
Mountains of aggravation from work assuredly does not help either. I just split a couple hours early because I was so angry I literally could not stay in the building any longer. I am getting really sick of being the rented mule of career do-nothing, oxygen-wasting, lazy bureaucrats.
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And there is the absolutely best reason I've ever heard to work towards FIRE, and the same one that drove me. I know it's hard to hear, and winter makes it worse, but it won't last forever. It sounds like you really do need to find some personal time to waste, though. Anger and frustration builds up and always made me do something either dumb or stupid. Maybe during your travel time you can blow off some steam. Good luck, and try to hold out until the weather gets better. It should help.
 
brewer12345 said:
A

Mountains of aggravation from work assuredly does not help either. I just split a couple hours early because I was so angry I literally could not stay in the building any longer. I am getting really sick of being the rented mule of career do-nothing, oxygen-wasting, lazy bureaucrats.
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That O2 they are wasting, belongs to you and it's probably why your brain is so tired you can't even enjoy a book on your favorite topic. Stress is a killer once it gets its claws in us! Review the advice we gave you in your recent "Bad work situation..." thread for some stress management tips...

Illegitimi non carborundum...as my husband says at least once a week as he ushers me out the door on my way to work...

Amethyst
 
I just remembered. My dad had a hard, stressful, sometimes dangerous job in high-voltage construction. There was overtime and it paid well, but the job and the union politics drove him to take early SS at age 62. He once told me that sometimes, to keep going, he pretended he could hear a cash register going "ka-ching" because he'd just earned another day's pay and was able to put some money away. I still listen for that cash register, myself, at times of stress.

-A
 
brewer12345 said:
I am wondering whether this is just me, or if others have run into the same thing. I recently bought a text, "Maritime Economics.". It is a fat, heavy, well written textbook on a subject near and dear to my heart (I have a large stake in shipping companies). In years past I plowed through many a graduate level finance and accounting textbook (for business school and then the CFA) as I rode the train to work. Now I open the book, get a few pages in, and... Meh. My mind wanders and I lose concentration.

Maybe it is just the winter blahs. Or maybe its that there is nobody waiting to test me on the book. Or perhaps I am just getting old and intellectually fat. Anyone else run into this?
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LOL, since passing CFA level 3, I have opened the books exactly three times to look up capital versus operating lease for a work situation, one time on EMH to debate some guy (not here) on the Internet, and one other times to look up IRP. However, the books are sitting nicely on my book shelf ready to impress any finance chick I invite to my house to "help her study for the CFA exam."
 
BunsGettingFirm said:
... ready to impress any finance chick I invite to my house to "help her study for the CFA exam."
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Speaking as a nuclear engineer, does the word "any" imply that there's more than one? Or is it a hope that there's at least one?
 
brewer12345 said:
Heh, let me tell you about vision problems...

I had bifocals when I was 12 and switched to contacts when I was 16 because glasses were so cumbersome/heavy. Contacts are a minus 8 in one eye, minus 6.5 in the other. A bit of presbyopia would be great because it would offset the extreme nearsightedness.
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I'll see your poor vision and up the ante to a -11.75 in one eye and a -13.25 in the other. Started wearing glasses at 5, contacts at 9. Thank god for corrective devices. If I'd been born in another time I would have been dead before puberty, I figure -- I would have either grabbed a snake or fallen into a hole!

My best investment when I started a job with a nasty commute was my ipod. I love it. I listen to my favorite NPR shows and the audio versions of some PBS shows (Frontline, Bill MOyers). Great way to pass the time on public transit. You can learn interesting stuff, hear fascinating people, and you can keep your eyes closed!

lhamo
 
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