Search results

I think this is the best answer. You need to keep the inheritance in your name only. Depending on the state you live in, this is the only way to keep it legally as separate property. Paying down debt before you and DH change your spending habits sounds like a trap to me. You can control your...

After quite a lot of research, I bought a Sony RX10 MIV, a fixed lens 24-600 mm (35mm equivalent). At the highest zoom setting I can take good photos of surfers from the shore or birds at quite a distance. It also has a fast auto focus system. I have had the camera for about six months and...

I love my Ecco shoes with the boa lacing system. I started with Footjoys in wide, but they weren’t that comfortable, because my whole foot isn’t that wide - I need the width in the toe box only because of a neuroma. The Eccos are great, and the boa lacing allows you to change the tightness of...

Top 10: Breaking Away Out of Africa Hunt for the Wilderpeople Oh Brother Where Art Thou The Princess Bride Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind To Kill a Mockingbird Guardians of the Galaxy Shawshank Redemption My Cousin Vinnie The next 10: Bull Durham Fight Club Milagro Beanfield War A Fish...

I have been sober for 22 years, and relied on AA heavily for the first several years. Although I never particularly cared for the religious/“higher power” parts of the program, I did meet very kind, supportive people who helped me a lot, particularly early in sobriety. Some of the...

When I ran the Berlin Marathon a few years ago, they served Erdinger NA at the finish line. It was excellent. I have tried just about all the NA beers and Erdinger is my favorite, followed by St. Pauli Girl and Beck’s. Unfortunately the NA wines I’ve tried have not been satisfying, so I can’t...

You had me at 900 sq ft private rooftop deck, but gentrifying neighborhood is another plus, as the earlier you buy in the better your appreciation is likely to be. I’m no expert, but in my experience, once a neighborhood in Chicago gets identified as up and coming it doesn’t turn back.

I went low carb high fat about seven months ago, after reading Volek and Phinney’s “The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance.” I tried to limit carbs to about 50g but never counted carb grams or calories; I just stopped eating bread, chips, starches and sugars, including most fruits...

I love threads like this because they make me realize it’s NOT just me. And I now also realize that I have always been lazy, but got whipped into shape enough to work hard during my career so as to be “respected” and “successful.” One last point - if you’re always running from the bear, even...

I love to run and for a long time that’s the only exercise I got. I don’t care for gyms, but at 60, I decided to add some interval training in the form of spin classses, and strength training with a personal trainer. If I didn’t have the personal trainer, the strength training would not...

I also have experience working with addicts. The thing is, you can never tell when and if treatment will work. It sometimes does, and sometimes it is after several flaming failures. I once had a conversation with a sheriff’s deputy who observed that the drug addicts kept coming through the...

We usually fly out of San Jose when we travel. It is a bit less than 45 minutes from our home. We don’t do much international travel but go out of SFO when we do. There is a shuttle available to either airport, though we normally drive and park at the airport. The new PAMF facility is great...

We lived in San Jose for 20+ years (your neighborhood, Alex) but moved to Santa Cruz after retirement. DH and I have no children and both families are dispersed throughout the US, so we could have lived just about anywhere. Here’s why we chose Santa Cruz: 1) Natural beauty, first and...

I remember the exact date I became health conscious; it was a few weeks after my 40th birthday when I decided to quit drinking. DH had quit a few months before me. Two years later I started running. That led me to quit my 26 year smoking habit and began a love affair with running marathons...

I agree completely. When I worked as a lawyer in government, passion became a huge buzzword. It became the rule that to be considered for a career in my field, one had to express great passion for the clients and work we did. I always maintained that basic competence was much more important...

Costco.com is selling the Nikon 3400 with 2 lenses, the 18-55 and the 70-300, and a decent camera case for $599. A good deal IMO!

I started a low carbohydrate high fat diet at the end of June and lost nine pounds by early October; then I hit a plateau. So I decided to try a 24 hour fast on Mondays starting 10/9. Wow! After two Monday fasts I am down two more pounds, and I have not suffered at all. The way I do it is...

The entire town of Calistoga is being ordered evacuated. I was hoping the worst was over but that may have been too optimistic.

Whitefish, MT Park City, UT Boulder, CO Sun Valley, ID Flagstaff, AZ Paradise Valley, AZ Lake Tahoe (Nevada side) All are on the expensive side but surrounded by natural beauty. I think whether you find them down to earth, however, would depend a lot on your choice of neighborhood.

I loved the Crab Cooker! When I moved to California in 1984 I got an apartment over a garage on Balboa Island and lived there happily for about a year and a half. My landlords, who owned a nice new house on the other side of the island, were lovely people. I was a poor midwestern girl driving...

Congratulations on taking the plunge - it sounds like a wonderful FIRE adventure. A little envious of the view too!

Would Sacramento be a possibility? There are some reasonably priced 55+ communities there and rents are good too. I retired at 54 and my Social Security estimate has changed very little in the last six years of low or no earnings, so your estimate of 20K at 62 sounds accurate. I use the...

We did what you are proposing and so far we are very happy with our decision. Our new house is probably worth 300-400K more than the one we sold, our home comprises a much larger percentage of our net worth than yours, and we still have a mortgage (pensions cover our expenses, including the...

When I moved to California from Chicago in 1984 I almost rented an apartment in Irvine, but before doing so I stopped someplace for coffee and saw a local newspaper. I went to the classifieds (remember them?) and saw an ad for an apartment on Balboa Island - substantially cheaper than the one...

My compact double with a 32t cog on the cassette is easier on hills than my older road bike with a triple and a 25t cog.