what did you do today? (2008-2015) (closed)

[OldGuy]

ER'd Since 12/31/01 -

Just realized I'm coming up on 10 years...

 

[KB]

I started reconnecting with old friends on Facebook. It's amazing how many people my age (late 50s) are signing on to find old friends. So far I've had 3 responses to my messages.

 

[Tractor guy]

I finished wrapping my wife's presents while she was at the store with my oldest daughter. We've got 3 of 4 children home for Christmas along with our first grandchild. Retirement has allowed me to spend some time with them. If I was working, I'd be at work instead of trying to make the baby smile. (That's my to do list for the rest of the day).

I also sent a note to the Illinois Railroad Museum telling them I'd like to volunteer. I like working on old stuff if I don't have to keep it in my own garage. I liked to play with trains when I was a kid. I'm looking forwart to playing with the real thing.

I think they've got heated workshops. If not, I'll find something else to volunteer at.

The best thing about retirement is the freedom. I mostly liked work when I was working but now I can go from liking what I was doing 70% of the time and raise it to 90%.

Lorne

 

[Khan]

Had a long money chat with our 18-year-old adult. She's gone through a lot of experiential learning in the last four months, and she's beginning to believe that us ol' phart parents might actually have a point about the saving vs spending lifestyle debate.

Of course now she has to translate sentiment into action. She can track her expenses and put together a budget with the best of them, but it still seems to be a theoretical exercise to her. Then it's largely ignored until the weekend is over or the credit-card bill comes in, followed shortly afterward by a reaction of "Holy crap, where did all the money go?!?"

She's not in debt (as far as she's willing to admit to us) and NROTC gives her a $250/month stipend, but she's going paycheck to paycheck with no slack for surprises or emergencies. The bane of her savings ambition is the college campus' ZipCar franchise. (I was pretty much [-]on restriction musters[/-] locked down during the first three years of my service-academy days so I never had this "problem".) She thinks nothing of renting a ZipCar for running errands out in Houston... followed by a little shopping... and maybe a little dining... and maybe meeting her friends later...

Now that she's on break and has some time to reflect she's beginning to realize that convenience comes at a cost, and the cost of having her own campus car rusting in the dorm's parking lot is pretty darn high. She's finally accepting that she really doesn't need to own (or rent) a car in Houston, and if she gets overseas duty when she's commissioned then there's no sense in buying a beater to get around town (and pay all the ownership expenses) just to have to unload it again after graduation.

When she goes back, we'll see how she does with her free student pass on the local rail/bus lines.

This money/lifestyle coaching gig ain't easy.

Otherwise she's been a pleasure to have around. There's nothing like dorm life to make your progeny a bit more appreciative of home's little luxuries. South shore still has some swell left over from the weekend, so I think we'll do a little more surfing today followed by taekwondo tonight.

In between I'll finish plowing through the last 100 pages of Sorkin's "Too Big To Fail". (Between him and Michael Lewis I've had about enough of the history of the credit crunch.) When you read about the lifestyles of Wall Street execs, it's all too easy to understand why there's been a populist backlash. Even so I had no idea about company cars, drivers, Manhattan traffic, constant business travel, Washington-NYC shuttles, automated phone logs, and public website calendars. What a horrible infrastructure for a life.

Allow me to indulge in some old fartness: Dorms with shared bathrooms...no car...off campus dining once or twice a year...always hated shopping...

 

[bbbamI]

I had to clean my mouse today.....it had a hairball.

 

[Gumby]

If you are so inclined, it would be nice if you posted about your experiences there.

I also would very much like to hear of your Guatemalan adventures.

 

[Moscyn]

Went to the bank and then went to pay my tax today - since I ER this year, IRD has adjusted and reduced my tax payable after receiving my application for withholding tax for 2011 on grounds I early retired. I paid my first installment today. Next and last installment is payable in April 2011 and then hopefully, that's the last I should hear from the taxman. By the way, if this does not make any sense to you all, please note that I reside in Hong Kong and pay Hong Kong tax. After that, went for lunch to celebrate and did some window shopping. Bought nothing.

 

[Nodak]

Wrote and mailed the check to pay my property taxes for what, I hope, is the last time. If the house doesn't sell in the next year I'm going to be very annoyed.

 

[TromboneAl]

I made a "Pepsi-can Stove" as a Christmas present for DD (don't worry, not the only present), since she's recently gotten interested in backpacking. It's definitely the best backpacking stove money can't buy.

 

[REWahoo]

Bought 10,000 batteries.

 

[Gumby]

Bought 10,000 batteries.

Why?

 

[REWahoo]

Why?

Funny, DW asked the same question.

I have four grandsons who are all getting a bunch these things for Christmas. Knowing they'll no doubt go through a lot of batteries, I started looking for a bargain - and stumbled across this: Button Cell Battery 10,000-Pack for $25 + $6 s&h

Oh, and when I responded to DW's question she said, "You've got no excuse now - get some hearing aids!"

At least that's what I think she said...

 

[obgyn65]

I saw many patients in 10 days. Many children too, and many of them without shoes, who are malnourished, and abandoned to all sorts of trades. In Antigua for example, there are many children called "los basureros" (garbage collectors) living from the food they find in rubbish. Kids fight for a piece of candy.

Close to the border between El Salvador and Guatemala, you can see hundreds (if not thousands) of houses made of plastic. The luckiest owners have a metal sheet to protect their belongings when the weather is windy. I have no idea how these people make a living.

While examining patients I saw many of them with frail bodies, distorted with pain. People look so much older than their actual age. Many patients have conditions such as "las manchas" (skin infections), "la gastritis" (from the frijoles / beans-only diet and the unsafe drinking water they use) etc.

I went to an "aldea" (community) where hundreds of people live without "banos" (restrooms) - the restroom is just behind a wall. Once in a while someone burns the excrements with "la gasolina" when the smell is just too much.

UTIs and STIs are a huge concern, as most people do not use any form of contraception. When talking to patients, many of them do not even understand the word "contraception". Many patients cannot read or write. Many girls get pregnant from 12 years of age, and I am sorry to say that it is sometimes from a relative. Many women are abused, sexually and emotionally. I had to call social services every time I was made aware of such incidents. Who knows how these social services will follow up. I cannot write any more details on this topic out of decency.

Words fail me, I am sorry. Just thinking about all this brings tears in my eyes. You cannot cry in front of patients - sometimes it just hits you afterwards. Now I need time to reflect, but I just cannot wait to go back and bring more vitamins, shoes, and clothes with me - especially for the children.

I am also aware that I am writing these lines on an "early retirement" board, and most people on this board may have different priorities in life. I wish I could take some of you one day with me on one of these missions. It puts all our problems in perspective - we have so much here. We are so privileged.

Take care everyone.

I also would very much like to hear of your Guatemalan adventures.

 

[RonBoyd]

I saw many patients in 10 days. ...

Thank you for posting this. Very sobering.

 

[Gumby]

Obgyn65:

Thanks so much for telling your story. As difficult as it is to tell, I think we need to hear it. When I was in the military, I went to places where such grinding poverty exists. I thought then (and still do) that all Americans should have a chance to see what that is like. We would almost certainly complain less about our own problems.

I am thankful that there are people like you, with the skills and the compassion to make a difference in the world.

Gumby

 

[Dawg52]

I am also aware that I am writing these lines on an "early retirement" board, and most people on this board may have different priorities in life. I wish I could take some of you one day with me on one of these missions. It puts all our problems in perspective - we have so much here. We are so privileged.

My SIL is a nurse and went on one of these missions this past year. She said pretty much the same as you. A life we can't imagine.

Having some decent weather here. Played golf yesterday and will again today. Suppose to cool off Christmas day though.

 

[travelover]

...........
I am also aware that I am writing these lines on an "early retirement" board, and most people on this board may have different priorities in life. I wish I could take some of you one day with me on one of these missions. It puts all our problems in perspective - we have so much here. We are so privileged.

Take care everyone.

Great post. I think your personal narrative adds perspective to the often abstract view of human suffering. Each life is one worth living.

 

[freebird5825]

I'm making cinnamon raisin bread on the dough setting in my breadmaker. I am going to divide it into 4 portions for baking and give it as Christmas presents for the MA crew.
I'm getting ready for our trip east...phone calls, turning off washing machine water feeds, writing the "gotta bring this" checklist...
Mr Boston is in ProcrastiSanta (kudos to the recent Sears TV commercial ) mode this AM. My shopping was done weeks ago thanks to Amazon.
I will NOT go near a mall at this time of year. People's "gimme gimme" behavior in stores makes my teeth grind 365 days a year, and it is especially bad right
now.
So more power to Mr Boston facing the hordes on his own.

Have a Merry Christmas everyone.

 

[Khan]

This morning I ran several errands (including the farmers' market ranch folks). Got home at ~1PM. Garage door made a loud noise on the way down and there was detritus on the floor.
Asked the neighbor who to call, got name of person who had installed door, he showed up, went to Lowes and bought some parts and fixed the door.
A great advantage to blue-collar neighbors is that they can fix stuff or know who can.

 

[Walt34]

I saw many patients in 10 days.

It does make anyone else's complaints in the U.S. seem minor. Never in my life have I wondered where my next meal was coming from.

Thank you for the reminder of how lucky we are.

 

[Martha]

Words fail me . . .

Me too. Thank you.

 

[Lisa99]

Making a caramel/peanut butter mousse/chocolate tart for Christmas eve dinner. Just finished a pecan pie and a carrot cake...now on to the homeade cranberry sauce with creme fraiche.

LOVE cooking, glad the family loves eating too!

We're incredibly blessed. We've never wanted unlike most people on this earth...very, very lucky to have been born in this great country and had the opportunity to be educated and make a good living.

 

[Nords]

Sprinkler repairs. Or should I say "repairing things operated by landscapers".

A neighbor is a single parent who's just about finished raising three kids. Work is demanding and she's not mechanically inclined, so she calls me for handyman repairs.

Her yard's sprinkler system has three control valves sticking up out of the ground on PVC pipes. The PVC is the thin-wall style and it's over 20 years old. As the hired landscapers would work around the yard with their mowers & string trimmers, they were whacking the PVC pipes and cracking them. After my fourth repair from that crew, I persuaded her to buy an enclosure.

Although the enclosure protects the control valves, it also hides them. Yesterday she got a call from the Board of Water Supply advising her to check her sprinklers. (You know it's a bad leak when the BOWS calls you.) She called me and relayed the news. When I arrived, I could practically hear it in the driveway 20 feet away. The landscapers had been starting the sprinklers manually with the bleeder valve and had hastened the process of wearing it out. It was spraying at least a gallon a minute inside the enclosure and turning the area into a mosh pit. After watching the leaky bleeder valve let the leak slice through two new gaskets, I decided that it was time for a new control valve. It's a shame, too, because the old valve is solid brass, weighs a ton, and is built (mostly) like a brick outhouse. I'll go back today to check for leaks, connect the new solenoid, and put everything back together. Maybe I'll just leave the enclosure lid to one side so that next time people can see the spray.

At least the new control valve has a bleeder valve attached to the solenoid-- which is a lot easier to operate and a lot easier to repair/replace.

Our daughter is on Day 7 of 21 of her college break, and the financial-adulthood paperwork continues. NFCU has split her accounts out, so I guess now she's building her own credit rating. She signed up online for a PenFed account and that paperwork is on the way. (We still have to call a rep to complete the process of being able to transfer funds from my PenFed account to hers.) She signed up for a Fidelity account and has mailed off the "transfer of assets" forms to move her T. Rowe Price accounts. She's also linking her NFCU checking account to Fidelity for automated transfers.

Today she'll start moving money from NFCU to PenFed for her CDs. She'll start moving money from NFCU to Fidelity to make her 2010 Roth IRA contribution. She'll figure out which one of these fine institutions is interested in giving her a credit card in her own name so that I can cancel "our" Citi card. And finally she'll get a quote from Armed Forces Insurance on a personal-property policy. I am that close to getting rid of my oldest financial-management client.

When that's all done, she can get started on her tax returns! Maybe she'll just install TurboTax on her Macbook and take care of that at her leisure. I think we'd both rather be surfing...

 

[TromboneAl]

Took what I thought was going to be a cold, grueling training ride. Jenny says she's going to whip my butt in bicycling when she visits -- I could beat her last year, but just barely.

In any case, the sun came out, and it turned out to be a very pleasant ride.

 

[Nords]

Jenny says she's going to whip my butt in bicycling when she visits -- I could beat her last year, but just barely.

As an experienced parent/spouse, I think that no matter who crosses the finish line first-- you're gonna lose.

I don't know what those NROTC Marine gunny sergeants have been teaching my daughter, but at taekwondo the other night I had my hands full. If we'd been sparring with helmets then I would've been hurtin' from head shots.

And after she was done beating up on me she went on to an hour of kickboxing...