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

[Meadbh]

I guess it's finally sinking in, I did two this morning with no mistakes. It's just that I haven't done anything like that for decades and it takes a while to relearn it.

And ordered $200 worth of mat board today. Still way ahead of having a frame shop do all this.

Love that short bus!

This could turn into a money making hobby!

 

[Walt34]

This could turn into a money making hobby!

It could I guess, but I'm wary of turning a hobby into a job. But once in a while for what Dad used to call "beer money" would be okay.

 

[freebird5825]

I'm still on the planet

Hi everybody!
I'm still here, just spending a lot less time online overall.
Life is good, Mr B and I are still 2 peas in a pod, and summer is here in upstate NY.

I've been doing pretty much the same stuff, playing with my container garden and getting exercise in my living room watching Bugs Bunny. I lost 7 lbs and am keeping it off since Dec 2013. I feel toned and fit and wonderful. I show off my bicep muscles to my veteran buddies and they get skeered.

From Feb to May this year, I tried a short stint as an amateur audio recorder for a startup band. I invested in a TASCAM DR-40 digital field recorder, some kick*ss audio processing software, a tripod and headphones. I did that for several practices until I realized the band just wasn't ready to do a demo CD. Too busy with their own egos instead of building up their musical performance teamw*rk.
In one 3 hour practice session alone, I took 82 takes and never got a full song recorded. 82 takes !!!! So I very nicely told the guys when they were ready to play songs all the way through from start to finish, call me back and we would go forward. That didn't sit too well with 2 of the group, so I never heard back from them. Just as well. I am still searching for a single musician or group who is serious about playing and making a demo CD. It will happen.
I learned a lot and will go forward with the new hobby.

Other than that, I am getting ready to file for my deferred FERS retirement pension that I am eligible for in September 2014 at age 56.
After 7 years of FIRE, I will finally be able to loosen up the budget strings and have some real expensive FUN. WOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

[freebird5825]

Today is a Banner Day for me. I got my first Social Security direct deposit, of over $1147, in my checking account and completely by surprise! I had no idea if I even qualified for divorced spousal benefits but applied anyway and was looking into it.

http://www.early-retirement.org/for...the-social-security-administration-72781.html

And here I was worried about spending $116 last week on a bunch of t-shirts with funny saying on them, to wear to the gym...

 

[W2R]

[...]I am getting ready to file for my deferred FERS retirement pension that I am eligible for in September 2014 at age 56.
After 7 years of FIRE, I will finally be able to loosen up the budget strings and have some real expensive FUN. WOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Hi Freebird! How exciting to be getting your delayed FERS pension. I can relate to the fun of getting an additional income stream established.

 

[W2R]

Today I bought Frank lunch again, and we talked about ways I could spend some of this Social Security windfall. We discussed possible trips by car or train, and whether or not I might want to move up to a nicer home and mused about other long term thinking like that.

 

[freebird5825]

Hi Freebird! How exciting to be getting your delayed FERS pension. I can relate to the fun of getting an additional income stream established.

Thanks!
There is a bit of a backlog on OPM processing retirement packages. Mine will be very simple so hopefully it will go right through the system.

I plan initially to invest it into my existing VWAHX mutual fund and generate some serious TE dividends every 30 days, payable into my bank account instead of being reinvested. Old habits die hard.
The compounding factor with the extra monthly boost will be phenomenal. It will just like when I was w*rking and investing. Yeeehaaaaaa!

 

[W2R]

Thanks!
There is a bit of a backlog on OPM processing retirement packages. Mine will be very simple so hopefully it will go right through the system.

I plan initially to invest it into my existing VWAHX mutual fund and generate some serious TE dividends every 30 days, payable into my bank account instead of being reinvested. Old habits die hard.
The compounding factor with the extra monthly boost will be phenomenal. It will just like when I was w*rking and investing. Yeeehaaaaaa!

Woo-hoo!! I am so happy for you. Sounds like you have figured out exactly what you want to do with it, and that's terrific. Yes, it does take a while to get it through OPM, but I can testify that once your FERS pension gets started it comes like clockwork every month. Even though mine is pretty small, I do very much appreciate having it.

 

[Ronstar]

Finished a cabinet for my nephew today. Pickled white oak with cedar shelves and drawer bottoms. He spent a lot of time in my workshop helping build it. It was fun. Next up - Toy box for my niece's baby girl.

 

[Ronstar]

Maybe they is for you...

They is, but that's all that is.

 

[rodi]

Yesterday my sons, husband, and I moved 13.5 cu yards of class 2 road base from two giant piles into an even 4" spread across the 1k sf driveway. We moved about 20 tons of material. (It weighed more in total - but the piles actually covered some of the area we needed to cover.)

Today I started the day with a few hits of vitamin I (ibuprofin). Then my husband and I took turns running the compactor. Oh - and I did 4 loads of laundry when it wasn't my turn on the plate compactor.

We have a hard deadline of next Saturday for our new driveway. New tenant moving in to our granny flat and he needs to cross the driveway to get to the gate that leads to it. Hardly feels like retirement with all this hard w*rk.

 

[NW-Bound]

...We moved about 20 tons of material...

Too bad W2R does not live nearby to help. She lifts this much every single day, and while eating just salad too.

 

[davemartin88]

Finished a cabinet for my nephew today. Pickled white oak with cedar shelves and drawer bottoms. He spent a lot of time in my workshop helping build it. It was fun. Next up - Toy box for my niece's baby girl.

Really nice, like the simple look. I enjoy working with white oak although most of my wood stash is red oak. Thanks for sharing and great that your nephew was able to help with the build!

 

[ls99]

Thanks for the Kyak comments. Here is the pair. Note the bow design. My handbuilt I modified to wave cutter version over ten years ago. The same feature I was looking for in my new one. They are both 18 feet long. The new one has the luxury feature of rudder and stowage areas. Besides it is about 40 lb vs the old one around 95 lb. I overkilled it on the epoxy.

 

[rodi]

Too bad W2R does not live nearby to help. She lifts this much every single day, and while eating just salad too.

LOL!!! Very true!

 

[aja8888]

Finished a cabinet for my nephew today. Pickled white oak with cedar shelves and drawer bottoms. He spent a lot of time in my workshop helping build it. It was fun. Next up - Toy box for my niece's baby girl.

Nice work, Ron. Having those craftsman skills and the tools is an asset and the pieces you have created will hopefully be family heirlooms.

A member in our extended family has the same skill set and helped me with some construction projects a few years back. I am not that skilled with wood work, although I subscribe to Handyman magazine and have built a few things and one very nice workbench.

 

[NW-Bound]

LOL!!! Very true!

If I did not know W2R is a woman, my mental image of her would be something like this.

 

[W2R]

If I did not know W2R is a woman, my mental image of her would be something like this.

Popeye is my hero!!! But honestly I don't lift 20 tons every day (only did that once on June 2nd); more like 15-16 tons two or three times a week. And I don't eat salad every day except when I gain at Weight Watchers like I did this week. If I lifted 20 tons and then ate nothing but salad every day, then I might not have to go to Weight Watchers at all. And I would lose all that jiggling like jello when I walk.

Rodi, that sounds like a lot of hard work! A new driveway will make it all worthwhile, though.

 

[NW-Bound]

So, you do not look like this either?

Imagine how easier forum moderation would be if the female mods look like that!

 

[W2R]

Ewww!! She looks like she is taking testosterone or something.

No, I look like the weakest, most jiggly obese older woman you can imagine. I have zero visible muscle at all, unfortunately (I'd like a little, but not like that photo!). When I hold up my arm like that, you wouldn't see any muscle at all; all you would see are the "bat wings" (skin and fat) hanging down off of my upper arm. Anyway, nobody would guess that I even GO to the gym if they looked at me.

Just to keep in touch with REAL female strength and what it looks like, here is US Olympic Weight Lifter Holley Mangold, competing at the London Olympics:

Of course, I am much older and more jiggly than she is! Also 100 pounds lighter than she is.

 

[Sea Kayaker]

When the bodies of water we must paddle across prove to be just too large for mere muscle and sinew, sometimes we must resort to an alternate form of transport. Kind of cool to have an entire ferry to ourselves.

 

[Ronstar]

Nice work, Ron. Having those craftsman skills and the tools is an asset and the pieces you have created will hopefully be family heirlooms.

A member in our extended family has the same skill set and helped me with some construction projects a few years back. I am not that skilled with wood work, although I subscribe to Handyman magazine and have built a few things and one very nice workbench.

Thanks, We delivered it to my nephew's new place, and his wife gave us the first visit tour suggesting new projects along the way. looks like I'll be busy for a while.

Good job getting the workbench built. It's important to get it done early in the hobby. With a workbench, some tools, and some info off the internet, you can build anything.

 

[Ronstar]

Replaced a shower/tub faucet after discovering sporadic water drips on the basement floor one floor below. Had to repipe the faucet area because the new faucet is different than the old one. Good thing that I could get at it from an access panel in a bedroom closet.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

We took the dog hiking at Redwood Regional Park in the morning -

and had a cookout for dinner.

 

[MichaelB]

I cried this morning.

Chopping scallions was the cause. Making tuna fish salad for a lawn concert picnic this afternoon. My brother and his DW will be there, first time they will have tried my tuna salad. DW says its the [-]only decent thing[/-] best dish I make.