The Pterosaur Messiah and his acolytes welcome the return of spring to Stinkbug Manor.
So, this is what has been on my browser this week.
Financial Independence
I know Financial Independence/Retire Early (FIRE!) is all the rage, but I’m just getting into it. Of course, I’ve always put some money away in my retirement accounts, etc., but the common joke at Stinkbug Manor is how we’ll just be working forever. I’m no Mr. Money Mustache, and I’m not retiring anytime soon, but I’ve been looking at the equation differently. My best life doesn’t involve a 45 minute commute to and from New Jersey (Hint: I’m currently not living my best life).
I don’t want to do nothing, but I would rather do less and on my own terms. Here’s where I’ve been getting ideas recently:
I have about a dozen more on my Feedly RSS list (and various subreddits), but these are among my favorites. I’m not going to join the crowded field of FIRE bloggers, but now I know enough to lecture the interns on the value of Eff You money.
Eat Fat, Get Skinny
Two years back I tried a ketogenic diet to great success. I’m back on the wagon, and found this to be a helpful guide to re-familiarize myself with it. My plan is to get nearer fighting weight and eventually to transition to a more veggie-based existence with an occasional carb on the weekend .
The Lost Art of the Weird
Lastly, you know of course of the passing of the legendary Art Bell. I worked my way through college as a nightshift clerk in the emergency services at the A.I DuPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington. In between the bleeding children, tired parents, and grumpy Jefferson residents, I did a lot of filing and desperately twiddled my radio dial for the AM radio waves that would allow me to listen to Coast to Coast with Art Bell. I’ll spare you the eulogizing of Art Bell, but I will add that he was both odder and more canny than our cyncical Internet age would allow. In the least, I was entertained. He inspired me in skepticism, as a matter of fact, and taught me to appreciate that it is a weird world and to be kinder to the weirdos in it.
In the last week or so, about three or four podcasts that I listen to have featured a segment paying tribute to Art Bell, usually starting with Giorgio Moroder’s Chase.
Today, I’ve been listening to this playlist of Art Bell bumper music while at work. It is an eclectic mix of 80s World Music, 90s New Age, 70s AM Gold, and 60s pop.