Planning for the future while living one day at a time.

As you can tell from the title my thoughts lately have been on the future and how the best way Reba and I can live comfortably and live within our means.

I am a believe in  the old saying paraphrased  "The best revenge is a life well lived" .For me this means to not buy into the corporate ad-man ideal of a good life with the latest gizmo, car or even home ownership. rather it is living your life as you want without regrets or feeling of sacrifice. Doing that is a lot harder than you would think.

We are all too easily influenced by our surroundings. by the opinion  of others and simply peer pressure.

The first thing is to realize as you grow older your doctors phone numbers will most likely out number your friends phone numbers. Just a fact of getting older. If you live in a for profit health provider country like I do this can be a catastrophic event of getting sick and no one to call on for help. In short plan for a minimal health budget of what you need to get by. For Reba and I this beside the health insurance that Reba has on her means an average of $500 a month cash for generic meds and basic health care followup. This time next year I will qualify for Medi-care and I plan on taking advantage of it's various manifestations. Until then I will cross my fingers and try not cross under any ladders.

Second facing finical realities of a society that is entering into a meltdown that most likely never recover to it's previous level which means living on significantly less income whether working on retired.

Unless you live in a place that has excellent public transportation or least passable public transportation you are stuck with maintain a vehicle and buying fuel for it. The good news if you are retired you might think you don't go out that much. The reality is that people think since you are retired you are readily available to run errands. I miss working because I wasn't as busy as I am now. So Reba and I are trying to work out our transportation needs before she retires.

Where you live is another issue you have to think out. If you are like me and believe you never ever really own a house then you rent. I say that because I believe that if a home owners association or a government agency can take you home at will for not following their rules or finding yourself unable to pay the property tax well then I would ask who owns your home?  Combined that with I have never put a lot of emphasis on ownership means we rent.  Right now Reba and I our planning our next and what we believe will be our last move in this lifetime. Finding that right house or duplex with the what we need for a  "life lived well." takes time and planning taking in the cost, location, safety and future needs. It is not something we are doing on a whim.

While we do this planning life happens. As the old saying goes "God smiles as man plans.". You make your plans but write then in pencil on paper to modify as life happens by. Understanding that makes it easier to accept the enviable changes in those plans.

I hope to post some of our plans and how well it works out for us and hopefully give ideals to others who find their self in the same situation. 
 

Water the future liguid gold.

If you are an investor or looking for a place to put what remains of your retirement, then look no further than investment in corporations that buy up water and water systems. This will be the new growth industry and not just renewable energy. In fact I would go so far as to say it will be the most profitable business in the future.

You may not have to have a means to charge up your cell phone but you will have to have water to drink and right now we are running out of it.

Back in the seventies when the sun-belt regions of Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona not to mention California were drawing folks down from the rust belt it occur to me to ask how were we going to provide water to all of these people. We really were not building new water containment or lakes for capturing rain water runoff. The aquifers were being depleted by big Ag companies to water farms where God didn't intend for farms to be.

Now combined that with the contamination of the aquifers with the so called safe fracturing fluids used in natural gas drilling. We are simply put sitting on a time bomb waiting to go off. All it would take would be one drought like we had back in the fifties to ignite the water wars.

Consider this food for thought.

Reading and projects

Well I started and finding it a great read as recommended by Warren of "Tesla's Laptop" the book "Equations of Life" and have already ordered the next in the series. I like the realistic post apocalyptic  era and combination mystery. Similar to Bruce Sterliing and William Gibson books and short stories.

Turned 62 and received a Ipad for my birthday. I look forward to a long and happy relationship with it. Even so there is still a place for the laptop until I get it setup as I want it.

Idid build a what I thought would be the ipad stand but unforturnatley didn' have enough info on it so back to the drawing board which will be easier since I have the Ipad now and can get the dimensions off of it.

Random Thougts.for a quick post

"In general, the art of government consists in taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other." Voltaire

Found this little quote and had to share it with you. I found it by accident then right after finding it I was writing my monthly tax payment. What more do I need to say.

"Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one’s own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others."

John F. Kenndy

Been thinking a lot about human rights lately and I rembered this old quote.  When I look at the violence loosed upon people because they believe they follow one sect or another sect of Muslim  or they name indicates they are of one tribe that a 1000 years ago fought a war over grazing rights. I don't know if there is any real hope for mankind. Then again let's not forget the 100 year war fought over Catholic vs. Protestant.



found this while slumming through the internet



Worth considering isn't.

Here is another one for you

"The ‘people’ who excercise the power are not always the same people with those over whom it is exercised; and the ‘self-government’ spoken of is not the government of each by himself, but of each by all the rest.
The will of the people, moreover, practically means the will of the most numerous or the most active part of the people-the majority, or those who succeed in making themselves accepted as the majority; the people, consequently, may desire to oppress a part of their number, and precautions are as much needed against this as against any other abuse of power."

John Stuart Mill on Liberty

A theme in our lives.

I achieved absolutely nothing this past week in the shop. My wonderful wife has some health issues and I was needed and I needed to drive and sit in on the consults etc. One consistent theme that kept coming up from nearly all of the doctors was "A woman of your age". Needless to say this perturbed my wife to no end. Personally it didn't bother me in that I have been getting the same comments from my series of doctors. for a number of years.

I have had my hand and head patted now by my children and younger associates and called honey and sweetie by complete strangers, mostly young women in that they didn't see me as anything but a old guy. Then there is the fact that  it really didn't bother me anymore. I had reached that level of gezzerhood that it didn't matter.

You dear reader might ask what do I mean that level of gezzerhood that it does not matter?

Well, let me try to explain as simply as possible what it means to me.

1. That I accept the fact that I am getting older and consequently spend quite a bit of time with doctors and medical techs.
2. That I don't have to worry about what I wear it does not have to be hip or cool or stylish anymore. I can finally dress however I want as long as it covers up what needs to be covered up.
3. That my eccentricity is for the most part ignored and no longer expected to conform to everyone else expectations. I have heard on more than one occasion that is just the way he is don't pay him any attention.
4. That my music will drive the youngster in the next car as crazy as his music volume turned up as high as he can drives or used to drive me crazy. Only for different reasons mine is turned up because I can't hear it.
5. I no longer worry about my career anymore. Even if I did still worked I would not be considered for a promotion because of my age. One of my favorite comments from a potential employer was "Guys your age expect too much in pay and benefits." This was from a contemporary I had trained.

In short there are benefits of being or entering into gezzerhood. It is just a matter of making peace with yourself and accepting the inevitability of aging.

POLITICAL

The more I hear of the rhetoric coming from national, state and local governments the more I wish I followed my Dad's advice to head for Canada when I was 20 and had received my draft notice. The meanness and vindictiveness of the Republican party and it's associated organization the TEA party amazes me.

If I wish anything on theses people it would be that they would have to walk a mile in the shoes of the people that they seem to take offense at.

On a lighter note

Seen on bumper sticker

"I am a white, straight, male republican. If that doesn't piss you off what does."




Reading and Movies

Began reading Paul Theroux  "Fresh Ari Fiend" a collection of essays on writing and travel and as usual not disappointing and in fact quite entertaining.

I have been watching a mystery series on AMC called "The Killing" and I have to tell you it does not give up who done it. You will watch the entire series if only to find out who killed the teenage girl.

But that is not the only thing that it has going for it. It deals with the issue of immigration, poverty, the dynamics of the victims family, the effects on a cops life who wittiness our misfortunes.  Combine with great cine-photography  set in Seattle Washington. Watch it if you can even though there is only 3 shows left in the series.

Enough for now.