In my 20’s, I harped on the need to save for retirement but didn’t actually make good on my preaching. As an economist, I learned the theory of compound interest and how money grows exponentially over time. In theory, it makes a lot of sense, but in practice, it wasn’t as easy as it sounds.Continue reading “Rethinking retirement, cutting credit cards, and saving intensely”
Category Archives: Thoughts
A call for help, stop our addiction to our phones
Our phones are killing us. Let’s go back a bit. The world took a hit of one of the most addictive items in 2007 when Steve Jobs announced the iPhone. For those that were using phone before the iPhone came out, you’ll remember innovative features like how small can we make these phones, picture messaging,Continue reading “A call for help, stop our addiction to our phones”
Learning new trades during a staycation
My two were staycation is slowly winding down. I spent about six hours a day working on finishing out my partially finished basement. About four years ago, we had a refrigerator line burst and it ended up flooding the basement ceiling. I used the home insurance payout to replace my electrical system instead of repairingContinue reading “Learning new trades during a staycation”
Focus and Flow with Focus@Will music service
In a world where distractions are the norm, there are a few techniques I use to keep that to a minimum. Music and a nice pair of headphones is my current solution. I recently discovered Focus@Will, a music streaming service that’s designed specifically for this. For me, I’ve always leaned to Daft Punk and theContinue reading “Focus and Flow with Focus@Will music service”
First look at the ColsenKeane 4313 Minimalistic Satchel
I n my search for the ultimate lifetime bag, I came across a new addition to my collection: The ColsenKeane 4313 Minimalistic Satchel in Crazy Horse Leather. In a world where everything is mass manufactured in some off-shore location by assembly line factory workers, ColsenKeane is truly a throwback in time of old-timer leather craftsmen.Continue reading “First look at the ColsenKeane 4313 Minimalistic Satchel”
Breaking in a Saddleback Briefcase
W hen I got my Saddleback Briefcase, I went on a process to break it in so that it’s more manageable as an every day bag. Out of the box, Saddleback products are beautiful but very stiff. My last bag, the messenger, took a solid two years to break in. I’m hoping to accelerate theContinue reading “Breaking in a Saddleback Briefcase”
Switching to the Saddleback Briefcase from the Messenger
I like things that last a long time and age well. There’s something about owning something for so long and seeing that story in the scuffs and patina of the object. It also teaches you something about patience. Natural patina takes time. The wear and tear of every day life adds to the story. OfContinue reading “Switching to the Saddleback Briefcase from the Messenger”
Learning a new trade: network cabling
Punching down cat5e to a patch panel before switching over to the more costly cat6.Â