Wisdom and the Art of Being Not Dangerous


This is one of the best blog posts I've read in years. The content within is something Plato tried to teach me via Socratic discourse a couple decades ago but I was too caught up in digesting Greek syntax to get his point: that the only wise person is the person who knows he doesn't know anything.

Shout out to J.D. of the very excellent Get Rich Slowly blog for sharing (and paraphrasing) the content. And shame on you, Socrates, for being so damn obtuse.

2009

Two observations from my year of 2009:

1. I'm glad I hadn't retired sometime in the past 5 or 10 years, or was planning to retire within the next 5 to 10 years. Retirement nest eggs in the stock market were obliterated within the past year and retirees are suffering. There is stiff competition currently for the coveted Wal-Mart Greeter positions. Hopefully the market will recover by the time I retire in, say, 2040. (God, that seems like a long time from now!). Take a look at an overview of my investments' performance in 2009; the red shaded area represents "unrealized losses":
   
   
   
   
   
2. I spent a lot of time running and cycling this year! The following chart shows my total mileage (running + cycling) per month. This dataset likely is under-represented by at least 10% due to various factors (miles ridden on indoor cycle trainer, lack of GPS coverage, forgetting to turn on my watch, forgetting to WEAR my watch...). Notice my peak in July which included my epic ride around Mt. Rainier (in one day). Also notice how lazy I've been since mid-September after I discovered I have a herniated disc in my neck and can't do much in the way of physical activity. Hopefully 2010 will be a little more balanced!
   
   
   

As 2009 draws to a close, I realize this: I am exhausted, in a fair amount of pain, and am completely broke...

But I'm really, really happy.

As an illustration of how lame a person I am -- this transcript of my most recent voicemail:

"Hey max!

This is grandma.

How in the hell can I send your christmas present when I don't even know where you are?

I don't know your address;

you don't answer the phone;

please give me a call!

I hope to think you're still on this planet.

And by the way: merry christmas.

This is grandma.

Bye-bye."

I suck.

17.2 %


From Mint dot com's blog:

The government is telling us that the economic stimulus is working and the recession is over. But you wouldn’t know it from looking at the unemployment numbers. While we may have dodged another great depression, unemployment is at its worst since then, having fallen to 10 percent by the Fed’s own reckoning. And, while we don’t like to be the bearers of bad news, we do stand for transparency in reporting statistics. So we’ve produced an animated infographic explaining who gets to call themselves ‘officially’ unemployed, and why the government leaves out millions of jobless Americans in their often cited and repeated unemployment rate statistic. So while the economy may be recovering, it might be awhile before many Americans feel it in their wallets.

REST IN PEACE, SAM THE MAN

I encountered a poem today which was quite appropriate for the context -- a funeral service for a true outdoorsman who was a throwback to a simpler time filled with the physical demands of the preindustrial animal. Sort of a poor man's Thoreau, but who knew how to de-bone a deer in the dark.

I myself am none of those things, but the poem still struck me full-force:

Pardon me, but can't you see,
I want to be alone:
with no TV, no radio,
no ringing of the phone.
Nobody asking questions,
no need to know the time.
Just some peace and quiet,
and some space that's only mine.

Out on this rocky precipice,
I'm free to be with me,
and laugh, or cry, or talk out loud
to everything I see.
I'm free to dream, to stand and sing,
or just complain and roam.
So, if you'll please, just pardon me.
I want to be alone.

-D. Hawkins

My other favorite gal is also getting on board! Here my young friend is removing the pedals from her "new" bike. All by herself!



I gave her a little assistance, but not much. With the pedals removed, she can "scoot" around on the bike and get comfortable with her sense of balance. Then she will put the pedals back on.




No training wheels for this ambitious young lady! She will be joining Mommy and me on some bike rides very, very soon.

MY FAVORITE GAL AND MY FAVORITE SPORT, TOGETHER



Let the good times "roll".