To my readers:
Have a
Wonderful Holiday Season
and here’s to a
Healthy, Happy and Prosperous New Year!
And for your amusement in between the celebrations….
![shiprock-3[6]](https://i2.wp.com/jlcollinsnh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/shiprock-36.jpg)
After graduating college it took me two years to land my first “professional” job. To make ends meet I worked for Ernie as a landscaper. Basically that meant doing whatever yard work jobs he could scrounge up.
Ernie also worked as the janitor for several apartment buildings, and he had several different “wives” and many children scattered about. Although he might spend a few days and pass on some cash as he could, he didn’t live with any of his “families”. Instead, in many of the building basements he had put together basic living quarters for himself tucked away in the corners. Rent free and secret places of escape.
Kinda like these:
Old man in India
Photo Courtesy of Kyle Hale
Never forget how strange this all is
This is how my friends over at Go Curry Cracker did it:
….and here’s how it worked for MP:
Little girls in India
Boys in India
Photos Courtesy of Kyle Hale
Worth reading:
Everyday the media bombards us with reasons to be worried about the future.
In ‘Abundance’ the authors make the optimistic case.
It is the story of where we came from and why we believe what we believe and live as we do.
If you think you already know, you are likely to have your beliefs challenged. I did.
And having our beliefs challenged by someone as clear thinking as Mr. Harari is always a good thing.
At any given time I’m usually working my way thru two or more books at the same time. As it happened, these two I read that way. If your reading approach is the same, you might consider doing so as well. I found them especially well matched.
This might be the most enlightening and entertaining take on American history I’ve yet to read.
Leaving France, and words to live by
Cliff Restaurant and other cool places you’ve never been to.
Troops prepare for a demonstration on October 3, 2015 for the 70th-anniversary celebration of the Indonesian Armed Forces.
19th Century Portraits of Native Americans
The Four Agreements Book
The Strangely Simple Rules of Life
Seven Months meditating under a tree. And counting.
“The mind is a machine that is constantly asking: What would I prefer?”
More like this post: Random cool posts
Important Resources:
- Vanguard.com (unfortunately Vanguard doesn’t have an affiliate program)
- Personal Capital* is a free tool to manage and evaluate your investments. With great visuals you can track your net worth, asset allocation, and portfolio performance, including costs. At a glance you’ll see what’s working and what you might want to change. Here’s my full review.
- Betterment* is my recommendation for hands-off investors who prefer a DIFM (Do It For Me) approach. It is also a great tool for reaching short-term savings goals. Here is my Betterment Review
- YNAB* has the best budgeting tools going and just might be the Best Place to Work Ever
- Republic Wireless* is my $10 a month phone plan. My daughter is in South East Asia and is on the $5 a month plan. We talk whenever can and for however long we please. My RW Review tells you how.
- Tuft & Needle helps me sleep at night. Unfortunately they are no longer an affiliate, but still a very cool company and a great product.
*These are affiliate links and should you chose to do business with them, this blog will earn a small commission.
If you are looking for some holiday reading, here’s what is or recently has been mine:
“Crime not objected to.”
One of my favorite characters from a favorite author. If you like it, here are two more:
Jack Reacher roams around the country carrying only a folding toothbrush. When his clothes get dirty he buys new ones. Oh, and he kills lots of bad guys along the way. “Make Me” is the most recent in the series, but not the best. That might be this one:
Last Line: “This ends my true account of how I avenged Frank Ross’s blood over in the Choctaw Nation when snow was on the ground.”
Where people who live to be 100+ live, how they live and what they eat.
And here are some of my all time favorites:
The book that has most influenced how I live my life.
“The Fall of Edward Barnard” is very possibly my all-time favorite short story.
Perfect for the readers of this blog.
“Bartleby the Scrivener” is very possibly my all-time favorite novella. Don’t be put off if you struggled with Melville’s “Moby Dick.” This is a much better and easier read. Plus it will teach you the most important phrase in the English language:
“I would prefer not to.”
*If you click on the books you’ll go to Amazon, an affiliate partner. Should you choose buy them, or anything else while you there, this blog will receive a small commission. This doesn’t affect what you pay.