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What would you do?

Thomas11 Comments

Okay, I would LOVE it if EVERYONE who read this post left a comment related to this topic. Easy to do, be anonymous, identify yourself, whatever, just let me know what you think.

Q: If you could spend a semester studying anything you wanted, what kind of classes would you take?

Rules:
1. Assume everything else in your life is manageable (e.g, your
family isn’t neglected, bills are paid, you don’t have to work, etc.)

2. Choose classes that you would want to take just for the fun of taking them. That
is, stay away from stuff that would get you a promotion at work or help you to
finish a degree or something like that. This is your chance to explore anything
you want.

3. Extra points for being specific.

4. Double extra points for telling me where you would want to spend your semester.

A: If I had to narrow it down to one semester, this would be my course schedule:

  • Survey/History of British Lit
  • History of Victorian and Edwardian England
  • Infrastructure 101 (A more in-depth, much smarter version of all those Discovery channel shows about utilities and transportation and stuff like that.) This class includes a two week “field trip” to learn about European passenger rail infrastructure.
  • Photography
  • Choir

As to where, I am tempted to say Cornell because it is a nice campus in a beautiful setting and is
kind of isolated. Cozy and big at the same time. Or someother similar campus in the Northeast.

Now tell me, what would you do? Go ahead, click the comment button…

The Year of Acquiring Nothing: Slips #2 and #3

Thomas2 Comments

Okay acquiring nothing is going to be harder than I thought.

#2: The existing 5-year old laptop has a serious virus that would require serious Geek Squad help. Rather than put the money into the old piece, we have ordered a new Dell, that has, thanks to advances in technology, a hard drive that has 12 times more capacity than the old one. (I guess this counts as a big slip.)

#3: Trying to plan a European train journey online is next to impossible. The resources just aren’t there unless you are taking an mainline route. So I broke down and bought the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable.

The Year of Acquiring Nothing?

Thomas1 Comment

Since we finally made the decision to start looking in earnest for a house to buy about this time next year, I have been thinking about ways to get us better prepared for that event. We have definitely been good about building up our savings and we have been even better at keeping our debt pretty much at zero, but I still feel like there is more that we could be doing.

Of course my getting back into the fulltime job market will be a key element–but that isn’t scheduled to happen until the end of August for various reasons. And we certainly need to refresh our memories about the process itself, find a agent we like and trust, the best way for us to structure the deal, etc. But it occurred to me that we could help ourselves out financially and logistically if we stopped acquiring “things” over the next year. We would obviously save money and we would have fewer things to move when we do find the right house. Of course not acquiring things for a year won’t put much of a dent in the overall amount of what will need to be moved, but hey, at least we won’t be adding to it.

The rules for this year of non-acquisition are a little squishy at the moment. I want it to be meaningful, but I also realize that there will be things that come along that aren’t “needs” but we feel are important nonetheless. For instance I know John is going to want to replace a few pots out in the garden and will be buying plants for the upcoming growing season. And I am going to start going to a sing-along group and there is a song book that I will have to buy. But these will be exceptions to the rules. Too often the inclination is to buy first and think about other options second. We are by no means shopaholics–not even close–but we do tend to buy what we want without thinking much about it or putting it into a larger context of its utility. This especially happens when we travel. Museum book/gift stores are probably are weakest moments.

And I should be truthful, I am not really proposing some set of austerity measures. We love to travel and have several trips already planned for the next year. So we sill still be spending money–and doing our bit to stimluate the economy–but there are lots of little things along the way that we don’t really need. And given that I have been blessed with the oppoturnity for so much wonderful travel, I don’t really need birthday or Christmas presents.

I haven’t talked to John about this yet. I think I can get him onboard–as long as I exempt his gardening budget. Still, I am determined to do it even if he decides not to. I love having a goal. I will let you all know when I fall off the wagon.

And don’t even get me started on the necessity for consumer spending to prop up all of our livlihoods. We consume, therefore we live to eat and breathe another day. And the crazy notion/reality that we have to consume our way to a more sustainble, green planet. Ridiculous of course, but it is a bind we seem to find ourselves in.