Millie-Belle took Wallace out to the beach, this time after a full breakfast. But not until he gave the neighbor a tour of the forest. Still, how can he go to the beach without at least coffee and toast? I stayed behind to do some calculations, which Wallace, not having a background in TVM (time value of money) may not appreciate the significance. I had earlier spotted a two-month gap, December of 2018 and January of 2019 where my investments would not provide. It turned out to be a minor accounting error on my part, but that isn’t the point. The good news is that to reach my goal, instead of investing more money, I could be taking an extra $68.50 out of my savings per month now. That, son, is planning ahead.
Instead of waiting for the flak, I’ll tell you the “minor error”. Our illustrious government moved the goalposts, and advanced my normal retirement age by a year instead of ten months. Since I eventually want to “retire” in my mid- or late-50s, the very closest estimates are sometimes wrong. Before anybody tries it at home, I warn you that the planning stage for my retirement required years of the closest calculations which most of you cannot perform and that is that. You may believe that people born poor have a obligation to work hard for nothing. I do not.All this brings to mind empty middle-class lifestyles; have you seen the stats on foreclosures? What did I tell you 15 years ago? Ha! Do I feel sorry for people who borrowed more money than they can pay back? Sure. I will always help my middle-class neighbors as much as they helped me. I am now as ready as Dr. Gordon to hobble them with good advice when they are down and out. This is the year for so many to put that shoe on the other foot. [It's foreclosure time, folks!] Get your earplugs. Get two sets, just in case.
Then it was to the Panera for a Crib game, which had to be one of the strangest scoring games ever. The average hand was four points each, causing the play to last almost an hour. Back home, I found the ingredients to make two loaves of bread, baking it only because of confidence bolstered by Peggy. So far it has taken all afternoon so I am beginning to realize why good bread can get expensive. Later, the bread smells fantastic, but it turned out crumbly. We’ve decided to try a different recipe.
I reprogrammed the whole place for entertainment even though there is nothing on TV. How many times do you think they can re-run “Planet of the Apes”? As opposed to Clint Eastwood movies which can’t be shown too often. There is another stereotype I think Hollywood needs to get rid of. You know, that idiotic clone that runs along side the president’s limo with his hand on the fender. First of all, the US president should be driving his own damn car like the rest of us. Next, if US politicians are being shot, cancel all security until they mend their ways. Last, that tough guy act is so stale; like any serious assassin is going to be deterred by some jerk wearing white gloves. And that little wire thingee in his ear, and don’t you just love their 1960s sunglasses?
After thinking about the couple that want tax lessons, I’ve decided to decline and let them make a serious offer if they are truly interested. They balked at $54 for the last job, so how do they expect to afford private lessons from me? One of the dumbest things people can do is think to learn anything by watching me do it. The worst students are the ones who cannot accept anyone is smarter than they are and therefore everything is some kind of trick. If it all sounds so familiar, maybe you had brothers like mine.
I don’t review new products as strictly as those which (finally) meet a proper price-to-usefulness criteria. One such specification was a truly digital camcorder. There have been many substandard “digital” offerings. One example are those which put a digital signal on regular mylar tape, what a joke. Another is the units that burn optical disks, not quite as bad a joke. Today I saw a JVC camera with a 30 GB hard drive. None meet my standards because they all have moving parts. The JVC gets mention as a milestone but it carries a hefty price tag of $350 at Big Lots. It records MPEG 2.
I still have the DGX camera, but it has no viewfinder, eats batteries and also uses a non-editable format. Editable is a huge factor. Anything that requires the creation of a computer disk image before it can be worked on is a waste of everybody’s time.
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