Here’s my future housing plan for the 2010-2020 economy. Why, them seniors could put two of the 10x20 units together and have a dandy retirement up in Clewiston. Forget these $4,000 per month fees up in Condo Canyon. Why there is even a little window to remind them it isn’t a coffin. Sure, it is a little shy on electricity and plumbing, but hey, it is a storage shed.
Addendum on the scooter. I test drove it for 3 hours and 60 miles, which is five times any recommended period for taking it easy. It’s got a few rattles I can ignore and soon I’ll take it on a longer sustained trip to bolster confidence even further. I noticed the Florida tags now renew on your birth month rather than yearly from registration. So they can calculate to arrest you at your birthday party?
Since the scooter is so fast, I may drop over to the Panera to see how Pete is doing. See if he’s got that “financing package” together for this condo he’s been buying since 2008. Sincerely, the scooter is already paying for itself considering both its capital cost and the minor operation expenses to date. I’ll get more data but so far it looks like some 80+ miles per gallon. Thanks to the added speed, I spent half the day taking care of things that otherwise took days. Will I get spoiled?
Later, no sign of Pete the Rock a.k.a. Panera Pete. No sign of Dave-O either, so I scootered up to the Pro Bass Shop, where I balked at the $10 a gallon tag on white gas. Instead, I bought a $13 conversion stem to burn regular unleaded. Here’s the technical explanation. White gas is simply undyed aviation fuel, meaning an octane rating of 106. By contrast, unleaded is “dirtier” gas which comes in octanes of 92, 87, and 83. The lowest rating is $2.94 a gallon, so I’ll make my money back first trip. In case you are wondering, if you burn the 92 octane, the lamp burns hotter but not any brighter.
Sam Ash Music had a grand reopening after a complete remodel, which I attended and bought the last jaw harp (often mistakenly called a jew harp) left in Florida. I met some gorgeous babe in CFM boots who played an eight string electronic fiddle. Classy, talented, dressed to kill and my type. I love her so much and she doesn’t even know I’m alive. The round trip from here takes an hour and proves the actual fuel consumption if 95 mpg. This is why one should be leery of claims about cars getting 32 mpg, it just is not possible in the real world.
That also means I could make a trip of 1,000 miles for $20 in gasoline. I have not had that option in plenty of years. It is something to think about, as that would be the furthest I’ve traveled since 2003 and such a trip would likely require four days away. Unless bingo turns fantastic, I cannot afford that. What a change from the past when I could work and I had the money but not the four days.
In the due course of events, I just received a complete official history of my earnings during my career with the phone company. Don’t suppose I kept exact records as most people with a steady paycheck don’t. I was stunned. What on earth did I do with all that money? I know I spent $332,000 in taxes. Another say $160,000 in rent, as I never owned a house in that part of the country.
I spent $48,000 going to college and another $35,000 on cars. Assume I spent $210,000 traveling and I still cannot explain what the hell happened to the rest. I won’t say what my total was, but eat your hearts out. I had all the correct investments and insurances. In the end, all those two things did was delay my claims for the very assistance we think is there for us. It isn’t there. Be warned anyone who thinks they are set for the future. You are not set. And be double warned if you made any major mistakes because I didn’t and look.
