What’s this then? It’s a screen shot of six of the 26 individual spreadsheets that outline my finances for the year 2014. Don’t bother trying to read the data, it is edited. This graphic is intended to convey the concept of sophistication and organization. I thought I’d dispel a few crude notions that my plans are somehow on a par with Joe Office tackling his bank statement. No siree, we could hardly be more different. This is how a man who distrusts the system goes about planning his survival.
Around 90% of the values shown are formulas, but yes, I could tell you what each one represents. This is not a program, but spreadsheets I programmed cell by cell to project future behaviors based on past patterns. On the biggest projection of my life, I was only $7.12 out over nearly 27 years, so yes, I have bona fide faith in what’s derived here.As ever, I maintain a huge chunk of company pension plans are about to evaporate (where they now appear as assets on the books). Business cycles are seven years, so my now updated investment plans are based on 1952, not the war’s end. Billions of middle class pension “entitlement” dollars have to disappear between now and May, 2017 (1952 plus 65). If your job produces nothing and your pension is dependent on future tax revenues, poof. It’s gone. And the wolves will turn on each other.
And my 2014 is based on drops in stock values (dries up credit), another 35% drop in house prices and a mass of unemployment bringing everyday costs down to what people without credit cards can afford to pay. The newspapers are again saying real estate is on the rise. Total sales up 18% they claim. True, and if food prices went up tomorrow, so would those total sales.
All my life, I keep saying one day I will actually take a stat holiday off and do what everybody else does. But it hasn’t happened yet. Every holiday break represents an opportunity to do something. Sitting around with beer and gossip has never been my major pastime. My buddies and I talk, but ask any of them how idle gossip compares to the Niagaras of information in progress while we’re ostensibly drinking tea.
My music is trudging along, I have four tunes done without Ray-B’s rhythm. My show is not going to be professional music-wise, I’m not that good. But compared to some of the dry guitar acts in this cow-town, I’ll quickly find myself a small venue. I’m aiming for 15% completion by this weekend. I’ve learned to record the raw tracks in mono rather than to “master” anything, which caused me to set up yet another set of files to keep organized. The very purpose of this recorder was my own show, and all other music is secondary.
No matter how badly this goes, it still goes. I did another thing I was reluctant over, I added a keyboard rhythm to some of my Don Wilson tunes. I now have a small recording studio crammed into the back of the Florida room and I can’t walk over there without tripping over something. Trent is gonna laugh when he sees this mess. But we’re getting more productive by the minute as I learn to work this recorder. For instance, leave that effects light on or all your fancy settings don’t work.
I’m keeping an eye on miniature gear. That gal JP and I watched in Miami playing to her iPod is the nearest comparison to my show, except I’m going to try playing bass to see if that works. It would be nice to carry my act around in an MP3 player clipped on my belt. She had pro backing tracks and years of lessons. About as opposite from me as it gets.
JZ and I were in conference for nearly an hour. He reports some disturbing changes in the way employment laws are being enforced, including one of their employees snagged for under-deduction of taxes on her two part time jobs. Also, 100% of the Canadian applicants now have outstanding arrest warrants in that country. True, I told him that long ago but he had to see for himself. In Canada you are pretty much presumed guilty if arrested, and they know it. To the RCMP, arrest is just another strongarm tactic.
And the electronics club is at a standstill because we lack a laboratory. We are short right now at least $1,500 in gear and there is no place two men can get the elbow room to assemble anything. Alas, a lot of projects are not being built because we already know we can. That is, after examining some 1200 schematics for interesting or impressive circuits, most were rejected because the code was the only thing that differentiates the best pieces we could construct.
What’s this? Illinois has a new law that taxes mobile homes as high as framed houses. The scumbags. This lowers the overall advantages I’d calculated years ago. And for the few critics of my statement about e-mail not being private, those individuals must show their ignorance whenever they open their mouths. Tell you what. If you have g-mail, write an e-mail about “Digi-Key” to anybody you know. Don’t do a search, just write an e-mail containing that word. Within 4 hours, “Digi-Key” popup ads will begin appearing on your computer.
There’s feedback from my date already. She told a lot of people she found me to be “educated”. Much, one supposes, like Columbus found America. She has no transportation and does not seem naturally interested in any of the same things as I. If she is hiding surprises, I’d wonder why. Things got a little lackluster when I waited for her to contribute.
As it stands, I’d prefer somebody a little less nice who had more edge. I got the impression this lady would be nice to everybody. One sure way to get a quick ride home from me, ladies, is to be nice to the man who hits on you right after he sees me go to the washroom. Why not invite him to sit, so when I get back, I too can meet this wonderful, talkative chap? No names mentioned, Judy M. and Julie K.
I say no go on this one in the full understanding that I am no big prize myself. At least not according to the sixes. What? The sixes? That’s how studies reveal women judge men. You have to have the six sixes, which are: 6 figure salary, 6 feet tall, 6 pack abdomen, 6 inches, a 600 hp car, and 6 months since your last relationship.
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