A day in the life of Fred

Blog hiatus

2007-08-06T22:00:58Z

I've gotten a few emails recently from friends whom I haven't seen in awhile, asking how I'm doing. Given the long time since I've posted to this blog, it's easy to imagine that something's come up. The answer is that yes, something came up. It's called summertime! I've given my outdoor activities higher priority than keeping this blog up to date. I've also been investing more time into volunteer work with the New Roadmap Foundation, Simple Living America, and the Simple Living Network. The result has been that I'm taking a break from blogging. I apologize for not being clear about that. :-)

Meanwhile, I'm happy to report that my first 100-mile trail race was a tremendous success. I ran the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 ( http://www.tahoemtnmilers.org/trt50/ ) in 28:03:26. It was so much fun that I can't believe this stuff is legal! I have already signed up for my next one: Javelina ( http://www.javelinajundred.com/ ).

When the rain and gloomy weather returns, maybe I'll finally get around to keeping this blog more current again. Until then, have a beautiful summer!

I can be reached at fredx@pobox.com or 415-425-0805.

That helpless feeling

2007-03-27T00:28:31Z

I've found myself feeling helpless sometimes as I hear the news lately. Recent developments in international relations don't look good. In particular, it's the petropolitics that get me worrying. When I see Iran's strong stance against the US and EU, Iraq's civil war, and resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, I feel helpless to curb the increasing violence in our world.

I stewed on it a little more, and felt better knowing that I am trying to do my part. I think the most important vote is the one we make with our actions. It's essential to live our financial lives in alignment with our values. If we stand for peace and a sustainable environment, we have to live our own lives with that in mind. I think one big way to accomplish this is to buy only what we will really enjoy to the fullest, and to use it to its end. It seems like the big impacts can be found in flying as little as possible, driving an older fuel-efficient vehicle (or better yet, walking, cycling, and taking transit), not reproducing, and focusing on social interaction over buying "stuff".

I do try. I sometimes wonder when I've bought some new widget, what the person in the factory in the developing world thought as they made the widget. It's downright freaky how we all seem to live like kings and queens in this culture, yet it's never enough...

Flights to far-flung destinations for the weekend enable dictators in oil-rich nations. If we can find our satisfaction locally and frugally, there's enough for everyone.

Two American Dreams

2007-03-23T20:22:32Z

Here's an article I ran across today, illustrating two entirely different dreams: http://www.greenmoneyjournal.com/article.mpl?newsletterid=40&articleid=538

I like the authors' style. I wonder if their book is similarly good...

Ah, springtime...

2007-03-23T19:48:08Z

Success! On Tuesday, the mast finally went back up on the Lucky Duck. That ended three tough months of working on the boat with a big honkin' mast in the way of everything. The mast is much longer than the boat, so it overhung both ends, had ropes & cables & wires strung around everywhere, making a huge mess. I was working on it in between winter storms and other things in life. Meanwhile, I just wanted to enjoy the boat! Well, it's finally done, and the sailing weather is now supreme. Best of all, I now trust the mast to stay aloft through anything I'll throw at it. Life is good!

So of course now today as I sit at home on our houseboat next door, I'm watching little birds consider making their nest in my mainsail on the boom. They'll figure out soon enough that it's a bad choice of residence. I'll be out on the Bay again within a few days. Still, it's sweet to watch birds starting to nest as Spring arrives.

Little by little, I'm finding a comfortable balance of work and pleasure in life. In addition to editing and writing for the Simple Living Network's Newsletter ( http://www.simpleliving.net/ ), I've been chosen to write a piece for Simple Living America's upcoming book: "GET SATISFIED: How Twenty People Like You Found the Satisfaction of Enough" (more at http://www.simplelivingamerica.org/ and http://www.getsatisfied.org/ ). Meanwhile, the New Roadmap Foundation ( http://www.newroadmap.org/ ) is being reinvigorated, which I'm very excited about. These are the folks who created "Your Money Or Your Life".

Activism, trail running, and sailing. It's a beautiful world!

Anyone wanna c'mon out for a day on the Bay? I'll stock the icebox.

Reimagine Money

2007-03-12T19:34:21Z

These folks look fascinating: http://www.reimaginemoney.org/

Their Resources section gives loads of pointers to blogs, organizations, events, and so on. Wow!

California Report clip on foreclosures

2007-03-12T19:00:04Z

Here it is:

http://www.californiareport.org/domains/californiareport/archive.jsp?date=20070311
http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/tcr/2007/03/2007-03-12-tcr.mp3

It's a short clip; the foreclosures piece is the second segment:

--
Foreclosures Mounting as Rates Rise
In the first 2 months of this year, banks foreclosed on nearly 6500 California homes. Thousands more homeowners have received delinquency notices, meaning they're behind on their payments and could eventually lose their homes. Critics say this is the ultimate result of a mortgage industry that in recent years pushed people into homes they couldn't afford.
--

I think pointing fingers at the mortgage industry or at the borrowers is pointless (pun intended). The simple fact is that this is yet another example of why it's a risky endeavor to spend money before earning it. Debt-free life is, well, free!

Inspiration

2007-03-12T18:42:44Z

Wow, check this out: http://www.bloggingawaydebt.com/

This was mentioned in a recent New York Times article, pointed out to me by the fine folks in the New Roadmap Foundation's Speakers Bureau ("FI Associates"). At a mere glance, I'm impressed by how inspirational it is to see folks actively working at hammering down their debt and building savings. I love her entry of March 11th about her motivation to pay off debt. It's beautiful.

On the "California Report" this morning (a statewide public radio program put together by local KQED Radio), there was a clip about the massive increase in foreclosures in California. People are literally being thrown out of their homes because they went too far into debt. I'll post a pointer to the clip later on, once it's available online.

Many of the persistent problems in our world, from overwork and loss of community to environmental troubles, develop from the same root economic cause: debt. I came to this conclusion after working in the field of environmental activism for a number of years. The big environmental organizations would attack a few "Big Bad Guys", with no significant impact on our system of environmental destruction. Why do we burn so much fossil fuel? Because we have to get to work in a hurry. We can't spare the time to ride a bike or use transit, because we have to work more to try and catch up with the payments on the car loan and the mortgage and the credit cards, and so on. If we can just get out of debt, hey, we're free! We can work just enough to cover basic necessities, or work more and bank the extra cash to take time off later. We can cook! We can garden. We can play with our pets. We can be lazy, and goof off. Who cares?

It's funny; Ann and I come from different backgrounds on this. She was raised to be frugal. It's natural for her -- she doesn't lust for more shiny new toys. For me, well, it didn't come so easily. I had to go do it, and get burned. I bought new cars twice (I don't learn quickly!). I went $12k into credit card debt. What finally did it for me was hating full-time work, but having to do it to make the payments. It was soooo hard on days like today, when the sun is shining, the birds are singing, it's warm, and I was in a cubicle. I decided to pay off those credit cards, and started sending a thousand dollars a month there. It took a solid year of thousand-dollar payments to get rid of that debt (yeah, duh, I'm good at math, too!). It made a hell of an impression on me. But hey, after that, I saved a little bit, and quit my job for a few months, debt-free. That ruled! What can I say, I like goofing off...

Perspective

2007-02-16T06:32:29Z

It appears the fine folks at Latitude 38 (my fave sailing rag) gained some perspective recently down island:

http://www.latitude38.com/LectronicLat/2007/0207/Feb12/Feb12.html#anchor1077949

It's always nice to hear from others who likewise don't get so stirred up over silly news items. After all, we've been having some splendid weather lately, and I've been making good progress on sailboat projects rather than blogging. Pardon my absence; it's been fun. :-)

Molly Ivins, 1944-2007

2007-02-01T01:06:20Z

We lost a mighty fine hellraiser today. Molly Ivins has moved on.

http://www.alternet.org/story/47484/

I'll miss her. I saw her speak once, and nearly wet my pants in laughter! Sigh...

Whoa, where'd THAT come from?!

2007-01-30T03:40:14Z

Today's Marketplace program on NPR had this clip:

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2007/01/29/PM200701297.html

That's the strangest clip I've ever heard in this program! Give it a listen -- it's just two and a half minutes long.

It's funny, because I can identify with the sentiment. I've taken on some unusual living arrangements myself over the years. I've lived in vans on two occasions: one for six months, the other for two. Housing in big cities can be astonishingly expensive, and finding a way around that bill takes some ingenuity, but the payoff can be huge.

It sure is nice having a kitchen, though!

Okay, so sometimes technology is pretty cool...

2007-01-23T19:20:51Z

I must say, Google Earth blows me away. It's awesome to take a gander at trails I run, using the satellite view. Here's my usual jaunt, which I've come to nickname "the gym":

http://www.google.com/maps?client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&channel=s&q=&z=15&ll=37.680424,-122.424474&spn=0.021364,0.037894&t=h&om=1

The weather has been la creme de la creme here lately, and I'm loving it. Life is good! :-)

Income vs. Expenses

2007-01-19T20:22:42Z

I've run across a couple of items in the past few days which relate income and expenses. One was an article discussing car expenses, saying that folks shouldn't spend more than about 20% of their income on their cars. Another was a piece on retirement, estimating post-retirement expenses as some percentage of pre-retirement income.

I don't get it. Why would someone earning $60k/year spend twice as much as someone earning $30k? I've never quite understood that. Do high-income people eat more? Wear more clothing? Need bigger beds and cushier cars?

I used to make a good corporate wage as a software engineer. But even then, a bicycle was fine transportation, and a burrito was a plenty-big meal. All the estimates I see out there in the popular press tell me that I "need" thousands of dollars a month to live now, yet my baseline expenses total not much over $500/month.

I just think it's weird the way a person's expenses are expected to be related to their income. I mean, why?

Kindred spirits

2007-01-16T17:48:06Z

As I browsed the current issue of Trail Runner last night, I ran across an interview with Anton Krupicka. He's the guy who won the Leadville Trail 100 footrace last year (100 miles of trails up high in the Rocky Mountains). As I started reading the interview, I found myself giggling. Here's an excerpt:

----------------------------------------------------

How do you find time to run so much?

I run twice daily, four days a week, but even on those days, I fit the majority of my mileage into a two-and-a-half to three-hour morning run. Then I do a much shorter run in the evening, usually with other people. On the weekends, I run just once eacch day for three to six hours. I usually end up running alone because not many people want to run as early or as far.

Tell me about your self-proclaimed "cheap bastard" lifestyle.

[Laughs] I guess my standards of living are different than most folks. I have no problem sleeping on the floor, eating month-old bagels salvaged from the local shop, not buying new clothes, not going out to eat or wearing shoes with my toes poking out.

So what do you spend money on?

I spend my money with a few important thoughts in mind: (a) the less money I spend on trivial, inconsequential crap, the more resources I will have to pay for activities that actually mean something to me like traveling and running the mountains; (b) contributing to our society's hegemonic, environment- and humanity-destroying fasco-industrialist corporatocracy through mindless conpicuous consumerism is not at all fulfilling to me; and (c) the things you own, end up owning you -- and I like being free. My lifestyle is relatively emblematic of my oblivious youth. I'm enjoying the general blitheness and nonchalance that is pretty much only possible when in concert with profound ignorance.

----------------------------------------------------

Well, you've gotta admit, he has his opinions! I'd love to meet this guy someday.

Looking forward to filing my tax return

2007-01-16T17:26:56Z

I used to dread doing my taxes, but in recent years I find myself looking forward to filling out the forms and getting the task done for another year. It doesn't cost any money; I've lived below taxable levels for five years now.

Saying that invokes the impression of living in poverty, sleeping on friends' couches, mooching food, and depending on public health assistance. The reality is quite the opposite. I'm consistently surprised at how high taxable income levels really are. For 2007, a single taxpayer earning $21850 can easily slip below the tax line by contributing the max to a deductible IRA and an HSA. In 2008, that amount will increase by more than a thousand dollars as IRA deductions jump to $5000.

I'm not against paying my fair share for services I use. Believe me, I paid a lot of tax back when I worked in the corporate world! I anticipate paying tax again, too. I'm merely determined to try and avoid paying into Bush's war at least until he's removed from office. I'm horrified by what's going on, and voting with my dollars.

Regardless of political stance, the fact remains that filing taxes became a simple task for me after I reduced my number of accounts and maximized my IRA and HSA deductible contributions. I just wish my 1099 would arrive, so I can get it off my "things to do" list!

Yow, how'd it get to be 2007 already?!

2007-01-09T19:13:40Z

Sheesh, when I wasn't looking, someone updated the year. I need to get used to writing "'07" on things now, eh?

Ann and I are back from Mexico now. As it worked out, we *froze*! I didn't realize that the Copper Canyon isn't far enough south to have the dry winter experienced by most of Mexico. To the contrary, we got hit by two storm systems! The first dropped a bunch of rain down low in Urique Canyon where we were, and blocked the mountain pass out of there with snow and ice for a few days. The second storm came while we were up high in Creel, giving us freezing rain, about 6" of snow, and lots of ice. I mean hey, it was all gorgeous, but we're happy to be home. :-)

In other news, our new personal fiscal years have begun. The time has arrived to make those IRA contributions and HSA deposits. There's still three months left to make IRA contributions for 2006, and 2007 contributions can be made now. It makes sense to contribute as soon as possible, since the savings begin growing in a tax-advantaged way from the date of the deposit. Why wait until April 14th of next year?

Speaking of Health Savings Accounts, I came home to a pleasant surprise. A few months ago, I had my ears cleaned out (one of them had plugged up with earwax). I received the statement in the mail while I was away. It turns out that by using an HSA, I not only am able to pay the bill with pre-tax dollars, but the amount of the bill is reduced to the agreed price with the high-deductible insurer. Therefore, a $110 bill not only is paid out of pre-tax money, but the bill was reduced to $82.50. Very cool. Meanwhile, the money I don't spend from my HSA will grow tax-deferred (just like a traditional IRA), and can be withdrawn without penalty after I turn 65.

So here we are. It's January. Time to put finances in order for another year. And then I get get going on the myriad projects I'm puttering away on the sailboat. Anyone have any fantastic ideas for how to remove a stainless steel clevis pin from an aluminum casting after it's corroded in there by 35 years of salty spray?

Cool find of the day

2006-12-12T19:09:49Z

I was poking around to find the website of an author whose work is in the current Simple Living Network newsletter ( http://www.simpleliving.net ), and when I found it, I was impressed with what I saw. Check it out:

http://www.mishakennedy.com/
http://reallivingzine.blogspot.com/
http://www.mishakennedy.com/realliving.html/

Nice work, Michelle!

In other news, I finally overcame a major blockage in my life. There's a ton of work to be done on the mast of the Lucky Duck (my sailboat). It's so much work that going up and down the mast to do it wasn't reasonable. Specialized tools like a blowtorch and grinder will be required. In short, I needed to drop the mast. I was intimidated as hell by the prospect. It's over three stories tall, and weighs probably 200 pounds. If it were to be irreparably damaged in the process, that would be the end of the boat (it's an old boat, not worth much of anything, and a new mast would be prohibitively expensive).

I put the project off for three months. Finally, I did it on Sunday. It was a lot of work, and high stakes. It didn't go perfectly as planned, but I got it done without significant damage. Yay! Now I'm looking at all the projects, and waiting for the rain to stop so I can get to work. :-)

The folks around me now see my sailboat with the mast laying down, and I keep having to tell them that yes, I did this on purpose! It took a period of hours, not seconds! :-O

No Western States this year, but...

2006-12-07T17:27:23Z

I went to the Western States lottery on Saturday to see if I'd be drawn as a participant in the race next June (see http://www.ws100.com/ ). Alas, I wasn't drawn. I'll apply again next year, of course!

So then I hunted around for another similar endeavor, and signed up for this: http://www.tahoemtnmilers.org/trt50/ I'll attempt the 100-mile run, which means close to 20,000 feet of elevation gain. Wheee! I think it'll be an awesome challenge.

I needed a goal. Now I have something to work toward. I just hope I can accomplish it! I've never attempted anything so daunting before.

So hey, if you'd like, c'mon out to Lake Tahoe that weekend, and watch a bunch of nutcases run all day, all night, and into the next day!

New vs. Used

2006-11-30T01:19:43Z

Here's a conundrum: Is it less desirable to buy new clothing than second-hand?

I typically buy clothing at thrift stores. I find all sorts of nice-looking shirts there, along with my ever-present shorts (I'm a Hawaiian shirt & shorts guy), for a steal.

But with the weather turning cold, I wanted to pick up a few long-sleeve t-shirts for running. I also wanted a pair of fleece sweatpants to put over jeans for extra warmth when I'm out on the sailboat. I picked these items up at Target today. It's easier to find these things new than used (I didn't want the t-shirts to be advertisements, which limits the thrift store selection).

I prefer to get things used, giving more life to existing products rather than making new ones. But come to think of it, I usually wear clothing until it is completely worn out. So it's not like I'm buying something which will be discarded early in its lifespan. To the contrary, my clothing doesn't go in the trash before it has big holes in it, and has been torn up and used as rags for awhile first.

I do miss living in the middle of San Francisco, where I could easily toss worn out shoes on the sidewalk for homeless folks to take and use. Now I have about three pairs to be discarded in some fruitful fashion...

Turkey Day in the desert

2006-11-27T21:37:12Z

Ann and I returned yesterday from Death Valley, where we've camped since Wednesday. It was a gorgeous time to be there, even though I should've paid more attention to average temperatures before packing (it was chilly!). Returning was kinda tough, as we found ourselves in the midst of the holiday traffic going home last night. Still, it was worth the trouble; we had a fine time in the sunshine and total silence of backcountry Death Valley.

And now I suppose the holiday shopping season is getting into gear. Sure enough, there's a good "beware" article in the SF Chronicle:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/11/26/BUGUDMJF0F1.DTL&type=printable

To give a little perspective to the numbers in that article, given about 110 million households in the US, the $2.4 trillion of consumer debt works out to just about $22,000 per household (that's excluding mortgage debt). The $12.3 trillion including mortgages (and home equity loans) means about $112,000 per household, on average. Keep in mind these averages include the elderly folks with no mortgage and no consumer debt, so for many people, these amounts are higher.

Debt is a deep hole with a very slippery slope. My personal perspective is that debt is the reason Americans work so hard. We wouldn't take our jobs so seriously if we didn't have to make those monthly payments...

What are y'all's holiday plans this year? Will your debt level increase, decrease, or stay about the same? Likewise, how about stress? Any ideas for how to keep it sane?

Friedman's Watch

2006-11-21T08:39:53Z

Milton Friedman, the Nobel Prize-winning economist, passed away last Thursday. While his departure is of course notable, what struck me was this article in the SF Chronicle:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/11/17/BUGPHME5FM42.DTL

The reporter, David Lazarus, was either joking or he really didn't get it. The way I read it, I think he just didn't get it. He was obviously surprised to see a person of Friedman's stature living modestly, wearing a cheap watch.

But what would Friedman have to prove by wearing an expensive watch? Friedman was already comfortable and confident, so he had no reason to spend big money trying to impress people.

If the reporter had read "The Millionaire Next Door" (there's a good review online at http://www.stretcher.com/stories/970616c.cfm ), he might have clued in.

If the reporter had noticed that Warren Buffett lives in the same small house he bought in 1958, he might have noticed a trend. As Buffett says, "It's dumb to let possessions rule you."

Confident people don't wear expensive watches. I'm guessing that reporter does. :-)

Bleagh, winter!

2006-11-13T22:42:36Z

As time has passed since my years in the full-time corporate environment, my interests in life have increasingly moved to the world outdoors. The trouble is, that has made me more dependent on the weather. Running, sailing, backpacking, and cycling just aren't such great fun in the pouring rain. Yet here I am, staring Winter in the face again. It's getting tougher each year to hang in there through the rainy winters here. Last year saw me getting a little weird with cabin fever by the end of March. I hope not to repeat that experience.

Ann and I are planning a short jaunt to Death Valley for some backcountry hiking next week. That'll be a short trip, but it'll likely be sunny and warm. Better yet will be our holiday plans for a few weeks together in Mexico's Copper Canyon (Barranca del Cobre). While we'll have to return from Death Valley together (there's no transit there), Ann has offered to return from the Copper Canyon alone, leaving me there for a more extended stay. I'm drooling already! I've been there before, briefly in 2000. It tickled my fancy, and I've been wanting to get back there ever since. I'll try to set it up as an open-ended trip lasting anywhere from two weeks to multiple months.

I hope to do a few things with the journey. I'll get away from Winter. I'll work on my Spanish. I'll chat with the locals. And I'll run. A lot.

I picked up a copy of Dean Karnazes' "Ultramarathon Man" book yesterday, and I'm already halfway through it. For those who aren't familiar with his hijinks, Karnazes is famous for running insane distances (up to 300 miles non-stop). I love his passion and fanaticism. The world has enough "reasonable" people. It's fun to see other nutcases out there. :-)

So today it's pouring rain as I type this. I'm on the lookout for a topo map of the Copper Canyon, a great big hydration pack (does anyone make a 4-liter model?), and in the mean time, some warm clothing for running in the California Winter.

I have mixed emotions about my application to the Western States Endurance Run. There's about a 50/50 chance I'll be drawn in the lottery, and I've been going back and forth between hoping I'm not drawn this year, and hoping I am. Right now, I want it so bad I can taste it. I'm feeling like a true fanatic today. :-)

Bipartisanship

2006-11-08T17:51:19Z

So, now that the Democrats have retaken the House after twelve long years, should they extend an olive branch to the Republicans and offer to work together?

My personal opinion is HELL NO. It's been a very long twelve years of Gingrich, impeachment, special interests, vicious attacks, and the Bush administration's total unwillingness to compromise in any way. I think it's about time all that is stopped. Even if the result is total gridlock, I think that would be far preferable to the railroading we've been through.

Opinions?

The Green Festival returns this weekend

2006-11-07T18:32:07Z

I've participated in the Green Festival each year for a few years now, and will again this weekend:

http://www.greenfestivals.org/content/view/7/29/

If you haven't been to one, I recommend it. It's a sort of trade show of "good" organizations. The real draw for me is the lineup of speakers. The program is online here:

http://www.greenfestivals.org/content/blogcategory/44/107/

As usual there are too many speakers I want to see, and too little time for everything. It's all very exciting, and energizing! The place gets *packed*, which speaks volumes of the general populace's interest in a green future.

Ride a bike, and get in for half price. :-) Better yet, volunteer, and get in for free!

Latest newsletter is up!

2006-11-07T18:16:56Z

Check it out:

http://www.simpleliving.net/main/custom.asp?recid=1

We have a good variety of articles in this one. There's some helpful holiday ideas, personal stories, spiritual stuff, and financial advice. I'm proud of how our holiday edition turned out. :-)

Glum news

2006-11-03T16:03:49Z

This news hit the mainstream press yesterday:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6108414.stm

Quoting the article, "In 2003, 29% of open sea fisheries were in a state of collapse, defined as a decline to less than 10% of their original yield."

Wow, nearly a third of the fish caught in the open ocean had crashed to less than a tenth of their former population.

Meanwhile, there's this, too:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6114250.stm

Quoting the World Meteorological Organization researcher in the article, "To really make CO2 level off we will need more drastic measures than are in the Kyoto Protocol today."

But the USA won't even ratify Kyoto, let alone consider anything more drastic.

It's all happening much faster than anticipated, but it's still a very slow-motion train wreck to us humans. Anything that takes a lifetime to occur isn't something we can easily recognize and do something about.