Fall Banter and General Discussion

[powderfreak]

7 minutes ago, WxWatcher007 said:

 

I guess we’re all feeling the heat.

Good to know I'm not alone.

I have friends that are planning to have kids in the next 5 years at my age, and I have friends who have 10 and 12 year olds.  Who knows.

[the ghost of leroy]

9 minutes ago, PhineasC said:

Mid-20s to mid-30s is basically the most important decade of your life. It will set you on the path you are likely to follow for the rest of your life. You should be making major moves and rapid progressions in relationships, education, and your career. There seems to be a trend these days by some people to treat that decade as basically extended young adult party time, and I think that sets them on a less-fruitful path. Let me tell you that it is a real gut punch to suddenly wake up nearing age 40 still living basically the same life you lived when you were 23... 

Just my take anyway, everyone is different in terms of goals.

Do you still have the same foot fetish you did in your twenties or have you moved onto classier stuff? 
 

[PhineasC]

1 minute ago, the ghost of leroy said:

Do you still have the same foot fetish you did in your twenties or have you moved onto classier stuff? 
 

Yeah, your mom sends me some good stuff.

[the ghost of leroy]

Just now, PhineasC said:

Yeah, your mom sends me some good stuff.

Dude she’s got the grossest veins

[Damage In Tolland]

8 minutes ago, powderfreak said:

Good to know I'm not alone.

I have friends that are planning to have kids in the next 5 years at my age, and I have friends who have 10 and 12 year olds.  Who knows.

 

[powderfreak]

17 minutes ago, PhineasC said:

Mid-20s to mid-30s is basically the most important decade of your life. It will set you on the path you are likely to follow for the rest of your life. You should be making major moves and rapid progressions in relationships, education, and your career. There seems to be a trend these days by some people to treat that decade as basically extended young adult party time, and I think that sets them on a less-fruitful path. Let me tell you that it is a real gut punch to suddenly wake up nearing age 40 still living basically the same life you lived when you were 23... 

Just my take anyway, everyone is different in terms of goals.

Is that your experience (just curious)?  When did you start your company?

I never look at it as adult party time (not my style, I'd rather converse with strangers on a weather forum on a Friday night I guess)... but I'll be honest my life picture probably looked like a country song lyrics lol.  I just need a place to live, someone to share life with, a dog, and I value being able to spend a considerable amount of time outside in the mountains above most else.  Maybe I was brainwashed by the "do what you love" bullshit but I definitely made my defining decision after college when a long time girlfriend and I had finished with Economics and Accounting degrees, but she was moving back to Boston to work in a bank and I just couldn't do it.  I used to post on these boards from the North Shore of Mass back in like 2006 at times, lol.  Ended up splitting up and I stayed in VT, got into marketing at a ski resort, skied 100 days a year for a decade, and sort of followed the path from there.

I never saw myself in a 4,000 square foot house wearing a suit and tie (college girlfriend definitely did), but that's probably classic for this generation who was told to avoid the rat race and go for peace of mind.  I figure I'm doing all the activities in the mountains on the daily that my body may not be able to do whenever retirement would come, ha.

[Damage In Tolland]

 

 

[PhineasC]

Just now, powderfreak said:

Is that your experience (just curious)?

I never look at it as adult party time (not my style, I'd rather converse with strangers on a weather forum on a Friday night I guess)... but I'll be honest my life picture probably looked like a country song lyrics lol.  I just need a place to live, someone to share life with, a dog, and I value being able to spend a considerable amount of time outside in the mountains above most else.  Maybe I was brainwashed by the "do what you love" bullshit but I definitely made my defining decision after college when a long time girlfriend and I had finished with Economics and Accounting degrees, but she was moving back to Boston to work in a bank and I just couldn't do it.  Split up and I stayed in VT, got into marketing at a ski resort, skied 100 days a year for a decade, and sort of followed the path from there.

I never saw myself in a 4,000 square foot house wearing a suit and tie, but that's probably classic for this generation who was told to avoid the rat race and go for peace of mind.  I figure I'm doing all the activities in the mountains on the daily that my body may not be able to do whenever retirement would come, ha.

There is nothing wrong with not having kids. People shouldn't succumb to peer or family pressure on that. My post was not specifically about kids, just life in general. Whatever your goals are, the decade from mid-20s to mid-30s is really when you need to start bending things into alignment to get there. If your goal is to live and work in the mountains and enjoy outdoor experiences, then you take certain actions to make that a reality and ensure things stay that way. If your goal is to be the next Elon Musk, you take different actions to try to make that happen.

I have always been a very driven and risk-taking person. I was really restless in my 20s and tried to cross off as many milestones as possible. Some people in my peer group definitely decided to have a lot more fun during that decade than I did and now they are in a small apartment living that same bachelor life and trying to jumpstart their careers well into their 40s. I find that a little sad, at least for those who are clearly unhappy with that being their lot in life. Some people are OK with a frugal, simple life and that's fine too.

[mreaves]

4 hours ago, HIPPYVALLEY said:

It was my favorite place to go as a kid!  I loved going to their headquarters down near Fenway park.  Lechmeres in Cambridge was another classic. 

And the catalogs 

[WhitinsvilleWX]

2 hours ago, powderfreak said:

  Getting close to shit or get off the pot time with kids.  Wife turns 30 this year and I’ll be hitting mid-30s... that kid decision yay or nay is barreling at us fast.  

 

Eh, I was 45 when my youngest was born. My wife was 38. You have time.

[bwt3650]

8 minutes ago, powderfreak said:

Is that your experience (just curious)?  When did you start your company?

I never look at it as adult party time (not my style, I'd rather converse with strangers on a weather forum on a Friday night I guess)... but I'll be honest my life picture probably looked like a country song lyrics lol.  I just need a place to live, someone to share life with, a dog, and I value being able to spend a considerable amount of time outside in the mountains above most else.  Maybe I was brainwashed by the "do what you love" bullshit but I definitely made my defining decision after college when a long time girlfriend and I had finished with Economics and Accounting degrees, but she was moving back to Boston to work in a bank and I just couldn't do it.  I used to post on these boards from the North Shore of Mass back in like 2006 at times, lol.  Ended up splitting up and I stayed in VT, got into marketing at a ski resort, skied 100 days a year for a decade, and sort of followed the path from there.

I never saw myself in a 4,000 square foot house wearing a suit and tie (college girlfriend definitely did), but that's probably classic for this generation who was told to avoid the rat race and go for peace of mind.  I figure I'm doing all the activities in the mountains on the daily that my body may not be able to do whenever retirement would come, ha.

Having kids was the best decision I ever made.   My oldest is 8 now and its funny how much they turn out like you.  His biggest passions are weather and skiing (specifically, hurricane tracking).  Its so funny when he shows me an "area of interest" on his weather app and gets exited like when I hear about a -epo..  I never pushed him into anything, but its like at that age, they just want to be like you.  Coolest feeling in the world and I know a time will come when they go through that age where they want nothing to do with me, but I'll soak it all up for now.  Don't get me wrong, the three of them can be little assholes at time, and the parents that say their kids aren't are lying, but cant we all.  You can live the life you want without the suit and tie, picket fence and all the bs that goes along with it and still have kids.  You just have to make time for the important stuff...and you have to be ready.  I def was not in my later 20s.

[greenmtnwx]

I’ve got four, oldest 18, youngest 9, wouldn’t be the same without them. 

[powderfreak]

1 minute ago, PhineasC said:

There is nothing wrong with not having kids. People shouldn't succumb to peer or family pressure on that. My post was not specifically about kids, just life in general. Whatever your goals are, the decade from mid-20s to mid-30s is really when you need to start bending things into alignment to get there. If your goal is to live and work in the mountains and enjoy outdoor experiences, then you take certain actions to make that a reality and ensure things stay that way. If your goal is to be the next Elon Musk, you take different actions to try to make that happen.

I have always been a very driven and risk-taking person. I was really restless in my 20s and tried to cross off as many milestones as possible. Some people in my peer group definitely decided to have a lot more fun during that decade than I did and now they are in a small apartment living that same bachelor life and trying to jumpstart their careers well into their 40s. I find that a little sad, at least for those who are clearly unhappy with that being their lot in life. Some people are OK with a frugal, simple life and that's fine too.

I've always been a little jealous of that type of drive but then again I felt pretty strong in my convictions that I wanted to be selfish and enjoy the mountains.  You've done a different path and now enjoy the mountains later in life but from a sick perch that could house a baseball team.  I also have friends who seem to fit your description, still living around the Albany area, renting not gaining equity and more annoyed that the bars are closed for COVID than anything else.  Not judging them in anyway, they seem to have fun.  Also have two friends who went into law enforcement instead of college and their life seems identical as it was when they were 20 and fresh out of the Academy, patrolling the streets they grew up on which is admirable.

Anyone who knows me knows that mountains, snow and skiing are what I want to be near so as long as that is happening, I'll never be *that* unhappy.  Definitely varies from person to person.

Do you mind me asking when you started your company?  When did you *make it* as they say?

[WhitinsvilleWX]

I spent my mid 20’s to mid 30’s in grad school, med school and in a hospital. I had no time for much else. 

[PhineasC]

Just now, powderfreak said:

I've always been a little jealous of that type of drive but then again I felt pretty strong in my convictions that I wanted to be selfish and enjoy the mountains.  You've done a different path and now enjoy the mountains later in life but from a sick perch that could house a baseball team.  I also have friends who seem to fit your description, still living around the Albany area, renting not gaining equity and more annoyed that the bars are closed for COVID than anything else.  Not judging them in anyway, they seem to have fun.  Also have two friends who went into law enforcement instead of college and their life seems identical as it was when they were 20 and fresh out of the Academy, patrolling the streets they grew up on which is admirable.

Anyone who knows me knows that mountains, snow and skiing are what I want to be near so as long as that is happening, I'll never be *that* unhappy.  Definitely varies from person to person.

Do you mind me asking when you started your company?  When did you *make it* as they say?

I've been at this for about a decade. Saw an opportunity and jumped straight off the building with no expectation there would be a net to catch me. I quit my 9-5 on a whim one evening and decided I was going to give it a shot myself. It's been incredibly stressful. Last 2 years or so I have been able to ease off of the day-to-day somewhat and start enjoying life a little more. There are many jokes and old stories about how some men spend all their lives rushing and grinding to make money so when they are old they can finally live the kind of life you are living right now.  keep that in mind.

https://bemorewithless.com/the-story-of-the-mexican-fisherman/

[powderfreak]

Just now, bwt3650 said:

Having kids was the best decision I ever made.   My oldest is 8 now and its funny how much they turn out like you.  His biggest passions are weather and skiing (specifically, hurricane tracking).  Its so funny when he shows me an "area of interest" on his weather app and gets exited like when I hear about a -epo..  I never pushed him into anything, but its like at that age, they just want to be like you.  Coolest feeling in the world and I know a time will come when they go through that age where they want nothing to do with me, but I'll soak it all up for now.  Don't get me wrong, the three of them can be little assholes at time, and the parents that say their kids aren't are lying, but cant we all.  You can live the life you want without the suit and tie, picket fence and all the bs that goes along with it and still have kids.  You just have to make time for the important stuff...and you have to be ready.  I def was not in my later 20s.

That statement is what every one of my friend's who has kids say.  Though they also say if you wait till you think you are financially ready, you will never have them.

[ORH_wxman]

Had my first when I was 34. Have two now...older one is 4 and younger one is 1. They make me laugh a ton. It’s pretty underrated how funny young kids are.

I don’t think I woulda been ready in my 20s but who knows for sure. Might have forced me to grow up a lot faster too, lol. 

[PhineasC]

3 minutes ago, WhitinsvilleWX said:

I spent my mid 20’s to mid 30’s in grad school, med school and in a hospital. I had no time for much else. 

Definitely a set path for those who go into medicine. Law is the same way. There is a rite of passage period where you are absolutely beat to shit as a junior lawyer at a big firm to earn your stripes.

[WhitinsvilleWX]

2 minutes ago, PhineasC said:

Definitely a set path for those who go into medicine. Law is the same way. There is a rite of passage period where you are absolutely beat to shit as a junior lawyer at a big firm to earn your stripes.

An MD/PhD will for sure beat the hell out of you. 

[Baroclinic Zone]

12 minutes ago, ORH_wxman said:

Had my first when I was 34. Have two now...older one is 4 and younger one is 1. They make me laugh a ton. It’s pretty underrated how funny young kids are.

I don’t think I woulda been ready in my 20s but who knows for sure. Might have forced me to grow up a lot faster too, lol. 

It’s been amazing watching each of us grow, mature through the years.  Can’t believe mine is in her senior year and my wife and I will be celebrating 20yrs next year.

[powderfreak]

6 minutes ago, PhineasC said:

I've been at this for about a decade. Saw an opportunity and jumped straight off the building with no expectation there would be a net to catch me. I quit my 9-5 on a whim one evening and decided I was going to give it a shot myself. It's been incredibly stressful. Last 2 years or so I have been able to ease off of the day-to-day somewhat and start enjoying life a little more. There are many jokes and old stories about how some men spend all their lives rushing and grinding to make money so when they are old they can finally live the kind of life you are living right now.  keep that in mind.

https://bemorewithless.com/the-story-of-the-mexican-fisherman/

Love those stories.  Just quit and do your own thing, whatever that may be.  Anyway, much respect for the risk and hard work.

[powderfreak]

3 minutes ago, WhitinsvilleWX said:

An MD/PhD will for sure beat the hell out of you. 

My father went that PhD route in Emergency Medicine and he started with me at 38 years old... and had two more after that.  He always says he didn't have time to breath until he was like 36.

[WhitinsvilleWX]

One of the pluses to waiting is that you generally have your career in hand and aren’t so poor!

By the time we had kids we weren’t struggling to get by. I was making good money, stable job, and could afford good shit instead of trying to raise kids in a tiny apartment eating ramen off of a card table. 
I was kind of unique in that I didn’t need loans. PhD was paid for by the school and the MD was paid for out of someone else’s pocket. Not everyone has that advantage. 

[bwt3650]

8 minutes ago, WxWatcher007 said:

I love those stories too. There's freedom in taking the less beaten path. 

I pretty much knew early on in law school I never wanted to go to a firm. Even when so many of my peers were literally making thousands a week I was committed to public service in some capacity. Far from lucrative lol.

After the Bar Exam I packed up what little I had in my car and went to DC to do an unpaid fellowship, just as the loans started kicking in. I gambled my entire financial future on myself and I was damn close to total failure when opportunity knocked. Everything I've done since then stems from that gamble. 

Life is short and time is not guaranteed. Much like you doing what it took to be where you are--if you want it go get it. 

Almost a decade after graduating law school, I'm studying for the Feb bar right now...Should be interesting at 40...but I'm burnt out in my current career and I need it to get ready to start something new...You have to take chances in life and like you said, if you want it, go get it.  That's the difference between mediocrity and success.  And I don't mean just financial success; it's more about working toward something and succeeding, whatever it may be.

[PhineasC]

9 minutes ago, WxWatcher007 said:

I love those stories too. There's freedom in taking the less beaten path. 

I pretty much knew early on in law school I never wanted to go to a firm. Even when so many of my peers were literally making thousands a week I was committed to public service in some capacity. Far from lucrative lol.

After the Bar Exam I packed up what little I had in my car and went to DC to do an unpaid fellowship, just as the loans started kicking in. I gambled my entire financial future on myself and I was damn close to total failure when opportunity knocked. Everything I've done since then stems from that gamble. 

Life is short and time is not guaranteed. Much like you doing what it took to be where you are--if you want it go get it. 

It's very important to seize opportunities. It sounds like a cliche but it is true. It involves risk as well. Anyone who has gone from basically nothing to success had to take some big personal risks. Not talking about trust fund kids here.

It's kind of hard to explain to people. It's just a gut sense you have that the time is right to make a move. I see quite a few people who want to get into the same business I am in, but they want to sit and prepare first for as long as it takes to eliminate all risk. They spend months analyzing all possible angles and trying to line up deals with customers that will be the springboard they need, only to watch it fall apart each time as someone more aggressive jumps in front of them in line. It's hard to explain to them that they can't get rich by eliminating all risk. It just doesn't work that way.

[PhineasC]

5 minutes ago, losetoa6 said:

One of the advantages of Blue collar occupations is you can become pretty successful at a young age.  I studied my ass off for 2 years to take the   Master Electrical exam . I Started my own business at 25 and never looked back . I saw others starting business and raking in $ so I thought why not me . I got a full scholarship for baseball but I was a couple classes short of a degree but in the end I didn't need it . I did eat alot of ramon noodles though lol. 

If you are like most electricians, now you have people with money practically begging you to take jobs and you get to be picky.

[powderfreak]

Man, what a refreshing banter thread.  Optimism and agreement.  Life stories.  No politics or COVID.  Just great stuff this evening.

[the ghost of leroy]

Lol breeders 

[forkyfork]

Just now, the ghost of leroy said:

Lol breeders 

like any of them would admit to it being a mistake

[PhineasC]

9 minutes ago, the ghost of leroy said:

Lol breeders 

 

7 minutes ago, forkyfork said:

like any of them would admit to it being a mistake

Guys, I'm sure there will be tons of people at your funeral. Like that one dude you bummed a lighter from that one time. Or that cool guy you smoked with on breaks at work. They will be there for you, I bet. I wouldn't worry about it.