Category Archives: Lifestyle

The Force was Strong

December 21, 2015 cb3 Leave a comment

Pricey Gratification

Last night, I took the family to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I’m not going to go into any details about the film, but I will say that it was everything that I had hoped it would be. We plan to see it again soon… for a couple of reasons.

This is the first time that the kids have had to stand in line prior to going in the theater. We arrived about an hour early but the line wasn’t too bad. We managed to get the seats we like. I did relay to them that I remembered standing in line for Empire Strikes Back when I was around my daughters age and what a special memory it was. She didn’t seem impressed, but I hope they’ll look back on it fondly.

It’s a good thing that I tucked away a little of the money from the RSU sale for a special occasion. We bought tickets for a Regal RPX showing and, my goodness, there was a little sticker shock. For two adults and two children, the cost of seats plus the Fandango fee was ~$68. Whoa! That’s almost twice what we pay for a conventional showing. If it had been any other film, I’d say it wasn’t worth the up-charge.

Throw in snacks and beverages (oh, they server beer and wine here now too) and we hit over $100 for the evening. Next time, we’ll be a bit more restrained and I think it will just be the two of us for a date night.

Intensity

As far as the film goes (no spoilers here), it was a little more intense than the original three. My eight year old daughter is a bit sensitive and I think there were a couple of sequences that we kinda of rough for her. She handled it well, however, and we talked about it when we got home.

Out four year old boy, on the other hand, was a champ. He was a bit obsessed with the TIE fighters getting shot down as I don’t think he realized they were the bad guys (Admittedly, he has a strange affinity for Darth Vader, so maybe he’s on the Dark Side).

All in all, everyone had a good time and we thank J.J. Abrams for providing exactly what the Star Wars universe needed.

May the Force be with You

-cb3

Bonsai, Expenses, Lifestyle

Bonsai Class – Pine Workshop

December 14, 2015 cb3 Leave a comment

A Little Background

I’m pretty sure that I’ve already mentioned my major hobbies on the site. Growing things, in particular bonsai, is one of my core activities. There are a couple of reasons why I’m drawn to this.

First, it is the antithesis of what I do for a living. The organic natural processes help me balance out a life that revolves around technology. Second, it gets me outside for little bits of time each day. This is especially important since I started working from home a few years ago. Finally, it requires discipline and patience. This is counter to how my brain typically works, so in a way it’s a type of mental exercise to help me perform better in other areas.

Why I Needed This

The workshop had a very reasonable price of $55 which I had available in my discretionary fund (my wife and I each have personal checking accounts separate from the main account where we funnel a set amount of money each month for fun). It also involved about six hours away from the house which was harder to do without feeling guilty due to the amount of time that work has been requiring the past couple of months.

Eventually, my mental health needs won and I reserved my spot. Being able to unplug for a good portion of the day and focus on learning something that didn’t involve computers was a huge relief. I was long past due for a little time for myself to re-establish balance.

The Class Itself

This class was centered around Fall maintenance work on Japanese Black Pine bonsai. The discussion did reach other topics such seasonal work for Spring and Summer as well as fertilization, but mostly we focused on the Fall work.

The first thing we did was to take a look at our trees and work on removing any old needles from the previous year’s growth. These are fairly easy to identify by the position on the branch and the fact that the color is starting to fade and may be yellowing.

After the old needles are clear, we can take a look at the new growth that developed during the summer and prune any excess shoots down to a pair. Ideally, we want a pair of shoots of equal strength that are sitting side by side instead of top to bottom.

Finally, we can get in and perform any wiring necessary to develop that shape of the tree. There was an afternoon session on wiring, but I had other obligations for the evening and needed to get home. I had already participated in the wiring class a couple of years ago and feel like I have that under control.

What I Took Home

Well, I didn’t take home another tree! It was tempting, but it’s really not a good time for me to make the kind of investment that it would take to get the kind of tree that I want next. Most of my trees are what I consider project trees. It will be several years before any of them are show worthy. Eventually, I’d like to add a bigger specimen that is mostly refined and just need minor adjustment and maintenance. That can be a costly endeavor, so for now it’s on the ‘one of these days’ list.

I also came home with a greatly reduced stress level. I wasn’t worried about email or work the entire time I was out. It also prepared me for a laid back night out with the family to the local minor league hockey game! Fun times.

Cheers,

-cb3

Lifestyle, Travel

Ireland

December 7, 2015 cb3 2 Comments

A Long Planned Trip (ish)

I’ve had a longing to visit Ireland since… I don’t know, forever. My brother and I had started planning a trip to celebrate my long overdue graduation from college in 2004. Well, life happened instead.

We were supposed to go in the summer of 2005 and in Feb of that year, I found out that the grant funding my position at the University was running out. I wasn’t fired or laid off per se. They just couldn’t pay me anymore. So, scratch that idea as I had to take a job in another city and front the cost of moving.

Fast-Forward to Present

Ten years later and I work for a global company and have architected a change to their wireless infrastructure. Lucky for me, the first site to deploy is in Cork, Ireland and I’ve been requested to be onsite for the roll-out.

It’s not quite the vacation I had imagined back in college, but it’ll have to do. I’m both giddy and full of dread at the thought of the trip. On the one hand, I’m going somewhere I’ve always wanted to go. On the other, I’m going to spend about 70-80 hours in a conference room that looks no different from those in the US.

The Day Arrives

I had an evening flight out of Atlanta with a four hour layover in Amsterdam. In my mind, I would sleep on the flight over and be ready for a light day mostly spent at the hotel. My boss had other plans and wanted me to get to the office as soon as I landed. I got maybe two hours of sleep on the first leg of the flight, had a pint of Murphy’s at Schipol before the second leg and slept the hour and a half over to Ireland.

Hitting the ground running when I got to the office was an interesting experience to say the least. My body had no idea what time it was and I was regretting eating the in-flight meal the evening before. It felt like I had a ton of bricks in my guts. Somehow I managed to work from 11am local to around 10:30pm that night.

The Local Cuisine

Being somewhat of a food nerd, I asked one of my co-workers where we could get some traditional Irish fare. His response… ‘What, you mean like cabbage?’. Luckily, I was talking to the wrong person and meals weren’t nearly so tragic.

Highlights from the trip were Sunday brunch at Sage in Middleton, dinner that night at Blair’s Inn near Blarney, and our last night’s dinner at Electric in Cork.

Sage has an excellent locally sourced menu and a surprising craft beer selection from Irish breweries (I think the craft beer scene is lagging behind the US since most bar served macro beer). All of the ingredients come from within 12 miles of the restaurant. I had house made black pudding to start and a main course of Hereford filet medallions.

Blair’s Inn was a wonderful experience in itself. It had the country pub atmosphere that I had hoped to find. We sat at a corner table by a coal fireplace which was quite toasty and welcoming. The beer selection here was also top notch and I had a really nice cask stout. Dinner was a braised lamb shank (literally melt in your mouth) and rosemary mash. I also splurged and got sticky toffee pudding for dessert. Movement back to the cab was difficult after a meal like that.

Finally, on my last night there we had dinner at Electric. This is a neat place right on the River Lee. We started by having a pint downstairs at the bar while we waited for our table. Our table was in the main dining room, but they also have a fish bar overlooking the river. I started with seafood chowder which was absolutely amazing. For main, I had fish and chips which I felt was more of a cultural obligation. It was good, but disappointing after the excellent chowder. For dessert, I had an Irish coffee (another cultural obligation).

Being Touristy

On Sunday, one of the local directors had arranged for a little excursion to Middleton. He picked us up and we had brunch at Sage before walking over to the Jameson distillery. I honestly had not had any Irish whiskey since college (and really, not served in the best way back then). However, good whiskey is a passion of mine and I was happy to explore.

Browsing through the old stone buildings was a remarkable experience. There’s a lot of history there that we just don’t see in the US (not that we don’t have a lot of great history!). I was also very impressed by the sheer size of the operation compared to the time it was built. The fact that people were able to build to this scale before the industrial revolution is awesome.

The actual production of the whiskey was mostly what I expected. The process doesn’t vary that much among distilleries or breweries. They do distinguish that they triple distill the spirit before barrel aging. For whiskies, the barrel selection and aging times are what give the final product it’s characteristics. Jameson is very smooth and has a lot of honey and vanilla aromas and flavors. I actually quite enjoyed it.

At the end of the day I added about $200 worth of whiskey to my luggage and had to stop at a Tesco to pick up an additional bag for dirty clothes. Mental note: In the future, pack an extra bag so that there’s room for souvenirs in the luggage.

The Return of the Geek

The last night in Cork was a little rough. We had a team dinner which lasted well into the evening and then a meeting with the home office in PST at around 10pm local. My flight was at 6am the next morning with a layover in Amsterdam again and then a direct to Atlanta.

By the time I made it to bed, I had about two hours to sleep before I had to get up and catch the taxi. Being from Atlanta, I’m super paranoid about getting to the airport early so I scheduled my cab for 3:45. Perhaps that was a bit aggressive as the TSA line didn’t even open until 4:30. No worries, I had time for coffee and a little more shopping in the duty free store.

All-in-all, the flight home was uneventful and I was able to get a little more sleep this time. Hartsfield-Jackson International terminal on the day before Thanksgiving wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected. The bad part was getting around to the domestic side to pick up my brother. Ouch. Traffic into the cell phone lot was backed up bumper to bumper, so I dipped into the hourly lot and forked over my $3.

Still on the List

Even though I finally made it, I still have Ireland on my priority list of destinations. Next time I want to do it on my own terms. Occasionally, we talk about going for a summer trip and renting a cottage for a couple of months. My job basically allows me to work from wherever I can get an internet connection. It would be even better is we could clean our place up and lease it out while we’re gone.

Anyway, thanks much Ireland! I had a great time despite the work requirements.

Cheers,

-cb3

About, Lifestyle

Down Time

November 8, 2015 cb3 Leave a comment

Challenge Behind / Challenge Ahead

The past three weeks have been a bit more challenging and slightly stressful on the full-time job front. Accelerated schedules, scope creep, and incorrect assumptions about readiness of key systems are the highlights. Don’t get me wrong, I’m well compensated for what I do and this is part of the job, but I need some down time soon to re-balance and decompress.

The good news is that the holidays are coming and that will lead to some time off to spend with family and friends. Unfortunately, I’ve got several weeks of travel upcoming as well. I don’t mind the travel, but I don’t really get to enjoy the places I go since I’m working.

One of the tings I look forward to most about achieving financial freedom would be spending my time on pursuits of my choice instead of the pursuits of the company which employs me. That work is intellectually and financially rewarding, but it’s not always deeply satisfying on the canoe dock level.

Other Pursuits

There are several things I enjoy in life when I get the opportunity. You will probably see posts about some of these topics from time to time. I don’t want to be all business around here.

If you read the intro post to the blog (I should do an About Me page…), then you may have realized that I enjoy the outdoors. My family and I try to get out and go hiking often when the weather permits (and sometimes when it doesn’t). Finding new places to explore is always exciting. Some day we hope to complete the Appalachian Trail even if we have to do it in sections.

I also have a somewhat green thumb and try to do a garden every year. I think one of next year’s goals will be to increase the size of the garden and can as much produce as we can for the off season. Along with the garden, I have also been dabbling in cultivating bonsai trees. It’s a fascinating hobby that I’ve started to take a bit more seriously in the past couple of years. One of these days I hope to have a few specimen worthy of showing.

Finally, I am a hobby brewer and certified beer judge. Brewing quality beer at home and being able to explore the wide variety of styles available has gone from hobby to serious passion for me. My garage looks like a miniature production brewery. Friends and family don’t seem to mind the by-product either. Since our second child was born, I haven’t had as much time for this. There will be more time as he gets a little more self-sufficient.

Lazy Sunday

Today, however, has been a lay around the house day. The weather is dreary and drippy. We went to a friend’s wedding last night and some of us are moving a bit slow this morning. The children have watched entirely too much Netflix, but sometimes that’s just how it goes.

I’d love it if the sun would peek out and we could get out for a stroll.

Cheers!

-cb3

Expenses, Lifestyle

Dark Cloud Cover

September 18, 2015 cb3

Seriously, sometimes when it rains it does indeed pour.

Last month we had some unexpected expenses. I spent a little more on a new laptop for my wife than I really needed to. However, the extra cost is worth the mental relief of not having to be her IT support. I also need to make sure she has the resources she needs to continue her work for the next several years.

We also had car maintenance and ended up buying a new set of tires. This month, it seems to be my truck’s turn. Luckily, this one is paid off and I rarely drive it more than 10-15 miles per week. The engine light came on and luckily it was only a couple of faulty sensors. However, with that and the regular oil change and tire rotation, I’m looking at another $1000 expense. At this point, I’m still willing to put around that much per year into maintenance since I know I’ll get another 5-10 good years out of it. It serves it’s meager purpose.

Finally, there’s the touchy subject of pet healthcare. My wife is an avid dog lover. Her first is a 14yr old and was here before I was. I married into this so to speak. Unfortunately, she has cataracts and is mostly blind. This is starting to require a lot of help getting her around the house and yard. My wife discovered that there is corrective surgery and is passionate about pursuing it. This is estimated to cost around $4200. According to my cash flow sheet, we’ve already spent $4063 on pets care so far this year.

This is an incredibly touchy subject. My wife loves the dog and would do anything for her. She has her own savings and is willing to use her money to pay for it. I do count that savings as part of our family net worth, so I feel this is a setback to my goals for the year. However, she has promised to use her part-time income to pay back the saving. While I wouldn’t make the same decision, I completely understand why she is willing to do so.

Mr. Money Mustache had a somewhat poignant post about this topic right as all of this came up here: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015/09/07/great-news-dog-ownership-is-optional/

While I did marry into this situation, it’s definitely something that most folks don’t think about when jumping into pet ownership. Something to consider.

-cb3

Expenses, Goals, Lifestyle

The Great Grocery Cycle

July 11, 2015 cb3

One of our biggest challenges is controlling food cost. I believe that this is an area we can improve. The struggle is around consistent meal planning an trips to the grocery store. It’s easy to neglect because there is a convenient alternative available (dining out). This is likely a common occurrence amongst our peers (though I’m not sure everyone considers it a problem).

We budget $800 per month for groceries and household supplies. I also budget $240 per month for dining out. That’s around one restaurant trip per week for our family of four (sit down type as we rarely do fast food). So far this year, we should have spent $4800 on groceries and $1440 on restaurants. Instead, we’re currently at $5300 on groceries and $4200 on restaurants!

One would think that if we neglected grocery runs and dined out instead that we would see groceries come in under budget. What happens though, is that by not having a weekly meal plan we end up doing on demand grocery runs to pick up things for the next day or two. This leads to inefficiency and a propensity to buy impulse items.

We definitely dine out much more than we should given our budget. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of convenience when we’re both tired from the day and unprepared for dinner time. It’s even easier when we know we can afford it. The problem is that we’re throwing away money that we could be investing in our financial freedom and getting closer to our canoe dock lifestyle.

New 2015 Goal: Cut the dining out expenses in half. $2100 or less.

Here we go!

-cb3