Category: Ramblings (page 1 of 2)

Have you ever wondered what it is that some people seem to have or display that others obviously don’t? The thing that makes some people cool, calm, and collected. The thing that separates some people from the chaff. The slobs. Those who don’t care. The people who seem to have given up or who have never tried to begin with. It’s called class and it’s what I’d like to write about in this post. It’s what’s so shamefully missing so often from today’s society and it’s something I wish, in the worst way, would return.

I’m not in the above photo. It’s a random picture I found somewhere on the internet to represent scouting as a whole. It seems to have been captured somewhere in Eastern Europe or someplace like that, but nonetheless, I found it interesting.

“You know something? I wasn’t aware of that. You really changed my mind,” said no one ever after reading a political post their friend shared on Facebook. Have you ever heard of the old saying, “He’s just preaching to the choir”? It means that someone is speaking for or against something to people who already agree with that person’s opinions.

By the time I completed my tenure at Westchester Community College, I knew I wanted to become a professor. Of what? I had no idea. But I knew I wanted to teach. Today I think I would’ve been a superb professor of two disciplines; basic algebra and composition and literature. Algebra because it took me multiple attempts to finally get it, but once I did, I morphed into an algebraic champion with a knack for explaining its concepts to others – and composition and literature because I think I’d be a quizzical inspiration for young or interested writers. By the time I had graduated from graduate school at Binghamton University, I had already submitted my resume to one of my early professors at the aforementioned community college (Dr. John Christesen). He would pass it on to the college president (Dr. Joseph Hankin) for review. That entire endeavor, for some reason or another, never worked out. I’m not sure if there were any teaching positions available. Probably not. I really can’t remember.

This is going to be a post about 90s dance music and the 90s New York City (and surrounding areas) nightclub scene. I’m not particularly proud of my once taste in music, but I’m certainly proud of the many good times I’ve had in the once nightclubs. There’s a lot to tell from this era and if you happened to have been alive during it and if you happened to have lived in the New York tri-state area, you may just relate to what I’m about to share below. Either that, or you were simply annoyed by the entire thing. Or you found yourself somewhere in the middle.

There are a lot of heavy metal bands out there. I’m no aficionado, but I do know this: It’s widely believed that back in the late 60s, Black Sabbath initiated the birth of this genre. If you’ve ever heard of Ozzy Osborne, let it be known that he may just have been the impetus behind some of the most loved and followed music on the planet. And I mean that – metalheads are unlike any other type of music lover in existence. They were and still are dedicated, well informed, and are flat-out unique in so much of what they do in their lives. Back in the 80s, I’d see these folks walking up and down the sidewalks all decked out in their black jeans, black leather jackets, and spikes all over their wrists, shoulders, waistlines, and necks. Metalheads still exist today. Many of them have never lost their love of 70s and 80s metal and they’ll die wearing their lonely, somewhat off-putting outfits. That’s what the average person thinks of their clothing, anyway. But if the average person were to stop a metalhead to chat, they’d most certainly discover an introspective, hyper-resolute, and wildly thoughtful person. The depth of the metalhead isn’t to be underestimated.

It wasn’t until moving to Maine that I experienced what many refer to as chilblains. I did a bit of searching around and I believe these things are also called pernio. Have you ever had chilblains? I’m sure you have. If you live in the north and if you’ve ever walked around outside during the winter in Crocs or cold boots with no socks on, I’m certain of it.

Since arriving in the state, Laura and I have engaged in a few “Maine” activities. I think this one might take the cake though. There aren’t many that are more Maine than cutting down one’s own Christmas tree. In the forest. In a whole bunch of snow.

The older I get, the more concerned I become with what I’ll do with myself after I reach retirement age. I suppose that age is 65, which, to me, is rather arbitrary. As of this moment, I don’t plan on acting any differently the moment I reach my alleged retirement, but the more I look around at folks who already have, the more I worry.

In today’s post, I’d like to discuss a very simple topic. The topic is investing. The topic many financial advisors would lead you to believe is incredibly difficult to wrap your head around. Of course, if you’ve got loads of money and many options for living and retiring, things can quickly become complicated, but if you’re a regular middle class guy or gal and you’d like to live a bit easier in your later years (45+) and not have to work until you’re 80, you may want to continue reading. The entire thing is very straightforward. It’s a favorite subject of mine, this investing is, but trying to get people to listen to me is a chore unto itself. It’s probably for this reason I chose to write this post. Maybe, just maybe, someone will read it.