mcjon77

I have no problem with them. My parents along with my aunts and uncles were all boomers they did everything they could to look out for me. Also remember that it was the young boomers that were the first to experience the gutting of the economy that would eventually become this dystopia. My greatest generation grandparents had awesome pensions. My mom, born in the late 1940s, was the last of our family to have the really good pension. Some of my young Boomer uncles and aunts are struggling now after doing almost everything right.

Nope. 25-year-old me was a monster. Back then I would have alternating days of going to jiu-jitsu or full contact karate. I was actively lifting weights on a consistent program and I had a hell of a lot of stamina. I'm 49 years old now and I know my limitations. I'm no longer actively training in combat sports and that definitely takes the edge off. I haven't rolled with anyone in a few years and haven't done any sparring in about a decade. A lot of the guys here who say yes don't realize how much they've aged. One of my hobbies is watching street fight videos. Whenever I see videos of folks around our age the most noticeable thing is that they are SO SLOW. We don't realize how much of our speed is been taken by father time. What's crazy is watching these old guys fight dudes in their twenties. Buff older guys are getting their asses handed to them by skater kids in their twenties because when they throw punches it looks like they're punching through water.

You may want to check to see if your gym teachers on a registry now or if he got away with it.

How did it hold up on the G40?

Dude, you're bringing back memories. If anyone's from Chicago and was familiar with the goth scene do you guys remember nocturna at the Metro on Monday or Tuesday nights (I can't remember which day)? This was in the early 2000s. I would go to work that day at Harris Bank, then take a martial arts class that evening, then hang out at borders on Michigan avenue, then head to a friend's house, then we'd all go to nocturna. Then I'd hop on the L and head home at around 3:00 a.m. only to wake up and be back at work at 8:30 or 9:00 a.m. we did this every week for a while. Most of my coworkers were in the 30s to 50s back then and were shocked that I was doing this in my early 20's.

Thailand, Panama, Costa Rica or perhaps Mexico. I want to maximize my level of comfort per dollar. The highlight of my life were the few years I spent as a digital nomad mostly living in Costa Rica.

You're absolutely doing the right thing. Also, be prepared for her women friends to be shocked at what you're doing. I know my mom's friends were. Men traditionally don't do that. When my mom got diagnosed with cancer I moved in with her to take care of her. I thought that with treatment she would be okay and six or nine months, but 3 years later she passed away. Even though taking those 3 years off basically halted my career, it was the absolute best thing I've ever done and best decision I ever made. While I still felt guilt when she passed away (that's unavoidable), I know I did everything I could. So many older folks, particularly women, think that they're all alone if they don't have a daughter to take care of them. It's like society assumes that sons won't do the same thing. Knowing that my mom always knew I'd be there to help her brings me an amazing amount of peace.

My great-grandfather gave me one of those for my birthday. It was one of the coolest gifts I ever got.

Yep. For the next two and a half years there's basically no rules, especially if you're willing to publicly support the current administration.

💯 I'll fight people who try to tell me that 'How You Remind Me' it's not a banger. I still go back to YouTube to watch the music video at least a few times a year.

I think about it everyday and I'm only 49. The game plan is to retire out of the country by 55. I'm looking at Thailand, Costa Rica and Mexico. The crazy part is I actually love my job and love my city, but I can't deal with another 15 years of worrying about random layoffs that are completely outside of my control. By the time I hit 55 I'll have a okay amount in my 401k, an additional amount in savings, and a house that's free and clear that I can sell. That can definitely give me enough on its own to live a comfortable life in Thailand and some parts of mexico. However I'll likely still be doing some consulting work and teaching on the side because I enjoy it.

She would have turned 77 this year.

Yep. I remember that. It seemed fairly useless to me. It would have made more sense just to go directly to cursive.

I was so into ninjas when I was a kid. I saw all of the Sho Kosugi movies (enter the ninja, revenge of the Ninja, Ninja III domination). I remember that old ninja TV show called The Master, where that old white guy claim to be a ninja but hardly ever did any ninja stuff in the show. I even used to practice those hand movements that they showed in American Ninja, thinking it would give me magical powers. My mom bought me a authentic ninja outfit and grappling hook for Christmas one year, but wouldn't buy me a real ninja sword. That was probably for the best because I would have likely cut off my fingers on an accident. The thing that knocked me out of Ninja Love affair was The ultimate Fighting championship. Specifically UFC 2. This was one where they had a ninja come in to fight. The first problem was that the ninja didn't look like a ninja. You look like the guy who changed my mom's transmission the month before. The second problem was he absolutely got the crap beat out of him buy a kickboxer named Pat Smith.

I was into ninjas before the turtles. In fact when TMNT came out I thought it was an insult to the traditional warrior art of ninjutsu and the ninja. I actually believe that ninjas could do all that crazy stuff we saw in the movies and thought that TMNT was making a mockery of it. Thankfully the ultimate Fighting championship disabused me of my notions of the Ninja fairly quickly.

For anyone interested, every few months these things drop down to $369.

Watching the V miniseries was a true family event when I was a kid. My mom and I would go to my grandma's house and the entire family would watch that show every week. I distinctly remember how hot I thought Diana was until I saw her lizard face. And the scenes of them eating the rats... Core childhood memory right there.

Does anyone else remember the Muppet Babies' version of this, "Amadogus"? https://youtu.be/2m3s3sk4znA?feature=shared

I'm 49 and my next chapter begins in 4 to 6 years when I leave my current job and semi-retire abroad. Thailand, Mexico and Costa Rica are my top three choices right now. I've got a great job that pays well now. It's in my dream occupation, but the industry always has this pervasive threat of layoffs and I'm just getting done with it. It seems like every time I change jobs I get older and my new co-workers get younger. I haven't experienced any age discrimination yet, but sometimes it just feels like you're playing musical chairs waiting for the music to stop. I could live comfortably in Thailand on 1/5th of my pretax salary. Right now I'm packing away as much money as I possibly can into my 401k and into savings. I want to have enough so that I don't have to work, but I still want to work in the field. I'll either be teaching online and/or taking on some smaller projects as consultant. The irony is that if I had some actual job security I would probably happily stay in the US for another 10 years, before retiring in my 60s. However this threat of layoffs always hanging over my head it's just getting to be too much.

I kind of know how you feel. I'm 49 years old and I'm in what should be my dream job. I actually do like what I do. However, I'm just fed up with the constant uncertainty of layoffs. I've seen people who were the best on our teams get laid off due to some random issue outside of their control, like they weren't working on a project that was going to be funded further. I can't go until 65 with this hanging over my head. So my plan is to retire somewhere between 52 and 55 and move abroad. Why wouldn't be able to afford to retire that early in the United States I can definitely afford to retire that early in Thailand Mexico, and other countries. I know I have to lock in for at least the next 3 years to be able to make this happen, but it's so close that it almost hurts. The only thing that's keeping me going is knowing that I'm extremely good at setting goals and accomplishing them, particularly what it involves my career. I know the steps I need to take.

I vaguely remember seeing segments of it in summer camp, but not enough to make any kind of impact or to know the plot.

My earliest memory of seeing a movie in the theater was seeing The empire strikes back.

My mom lovingly putting her foot in my ass as an adult was always helpful. I knew it was never out of a place of hatred but love and wanting me to do better in life. I remember when I came home after being laid off when the dotcom bubble burst. My mom let me hang out for a few months but then she put her foot in my ass and told me I needed to get a job. After I was doing well with the steady job she then told me that one of her friends had an apartment building that I can rent from. It was her gentle nudge for me to get out and I loved her for it.

Go for it! I know there are other commenters here talking about just slacking off in quiet quitting, but they don't understand that that will just add MORE stress to your life since you're so used to delivering. Are you financially stable to consider this a permanent retirement if necessary? If so then just rip the Band-Aid off and go for it. I'm 49 years old, in a job I love, yet all I can think about is retiring soon. Corporate America today has just become so toxic that even when you're in a good company there's always thoughts that it could switch and go bad. My goal is to retire in 6 years, but it might be sooner. My big fear is that even when I'm ready logistically to retire I keep chasing dollars or promotions for no reason.

Yep. Pizza Hut definitely went downhill. The loss of their salad bar alone was a tragedy. The quality of their pizzas isn't as good as it was before either. It seems like they're going a little heavier on the bread and lighter on the cheese and toppings. Up through my freshman year of college I was absolutely obsessed with stuffed crust pizza from Pizza Hut. It was fantastic.

Back when I was in college I took a class that was taught by a former Congressman. I still remember him saying that the one piece of mail that always gets read in any Congressional office is a handwritten letter written by someone who lives in the congressman's district. They would often ignore emails, but if someone took the time to write a letter and put a stamp on it that was something they needed to pay attention to.

I still remember pre 9/11 thinking that the only person who would need more than $20 to fill up their tank would be someone driving a Hummer. For anyone else, $20 would fill up your tank and always leave change.

I had a typing class at summer camp around the 6th grade. That would have used an actual typewriter, but the class was largely worthless. The real typing class that I took was in my senior year and we use the computer. I'm pretty sure it was Mavis beacon teaches typing. That was probably the single most valuable class I ever had in high school. Not only did it teach me how to touch type but it was my first introduction to spreadsheets. I became obsessed with spreadsheets which kind of led me to my career today as a data scientist.

I should be good to semi-retire in Thailand in about 6 years, when I turn 55. I doubt that I will ever fully retire because I love what I do, but I might switch to part time teaching and posting related content on YouTube.

Another option that I've been exploring is to just reestablish connections with your old friends and acquaintances. So many of us at our age are looking to become more connected with others especially those of us without partners and children. It stands to reason that many of our old friends are dealing with the same issues that we are. I just had dinner with two of my closest friends from high school. This was prompted by us meeting back up again for one friend's birthday last month. I'm going to make an active effort to maintain these friendships. When I look at all the people that I've known throughout my life and still have some kind of contact with via Facebook or LinkedIn, it doesn't hurt to just pop in and say "what's up?" And see where it takes you.

Exactly. I'm packing as much money away as possible at 49 years old, with the goal of retiring to a low cost of living country at 55. I'm living in the house that I grew up in after I inherited it from my mom. It's a small house and a blue collar neighborhood. I'm finally at a point where I can afford a really nice condo downtown, but I know that would set me back in my ultimate goal. The crazy part for me is I actually love what I do. I just don't want to HAVE to do it to survive. This is especially true when the threat of being laid off is just hanging over your head perpetually. If I knew I couldn't be laid off I'd probably just work full time until I was 65 or older because I like it.

Not for me, and since it's my property I decided what to do with it.

When she dies, her body becomes the next of kin's property. Her wishes don't matter as much because she doesn't "own" the property in question. I had to use this fact when my mom passed away and she was listed as an organ donor. Some chop shop that may have a relationship with the funeral home I used tried to bully me into thinking that because my mom signed the back of her driver's license I was almost required to sign off on her donating her organs, which wouldn't have been used to save any lives because she had cancer. It would have been for medical testing. I flat out told the person on the phone that my mom's body was my property and I don't give any consent. I repeated "I do not consent" four or five times then called the funeral home just to make sure.

Never? I'm sure the grandkids might like a family trip to playa del Carmen Mexico or even Bangkok Thailand every once in a while. On your end, you're just a plane ticket away. You put away an extra hundred bucks a month and you should be able to buy it ticket from Thailand to some place in the US once a year to visit the grandkids. With regard to aging parents, that does complicate things, but maybe a little less than you thought. How are those aging parents supporting themselves? I know a few folks who took their parents with them. Heck, there was a point where my mom was getting sick that the both of us were considering moving to one of those countries, specifically countries where we can get quality health Care at a low cost. There are entire assisted living facilities in Thailand that are of significantly higher quality than those in the US and cater specifically to foreigners. I know one woman that brought her mom with her when she moved to Ecuador I was able to afford a home nurse. However, this isn't a perfect solution at all for everyone. There are trade-offs. It may or may not be the best solution for you, but it may be for others. Well there's some family that I might not see as much as I do now, I can FaceTime them from wherever I live and they can come visit. It beats working some job I don't like but I'm definitely afraid to lose.

I'm 49 and I'm going to tell you the solution to this that I learned 20 years ago, but it's still applicable even if you're just getting started right now. First embrace minimalism then Retire abroad. That's it. Even if you start saving now, assuming you have social security too, there is a country on this planet with a low cost of living that can be met by your social security, and also provides a good quality of life. Now, the more money you have saved up or with a pension the more countries you have as options, but as long as you have some kind of income (like social security) there are places where you can live comfortably. Regarding embracing minimalism, you don't have to go crazy so that everything you own is in the backpack. You just have to learn to be less focused on acquiring more things. Things cost more than experiences, because you have to store things someplace, which means you need a bigger place to live or you have to spend a few hundred dollars a month on a storage locker. Stop buying things and start getting rid of things now. Put it on eBay or Craigslist and every dollar you make from selling something put it in your retirement fund. The first time I saw a guy do this I was 29 years old in Costa Rica. This dude was living a comfortable life in a nice apartment on just his social security. He had a vastly more full wife than 98% of all of the senior citizens I've seen before or since. Costa Rica's got more expensive since then, but there's still a ton of other places like mexico, ecuador, thailand, Vietnam, etc. I'm 49 years old and my plan is to retire at 55. If I had to stay in the United States I have to work at least until 65 and pray that I don't get laid off before that. Even then I wouldn't have as good a quality of life.

1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass supreme brougham.

We fell in love with that smug sociopath because quite often sociopathic charming. They had to be in order to survive. I've got a friend like that, and he is a friend, but over the years I realize that I have to set explicit boundaries.

'77 here. I remember being in the eighth grade in December of 1990 and my teacher was seriously talking about how we might get drafted for the war in the Middle East in 4 years because they were building up for desert Storm at the time. 35 years later and I was just having a conversation with a kid in his early twenties that was afraid we were about to start world war 3 if we attacked Iran. My response was "world war 3? For what? Just because we bombed Iran?". This has become so common that the idea of it turning into some uncontrolled global war seems absurd. Bombing a Middle Eastern country is just another Tuesday for us.

My mom was my best friend and the greatest challenge/gift of my life was taking care of her while she was sick and being there in her final moments. I'm actually closer now to my dad then when I was a kid. I just don't think he knew how to relate to children, but he relates to adults pretty well.

I believe he wore that to establish dominance. He was basically daring any man to say something to him about it, and all he got back was silence.

Nope. By the time I was born the MMR vaccine was common. My mom did make me hug my cousin with chickenpox in hopes that I would catch it (I did). That sucked.

The people that I like hanging out with in high school are the exact same people that I hang out with now, 30 years later. They didn't seem much point in going to a reunion with folks I didn't hang out with when we were in school. I was actually talking about this at a party with my high school friends this weekend. I asked if any of them went to the 30th anniversary and they said no. What was the point?

Yes. It was definitely a much bigger deal, in large part because there were fewer entertainment outlets. Most people were stuck watching Network TV. Also, every Olympics the media would select two to four American athletes to follow. In the Winter Olympics it was always an athlete in figure skating and occasionally someone in downhill skiing. In the summer there are always folks from track and field and women's gymnastics that were the focus of the media.

He was great in flashpoint. That's probably my favorite cop show.

Just Shoot Me Flashpoint (Canadian)

Yep. I went to Catholic School and there were at least a few fights a year in my grade. Heck, I could count on getting into a fight at least once every 3 years. My last fight was around 7th grade I think. I'm actually surprised at the number of guys I've met who've never been in a fist fight before. No judgment, it's just interesting that so many people haven't experienced that.

I really like my job. It's truly a blessing to be well compensated for doing something you actually have a passion for. However, the worst part about my job is the fear of layoffs. At previous companies I saw people get laid off through no fault of their own. They were doing good work, it's just that the company wanted to cut costs. The company wasn't even losing money. That pervasive fear of being laid off as an extra layer of stress and discomfort to the work. I just recently left a job that I enjoyed before, but after we got bought out by a private equity company and it seems like they are intent on being as brutal to employees as possible. I had to get out. I actually wouldn't mind working until I'm 65. I just don't want to have to work until I'm 65. I want to be able to do this work without fear of being laid off and struggling to pay bills.

Yep. I double spaced and didn't know that there was a change until grad school in my 30s. I was on a team with myself, another gen Xer, and a millennial. The millennial told both of us that we didn't have to double space anymore.

Glad I saw this before placing my order. Thanks!

I didn't know that sig would remove the muzzle device. I am more than willing to pay $30 shipping to have them do it.