... "Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'"

[Tobbe]

9 hours ago, Jean said:

I didn't do @Tobbe's overnight oats (recipe in the link below - thanks buddy!) on friday

 

You should have highlighted my name earlier! I feel all bad for missing your thread  

But now I've read through it all! (good thing it was only two pages )

Following from now on!

[Jean]

Will you stop with the awesome recipes? Now I'm hungry. Luckily, I have some overnight oats in the fridge. You're probably right for the ripe banana (and yes! I meant raisins, thanks for the word. ). I've tried it with nuts and honey and THIS is my kind of awesome. It's so easy to tweak it's genius.

 

I'm really bad at having breakfast, though, so this is something I eat while waiting for supper. I'll get better at it with much, much, time, I'm sure.

 

Also, white grapes boss defeated! The red grapes boss is way more bulky, though, so I don't know if I'll be able to handle it (though the feeling of accomplishment while driving home with my little paper saying I've done 129 kg of it is really great).

 

Food log

black coffee (morning)

stir fry chicken with rice, canned corn and peas (noon)

some grapes (afternoon)

overnight oats with chopped nuts and honey (early evening)

more stir fry chicken with rice, canned corn and peas (evening)

2l of water (throughout the day)

 

Goals tracking

Have I done my exercise? Yes, 5' of walking, warm-up, 2B (gosh are the "B" workouts hard for me), cool-down

On hold: have I wandered around with water at my disposal ? No.

Have I cooked this week? Nope, only leftovers.

Have I taken part to my second tai chi lesson? No, tomorrow.

On hold: have I taken care of my internet site? Not yet.

 

[Tobbe]

1 hour ago, Jean said:

Will you stop with the awesome recipes? Now I'm hungry.

 

Never  

 

1 hour ago, Jean said:

I've tried it with nuts and honey and THIS is my kind of awesome.

 

What nuts did you use? Apart from peanuts (butter) I bet almonds would be awesome! I like almond and cinnamon together  

 

Quote

It's so easy to tweak it's genius.

 

Did you do any tweaks to the recipe when you made it this time? Or did you find the exact same ingredients I used? (Coconut soyghurt ect)

[Tobbe]

1 hour ago, Jean said:

Have I cooked this week? Nope, only leftovers.

 

I'd still count that as a win! Leftovers are just as good, since you cooked the original meal yourself!

[Jean]

On 10/1/2018 at 9:08 PM, Tobbe said:

What nuts did you use? Apart from peanuts (butter) I bet almonds would be awesome! I like almond and cinnamon together  

 

 

Did you do any tweaks to the recipe when you made it this time? Or did you find the exact same ingredients I used? (Coconut soyghurt ect)

Pecans is what I had on hand but I could also have gone with walnuts or hazelnuts. Almonds should be good too, it's just that I've had a bit of them not dried enough when I was young (my father grew some) and am pretty reluctant to try them ever since.

 

As for the recipe, I'm a big fan of dairy so cow milk and standrard yoghurt. The spices is what I'm most grateful for: I never know what to put in it (other than sugar, which was a no go, this time) and they felt good so, thanks again.

 

On 10/1/2018 at 9:10 PM, Tobbe said:

I'd still count that as a win! Leftovers are just as good, since you cooked the original meal yourself!

Yeah but the idea is both to eat healthy and to take the time to cook (which I need, taking time for myself) and there are a lot of days remaining in the week for me to meet this goal.

 

As an aside, yesterday was 'eating "healthy" day' with McDo and canned ravioli as my almost only food (ooooh, I almost forgot potato chips!).

 

The red grapes boss is defeated (wohooo!) which is a very good thing since it proves to me that I am a responsible grown-up who can take care of a piece of land, albeit barely, and will bring me some additional income at a time when I'll need it. So, I can keep the vineyard (I was questioning the wisdom of it, seing how I didn't take care of it at all last year - which was a pretty stressful year (not to imply this one isn't, because it is - ) and have a place to retreat to in case of zombie apocalypse (yay!).

 

On the other hand, I sacrificed tai chi to do it so, that's a big minus I'll have to make up for next week.

 

Food log

overnight oats with nuts and honey (morning)

big mac, french fries and water (noonish)

some grapes (afternoon)

potato chips (afternoon)

canned ravioli with parmesan (evening)

2l of water (throughout the day)

 

Goals tracking

Have I done my exercise? Yes, 5' of walking. (Should have done some tai chi)

On hold: have I wandered around with water at my disposal ? No.

Have I cooked this week? Not yet.

Have I taken part to my second tai chi lesson? Nope.

On hold: have I taken care of my internet site? Not yet.

[Tobbe]

9 hours ago, Jean said:

The red grapes boss is defeated (wohooo!)

 

Yay!

 

9 hours ago, Jean said:

On the other hand, I sacrificed tai chi to do it so

 

Nay!  

 

But man! Your own vineyard! How cool is that!?! But yeah, a lot of work I bet!

[Jean]

2 hours ago, Tobbe said:

But man! Your own vineyard! How cool is that!?! But yeah, a lot of work I bet!

 

Very cool! And it'll be even better when I'll have gathered my party of "the Brotherhood of the Vineyard" to assist me and enjoy the facilities. I've failed at it this year but I'll try again with more organization next year (like, with a real planning available more than one day in advance).

 

Also, tweaking, because we need some sort of makeshift cooler for beer and wine in there. I mean, seriously, dude!

 

Thanks for your support, btw.

[Arkania]

I want to have a vineyard too

Sometimes, when we drive towards luxembourg, we drive along the river mosel where are a lot of vineyards

A colleague of mine has one and makes great wines.

[Tobbe]

43 minutes ago, Jean said:

Thanks for your support, btw.

 

You too! I really appreciate it  

 

44 minutes ago, Jean said:

but I'll try again with more organization next year

 

Let me know when you have your own wine ready, and I'll come sample some!   

[Tobbe]

7 minutes ago, Arkania said:

the river mosel where are a lot of vineyards

 

Such a beautiful area! We used to have friends who lived there (Germans, that have now moved to a red wooden house with white corners in Sweden )

[Jean]

1 hour ago, Arkania said:

I want to have a vineyard too

Sometimes, when we drive towards luxembourg, we drive along the river mosel where are a lot of vineyards

A colleague of mine has one and makes great wines.

 

I don't know about the Mosel but here, agricultural land is really cheap. This is done because it's considered a tool for farmers to make a living and should, therefor, be affordable. So, maybe, if you look for it, some tiny piece of land could enter your budget ?

 

Speaking of which, I was searching for financial advice and stumbled upon this thread : https://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/102460-short-term-and-long-term-savings/

 

Which directed me toward this blog : https://www.thesimpledollar.com/the-meaning-of-financial-success/

 

And so, I've calculated my net worth in order to measure my own financial success and... it's negative. But Holly Calooey! It went from -23,000 CHF (roughly the same in US $) to -7,500 CHF from 2016 to 2017 and it is greatly due to the acquiring of the vineyard and our very good retirement savings system (which can be used to buy a house). So, I'm thinking, maybe my goal of getting my own house isn't so far away, after all?

 

So, yay for that and everything else!

[Severine]

Just popping in to say:

• Three cheers for defeating the red grapes boss! I think it's fantastic you own a little piece of land. I strongly believe that there's a lot of value in doing physical work in the outdoors, for many reasons ranging from health to building up character and keeping a connection to the tangible reality of the physical world. It's so easy, when so many things are automatic and digital, to forget about the concrete physical realities that underpin everything - internet cables, electrical wires, sewage pipes, dams and canals, highways, natural resources, plants, trees, insects...all those physical things that make everything possible.
• Huge congratulations for making progress on the financial front! That's really impressive. I don't know how old you are (I am guessing quite young? late 20s maybe?) but that's really great progress and you should be proud.

[Tobbe]

3 hours ago, Jean said:

Speaking of which, I was searching for financial advice and stumbled upon this thread : https://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/102460-short-term-and-long-term-savings/

 

Which directed me toward this blog : https://www.thesimpledollar.com/the-meaning-of-financial-success/

 

Thanks for the links. As I'm in the field of business myself, I always find it interesting to read a little bit about this  Haven't read them yet, but will try to take the time to do so later  

 

3 hours ago, Jean said:

And so, I've calculated my net worth in order to measure my own financial success and... it's negative.

 

How did you calculate this? Just looking at loans and your capital/savings?

[Jean]

1 hour ago, Severine said:

Just popping in to say:

• Three cheers for defeating the red grapes boss! I think it's fantastic you own a little piece of land. I strongly believe that there's a lot of value in doing physical work in the outdoors, for many reasons ranging from health to building up character and keeping a connection to the tangible reality of the physical world. It's so easy, when so many things are automatic and digital, to forget about the concrete physical realities that underpin everything - internet cables, electrical wires, sewage pipes, dams and canals, highways, natural resources, plants, trees, insects...all those physical things that make everything possible.
• Huge congratulations for making progress on the financial front! That's really impressive. I don't know how old you are (I am guessing quite young? late 20s maybe?) but that's really great progress and you should be proud.

 

Thanks! I'm feeling exactly the same toward growing things. It's both relaxing and physically demanding, and it's perfect for me because it's a responsibility that I have as my own and that asks for care at some specific times in the year. I can't hide behind "I need to do more work because the world will collapse otherwise" and have to take time outside, working the vines, because if I let myself be overwhelmed by my work, they get overwhelmed too and they're my responsibility, while the output of my company/community is ultimately my boss'.

 

On the financial side...

 

 

 

I'm 33, but I'm a late bloomer. I've built a hefty student debt and spent many dark years in university and technical school aiming to find a job in a tough economy when I got out. It took some time and wet mattresses but it's working. Now, I have to find out how to balance that so I don't let myself drown in responsibilities and stop going for the most dire situations because, "hey, it might be fun!". I'm planning on finding a way to slow it all down and live with few but it's a long way out of this hometown into that hometown.

 

 

 

54 minutes ago, Tobbe said:

How did you calculate this? Just looking at loans and your capital/savings? 

 

Assets :

 - Property value of the vineyard ;

 - Stock (I own one share in my bank so that I can get fees-less accounts) ;

 - Rent guarantee account ;

 - Savings account ;

 - Accounting provisions account (can it be said that way?) ;

 - Checking account ;

 - 2nd pillar retirement savings (obligatory 401K paid half by my employer and half by me) ;

 - 3rd pillar retirement savings (same as above but not obligatory and only paid by me. Tax deductible so a good investment when everything that needs to be paid for has been done so).

 

Debts :

 - Student loan ;

 - Debts I have toward my family.

 

I don't have credit card debts as of now so that seems to sum it up for me. By the way, I'm in the process of getting a leasing for a car ('cause my current one doesn't fit the 'roads' I have to take for my job). How would you account for it? The car isn't really yours, so, not an asset, and it's not really a debt in itself either.

 

I'm keeping track of my yearly and monthly bills separately, keeping watch on what should be cut off (insurances and subscriptions, mainly) to see what my daily spendings look like. They're pretty high but I'm not in a shape to take them down right now.

 

I like spreadsheets and graphs so, that helps with that.

[Jean]

I've finally done my workout and treated me to a mildly warm bath. Today was a strange day.

 

It's becoming usual (though I certainly hope it'll pass comes winter) but after a big win like yesterday comes yet another uphill battle today. I've done everything I could but I know I'm not ready for what comes tomorrow, facing my boss' unachievable expectations coming from the population's urgent complaints (they are living the same situation for 6 years so, what they really need is to know that there's a plan, we're working on it and it's meant to last but instead, what we're prompted to do is do something urgently, do it badly, hope it holds, deconstruct and rebuild poorly what we have done next year). I mean, people are complaining that the road leading to their home is in a poor state (it is, the complaint is 100% justified). Then we announce we're planning road work on it in order to make it good again and THE SAME FREAKING PEOPLE come phoning "What !? You're planing road work on the road to my home ? But that's upsetting the balance I have in place and will force me to change my habits (so as to get used to a better road instead of a shitty one) !!!".

 

And so I have to explain that no, we're not ready. Yes, we're working on it. Yes, it can be done this Fall but that'd mean we'd have to do it all again next year. No, it can't be done lawfully and state-of-the-arty before spring. Yes, the road is in a good enough shape to hold through the winter, yes, people who have gone through 6 winters of very poor road can suffer one more in order to have it done properly and no, it won't be cheap no matter how you look at it.

 

And my boss will be all battery energised like "but we can't pass the winter with it and we need it now, make it happen!"

 

But enough venting, I thought I said I didn't care for wallowing in self pity so let's just make this happen (that everybody understands that things can get done but miracles don't happen on demand).

 

So, focusing on what I can do, logging on:

 

Food log

2 ham sandwiches (morning and afternoon)

2 black coffees (morning and afternoon)

premade salmon, wild rice and broccoli (noon)

1 bowl of Smacks, milk and cocoa (early evening)

sheperd's pie (evening)

2l of water (throughout the day)

 

Goals tracking

Have I done my exercise? Yes, 5' of walking, warm-up, 2A, cool-down.

On hold: have I wandered around with water at my disposal ? No.

Have I cooked this week? Yes, sheperd's pie.

Have I taken part to my second tai chi lesson? Nope. Gotta make up for it next Tuesday.

On hold: have I taken care of my internet site? Not yet.

[Severine]

4 hours ago, Jean said:

I'm 33, but I'm a late bloomer. I've built a hefty student debt and spent many dark years in university and technical school aiming to find a job in a tough economy when I got out. It took some time and wet mattresses but it's working.

 

I wonder if I am missing a translated idiom here? Because the reference to wet mattress just makes me think of a kid who hasn't quite mastered toilet training yet. Am I missing something? Is this a Swiss saying? I find idioms fascinating.

 

4 hours ago, Jean said:

By the way, I'm in the process of getting a leasing for a car ('cause my current one doesn't fit the 'roads' I have to take for my job). How would you account for it? The car isn't really yours, so, not an asset, and it's not really a debt in itself either.

 

When you sign a lease you have to commit to a certain time frame, so it's considered a contractual liability for the monthly payment multiplied by the number of months you've committed to. Most people tend to think of it just as a monthly expense - but a monthly expense you're legally required to continue paying (unlike for example an internet subscription which you could cancel anytime) is technically a liability. And, as you said, you don't own the car, so you don't have a permanent asset. Your "asset" is your lease rights to the car for the duration of the contract, but obviously that doesn't help your net worth.

 

4 hours ago, Jean said:

I like spreadsheets and graphs so, that helps with that.

 

Yes, me too. I am huge nerd in that regard. I handle all the money and accounting in our house and I track every dollar of our spending and handle all the savings plans, etc. I find it really fun and interesting actually. I'm taking an accounting course right now in the evenings/weekends to see if I want to explore accounting in a more professional sense.

 

As for your job situation: it sounds so frustrating. Infrastructure is so important and yet so taken for granted. As you said, everyone hates when something is in bad shape, but nobody wants it closed for construction, and seldom do people want to pay for it. I am fascinated by infrastructure of various types and I have watched a lot of documentaries and listened to a lot of podcasts and read books and such, and the pattern surfaces over and over with all types of infrastructure. I heard an interview once with an engineer who said something like "there is no problem facing me in my work that is technically impossible. All of our limitations are from lack of political will, lack of public support and interest, and lack of funding." That always stuck with me because it seems so tragic that we have all these problems, and we have the capacity to fix them, but we don't have the foresight to dedicate the necessary resources.

 

Keep on fighting the good fight, as they say.

[Jean]

Hey, thanks for your words.

 

No idiom missed. I've realised that after having written it. The means of the wettnes, here, were tears (because it sometimes felt like desperation and I don't want to go back there, luckily enough, I don't have to. ).

 

Yes for the lease but if you take, for example, my smartphone subscription, which I am trying to cancel (because I've had a smartphone for 3 months and really can't find what use it has over a standard cellphone and a good laptop). Well, I can't do that before 9 more months, because I have to take 1 full year of it before being contractually allowed to cancel it. Some of my insurances can't be cancelled in the first 5 years of the contract. So, is it really different ? I'd lean toward considering it like a rent, meaning it's a monthly expense and doesn't enter net worth calculation in any way (except that it is a cost that reduces savings) but since I'd get to keep the (greatly devaluated) car if I go deep enough in it, I'm not sure if I shouldn't treat it as an asset and debt situation. Not that it really matters in the grand scheme of things, mind you.

 

And, well, working with infrastructures is rewarding too: you get to see the benefits of what you do since you're working with the terrain to fulfill people's needs. You also get smiles and warm greetings. That plus I live in Switzerland. Our infrastructures are mainly in a decent shape. I'd not say the problem is that we don't have the will to allocate the ressources to critical infrastructures but more that we're used to comfort and are trying to keep it against all odds. I'd expect that someone who lives outside of the villages, on top of a mountain (in a beautiful landscape), would think that it's only natural for him to have to be a little more crafty than other people and to have to deal with harsher conditions than city folks. But no. We want highways to reach top mountain areas. I mean, it's doable, but we could do other things with that money. Poverty still exists in Switzerland. Illnesses still need a cure. And we're fighting over "this road can't go there because last time, trees were cut and I didn't get to keep any (it doesn't help that the people before me were used to do things how they liked without asking anybody. People have been burned and I get that. It's just... it's tiring that even the simple things become complicated messes, is all).

 

But yes, put in the money and the political stability required to operate and we'll bring clean water to every village in Afrika.

 

 

[Severine]

2 minutes ago, Jean said:

I'd lean toward considering it like a rent, meaning it's a monthly expense and doesn't enter net worth calculation in any way (except that it is a cost that reduces savings) but since I'd get to keep the (greatly devaluated) car if I go deep enough in it, I'm not sure if I shouldn't treat it as an asset and debt situation. Not that it really matters in the grand scheme of things, mind you.

 

Oh I agree, for the purposes of taking stock of your finances, I would just consider it an expense like rent. There's a difference between a legal/accounting liability (your cell phone contract and insurance contract are also liabilities under that sense) and the common sense meaning of it. For the purposes of making a budget, it's just an expense really. Sorry for overcomplicating things.

 

3 minutes ago, Jean said:

I live in Switzerland. Our infrastructures are mainly in a decent shape. I'd not say the problem is that we don't have the will to allocate the ressources to critical infrastructures but more that we're used to comfort and are trying to keep it against all odds. I'd expect that someone who lives outside of the villages, on top of a mountain (in a beautiful landscape), would think that it's only natural for him to have to be a little more crafty than other people and to have to deal with harsher conditions than city folks. But no. We want highways to reach top mountain areas. I mean, it's doable, but we could do other things with that money. Poverty still exists in Switzerland. Illnesses still need a cure. And we're fighting over "this road can't go there because last time, trees were cut and I didn't get to keep any (it doesn't help that the people before me were used to do things how they liked without asking anybody. People have been burned and I get that. It's just... it's tiring that even the simple things become complicated messes, is all).

Interesting, thanks for the additional perspective. It's good to hear there's more will to support infrastructure there, even if it comes with the downside of perhaps unrealistically high expectations of perfect comfort. You're right that not every project is worthwhile just because it's possible. Sometimes a little discomfort is good for the soul     

[Severine]

6 minutes ago, Severine said:

Sometimes a little discomfort is good for the soul     

 

Speaking of which...why are you even awake? lol. It's what, almost 5AM there? You must be an early riser...

[Jean]

Oh, you didn't complicate a thing. It's nice to have your point of view on the matter since I am pondering the question myself.

 

And I may have been a bit too inclusive regarding infrastructures in Switzerland: visible ones are usually stable and functional. Just don't take a look into our sewers (but I guess that even there, my standards are pretty high so I may be biased).

[Jean]

23 minutes ago, Severine said:

 

Speaking of which...why are you even awake? lol. It's what, almost 5AM there? You must be an early riser...

 

Nope, I just haven't slept yet. I'm used to do that when I feel pressure over something. I 'should' be working to be more prepared, but that'd be giving in to a system which would grant me no rest whatsoever, and I can't sleep, because that'd mean considering that not being ready is normal and not a problem. So I plan failure by being both unprepared and unrested. Perfectly sane reasoning. Trust me.

 

EDIT: thinking about it, it's also that I like the quietness of the night, especially when I know a storm is coming. It makes me feel like it's my time that nobody can steal and that I am protecting it from the people who'll make a wreak out of my time of tomorrow. This time is especially precious that I know that it'll be taken away soon.

[Tobbe]

9 hours ago, Jean said:

I'm feeling exactly the same toward growing things. It's both relaxing and physically demanding, and it's perfect for me because it's a responsibility that I have as my own and that asks for care at some specific times in the year.

 

I wish I could grow things! But I can't even stick to watering our window sill herb pots  So more power to you for taking care of a full vineyard! 

 

9 hours ago, Jean said:

Debts :

 - Student loan ;

 - Debts I have toward my family.

 

I don't have credit card debts as of now so that seems to sum it up for me.

 

I'd say you're doing unusually good on the debt front! Good for you!

No loans from buying the vineyard? Or is that included in the "debts I have towards my family" bullet point?

 

9 hours ago, Jean said:

I'm in the process of getting a leasing for a car ('cause my current one doesn't fit the 'roads' I have to take for my job). How would you account for it? The car isn't really yours, so, not an asset, and it's not really a debt in itself either.

 

A car is always going to be a cost. It usually adds up to more than you think at the end  But yeah, neither an asset or a dept. More of a monthly/daily expense.

 

9 hours ago, Jean said:

I like spreadsheets and graphs so, that helps with that.

 

Perfect! Should be pretty easy to just add all the + and - then and sum it up at the bottom  

 

[Tobbe]

5 hours ago, Severine said:

the reference to wet mattress just makes me think of a kid who hasn't quite mastered toilet training yet

 

4 hours ago, Jean said:

The means of the wettnes, here, were tears

 

Yeah, I was thinking pee at first as well, but was also thinking "no, he can't mean that, must be something else". So then I thought it was a reference to sweating caused by being so anxious about the whole situation   Meanings easily gets lost in writing. Add the whole foreign language situation on top of that and it's even more difficult  

[Tobbe]

4 hours ago, Jean said:

but since I'd get to keep the (greatly devaluated) car if I go deep enough in it, I'm not sure if I shouldn't treat it as an asset and debt situation. Not that it really matters in the grand scheme of things, mind you.

 

When you're done with paying for the lease, sure, you can count it as an asset (that will greatly reduce in value every year). But for now I'd just put it down as a monthly cost

[Tobbe]

4 hours ago, Jean said:

I'd expect that someone who lives outside of the villages, on top of a mountain (in a beautiful landscape), would think that it's only natural for him to have to be a little more crafty than other people and to have to deal with harsher conditions than city folks.

 

At least that's true for me. I've chosen to live way out in the woods. It's my own choice. So I also don't expect the roads to be in perfect shape all year round. In the winter there will be more snow and ice on the roads than what they would accept in the city. But I like that. It's part of the charm. And if it's really windy I have to bring a chainsaw (or at least an ax) in the car in case there's a tree across the road...

 

But yeah, not everyone reasons like this, unfortunately.