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flyer
ParticipantNice article, 6pack, and it does sound like this arrangement has worked out for them. We’ve owned boats for years, and know lots of people who do–primarily for recreational use.
Those we have known who have lived on their boats exclusively, have all ended up selling their boats, and returned to their homes after a year or two–citing many reasons for doing so. Some even tried the seasonal thing–moving their boats to the Bahamas, Lauderdale, the Riviera, etc.–yet even they again resorted to solid ground in the final analysis.
For the purpose you’ve mentioned, I agree with CAR in, that, another type of investment would make a lot more sense with regard to your son, that is, unless, you, and the rest of the family plan to also use the boat recreationally.
I definitely would not enter into this lightly, and would do a lot of research before you make your final decision.
ParticipantFamily members who have lived all around the Bay Area for years have mentioned this situation, and are wondering if/when/how it all will end.
None of them are planning to sell their homes, so they don’t really care, but it is interesting to watch.
November 18, 2013 at 8:36 PM in reply to: My experience getting a dedicated EV TOU 2 electric meter with SDGE #768129Participant[quote=earlyretirement][quote=AN][quote=afx114]Tesla’s working on a system to swap out the entire battery system in less time than it takes you to pump a tank of gas: http://www.teslamotors.com/batteryswap
Watch the video, pretty interesting. Imagine your charge is running low — you simply drive up to a replacement station (similar to how gas engines force you to drive to a gas station), get new batteries, and are back on the road in under 90 seconds. Granted, you’d need plenty of replacement stations within range, but that’s the eventual goal.
So imagine the consumer being able to offload battery replacement/wear/degradation/maintenance to GiantBatteryCo(tm). As the batteries get swapped, GiantBatteryCo(tm) can run diagnostics on each pack and fix/replace/recycle as needed in a centralized location/process. The EV consumer no longer needs to worry about batteries in the same way that combustion engine consumers no longer need to worry about oil extraction/refining.
Batteries are one of the biggest sticking points for EVs, but if you remove those from the equation, it changes the outlook quite a bit.[/quote]
I read up on this proposal, but as I said earlier unless all electric cars uses the same battery design for all kinds of cars, so that any EV can go into this battery swapping station and swap out their battery, I don’t see it feasible to have a lot of these battery swapping station, due to the fact that there’s not a lot of Tesla cars out there. With gas, any car can go and refuel. In order for EV to replace ICE, it needs to solve that problem too. This is one of the reason why I’m more optimistic about FCV than EV as a long term solution of replacing ICE cars.[/quote]I haven’t read this thread (or the board for that matter) as I’ve been crazy busy. But I thought I’d take the time to post a follow up post. I still LOVE driving the car as much as when I got it. It’s been perfect with no problems (or fires..haha).
As much as I love driving it, I don’t see this rapid battery swap happening any time soon. Like many things with Tesla, there is a lot of gimmicky type marketing. Read some of the serious TMC posts (http://www.teslamotorsclub.com) and you will read from people that know cars VERY well that this isn’t easy.
Plus, how will Tesla have the supply to have all of these batteries? I just don’t see it happening anytime soon (i.e. the next several years).
I absolutely love the technology and love love love driving the car. They are all over the place now. Just driving around Rancho Santa Fe the other day I saw 4 of them in the span of 15 minutes.
I was in at the San Diego Service Center the other day. And I asked the guy about it and he joked that RSF has TONS of owners. It’s one of their biggest zip codes he said for Tesla owners…[/quote]
Many of my neighbors in RSF do have Tesla’s. It is definitely the car of the moment. We have enough cars right now, but will definitely consider it in the future. Lots of good info here.
Participant[quote=6packscaredy]hmmm. ok. i’ll think about.
but maybe my bucket list will consist only of: a good death:
philosophy excerpt…
As Herodotus tells it, Croesus, the ancient king of Lydia, was once visited at his palace by Solon, a wise sage and Athenian lawgiver. The king was delighted to have the itinerant philosopher in residence, and welcomed him with warm hospitality. For several days, Croesus instructed his servants to show off the full measure of the king’s enormous power and wealth.
Once he felt Solon had been sufficiently awed by his riches, Croesus said to him:
“Well, my Athenian friend, I have heard a great deal about your wisdom, and how widely you have travelled in the pursuit of knowledge. I cannot resist my desire to ask you a question: who is the happiest man you have ever seen?”
King Croesus was already certain that he was in fact the happiest man in the world, but wanted to enjoy the satisfaction of hearing his name parroted back to him from such a venerated sage.
But Solon, who was not one for flattery, answered: “Tellus the Athenian.”
The king was quite taken aback and demanded to know how such a common man might be considered the happiest of all.
Tellus, Solon replied, had lived in a city with a government that allowed him to prosper and born fine sons, who had in turn given him many grandchildren who all survived into youth. After enjoying a contented life, he fought with his countrymen, bravely died on the battlefield while routing the enemy, and was given the honor of a public funeral by his fellow Athenians.
Croesus was perplexed by this explanation but pushed on to inquire as to who the next happiest man was, sure that if he wasn’t first, he had to be second.
But again Solon answered not with the king’s name, but with a pair of strapping young Argives: Cleobis and Biton.
Known for their devotion to family and athletic prowess, when their mother needed to be conveyed to the temple of Hera to celebrate the goddess’ festival, but did not have any oxen to pull her there, these brothers harnessed themselves to the incredibly heavy ox cart and dragged it over six miles with their mother aboard. When they arrived at the temple, an assembled crowd congratulated the young men on their astounding feat of strength, and complimented their mother on raising such fine sons. In gratitude for bestowing such honor upon her, the mother of these dutiful lads prayed to Hera to bestow upon them “the greatest blessing that can befall mortal men.” After the sacrifices and feasting, the young brothers laid down in the temple for a nap, and Hera granted their mother’s prayer by allowing them to die in their sleep. “The Argives,” Solon finished the tale, “considering them to be the best of men, had statues made of them, which they sent to Delphi.”
Now King Croesus was livid. Three relative nobodies, three dead men were happier than he was with his magnificent palace and an entire kingdom of his own to rule over? Surely the old sage had lost his marbles. Croesus snapped at Solon:
“That’s all very well, my Athenian friend; but what of my own happiness? Is it so utterly contemptible that you won’t even compare me with mere common folk like those you have mentioned?”
Solon explained that while the rich did have two advantages over the poor – “the means to bear calamity and satisfy their appetites” – they had no monopoly on the things that were truly valuable in life: civic service, raising healthy children, being self-sufficient, having a sound body, and honoring the gods and one’s family. Plus, riches tend to create more issues for their bearers – more money, more problems.
More importantly, Solon continued, if you live to be 70 years old, by the ancient calendar you will experience 26,250 days of mortal life, “and not a single one of them is like the next in what it brings.” In other words, just because things are going swimmingly today, doesn’t mean you won’t be hit with a calamity tomorrow. Thus a man who experiences good fortune can be called lucky, Solon explained, but the label of happy must be held in reserve until it is seen whether or not his good fortune lasts until his death.
“This is why,” Solon finally concludes to Croesus, “I cannot answer the question you asked me until I know the manner of your death. Count no man happy until the end is known.”
Croesus was now sure Solon was a fool, “for what could be more stupid” he thought, than being told he must “look to the ‘end’ of everything, without regard for present prosperity?” And so he dismissed the philosopher from his court.
While the king quickly put Solon’s admonitions out of his mind, the truth of it would soon be revealed to him in the most personal and painful way.
First, Croesus’ beloved son died in a hunting accident. Then, blinded by hubris (excessive pride), he misinterpreted the counsel of the oracles at Delphi and began an ill-advised attempt to conquer King Cyrus’ Persian Empire. As a result, the Persians laid siege to his home city of Sardis, captured the humbled ruler, and placed him in chains on top of a giant funeral pyre. As the flames began to lick at his feet, Croesus cried out, “Oh Solon! Oh Solon! Oh Solon! Count no man happy until the end is known!”[/quote]
IMO, there seems to be a point in the human experience when each person begins to realize he or she is, in fact, nothing more than a mere mortal with a relatively unknown expiration date, and we each deal with this stark realization in different ways.
Perhaps “no man can be happy until the end is known,” and that will mean different things to different people. Short of knowing the unknowable, personally, I love life–try to make the most of it each day–and am at peace–regardless of how it ends.
Participant[quote=cvmom][quote=6packscaredy] I owe it all to the book we read in 2001 when we had 20,000 in credit card debt, and 35,000 in total income, and kids…. THE TIGHTWAD GAZETTE[/quote]
Not spending too much on stupid stuff really pays off, doesn’t it. We are so happy with our paid-off house and healthy bank balance. Now we have to get up the nerve to quit working for the man…have done 8-5 job plus family stuff so long, that I am not sure what else I want to do in life. Continuing to work when we don’t really need to seems stupid, though. I read http://www.mrmoneymustache.com religiously, he preaches early retirement, but now that we can, I am finding it surprisingly difficult to make the leap…[/quote]
Interesting perspective CV. Financially, my wife and I could have “made the leap” (retired) in our 40’s, but, as 6pack mentioned, even though we can actually do whatever we want to do, we are also the type of people who are happier having a purpose in life. (After we got the kids set up in life.)
We’ve become involved in many “causes,” as well as more real estate investment, film investment and writing, along with other things we find challenging and rewarding.
Once you find things that really makes you tick, and that you just can’t wait to do everyday, I think “making the leap” will become easy for you.
Participant[quote=njtosd]Flyer said:
“NJ, I can agree to a certain extent that kids today may be no different than they’ve ever been, but I do believe the game they are being forced to play in life has changed since the time of Socrates.”
I respectfully disagree. People, especially young people, emigrated to the US in various waves because the resources at home were, basically, nil. The Irish (my relatives) were forced out of Ireland by the English (my other relatives) and ended up here in a desperate attempt to not starve to death. Speaking more academically, populations tend to increase until they hit the carrying capacity of the environment (I don’t mean this in the green sense). So there will always be a struggle for resources. The only exception that I’m aware of was directly after the plagues that swept through Europe. The drastic reduction in population allowed many to acquire land and other resources they otherwise could not have. Even in that case , my understanding is that the sudden per capita “abundance” of resources did not result in excessive prosperity.
I think the media over the past 50 years has given people a false impression of what is average. Watch HGTV and see what people making a very modest income say they “can’t” live with (Formica counters or old carpet, for example). Life has always involved a struggle for the best stuff (jobs, houses, mates,etc). I think people have just forgotten that.[/quote]
I actually agree with everything you’ve said above, NJ. What you mentioned about the media giving a false impression of what is “average” is at the core of what I meant about young people being forced to play a different game today.
IMO, the media, peer pressure, and familial reinforcement about what one is “entitled” to in life, are creating masses of delusional young people.
That’s not to say many will not succeed, and do extremely well–but more will not. They will simply be left behind wondering–“why didn’t I get what I wanted?”–not realizing they have simply been duped by false promises.
Participant[quote=CA renter]You children are lucky (as are ours), but it’s the people who don’t have this luxury that I worry about. IMO, we need structural change so that people can have a chance to make a decent living if they are willing to work hard enough.[/quote]
I agree, CAR, and we also stressed to our kids that, even though money may not be an issue for them, they still needed to strive to achieve their dreams as we did.
The most content, interesting and happy people I have ever met are those who achieved the goals they set out to achieve in life, regardless of the financial aspect.
Participant[quote=6packscaredy]Candy quality given at Halloween has improved daramatically over last 40 years[/quote]
Glad to hear something has!
Participant[quote=flyer][quote=njtosd][quote=flyer][quote=6packscaredy]Ok now getting back on topic:
Kids today; they think society OWES them free candy.[/quote]
Agree, 6pack. We’ve seen this with some of the kids our kids grew up with in RSF–who are now in their 20’s and early 30’s. In fact, there are those who have even become suicidal because their lives didn’t go as their parents promised. [/quote]
Go back and look at my earlier post in this thread with the quote from Socrates. Kids are no different today than they’ve ever been.[/quote]
NJ, I can agree to a certain extent that kids today may be no different than they’ve ever been, but I do believe the game they are being forced to play in life has changed since the time of Socrates.
With our global economy, there are far more people vying for fewer and fewer resources than ever in history, creating extreme competition, and resulting in “survival of the fittest,” thus limiting many young people’s options in life.
It just seems to me that things have changed drastically when over 50% of college grads can’t get their dream jobs or buy homes (at least in most of CA.)
In “my day,” (I’m 55) acquiring those, and other of life’s benchmarks was pretty much a “slam dunk.” We all know that is no longer true, and, from that basis, I would have to believe the game of life has changed in a big way for future generations.
Of course, all of this is JMO.[/quote]
Agree, CAR.
The above scenario is one of the major reasons we starting investing in real estate in CV and elsewhere many years ago. We wanted to make sure our kids and grandchildren would, under most circumstances, be financially independent.
They have now gone onto have great careers of their own, (we believe they became settled in their careers just before it all hit the fan) but they know we created a viable backup plan for them, should they need it.
Participant[quote=njtosd][quote=flyer][quote=6packscaredy]Ok now getting back on topic:
Kids today; they think society OWES them free candy.[/quote]
Agree, 6pack. We’ve seen this with some of the kids our kids grew up with in RSF–who are now in their 20’s and early 30’s. In fact, there are those who have even become suicidal because their lives didn’t go as their parents promised. [/quote]
Go back and look at my earlier post in this thread with the quote from Socrates. Kids are no different today than they’ve ever been.[/quote]
NJ, I can agree to a certain extent that kids today may be no different than they’ve ever been, but I do believe the game they are being forced to play in life has changed since the time of Socrates.
With our global economy, there are far more people vying for fewer and fewer resources than ever in history, creating extreme competition, and resulting in “survival of the fittest,” thus limiting many young people’s options in life.
It just seems to me that things have changed drastically when over 50% of college grads can’t get their dream jobs or buy homes (at least in most of CA.)
In “my day,” (I’m 55) acquiring those, and other of life’s benchmarks was pretty much a “slam dunk.” We all know that is no longer true, and, from that basis, I would have to believe the game of life has changed in a big way for future generations.
Of course, all of this is JMO.
Participant[quote=6packscaredy]Ok now getting back on topic:
Kids today; they think society OWES them free candy.[/quote]
Agree, 6pack. We’ve seen this with some of the kids our kids grew up with in RSF–who are now in their 20’s and early 30’s. In fact, there are those who have even become suicidal because their lives didn’t go as their parents promised.
Our kids were raised with completely different attitudes. They never took anything for granted–and no promises were made. We let them know very early on that the fields they had chosen (medicine, the movie business, etc.) would not be a slam dunk, even with our connections. Things have worked out for them, but I don’t think you can ever really know if it was the way we raised them, their abilities, luck–or all of the above.
IMO, kids can believe they are “owed” whatever they want to believe they are “owed,” but, hopefully, they are also prepared to face the fact that life may or may not work out their way.
Participant[quote=zk][quote=flyer]
I know you’re not looking for sympathy, flu, but few people could walk in your shoes and still be standing. You’re definitely dealing very well.[/quote]Well, flu, if the chemo wasn’t making you sick…[/quote]
Having friends and family who have been through this treatment, my intentions in making this remark were sincere, flu. I forgot that doesn’t fly on this board.
Participant[quote=flu][quote=flyer]Good points, flu. Great to hear how you’re helping others.
Because we have the financial resources, and because we believe in the old adage, “Charity begins at home,” in addition to our own, we put 8 additional kids in our extended family through college, and helped them get into the careers they wanted, and I could go on and on from there.[/quote]
You know the biggest irony of so called “champions of the poor”… I’m wondering how many of them actually lifted a finger.
Seriously folks, I don’t need a lecture on “luck”.. If I was complaining about “luck”, I wouldn’t be sitting on my ass all day not working, because I have the luck of having a something that 1:10000 have. It’s why I’m still on chemo for the past 3 years. I’m saying this not because I need/want pity from any of you. In fact if you do, it would be the most nauseating/sickest fucking thing you would do. I’m saying it because well,
guess what
1) Life isn’t fair.
2) Shit happens.
3) Deal with it.QED…[/quote]
I know you’re not looking for sympathy, flu, but few people could walk in your shoes and still be standing. You’re definitely dealing very well.
ParticipantGood points, flu. Great to hear how you’re helping others.
Because we have the financial resources, and because we believe in the old adage, “Charity begins at home,” in addition to our own, we put 8 additional kids in our extended family through college, and helped them get into the careers they wanted, and I could go on and on from there. We’re extremely determined to help our family, regardless of what’s going on in this crazy world.
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