SPEAKER_0 [00:00:00]
Dramas, please.
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:13]
Yeah.
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:20]
This is life
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:21]
with a twist of lemon.
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:24]
Happy New Year's, John. Happy New Year, Stanley.
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:28]
So I was reflecting a little bit back on last year, and I actually went back and I listened to episode 24,
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:35]
which was a New Year's resolution episode we did before New Year's.
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:39]
And we talked a little bit about what our goals were. And I thought it might be entertaining
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:44]
to revisit those. We actually didn't spend a lot of time
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:47]
on New Year's resolutions, but it's just enough that I think we probably have a conversation about it. Did we talk about New Year's resolutions and how we don't really do them at some point?
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:57]
Yeah. I mean, that was kind of this episode. Like, we were we were basically noncommittal, and then we moved on to talking about our iPhone home screens. Alright.
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:04]
So episode 24 for those of you who wanna go back and listen to last year.
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:09]
I do not go back and listen to any episode after I edit it like I never have.
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:14]
So,
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:15]
thanks for increasing our download count, Stan.
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:19]
Yeah. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:21]
if you if you listen back,
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:23]
you'll find that John
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:25]
wanted to read more in 2019.
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:27]
And then he also had goals,
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:29]
which I think we kinda contrasted New Year's resolution with goals. Got it. And then a little bit about habits too, which I'll come back to in just a moment. Okay. With learning how to budget as a homeowner and investing more.
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:40]
So let's take these one at a time. First of all, John, did you read more in 2019
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:44]
than you did in 2018?
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:45]
So I would have to go back and look.
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:48]
I did not read
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:50]
basically a book a month is what I was shooting for this year. I've ended up at eight books rather than 12 books. I think I started the year off really strong.
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:00]
And then,
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:01]
during summer, everything kind of fell off like everything else. So
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:07]
so I did not hit the goal. I may have I think I thought I read more this year than I did the previous year.
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:14]
So I think the most important thing there is improvement year over year. I do have to ask, did you ever finish your Churnow book? I have not even
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:22]
opened it again because I bought the big hardcover one. Or not hardcover, but paperback,
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:27]
but it's huge. So I'm, like, 200 some pages in, which, you know, is a good sized book to read normally.
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:34]
But, no, I have not opened it. I think it's sitting on my shelf.
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:38]
This is the Washington book. Right? Correct.
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:40]
Which is fascinating.
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:42]
So I don't know why I haven't read more of it. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:46]
And and it's particularly well written, I think. Yeah. You know, Chernow does a nice job of narrating as well as giving you detail,
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:54]
and progressing.
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:55]
So
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:56]
let let me ask you this. Did you touch it at all in 2019?
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:59]
I did not.
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:01]
Okay. Kyle, I I did to move it, I suppose.
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:04]
Alright. From one room to another? From one room to another because I finished my office. But yeah.
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:10]
So
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:11]
for
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:12]
I'm gonna jump the gun a little bit here. For 2020, are you gonna set a goal to read 12 books then?
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:18]
So I think that instead of a
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:20]
12 book goal, because I read, like, a 900 page book this year, So that would count for the rest of my books if I was reading 200 page books.
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:30]
Sure. So I think that my goal this year is more to actually sit and read at least five days a week.
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:37]
Five days a week. Okay. And does it matter which days?
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:41]
Right now, no. As we get further into 2019,
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:45]
we'll see if there's, like, some day where I'm just not reading, so I know that it can't be that day.
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:50]
Okay. Well, how much time or is there a page count or a chapter amount? Like, how are you going to determine whether or not you have met that goal on a particular day?
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:00]
So it's literally picking up one of the books that I'm reading at that time. And if it's two pages, it's two pages.
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:08]
If I'm reading for three hours, it's three hours.
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:10]
I've set time limits before, like, wanted to read thirty minutes a day or something like that, and I just don't stick with it. So I think that this is basically setting the game up to win. I don't have to do it every day. I have to do it five days a week, and it's not overly
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:26]
like, if I'm never reading on Mondays because Mondays are busy with stuff,
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:31]
then, hey, I read on Saturday and Sunday.
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:34]
Okay. Fair enough. And and I think I think there's something to this. Right? If you so I'm a big believer in habit forming.
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:40]
If you form a habit around reading daily, regardless of time, if you just do it, I think what you will see, you
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:48]
know, as as time passes,
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:50]
that the amount of time you commit to reading will naturally grow That's the goal. Right? Yeah. Organically.
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:56]
So I think also This is reading a book,
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:59]
whether it be on Kindle or
SPEAKER_1 [00:05:02]
on
SPEAKER_1 [00:05:03]
in,
SPEAKER_1 [00:05:04]
physical format. This does not count reading articles online or anything like that. What what about audiobooks, John? Do you distinguish those separately? So
SPEAKER_1 [00:05:13]
I've never really gotten into audiobooks.
SPEAKER_1 [00:05:16]
I find my mind wanders even more than when I'm reading. So, like, it's harder to go back and repeat what you missed when you were thinking about something else and have no idea what happened for the last ten minutes.
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:28]
Fair enough. I will say that I have grown an affection for audiobooks
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:33]
in the last year.
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:35]
But
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:36]
I
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:37]
also go into an audiobook
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:40]
with,
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:41]
a really critical ear. So if after the first chapter,
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:45]
I can't recall what it was, like, in its entirety, I'm done. Got it. I just discard it. So that's how I've avoided that whole, like, getting lost in,
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:56]
you know, the the behind
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:58]
me kind of thing. Right. Like, it's playing in the background. I try not to multitask.
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:02]
So if I'm not driving
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:04]
when I'm listening to an audiobook,
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:06]
I will literally lay on the couch and listen to it. And now, someone may be asking, well, why don't you just read the physical book? And, the answer to that question is usually it comes down to an availability thing. So I have the audiobook because I do not have the Kindle or physical copy. I think you know this, John, but I have this habit of when I request a book from the library, I request all three versions,
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:26]
Kindle,
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:27]
physical,
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:28]
and audio, in the hopes that one of them will get to me sooner.
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:31]
And, whichever one arrives, I I start with that one. So There you go.
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:36]
Okay. So you're tackle Churnal in 2020, or is that is that off the table? What do you think?
SPEAKER_1 [00:06:42]
So definitely not in the first part of 2020
SPEAKER_1 [00:06:46]
just because that sounds like a barrier to being successful.
SPEAKER_1 [00:06:51]
So
SPEAKER_1 [00:06:52]
Okay. Interesting. I've installed before.
SPEAKER_1 [00:06:54]
So, like, I I find I think I'm gonna be reading more fiction this year than I have the past couple years
SPEAKER_1 [00:07:01]
just because I fly through it. It's something that I think about going back to and reading
SPEAKER_1 [00:07:06]
and just just to get it into that habit. The another one that I've kind of stalled on is the Iliad of Homer.
SPEAKER_1 [00:07:13]
So that just takes mental energy to
SPEAKER_1 [00:07:18]
read
SPEAKER_1 [00:07:19]
and, yeah, to make it through that and to kind of absorb everything that's going on.
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:23]
I never particularly found Homer interesting,
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:26]
or engaging. Maybe that's what I say. It's definitely interesting.
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:29]
I I but not engaging enough that I felt compelled to actually
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:33]
read enough of it to to attempt to finish it. Yeah. Maybe that'll change. I I think you've you've highlighted and understand aspect of reading, finding your niche.
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:41]
And I think if you have a tendency not to read fiction
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:45]
like I do, it is always good to take a respite from your nonfiction and delve into fiction. So as you know,
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:53]
my fiction tends to be Star Wars books,
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:55]
and I will read two or three presidential
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:58]
biographies,
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:59]
and then I'll throw in two or three Star Wars novels Yep. Just to keep me engaged. Or this year, also did a Firefly novel that was Really? Yeah. You did not tell me about this. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:11]
Well, it was on Goodreads. I I thought you followed me there. Well, like I said, I haven't been great at reading books this year. So I I also did a couple Star Trek novels now that I think about it. And Star Trek novels historically have been really hit or miss. Yeah. But I found I found a couple that were
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:25]
okay.
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:26]
So Alright. I did that. But alright. So you're gonna read more. You're gonna continue the grind.
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:32]
The other two things you said for 2019 were homeowner budgeting because you just bought a house, and you wanted to, like, sort through all that madness,
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:41]
and then you wanted to invest more. So let's take these one at a time. How how did the homeowner budget situation shake out?
SPEAKER_1 [00:08:46]
So I actually revamped
SPEAKER_1 [00:08:48]
completely how I did budgeting. I've made the move over to mint,
SPEAKER_1 [00:08:53]
which was hit and miss. There were times where I hated mint, and right now it's working pretty well. So I'm all about mint.
SPEAKER_1 [00:09:01]
So that definitely changed. And the homeowner thing, like,
SPEAKER_1 [00:09:05]
I don't even really think twice about it.
SPEAKER_1 [00:09:10]
So I'm guessing it went well.
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:13]
So you wound up with more,
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:16]
like, categories of budgeting, didn't you? Because you had different utilities and things of that sort.
SPEAKER_1 [00:09:22]
No. I don't think I did.
SPEAKER_1 [00:09:24]
Okay. They just grew in amount
SPEAKER_1 [00:09:27]
and rent changed to mortgage
SPEAKER_1 [00:09:30]
and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:32]
Okay. Alright. Yeah. Any struggle with, like, the variability of utilities?
SPEAKER_1 [00:09:37]
So
SPEAKER_1 [00:09:38]
I'm I air on the side of overbudgeting.
SPEAKER_1 [00:09:42]
So, like, my water bill, basically,
SPEAKER_1 [00:09:46]
I pay every every other month,
SPEAKER_1 [00:09:48]
but I always budget the same amount for utilities just to streamline it. So I usually end up with an extra $100
SPEAKER_1 [00:09:55]
every other month in the utilities,
SPEAKER_1 [00:09:58]
which then pretty much gets saved. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:02]
Do you find that your
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:04]
cooling and heating bills balance out then at the end of the year? Absolutely.
SPEAKER_1 [00:10:07]
Okay. Yeah. So
SPEAKER_1 [00:10:09]
I have natural gas heat,
SPEAKER_1 [00:10:12]
and cooling's electric.
SPEAKER_1 [00:10:13]
So,
SPEAKER_1 [00:10:14]
like, heat is the only thing that I have on the gas. So my gas bill is pretty much the $10 to keep it on the majority of the year.
SPEAKER_1 [00:10:26]
So
SPEAKER_1 [00:10:27]
yeah.
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:28]
Interesting. Have you considered going to
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:31]
the budget plans with any of your utilities? I have not,
SPEAKER_1 [00:10:35]
and
SPEAKER_1 [00:10:37]
I don't know. I like
SPEAKER_1 [00:10:41]
I don't know if this is because I'm cheap or what. Like, I don't wanna pay more on some month that I don't need to.
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:48]
So Well, it all evens out at the end of the year. Right? Because Supposedly.
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:52]
Like No.
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:53]
It it
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:54]
I mean, at least with my situation, it definitely does. Yeah.
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:58]
I guess, I'm sure there's different budget plans out there. I I made the move to the budget plan for gas and electric this year, and I had never done that before in the entire time that that missus Lummon and I have been married. So we've owned a home now
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:12]
for,
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:13]
gosh, probably
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:14]
thirteen, fourteen years, and this is the first time I've done that. And actually, I like it. I like the fact that it's just set and forget cruise control. Yeah. And there's a constant. Right? So I don't have that, like, extra money floating around,
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:26]
because it all evens out over the spread of the month or the spread of the year rather. Alright. Yeah.
SPEAKER_1 [00:11:31]
Alright. And then investing more, John. Yes. So this was the first year that I maxed out my Roth IRA ever.
SPEAKER_1 [00:11:39]
So I definitely invested more.
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:41]
Congratulations.
SPEAKER_1 [00:11:42]
Thanks. And we didn't quite max out missus Kolmeyer's Roth IRA,
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:47]
but we definitely contributed to that each month as well. So Well, now technically, I believe you have until April to make a Roth IRA contribution for her, don't you? Yeah. If I wanted on those tax here. Yeah. So there's still time, John. There's still time. There's still time. And I think I think that was a great goal to set because it takes it takes some effort. Right? Like, the that's it's not a trivial amount of money to max out an IRA. It's $5,500
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:12]
a year. It went up. It went up? Okay. Yeah. So it's 6,000 this year. Okay. Good deal. So, in order to do that, like, it takes some,
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:23]
some diligence. It takes some,
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:25]
you know, just,
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:28]
what's the word I'm looking for, John? Structure,
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:30]
consistency. Anyhow Sure. But the but the point is, I think, you know, from an investment standpoint, from a savings standpoint,
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:37]
especially the younger you are,
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:39]
the Roth IRA is the best thing to max out. Max out for you, max out for your spouse.
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:44]
Like, you know, get that to a high level before you do anything else, before you start looking at different investment,
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:51]
vehicles or just, you know, moving that savings beyond your three or six month buffer or whatever it is you've got. So that's that's awesome. That's a that was a great goal, and it sounds like you crushed it. So there is
SPEAKER_1 [00:13:02]
one
SPEAKER_1 [00:13:03]
caveat to what you just said. If your employer offers a match
SPEAKER_1 [00:13:08]
on investing in their four zero one k or whatever they're doing investment wise,
SPEAKER_1 [00:13:13]
only put in enough for the match, get free money, and then pour the rest in the Roth IRA.
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:19]
Yeah. There are caveats to that based upon income levels, but I I generally agree with that. Right? Like, take the free money whenever you can. I think, you know, a lot of times, the simplicity of a four zero one k,
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:30]
you know,
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:32]
means folks probably shouldn't mess with another
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:34]
investment vehicle. But everybody's situation is different. The other thing too is a lot of employers now are offering Roth four zero one k's. Yep.
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:41]
And if if you're in that situation,
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:43]
my 2¢ is,
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:45]
you know, get the free money and then focus on that rather than setting up a separate Roth IRA. Usually, that's not worth it if if you had that kind of vehicle. At a certain income level,
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:54]
the non Roth versions become,
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:57]
well, necessary,
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:59]
but but also potentially more viable. So, you know, you just keep it all in mind, and you gotta balance your situation. But congratulations on crushing that goal, John.
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:07]
Yeah. It was a good year overall financially. I also refinanced
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:11]
within the first year of owning a home,
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:14]
and I bought missus Colmire a new car. So Hey. There you go. And it's a it's a gorgeous car, by the way.
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:21]
So I
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:23]
was really noncommittal when I listened to the episode. Even even less committal than you were. But I said that I wanted to read every day, and I was setting a specific goal for my mortgage.
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:35]
And the the funny thing is as I look back and
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:39]
I I I double checked Goodreads. I read 40 books this year,
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:42]
which was,
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:44]
a lot more than the previous year, and I paid off the mortgage. So I think I crushed those goals, John. Yes.
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:51]
Because when Stan does something, he goes all in. Yeah. I guess so.
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:56]
So
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:57]
the the reading daily, I didn't set a book goal. I sent I set a just read something every day. Yep. And as you know, I'm a big fan of the Kindle, and so it is easy for me to Although, you've been more on yeah. You've been on the phone and iPad recently this year too. Yep. But the Kindle app. Right? Kindle app. So I I move I move between all three devices, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, and that's, I think, been in part my secret weapon.
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:25]
Because if I have downtime,
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:27]
I pull out a book. Right? So I don't do social media.
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:31]
I don't, just, you know, browse the news app or anything like that. I literally pick up my book, and because of the the glory of Kindle, it just syncs to wherever I left off on the last device, and I and I get going. So if I'm, you know, at the ballpark with Hank, right, and there's there's nothing for me to actively engage in because they're they're doing practice or whatever, I'll pull out the Kindle app. If I'm waiting in a doctor's office, I pull out the Kindle app, you know, all those kind of things. And so I think that's
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:56]
that's helped a lot. I've also,
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:59]
I think, been more judicious about my book selection.
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:03]
So what what Goodreads doesn't show you is the number of books I started and then didn't finish because I was like, know what? This isn't a great book.
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:10]
Most recent example, Refresh by Satya Nadella.
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:13]
I thought it was gonna be a great book. Honestly, it was it was hurting to get through. And so
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:19]
I said, you know what? This does not spark joy. And Speaking of which, Putting Up is another book in that category for you this year. Yeah. It was. It was. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:30]
I I think what that allowed me to do is say, like, I'm not going to commit to reading a book I'm not gonna enjoy. Yep. And then to to just move on and be okay with that. So. Nice. But,
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:40]
so what are you thinking for 2020, John? Do you got any New Year's resolutions? Do got any goals? Yep. Any habits you wanna form? So we talked about the reading one a little bit.
SPEAKER_1 [00:16:50]
So that is the big one. I've already taken steps to make that easier, including removing my Facebook account and Instagram account. So
SPEAKER_1 [00:16:59]
maybe Wait. Wait.
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:01]
When when you say removing, like, they're not on your phone or you have deactivated
SPEAKER_1 [00:17:05]
So I have deactivated
SPEAKER_1 [00:17:06]
Facebook.
SPEAKER_1 [00:17:07]
It couldn't find an easy way to deactivate Instagram, so I just removed that from my phone, and I'm not gonna use it anywhere else. So Okay. I have I have to ask the obvious question. How are we gonna maintain life with the twisted lemon page? So this is a good question that I don't have a good answer to yet. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:23]
Alright, John. I I have faith in you. You'll you'll figure this out before the next episode releases.
SPEAKER_1 [00:17:28]
Oh, man. I might I might have you invite, some
SPEAKER_1 [00:17:33]
Kylo Ren Facebook account or something like that and then manage
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:37]
the manage the Facebook page there. I I I can do that. I can do that. What about Twitter? Are you are you cutting Twitter, or are you leaving that on? So I have Twitter still.
SPEAKER_1 [00:17:47]
Twitter so far has not been an issue.
SPEAKER_1 [00:17:50]
So if I end up filling the void of not being able to scroll on Facebook or Instagram,
SPEAKER_1 [00:17:56]
with Twitter, then that will go too.
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:59]
So I as you know, I'm a I'm a fan of Twitter. I I enjoy it it, like, in some weird twisted way reminds me of the good old RSS days. I tried to resurrect RSS for myself this year, but the problem I have is that
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:14]
people are not distributing over RSS the way that they used to. Right. And so Twitter is still the best vehicle. So here's here's here's where I'm going with those. If you find yourself constantly on Twitter, here's my pro tip.
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:25]
Start unfollowing people so that when you open the Twitter app, there's nothing new.
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:30]
Right? And and I I did this I I do this periodically. But basically, if I find myself checking and not able to keep up,
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:37]
I wind up checking more often.
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:40]
And so I find the things that I'm, like, scrolling past, because invariably, they're there. Right? And I unfollow them until such a time as, like, I I need something from them. Sure. And you just kind of, you know, prune it periodically
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:52]
so that you you want that behavior where you open it up and you only scroll, two tweets. Right? And So then it causes you to Dan Lemmon and
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:01]
who else do I follow? John John Colmar. Oh. Oh. Who else?
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:06]
Will we What else do you follow? So There you go. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:10]
that would be that would my puts it there. Alright. You you're you talked about reading. What else you got on the docket?
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:15]
So I
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:17]
think that the other one is draw better boundaries between work and life.
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:23]
So the most,
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:25]
tangible way to do this, I think, is to take more vacation time, Stan.
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:31]
So I think you've gotta be more specific for yourself. Having observed you
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:34]
from afar this last year, in which you did a horrible job of separating yourself from work, here's my advice to you, John.
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:43]
I I don't know how you
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:45]
manage your PTO,
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:46]
but I begin my year with a note in the notes app, and I lay out the things that I know I will take off. So as an example, right, I'm gonna take the 2020
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:58]
of January 2020 off because that's New Year's week. So I write that down. I look all the way to the end of the calendar, and I look at Thanksgiving, I say, okay, I'm gonna take the days of Thanksgiving week off, and I write those down. But I go to because Christmas John Colmire's probably gonna come visit me. You got it. You got it. So I write those things down, and then I start thinking about, okay, do I know of a trip that I'm gonna take? And I plug that in, and I try to make my list, and I look at it. And right now, as I look at it, right, like, I have a gap from March
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:23]
until November where I'm not taking any time off, and I need to balance that out. So maybe maybe you set a goal for yourself that you take a day, a quarter, right, in addition to whatever trips you do. I know you've got an Aruba thing coming up. Yep. But I that would be my my encouragement to you is figure out a way
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:38]
to guarantee that over the whole course of the year,
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:41]
you're gonna get some time off, not just at the end of the year like you did this year.
SPEAKER_1 [00:20:46]
And, maybe you'll maybe you'll stave off burnout. So so I always take Thanksgiving week off.
SPEAKER_1 [00:20:52]
We got the Aruba trip in March. So, basically, what I'm looking at is where else can I take,
SPEAKER_1 [00:20:59]
at least an extended weekend
SPEAKER_1 [00:21:01]
at least once a quarter?
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:04]
That's that's a perfect goal. So And I if it were me being you, John, with my wife being a teacher and having the summers relatively free. Yeah. I I think that it will probably take a week sometime in the summer as well and do something.
SPEAKER_1 [00:21:18]
Maybe bring missus Colmiter to see you instead of coming by myself.
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:21]
That sounds like a brilliant idea. Actually, you know, John, we, we should plan a summer vacation That'd be fantastic. We should. So we got Aruba this year, so I don't know that there will be any big
SPEAKER_1 [00:21:32]
other big vacations this year. But one of these years, I would like to make it out to Pennsylvania
SPEAKER_1 [00:21:38]
and hit up falling water because we're Frank Lloyd Wright people, and we've been to a couple of his estates.
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:44]
Interestingly, while we lived in Pittsburgh, we never made out the falling water. So I was It's because it looks like it's in the middle of nowhere. So It is. It is in the middle of nowhere. The reason it's beautiful is because there's not a McDonald's within 10 miles of it. There you go. Alright. So
SPEAKER_1 [00:21:58]
those are the two big things. What else?
SPEAKER_1 [00:22:04]
Is there anything else, John? Do you need more than two goals for the new year? I don't think that I do, but I'm sure that there's something else that I would like to work on. But I don't know what it is, so it's not important.
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:14]
Maybe, yeah, maybe you should spend some time learning how to code, John. I could do that.
SPEAKER_1 [00:22:21]
There there should be a code writing,
SPEAKER_1 [00:22:23]
habit in my life.
SPEAKER_1 [00:22:25]
I just don't know when to fit it in at this
SPEAKER_1 [00:22:28]
season of life.
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:29]
There you go.
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:30]
So as far as I'm concerned, I'm in a weird predicament because I feel like I crushed my reading goal,
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:36]
last year. So I don't I don't really feel any urgency to up my books per year. I mean Yeah. 40 per year,
SPEAKER_1 [00:22:44]
is
SPEAKER_1 [00:22:45]
what? It's a book every
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:48]
week and a half, not even? Yeah. Something like that. Yeah. I mean, I'm 12 away. And I thought about this too.
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:54]
I I read some pretty long books. Right? There were a couple of churn out books in there,
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:58]
which were 600 plus pages.
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:01]
So I I could increase it to 12, but I I don't or like, you know, to 52 rather. Yep. I'm
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:07]
less interested in setting a goal for the number of books though and just like continuing my habit. Know? That's because not all books are created equal. Well, that's true. And I did not go into the year thinking I would do 40 books. It just kinda happened. Sure.
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:22]
You know, it's what it is. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:24]
I that's that's not on the docket. The mortgage is obviously not on the docket. And in terms of, like, financial goals, I don't I don't have anything in this. It's an odd situation
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:33]
to be in because
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:35]
I don't have any debt at the moment, and I'm
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:39]
spending less than I make. And so things are just kinda fine. And Yep. That's, again, a weird weird predicament to be in. Now we made a joke when you were in town that my New Year's resolution would be to have less strong opinions Yes. In the New Year. I can't decide if I mean this or not.
SPEAKER_1 [00:23:57]
So this comes out of the mac and cheese episode
SPEAKER_1 [00:24:00]
where, again, if you remember, I do not have a strong opinion on what makes mac and cheese mac and cheese or what
SPEAKER_1 [00:24:07]
when it transformed into something not mac and cheese,
SPEAKER_1 [00:24:10]
whereas Stan is all in on very specific definitions.
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:16]
Yeah. I mean, you know, strong opinions are kind of my MO. I'm afraid if I set this aside, it might damage my brand.
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:22]
But
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:23]
that again, I like, I'm noodling on it. We'll we'll just leave it at that. I will say the one thing that I really would like to do this year is get back on the bicycle There you go. With some consistency. So last year,
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:35]
when I rode, it was usually with the kids just around the neighborhood. And if you recall,
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:40]
two years prior to that, I
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:42]
really ramped up the miles, including
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:45]
concluding my cycling season with a 100 miler ride. Now, I I have no intention of doing that again. I I actually said after I did that that
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:53]
having done it, I don't need to do it again.
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:56]
It
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:57]
was I was glad I did it, but it was a really boring ride. So Damn. This year, I I don't I don't know what I want the goal to be, but I wanna set some kind of miles per week. And as soon as it gets warm enough,
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:10]
you know, commence on that. Now that that's an odd goal because I can't do anything with it until
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:15]
the weather pivots. Right. So,
SPEAKER_1 [00:25:17]
you know, I don't know what, what to make of that. That's not a really great news resolution. So you got the elliptical that you can use until it gets warm. Right? Yep. Yep. Does that measure mileage at all, and is it accurate?
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:30]
I don't think it measures miles because I don't even know what a mile would be like on the elliptical. But,
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:35]
you
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:36]
know,
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:38]
I I wax and wane between having good weeks where I'm, like, on there every day and and then weeks where I'm not on there at all. But
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:46]
maybe that would be a maybe that'd be a goal. I the
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:49]
the other thing that kind of I've been noodling with for a bit here is my morning routine is
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:55]
considerably unstructured
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:57]
as of late. And just getting that part of my day,
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:01]
regimented. And I don't wanna go full on like a Jocko style like our friend,
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:05]
Aaron Fanker. But I I think there is something to be said for creating a little bit of ceremony in my morning. So that is that is the thing I've been contemplating
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:14]
for New Year's. Now, you're a structured morning person, so feel free to judge me all you want. So I think that your first step is to break out the chemics again and
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:23]
start enjoying making coffee.
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:26]
Now, for the record, I I set up the coffee maker this morning and I enjoyed it. Oh, yeah? Sort of. The automated one.
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:34]
Yeah. Well, it's I mean, it still makes a good cup of coffee, but Yeah.
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:39]
Yeah.
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:40]
I think that you should write more this year, Stan.
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:43]
Oh, okay. Like on the blog or more broadly? On the blog would be great, especially since you got all this good content where you could just, like, summarize what you're reading.
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:53]
Yeah. That's fair. Log what you're doing on the bike or something like that.
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:57]
Okay. So maybe let's let's maybe establish a
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:00]
New a Year's resolution here for writing. Should I commit to what do you think? One post a month?
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:06]
That would be a good place to start. Okay. Alright. We're gonna do that. That's my New Year's resolution. I will write on my blog one post a month and I will, I'll try to come up with what that is. I it's it's funny you mentioned this because I was contemplating revisiting my Star Wars, post and and doing like a round two on that. So maybe that's where There I'll begin you go. And, and we'll go from there. Because that that would be, you know, appropriately timed. That is stanlemon.com
SPEAKER_1 [00:27:30]
for those playing at home.
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:31]
Yep. Yep.
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:32]
Alright. Good deal, John. Well, I
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:35]
think just
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:36]
maybe wrap up this new resolution bit by saying what I think we said last year, which is I have never worried in particular much about January 1. Right. Right? And I think
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:47]
establishing
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:48]
good habits and repeatable behavior is far more important than a goal
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:54]
that that is tied to an explicit start date. Right? So if you set your New Year's resolution a month ago and are just waiting for the calendar to to turn over, you're probably doing it wrong.
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:04]
Right?
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:05]
And I think people also
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:07]
have a tendency to set
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:09]
goals, New Year's resolutions that are too extreme.
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:12]
So we talked about books. Right? Like Yep. You know,
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:16]
daily reading,
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:17]
no time requirement,
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:18]
or one one blog post a month. These are relatively low goals. And I think the the the way to think about this is
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:26]
set your goals low so that you crush it and so that you establish a good behavior that you feel, you know, warm and fuzzy about,
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:34]
and then you just keep repeating it. And I think that,
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:37]
at least for me, when I look back on reading,
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:40]
you know, daily journaling,
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:42]
some of these other things that I do habitually,
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:45]
that's how they started. I just set a low bar and, you know, knocked them out of park. Even the mortgage in that regard was done, you know, penny by penny, dollar by dollar, and just kinda snowballed from there. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:57]
don't wait for the calendar to turn over. It's not worth it. Right. And we are borderline
SPEAKER_1 [00:29:02]
on too many goals for 2020,
SPEAKER_1 [00:29:05]
so
SPEAKER_1 [00:29:06]
don't set 17 of them either.
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:09]
Yeah. Yeah. And you know what? I I I would be remiss if I didn't address the 800 pound gorilla in American society, which is the gym membership. Have you ever have you ever done a gym membership? I have never done a gym membership.
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:20]
So I did one one year.
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:23]
It happened to correlate with New Year's because of a sale, not because of a New Year's resolution thing.
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:30]
We had a lot of ice in the neighborhood, and I was in the habit of walking at the time, and I wanted to use a
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:36]
treadmill,
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:37]
which
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:38]
probably
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:39]
not the most economic reason to go to a gym. But I'm I'm just gonna go out on a limb and say, most people do not need a gym membership.
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:46]
And most people that wanna start with regular exercise, because that's the thing you do in New Year's,
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:51]
probably are wasting money doing that. And so here's here's my pro tip,
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:56]
if you want to begin exercising of any sort. And I am by no means a connoisseur of this, but save your money. Go buy
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:05]
the the book,
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:07]
You Are Your Own Gym,
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:08]
and learn some body weight exercises. And just, you know, focus on, like, ten minutes a day, and you'll you'll find that it's much more rewarding than bundling up and driving to the gym and burning a $100 a month for mostly equipment they won't use.
SPEAKER_1 [00:30:22]
I agree. Alright.
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:24]
On that note, John, happy New Years, my friend. Happy New Year. We will see you next week.