When I was an addled youth....I used to get horrible headaches.
Then one day I read in a science periodical that *getting up early all week and sleeping in on Saturday and Sunday* could cause headaches. Aha!
But I could never really avoid the cause.
I got so much school work - to the point where I was pulling 1-2 all-nighters per week - that on Friday night I could barely stay awake until 9:30pm.
Then of course I'd sleep in a little, which pushed me back late on Saturday night....and I'd sleep until 11am on Sunday, then stay up all night doing homework. And so on...
The other day some article was going around on the web calling this *social jet lag*. Check it out - here.
Notably, they link irregular sleep patterns to obesity. I don't want to argue that point, but would like to point out that wage slaves trapped in offices and burdened with tedious, un-stimulating work are also very prone to eating unhealthy food and a lack of exercise.
My wife was whining about having to buy her staff Christmas presents this year. Thankfully she no longer has 42 wage slaves underneath her! I think it's down to 6 or 7.
A bottle of champagne? Well Vueve Cliquot is $45 a bottle now. I recall not long ago when it was only $30!
Like a good life partner I'm always encouraging her to *not spend* in every department. Did y'all read that famous book - which asserts wealthy people are incredibly cheap but their spouses are EVEN FAR MORE stingy?
My wife started Googling and came up with giving them all *2 days paid vacation*.
Hah! What a terrible gift!
CaptiousSpouse - That's sort of like when I haven't bought you anything for one of the 5 freakin' days EACH YEAR THAT I HAVE TO....it's like giving you coupon for one free 4-minute massage...
While definitely still wage slaves, they are salaried and will have to get their work done no matter what. Days off are meaningless; Blackberries come with wherever. Plus it costs the boss nothing to give - especially since the employer is a large corporation.
CaptiousSpouse - If you are going to that, you may as well just tell them you made a donation in their names to the Human Fund!
After deadpanning a *we have to talk about something* early this evening, my first wife informed me that she wants to quit her job.
So that'd be great - with me trying to quit trading the markets....we'd be one big unemployed family!
She said she'd take a year off so I can focus on my edu-preneurial pursuits and in the worst case scenario she's confident that she can land another similar job 12 months from now. (Anyone that believes she'll ever go back to that corporate Wall Street BS after a sabbatical is a complete and utter Moron!)
In other words it would only be a trial - one that would cost 50k (our annual bills), out-of-pocket health and dental coverage, plus the money we save each year from her salary.
Now we do have the cushion and the risk-taking appetite for something like this...
But I haven't greenlighted her in any way shape or form. I'd have to crunch some more numbers and really think hard about this. Believe me, there's nothing I'd like more than a break from my kids; and there's nothing she'd like more than a break from the grind and the opportunity to spend time homeschooling the Prince and Princess. There's no doubt in my mind that I would become a whole lot more productive with this website and my incipient one if I had, I don't know....more than a hour or so each day at my PC!
Recently my kids started a late-morning homeschool karate class. The instructor offered his services at about half of his normal cost. And why wouldn't he or anyone else that peddles mostly to kids who are otherwise pent up in government schools all day?
But still, when it came time to pay him, I deliberately gave him cash (instead of a check or credit card).
Paying cash is not only practical because it can net you a discount in many cases, I submit that it's also the nice/moral thing to do; and this particular sensei is a most likable dude.
The income tax is nothing short of pure slavery. Think about it. Big Government has a claim, enforceable by jail(!), on a significant percentage of everyone's *harvest*.
My new policy is to pay cash WHENEVER IT'S FEASIBLE. I'll do what I can to charitably pass *tax breaks* on to other slaves.
Plus, cash payments for plumbers, restaurateurs, daycare providers(!), and Latin tutors like the guy pictured above....they can go, collectively, a long way towards keeping the price of services down.
Getting a job and trading your time for money may seem like a good idea. There’s only one problem with it. It’s stupid! It’s the stupidest way you can possibly generate income! This is truly income for dummies.
Why is getting a job so dumb? Because you only get paid when you’re working. Don’t you see a problem with that, or have you been so thoroughly brainwashed into thinking it’s reasonable and intelligent to only earn income when you’re working? Have you never considered that it might be better to be paid even when you’re not working? Who taught you that you could only earn income while working? Some other brainwashed employee perhaps?
Don’t you think your life would be much easier if you got paid while you were eating, sleeping, and playing with the kids too? Why not get paid 24/7? Get paid whether you work or not. Don’t your plants grow even when you aren’t tending to them? Why not your bank account?
Who cares how many hours you work? Only a handful of people on this entire planet care how much time you spend at the office. Most of us won’t even notice whether you work 6 hours a week or 60. But if you have something of value to provide that matters to us, a number of us will be happy to pull out our wallets and pay you for it. We don’t care about your time — we only care enough to pay for the value we receive. Do you really care how long it took me to write this article? Would you pay me twice as much if it took me 6 hours vs. only 3?
Non-dummies often start out on the traditional income for dummies path. So don’t feel bad if you’re just now realizing you’ve been suckered. Non-dummies eventually realize that trading time for money is indeed extremely dumb and that there must be a better way. And of course there is a better way. The key is to de-couple your value from your time.
While it was a bit hot this past July, altogether it has been a fabulous summer. The sun has been out for the past 2.5 months - almost every single day. (My nipples are beautifully bronzed at the moment!)
Unfortunately, this is the week that most *wage slaves* and *school slaves* go on vacation. Everyone, EVERYONE in these parts is vacationing somewhere this week with camping and beach-going being the most popular activities. July was booked with summer camp and school starts next week for many.
But this week the weather is looking to be horrible - colder and rainy - and that really sucks for those who only enjoy limited *lifestyle freedom*.
Homeschool and self-employ!
While my wife is still a wage slave in the Wall Street skim biz racket....she's always enjoyed considerable flexibility to work when she wants. Except that since a vast majority of her co-workers and higher-ups do in fact take the last two weeks of August off....it's a complete waste of time for her to go to work because almost everything has been put on hold.
So she (and I) are essentially forced into a family-vacation type of trip at the same time as the slave population.
We spent, collectively, a few hours trying to figure out which of the two weeks to take off AND what to do with it. Guess what, there's nothing at all either of us want to do!
With all the warm weather, we've already been to the beach and swam in the pool a bazillion times this summer. Camping this year has no appeal as it would require too much effort - plus Mrs. C-Nut is a real tenderfoot! We've been out to the Hamptons a bunch of times so far; and we've been on the road, not only with our complicated, staggered move 3 months ago and my two trips south (Philly and Wildwood, NJ), but also just last week with the 4 hour drive up to and down from my parents' house.
One idea my wife had was to drive out to Hershey Park in Pennsylvania and then hit some attractions in Lancaster and Philly on the way back. But my kids are too short to ride most of the crap, I don't feel like getting in the car again, and some of the stuff, like Dutch Wonderland and the Sight & Sound Theatre are priced like rip-offs. We'd also have to pay for hotels, eating out, etc.
This is where one has to be careful. We could very easily end up spending $1,000 on a vacation that we don't want or need at all.
It's precisely like buying an overpriced house, a car, religiously dumping money in mutual funds, or liquidating your life savings/home equity to send your ill-bred kids to a worthless college.
You should be constantly wary of doing something or going into hock for something just because everyone else does - most especially those big ticket items!
Do you keep falling asleep in meetings and seminars? What about those long and boring conference calls? Here's a way to change all of that.
1. Before (or during) the next meeting, seminar, or conference call, prepare yourself by drawing a square. I find that 5" x 5" is a good size. Divide the card into columns-five across and five down. That will give you 25 one-inch blocks.
2. Write one of the following words/phrases in each block: Synergy, strategic fit, core competencies, best practice, bottom line, revisit, expeditious, to tell you the truth (or "the truth is), 24/7, out of the loop, benchmark, value-added, proactive, win-win, think outside the box, fast track, result-driven, knowledge base, at the end of the day, touch base, mindset, client focus(ed), paradigm, game plan, leverage.
3. Now check off the appropriate block when you hear one of those words/phrases.
4. When you get five blocks horizontally, vertically, or diagonally stand up and shout "BULL$HIT!"
___
"Real Testimonials" from satisfied players:
"I had been in the meeting for only five minutes when I won." - Adam W., Atlanta
"My attention span at meetings has improved dramatically." - David T., Orlando
"What a gas! Meetings will never be the same for me after my first win." - Dan J., New York City
"The atmosphere was tense in the last process meeting as 14 of us waited for the fifth box." - Ben G., Denver
"The speaker was stunned as eight of us screamed 'BULL$HIT!' for the third time in two hours. The Bull$hit Bingo Championship will be played at the next meeting." - Rod H
My wife was called recently by someone who was looking to hire one of her former employees.
Mrs. C-Nut didn't respond right away. She came home all bummed out that she was put in that position. You see, this particular ex-employee was *absolutely horrible* and my wife is herself a horrible liar.
But both the individual and their spouse had reportedly been out of work for a long time. They have children...
Obviously, any frankness on the part of my wife would probably cost this incompetent person a potential job. My advice whether or not it was actually solicited:
CaptiousNut - But if you aren't honest, this woman may get hired over SOMEBODY ELSE who also needs a job badly, has kids, etc....someone more deserving.
Mrs. C-Nut - But the thing to do is to tell them (the employee) when they ask you to have them ask a different person. I can't remember if I was ever asked to be a reference or if I said 'yes'...There's an etiquette to these things.
It's surely a tough spot to be in - having the power of financial *god* over another person and their livelihood.
My wife did eventually speak with the recruiter/employer on the phone about her former employee. When I asked her what she said I didn't really get a response. Mrs. C-Nut is phenomenally talented at many things but like I said, she can't bull$hit worth a lick.
No clue what happened with the job, but my wife heard that her poor ex-employee's spouse filed for divorce and for full custody. Ouch.
When you're out of work and the bills are piling up it's near impossible to get hired.
My wife interviewed for a position in Manhattan a little over a month ago. They said they same BS that firms always say, "We'll let you know next week."
Only they didn't, of course. Or the next week...
But yesterday they did offer her the position and it looks like she'll sign on the dotted line - once the non-small issue of compensation is addressed.
And that's when these surprises appear, when neither she nor I was watching the pot. Heck we'd almost totally forgotten about this position.
But that's in stark contrast to the recent experience of a friend of ours.
This breadwinner been out of work since November and undergone a torturesome 6 or 7 interviews with an interested new employer. Still, after 8(?) weeks of this process they haven't made a decision one way or another.
That's just cruel. Four formal interviews is where you have to draw the line.
After that, put the potential job out of your mind and get back to looking far and wide for other positions.
One more thing.
In your giddyness, don't forget to negotiate *vacation* before signing anything.
Because if Mrs. C-Nut hears one more story about someone 35-45 years old taking a job with only 2 or 3 weeks vacation....she's going to blow her lid!
It's almost like when someone dies - there's too much emotion to haggle with the gouging funeral director (and he knows it!).
Homeschool your kids. And turn them into entrepreneurs that they may never know the agony of a job search.
Lots of people, wage slaves, complain about their *work* - contemptible bosses, long hours, unfair compensation, boredom, travel, etc.
But we know dozens of people out here on Boston's South Shore, financial types, salespeople, and consultants, who have some real brutal work schedules. My wife may be on the train before 6am each morning, but she gets home usually by 6:30pm, she's permitted to work Fridays from home, and travels only once per every two months. And even then, her travel is to nearby Manhattan or New Jersey - and sometimes only day-trips on the *Shuttle*.
I know a few people who regularly have to go to China, India, or South Africa for 7-10 days at a time. As far as I'm concerned, that's gotta really suck, not just for the worker, but especially for the abandoned spouse and children at home.
Recently I heard the worst gig yet. One of my wife's friends, her husband is on a 6 month contract on the west coast. Throughout this period, he's only going to be home ONE WEEKEND PER MONTH. Ouch!
Note they have two small children, just like we do.
Why do people live like this? For money?
I don't think that's entirely true. I think the reason is inertia and pure ignorance. People get sucked into career paths like these and just keep on chugging. They work so much they haven't any time or energy to contemplate the boundaries of their wasted lives. If they're going to work that hard and sacrifice so much there ought to be a long-term exit strategy.
One of the things that kills me it the effort disparity between wage slavery and parenting. These Morons will spend 40,50, or 60 hours a week slaving for *the man* and Big Government. Yet they won't so much as spend one hour per week *working* on the education of their children. Merely offer them a book to read on schooling and they stiff arm, "I'm not interested."
They list Hawaii, Alabama, New York, Idaho, Kansas, and North Carolina as the states most likely to delay tax rebates. But I suspect there'll be a whole lot more, e.g. California and New Jersey at least.
I am expecting a few grand back from the *Commonwealth* of Massachusetts, and as of now, about 13 grand back from the Feds.
Note the Feds don't have to delay rebates....they just *print more money*.
That sword above Damocles' head is hanging by a mere thread, a single strand of human hair I believe. He's not the king, just some joker who wanted to know what it was like to sit on the throne.
It's like....always being on the brink of death, at least that's the lesson King Dionysius wanted to teach him by secretly suspending the weapon.
...used in allusion to this tale, epitomizing the imminent and ever-present peril faced by those in positions of power. More generally, it is used to denote the sense of foreboding engendered by a precarious situation, especially one in which the onset of tragedy is restrained only by a delicate trigger or chance.
Yeah, driving down the highway, every passing car does indeed threaten our very existence...
But when I think of precariousness today, I right away think of *wage slaves* and *mortgages*.
The fact is, I know very few people who are self-employed, thriving, and not leveraged on the homefront.
Once they or their spouse loses a job in this receding, depressing economy they are in instant, deep financial trouble.
Yet another person I know just recently lost their job out of the blue. They are middle-aged and have several kids. When I informed my wife about it....we spoke in a manner as if someone had died.
I know it's not a genuine tragedy, but I'm also well aware, even if they aren't, of what how relatively hard the road ahead could well be.
Plus, seemingly nobody learns.
I already mentioned that one family who, after miraculously getting out from an upside-down house purchase....they parlayed the good fortune into an even more expensive, more leveraged purchase.
And then there's this guy I know. He's been out of work for almost a year. And like *everyone*, he had to borrow against his 401k just to pay the bills. Well supposedly he just got another job. But guess what, he told me that a month into it, he was going to apply for a large home equity loan to make some improvements.
I feel like grabbing him by the ears and screaming some sense at him!
Invariably, whenever in the past few months I have mentioned to anyone that I took the family to Florida for the month of January I've had to endure:
Yeah, that's great. You gotta take advantage of that now while the kids are young....before they're in school and you can't do that.
No one fully comprehends the *slavery* of outsourcing the education of their brats. Homeschoolers can do whatever they want. Many travel extensively and on a whim. Just think what your family could do if unburdened from the *school year*.
Of course, schools are only half-responsible for modern slavery. The other taskmaster is Corporate America. Most all of us are, to a degree, wage slaves for big corporations. In fact, some of my best friends are wage slaves! (As is Mrs. C-Nut.)
Young people today need to be taught and warned about these *chains* waiting for them to voluntarily step into.
They need to visualize an ideal life based upon self-employment and self-education. Because without seeing the real possibility and full bounty of unfettered living, without a target the kids have nothing to aim for. They'll be like us, sheep following a Moron in front and leading a another fool at the rear.
Think about it. Schools co-opt your kids, your family for 180 days per year. Or, you could argue they take up 10 out of 12 calendar months. So, minimally, between 50% and 83% of the parent/child relationship has been expropriated by Big Education - an institution that was actually designed for that very purpose. Read John Taylor Gatto.
And the Corporate prison is even worse. What do most wage slaves get for time off? Three to five weeks per year? And that has to be held against all of the *overtime* - like business travel and the Blackberry tether. After we break free from the grips and fetters of Big Education, why do we so eagerly shackle up for a new master?
Because they pay us? Or is it because everyone else is doing it?
Well, hopefully my homeschooled kids will have experienced the thrill of making money and the windfall of *free time* long before the age of 22.
That way, they won't be so nonchalant about forfeiting their personal liberties.
It hit me the other day that the best, the absolute most perfect image of the *wage slave* is that dude/chick you see during rush hour scratching lottery tickets on their steering wheel!
Funny, a little bit dangerous,....
....and kind of sad.
Not for anything, but some of my best friends are *wage slaves*.
Heck, Mrs. C-Nut is one and she'll stay that way until I ever decipher the vagaries of stock market gyrations, prostitute my ravishing bod for its full marketable value, or develop some other income stream.
Y'all realize that lottery tickets and the like are a voluntary, regressive tax, right?
In this day and age, there really shouldn't be any shock that a pol who co-opted *hope* was just elected President.
Just for kicks, ask the cashier at a convenience store, bodega, gas station, or packy if customers, "spend a lot on scratch tickets".
