Havenbasin Road

Watching television is a huge relaxation activity, we can’t forget that. Many, many people turn their mind off and let the television direct their thoughts where it will. They don’t even have to create images, all images and thoughts are done for them. Television makes it much easier to lose oneself within it. That is probably why many people spend so much time in front of their televisions and so little time outside actually living. Vicarious living has been a big thing, ever since children were invented and television just made it that much easier to live vicariously. Not that I am against television, I enjoy turning my mind off as much as the next fellow.

Things that relax you often vary from person to person. Pets can be very relaxing for some but others may find them mostly irritating. I would kind of be in between, I like pets but they can also be really irritating sometimes, a bit like kids. I don’t have kids and if pets are any indication I probably shouldn’t have them. I am fine with pets, but their irritation is quite enough for me. I don’t need that of a child. Slipping away from relaxing things there, let’s see. What else is relaxing? Oceans, mountains, art, drawing. Drawing or any hobby can be fairly relaxing. Some find that reading really relaxes them, lets them slip away into a world where they can lose themselves and leave there current worries behind.

The smell of rain is a relaxing thing. Especially if you are sitting nice and comfortably inside somewhere with a window open just listening to the rain fall down on the roof and splatter against the walk outside. Hearing it sputter against the upper canopy and drip down through the leaves to splatter upon the forest floor is just as relaxing. I wonder what others find relaxing. The sounds of a thunderstorm are also a bit relaxing, the crack of thunder and the rumble that can be felt down to your bones. Those are not only relaxing they help you to feel alive.

You know what really irks me? I really hate those that drive slow and then get mad about being tailgated. Heck, get out of the way! That famous saying says it all, “LEAD, FOLLOW or GET OUT OF THE WAY!” Road rage is often understandable, one of the few things I completely understand cause it is so easy to catch. I know we should all be very calm and forgiving but it is quite hard to do that sometimes. I try to be courteous when I can but to be honest and to see both sides of a story I am sure I have been the cause of other people’s road rage on more than one occasion. Probably right after I cut them off or sat on their butt until they got out of the way or I could get around them. Even if that meant having using an open shoulder as a lane.

I realized I swear way too much when driving. I don’t really get pissed off much, so I am not really a road rager, but I do get irritated quite often. I have had a few passengers mention my vocabulary choice, between their screams of fear.  (That was a joke! My passengers don’t usually scream in fear at my driving). I don’t swear much otherwise, I try not too anyway, but get me in a car and my language drops a level or two. It took me a bit to realize it myself but after the thirtieth swear word in five minutes I realized I might have an issue. Which is one of the reasons I am working at calm driving. Zen, right. Be the car, be the road. Forgive the idiot.

I am thinking that a financial advisor is always a good thing, but sometimes they cost a bit. Luckily you can find all sorts of free financial information and advice online, even stuff on SIPP Investments. Just take it all with a grain of salt and make sure to verify any news or information you come across with several different sources. Otherwise you could end up taking the wrong person or site’s advice and seriously regret it. Looking into finances a person probably has checked on savings news, although I am not really sure all that much about what kind of news you could find, other than changes in rates. If you are really interested in it checking on the different kinds of accounts is definitely something a person needs to be doing. You could also check on online expatriate savings if think like me, out of your place.

One reason for looking into financial matters other than for your own is of course to protect and provide for your family. Things like a child trust fund or savings accounts set up for a child’s college adventure are always of importance to many people. Especially parents and grandparents.  It all kind of ties together actually, taking care of your family also entails looking into or at least thinking about life insurance, just in case. And of course providing a house. Hey! I guess my posts have mostly been family oriented! Not going to buy it huh? Well I thought it sounded good.  

Yep, Back to finances, talking about them is a good way to keep them in the forefront of our minds. It helps us to keep focused, at least that is the excuse I am using to keep posting about them. I am hoping to help myself, kind of selfish of me I know but hey, we all have to start somewhere. Right. It’s why you can probably see a few recurring themes in what I post every week.

Consequences happen, you can’t hide a kid from them, damnit! Why don’t they teach a child to deal with them, to be aware of them and to act in a way that takes consequences for their own actions into consideration? It is not a consequence free universe and protecting the children too much will just make it so much harder for them later in life when they have to face up to what they have done. They need to learn first that what they do will have an effect, be it good or bad. In the states, the President recently did his speech for the school children. Nothing new really, most every President does one. Some have been fairly controversial, like this one. Which, to clear the air quickly, is stupid. I was watching some news clips and there was this lady with her husband on, she was in tears cause her kid would have to listen to the President talk about being responsible for yourself and how the future of the country is in their hands. I could have slapped her, I definitely felt very sad for any kids she raises. All sorts of descriptions came to mind, white trash being the nicest. I couldn’t believe the fuss people were making about it. Made me proud that I wasn’t a parent to be honest. Which is also sad in a way. I wouldn’t want any kid I had raised alongside kids whose parents behaved like that. Don’t they get it?

The reactions of parents to the recent speech by President Obama was a sad commentary on the current condition of parenting in the states, and probably all over. Raising children who are ignorant of the concept of consequences is a sure way to failure as a society, and to be honest there is only so much of that people will put up with.  If you do something you are responsible for it. No blaming your actions on somebody else. The stations did have interviews with children after the speech and most kids said it was motivating and just telling them to be responsible for themselves. That gave me hope for the kids, I just hope their parents don’t screw them up.

Not sure if I mentioned it before or not, but I picked up a new application on my iPhone that I really like. Zillow works great and lets you see what houses are on sale around you. So if you are looking for a new place and you have an iPhone it is something I would recommend. When you are driving around it is great to be able to open up the app and see what the price of that house you noticed is. Plus you can often see pictures of the place and other details as they are available.  It’s quite a neat little application. It really makes house hunting a lot more convenient and investments in housing a lot easier. I have been getting all of my friends who are looking for a place to try it. If you go out walking in the neighborhood you are interested in, you can use it to focus in on the places right around you, which is, again, quite convenient. 

I may have to see if I can find an application for international real estate because it would be pretty cool to see what kinds of properties are available in various parts of the world. Places I am interesting in, anyway. Maybe see what I need to start saving for that nice little villa in the south of France or the quiet Mediterranean abode in the Greek archipelago; perhaps something in Argentina. I could learn to tango and melt by the beach.I haven’t tried to see about offshore or international properties yet. Invest in Panama real estate is a thought. I am sure that there are apps for the iPhone that will do that. It would be interesting I think. It’s almost enough to make a person decide to quit their job and pick up a ticket; start looking at an offshore financial service. Hmm, think I wandered off topic somewhat.

Writing and studying is a pain in the butt when you need to do both. Both can fun, but having more than one thing to do cuts into how much of each you can get done. It makes it challenging to complete things in a timely manner, mainly because timely becomes highly subjective and you get lost in the minutes. No, I am not drinking anything, just letting the thoughts wander so this is going to be another one of those  “what the” posts. It is easy to find that you haven’t any idea what you have been doing when you look up at the clock and wonder where the time has gone.

Things just get busier and busier and as that happens it often follows that less gets done, at least it feels like less is being accomplished. Which can cause even less to be done because we fall into the idea that we aren’t getting anything done so we start to feel somewhat incapable, when in fact we are already working at a higher than normal rate. People need to take breaks every once in a while, myself included. Take the time to refresh as you can and get caught up with yourself. It can be easy to find yourself lost and following along behind your actions wondering when you will get a minute to contemplate what has gone by. Although as I understand it some people aren’t that way, and find it nonsense to even think about thinking about what they have done or are doing. Self contemplation is truly anathema to some. However, one thing to keep in mind if you are into history or just interesting facts, Greek is written on the temple at Delphi, something that everyone who entered saw as they passed through to the inside. It means, “Know yourself.”

This is a shout out, a request to all of the other drivers out there on the roads, wherever you are. The winter is coming up, icy conditions, slick conditions. Please pay attention to what you are doing and to those things around you. It’s not only your life it is all those people around you as well. How would you feel to find that some idiot driver who wasn’t driving and taking into account the current weather had killed your loved one? It is just not worth the trouble, and driving stupid just causes to many accidents that could easily be avoided.

Pay attention to what is happening around you while driving this winter, and more importantly be a little thought full. Slow down, let the other driver in, it won’t hurt and it could keep bad things from happening to everyone on the road. You don’t have to be courteous but at least try to be respectful, act like you want the other drivers to act towards you.

Summer is closing down and that means winter driving conditions, which in turn means those that have trouble driving on just plain dry pavement are going to have trouble. The only problem with that is that the rest of us have to share the road with them. Therefore their trouble becomes ours and makes our commute more of a challenge. Who am I kidding; it makes getting into the car just plain more dangerous.  A light rain and some people go into a panic. They either drive way too slow for the conditions or just ignore them completely. Both ways can lead to disaster, and a very unpleasant time for all involved.  People forget all the rules of driving in rain and snow. They just let it all hang out, flapping in the wind, the rain and the snow flurries, for everyone to be hit with.