See ya 2023

I’m working on my keyboard shortcuts.  Just seems like for all the typing I do, I should have a better mastery of some simple shortcuts for bullet points, select all, etc.. The problem I’m finding that other than copy and paste which seem universal, google docs, mac, word all use different ones (which Mac testing the real dexterity have the time with 3 or 4 finger arrangements - not much of a shortcut at that point imo).

I’m thinking about what I hope to accomplish in 2024 - personally and professionally.

One for sure is random consumption.  The ‘buy now think later’ Amazon approach.  When you spend $40k a week buying stuff at work, it’s hard to calibrate what is wasteful and not in your personal life (typically under a few $100) but 1, it adds up, and 2, if you don’t need it you don’t need it.

So, so far I’ve refrained from buying a new car - was thinking about trading in my Mercedes 400 Coupe for a Outback Forester, Wildness Edition.  I love my Benz, and while it’s called a coupe and hard to see from the outside, it’s actually full-sized on the inside with 2 large and comfortable seats in the back - getting in and out can be challenging, depending on your age - but once in, comfy and roomy indeed.  So not buying the car was a win. The 2018 Benz with 45k miles is a beautiful car with a lot of zip.

Then I was also thinking about buying some survival stuff.  I mean, my house is run by solar, and I have solar battery backup, so I’m pretty good on the housing front.  I get plenty of sun to keep things charged and probably actually don’t use a ton of electric in the whole scheme of things - though the pool and pool heater are real hogs when you keep the water at 85.

With the new Obama-produced Leave the World Behind and a proliferation of tik tok threads talking about spread of the middle east conflict as well as the silent army coming in from the border, I seem to have this idea of ‘preparation’ in my consciousness.  But with the Tik Tok at least, you have to be really careful because the more you show interest in something - even if it just by watching the whole post - the more they show things like that, so you can inadvertently start creating your own reality that may not match reality.   I think that happened to a lot of Jan 6th actors - your world becomes your interests, and your interests become your world - and you forget that it’s just feeding you what you want to see and leaving out the rest, and the fact that social media prospers through a web of fear and outrage (and heartwarming dog and horse posts).  But it doesn’t hurt to be prepared - some water, some food in storage to last a few months, some guns and flashlights.

The Tik Tok, which I truly enjoy, has also been showing me a lot of middle east stuff, and again, it’s hard to know whether it’s showing me the things it is showing to me because I’m sympathetic, or because all the stuff I’m seeing is actually a true representation of the temperature of the public opinion of the situation.  Is it my reality, or is it reality?  I’m glad I’m a well-read person for times like this, so I least I have a fighting chance to make some honest sense of the propaganda wars thrust at me daily.

My point is I didn’t buy the guns (I don’t and have never owned guns, though got nothing against them), to food or the other stuff that would have pushed me over a $1000 or $2000. So another win!

No big holiday vacation - money saving win.

Bought a friend a $400 vintage leather jacket - high style, think bomber meets chanel meets 40’s - she found in Paris yesterday.

It’s just like everyday you spend or you don’t and it becomes a habit.  So for January, since I already cut out the alcohol having had a total of 3 glasses of Malbec since last March, I’m going to see if I can go cold turkey on buying things that don’t need to be bought just then.  You know it’s bad when you literally have no idea what’s in the Amazon box and don’t care enough to open it, but pleasantly surprised a few weeks later when you do open it.

I’ll tell you what really got crazy - Keihl’s Silk Groom - a nice product for wiry hair.  That used to be $40, then it was unavailable, and now is $90. Yes $90.

Another year of inflation - concrete up 10%, sheetrock up 10%, kitchens up 10%.  I think at this point, suppliers know - after 3 years of tedious cost increases - our ability as businesspeople to be outraged is fatigued so now they don’t actually need a raw material or transportation reason to increase prices.   It’s like an industry, or country-wide collusion between all suppliers of everything - raise the prices.  Supply and demand should come into play sooner or later, but I guess at least for now, demand I guess is still stronger than supply - though if everyone is colluding to keep prices high, at least in the short run, suppliers can articifially buck the silent hand of supply and demand - but typically when that happens, when the inevitable market forces do take back control, the correction is vicious and merciless.

We shall see.   There is nothing in my life that can be derailed by outside forces anymore - can make my life more complicated, more anxiety, but no one is taking away what I’ve earned anymore.  That type of risk-taking is just off the table, forever.  Double Down Petersheim is a thing of the past, though it was a good and trusted friend for 20 years.  

Looks like I might have to edit the sales victory lap from yesterday's post, with one couple getting cold feet (I know they are reading so this is sort a pyche-ops thread), but we've actually seen that a lot in 2023 - people want to pull the trigger, but just can't or change their minds or outwit themselves with fear and rationalization. From our end it's pretty simple at this point - we feel bad for those who out-think themselves, and know it's just a matter of time till the next family comes along, though it is a bit bruising with the emotional highs and bubble-bursting of "we'll take" followed up by 'we changed our minds'. I'm seeing this from people who have been looking forever more than new people to the market - like the looking itself is the exercise. I'm also hearing the same from realtors - and that's why 2nd and 3rd runner ups on bidding processes are getting the homes more and more as the frontrunner who came in all hot fades away.

I've always found it really helpful to have more big setbacks than fewer on the sales- if you don't have enough you forgot to be thankful and gracious for those that do come onboard. And if I've said it once I've said it 100x since I've been blogging - over-confidence has been the death of many a business.

Just did a google doc 'select all' , 'copy/paste' shortcut with wild success.