Learn to control money but do not allow it to control you

Firewalker

williamD1964 wrote: »

Hi, would love to join you on the slopes but I am too fat, too old and too poor! (for now at least). Gonna stick this year to the Sun 9.95 deals. I have no idea what to recommend regarding the prioritization problem, I wish I did. Best wishes

I know that you are yonger than me (but then again I am stopping the aging process), I know that you are not poor but just broke and have no idea about the third one but I am not exactly a stick insect. However, the Sun deals sound interesting...

Firewalker

williamD1964

Looking at taking the kids to France for a few days camping (with or without the wife)! Hopefully will be northern France with a bit of history. Might try to drag a friend and his wife along along with me.
Not into stick insects...prefer my ladies with a little bit of meat on them (in the right places of course). You seem to fitter than me with all the running but I will make up for that thins year and get swimming and back on the cross trainer. With regard to sleeping, might suggest the Avon sleep balm (or a large scotch seems to work wonderds too)!

Firewalker

I had no time today to puzzle over different ways to prioritise which in itself only once again shows how important this might turn out to be. Don’t misunderstand me, the day was busy, rather nice and quite productive. What concerns me is whether I am working hard and am being productive doing the thing(s) that do not get me very far on the road to where I would like to be. This immediately begs the question ‘where do I want to be’. I’ll crack it, I know I will…but may be not immediately, not in January because I am so busy with other things.

To cope with being so busy I changed the way in which I have been planning what I do. Until today, I planned by activity – e.g. I have to do this, this and that…This morning, first thing, I changed the planning to ‘I have to produce this, this and that…’. Hope it is going to work because it shifts the focus from the process and activities to the outcomes and results. This in turn might encourage a bit more creative approach to the activities and a bit less perfectionism. Shall see…

Also today I continue my venture into the technological age. I had set up a telephone interview with a famous scientist in Spain before Christmas; my diary said that the interview is today at 11.00 a.m. Suddenly this morning I realised that this was suggested by his secretary and is likely to be Spanish time rather than my time – this flash of realisation happened at 8.20 a.m. Shouting at OH to get me a coffee while I am in the shower I rushed upstairs and started my orderly morning routine – in a somewhat control hysterical state. OH suggested that I use Skype from home and record the interview directly from it. Time – 8.46 a.m.; me is a state of undress and considerable distress. By 9.15 a.m. the system was working like on rails – clever husband. Very useful system…and very cheap as well – 50 min telephone call for 72 pence; going to work on the bus would have cost me £2.60. How MSE is that!

We also went for parents’ meeting – Little Boy is doing well; his teacher does not have any concerns; we saw his books and they a great. There were two minor things to be sorted out, though. First, he told his teacher that there can’t be three Moons on the same line (Kepler’s law of motion which we discuss around the dinner table, or shall I say my men do) so we had to explain what this is about. And two, he told her that his mum’s friend has met Valentina Tereshkova (the first woman in space) and he thought that his teacher did not believe him (as it happens it is true; I was amazed as well when my friend told me). His teacher did believe him though.

He is one very clever Little Boy – hope he is not going to get puberty very hard.

Firewalker

Firewalker

williamD1964 wrote: »

Looking at taking the kids to France for a few days camping (with or without the wife)! Hopefully will be northern France with a bit of history. Might try to drag a friend and his wife along along with me.
Not into stick insects...prefer my ladies with a little bit of meat on them (in the right places of course). You seem to fitter than me with all the running but I will make up for that thins year and get swimming and back on the cross trainer. With regard to sleeping, might suggest the Avon sleep balm (or a large scotch seems to work wonderds too)!

Take the wife with you - if she is not into camping use me as an example. Last year had great time (after I figured out how to get in the sleeping bag) and we will probably go camping with Woodcraft folk this year again.

Getting fit is important - we have young children and I don't know about you but I really want to be fit enough to play with my grandchildren, spoil them rotten, and annoy their parents.

Look after self

FW

savingwannabe

You two are so funny!!!!

Firewalker

How is you, Savingwannabe? What is new and are you looking properly after yourself?

FW

savingwannabe

~Am ok. Need to spend a lot more than I thought on building work. Maybe another £20,000 so i am going to be very MSE for a while. Still i am happy. All is well except i have lost my voice. I am having NSDs, am rather proud of myself Firewalker. Your little one is going to be a treasure for his teachers. I love bright students. Hooray.

williamD1964

Funny? Moi? Don't tell the wife.

Firewalker

You are not going to believe this one! My very wonderful new DEll developed a fault during Christmas (welll who doesn't, really). Its primary battery failed. So today I phoned Dell to have it replaced (and the computer is with next day service and some sort of very exclusive other cover). It took:

15 minutes altogether;
expalining three times what my tag number is and what is wrong;
having to dictate a range of numbers; and worst of all
had to tel thme a number that is on the back of the failed battery and I could not for the life of me read it.

Tried and tried, got covered in cold sweat, used words that no respectable person will use in a conversation with a guy from a call centre and finally called OH (whose eyesight is better) to read the blasted thing. Why do they do it? Can't they print the !!!!er in a font that one stands a chance of reading?

Deep breath and what have I learned? New glasses? No...Need a magnifying glass at hand for these special occasions when I have to read a very important number which is specially written so that reading it freaks you out. And this will be happening more and more often - more numbers and worse sight. Blast!

Firewalker

savingwannabe

I hope they can sort it soon. I have to ring Virgin today. I can never remember my account number and password so that'll be 10 minutes wasted. Then the indian sales advisor usually discovers i have an indian name and they tell me their whole family history plus the names of all their relatives in England and they ask if i know David Beckhm and the phone call goes on and on and no matter what they say the bills get higher!!!!