Is it Pewter, Paper, or Paving?

My wedding anniversary is coming up at the end of the month. Contrary to popular belief, not all the years are “Diamonds.”

You know what I mean. There is a chart “someone” created showing what type of gift you are suppose to get someone depending on what year they are celebrating.

I know some years are big ones; Platinum, Silver, and Gold. But I also remember seeing that some of them were pretty much loser years as far as gifts go; Paper, Wood, maybe Yarn.

The reason I am wondering is I had to pave about 600 feet of driveway/road this year in North Carolina. We go there several times a year and the gravel road, although manageable, was just getting a bit irritating. Not for the car mind you, but the motorcycles. [Read more...]

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The Slow Bleed Quote of the Week

This week I am passing on a couple of quotes… 

“Never argue with an idiot…they will drag you down to their level” 

“The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limitations.”

 

 

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Where Do Moon Pies Come From?

Not to worry loyal Slow Bleed readers, the usual blog entries will resume next week. Until then, you are stuck with senseless ramblings of my vacation experiences. 

Another experience I was able to enjoy during my remote vacation was an experience the gas station attendant referred to as the “breakfast of champions.”

I was up early for a motorcycle ride through the Smokey Mountains when at one point I realized I missed breakfast and was a bit hungry. Not seeing a restaurant in site I pulled into a gas station. 

Skipping the eggs that were in jars (I am not that daring even though they did come in four different “flavors”) I took the lead of someone in front of me in line. [Read more...]

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How Did We Ever Make It As Kids?

As I mentioned in a recent blog, I am on vacation this week and finding myself in pretty remote locations. This also gave me the chance to experience some off the beaten path (for me) experiences. 

For starters, I don’t recall eating too many times at a Huddle House (if ever). One look at the menu had me wonder how we ever made it all those years when I was growing up. 

The warning, from the menu, was as follows:

“Thoroughly cooking foods of animal origin such as beef, eggs, fish, lamb, pork, poultry, shellfish reduces the risk of food borne illness. Consuming raw or under cooked items listed above may increase your risk of food borne illness especially if you have certain illnesses. For any assistance, questions or comments, please contact the manager. We appreciate your patronage and welcome your comments.” 

Of course, this only applied to items on the menu with an asterisk (*) – see photo. 

I am going to have to check with my parents to make sure every meal they ever cooked adhered to the above guidelines. Probably not. [Read more...]

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Off the Grid…

Just quick notes to let you all know I am off the grid and on vacation. What does a vacation mean for the Godfather? 

Well for me, it means I will be in a very remote location. In this particular case, somewhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

I, of course, will have my laptop and my Harley. The downside is that I also have no cell service and very limited Internet connections – or is that the upside? 

In any case, there will be only a few posts over the next few weeks. 

All the best! 

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The Greatest Generation of Debt…

Well, here is something that apparently has bridged all generations.

Personal Debt. 

I have discussed many times the challenges younger generations have with money-management (it was what led to writing the book). I took the stance it was general lack of knowledge since schools are woefully short when it comes to teaching money and money management. But now, older generations are feeling the pain.

The dream of owning your own home and retiring comfortably is falling out of grasp for many people. Personal bankruptcies are up over 400% among people over 65. Home foreclosures, among elderly, are also up at an alarming rate.

So now what?

Back to basics? Ride it out? Hope a new President, whoever they will be, will solve everything for us?

There is no question we have a tough road ahead of us and, in my mind, we will recover eventually. The question is, “Will we learn from it and change our behaviors going forward?”

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Hey Ford, I am on to you!

I dropped off my car for service the other day and saw this sitting outside the Ford showroom. 

Granted, I have been intrigued by the various styles that seem to lack taste and are grabbing hold of the younger generation – but then again, I am sure my stuff looks equally strange. 

But I have to warn those car buyers coming up in the ranks…

RUN AWAY!  The Ford Flex is a STATION WAGON! 

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