I don't even know where to start!
- We are getting ready to go on an Alaskan cruise next month. So far it looks like about 15 friends and relatives will go (hubby's family travels in packs so when one person says they are going somewhere, before you know it, a dozen more people say they will go with you!). I am hoping to see the Northern Lights and lots of nature since we have neither where I live; we are not looking forward to the typical 60-degree summer weather in Alaska!
- We had a step-in shower installed in hubby's bathroom and he loves it. This is much safer when it comes to hubby getting into and out of the shower. The cost was nearly $12k which is much more than it would have cost only five years ago, but ALL construction costs have increased exponentially over the past few years. OTOH, it only took two days to complete and the installer did a great job.
- Politics is a complete shitshow--our president is semi-deranged (but so is the Mayor of LA when she was on the news stating they had no problem in her city while on the split screen we were seeing rioters throwing concrete blocks and e-scooters on the cops below the overpass!). Add to that political assassinations, Israel starting a war with Iran for no good reason, the possibility of being pulled into WW3, a do-nothing Congress, people rioting against deporting illegal immigrants (if I went to another country and decided I was moving there whether the government liked it or not, I would expect to be deported immediately!)...everyday bring something new and absolutely crazy... :(
- My job (and the jobs of several people in a similar position to mine in other parts of the state) is in a perilous position. We had a come-to-Jesus meeting with our state funders, expecting a 10% budget cut for our office, and ended up with a 35% budget cut. Everyone is in shock. I'm just glad hubby and I are debt-free, including the house and car, and have been saving and living below our means all of this time that I have been working. While I can go back to being retired if worse comes to worst, many of the people I work with seem to live paycheck to paycheck, tldr; never depend on one job for your financial survival, especially in this day and age.
- The AI situation looks pretty dire...eeekkk
Here are some pictures from our shower remodel...
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A friend of mine is on an Alaskan tour right now and having the time of her life. I'm sure it will be wonderful albeit a bit chilly for you.
ReplyDeleteWe had a step in shower done in 2019 along with an entirely new bathroom and it cost us around 7000.00. Things have really gone up since Covid but it's worth the safety of not having to step over the tub.
Every time I take a minute to read or listen to some news my first thought is what a shit show everywhere. It's a bit scary, isn't it?
I hope everything works out at your job. It's good that you live below your means. So many don't and I don't understand it. I would have nightmares if I had any debt right now with the way things are.
Have a great day!!
Thanks--you definitely did the right thing to get home projects done before the whole economic system went crazy!
DeleteLove the walk in shower! I'd like to have this done, but gonna save that 12K for when my social security gets cut in 2034. I'm going to need every penny! People will need to start preparing now for when that happens, and it probably will, maybe even sooner the way things are going. :-/
ReplyDeleteI'm sure your husband could do your shower--he seems to be able to build anything. We looked at the Home Depot step in shower kits which were considerably cheaper but we just don't build things anymore with hubby getting up in age. And you are right, I don't see how Social Security will be sustainable even five years from now :(
DeleteAlso, thank you for sharing the video on AI.
ReplyDeleteAll of the AI videos on YouTube these days are terrifying--terrifyingly good at what AI can do and terrifyingly scary like when the AI threatened to blackmail an engineer eeekkk https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/ai-model-blackmails-engineer-threatens-to-expose-his-affair-in-attempt-to-avoid-shutdown/articleshow/121376800.cms
DeleteExactly. Exciting at all it can do and terrifying at what it can do. Let's face it, there is always someone willing to exploit every kind of technology for their own benefit and with AI, major issues could arise.
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