(This is a major revision of post #68, titled “Retirement Resources”, which started out with just a few useful websites on retirement subjects. It didn’t address any of the retirement-themed podcasts or books I’ve consumed over the past four years, so now I’m going to try and make a manageable list of my preferred resources Continue reading
Health
#92 – Taking Care of Parents
(I would be a thoughtless, uncaring uncle if I didn’t start this blog post without acknowledging today- Saturday, June 22, 2024- as the most important day of my niece Samantha’s life- God bless you and Connor as you begin your life together in marriage!) One thing the American media seems to feel obligated to do Continue reading
#86 – Ever Heard of “Blue Zones”?
“Blue Zones” are specific geographic locations where the human population has a significantly longer life expectancy than the global average. It’s a non-scientific term which is steadily gaining attention since the early 2000s. A 2004 Science Direct report on age research highlighted results indicating a specific area on the Italian island of Sardinia that had Continue reading
#85 – Happiness According to ChatGPT
OK, here’s an experiment. The below was not written by me, but rather by the Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform known as ChatGPT. The sole purpose of this post is to introduce you to one minor experiment about what this platform can do. I asked it to draft me a 300-400 word paper on Happiness- it Continue reading
#69 – Expanding on the Happiness Post
One of my brothers forwarded a March 2023 CNBC article highlighting a “Harvard Study on Adult Development” originated in 1938, and still going strong, to determine what makes people healthy and happy. It made me think back to this forum’s Post #51 from August 2022 titled “Happiness”. Background. The sources for Post #51 were Morgan Continue reading
#67 – More on Medicare
(This is an update to post #22 published back in September 2021, adding significantly to the original content.) One of the certain signs you’re approaching 65 years old- if you’re an American citizen- is the volume of unsolicited Medicare-related mail coming in either via snail mail or email. As my wife approaches the one-year-prior mark, Continue reading
#64 – Medical Breakthroughs and Aging
Let me start with a bit of context, or perhaps better described as managing expectations. When the personal computer, and the internet, first became affordable/accessible, there was major hype about how this was going to 1.) make life much better, 2.) make life much easier, 3.) solve so many of life’s problems, 4.) eliminate the Continue reading
#59 – Physically Aging
(This is an updated post. See Post #5 for the original) Almost two years ago I spent a couple hours with my parents and an aunt and uncle. The average age between the four of them was 90 (Since then my aunt has passed away). They inspire me, because they haven’t stopped living independently. When Continue reading
#57 – Catching Up on Retirement Year #1 (dated Nov 2022)
(OK, it’s been about 3 months since the last comment. Guess I should beg for at least one…) This is just a snap shot of the notable retirement trends in the last few months of Retirement Year #1- since Post #48 dated July 11- life events and considerations for where being retired changes how one Continue reading
#54 – Surgery
Ah, the greatly increased chances of requiring surgery as we get older, yes? Six months ago I had a small spot on my upper lip test positive for Basal Cell Carcinoma, and finally had the surgery two days ago to remove it, followed by reconstructive surgery yesterday. There was considerably more cancer than what showed Continue reading