The grass is greener on the other side

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I think it is only human to think that it must be better somewhere else but here. Right? Is it based on the fact that you know the amount of work that needs to be done wherever you are right now and that it is easier to underestimate the workload elsewhere?

Currently looking at my current situation, worked at the same place for 6 years. Of course there are days when I think that things are hard, and look at the fence and think that maybe it is better on the other side? But then again, I've worked at other places and I know that there are positive and negative to be said of pretty much every job.

So, should I take a risk and jump to something new or stay and put in the workload needed to optimize the current situation. I know that a lot of people advocate a job-change every x months but I'm starting to disagree. Of course if you want a big jump in your salary that is probably the only way to go, but there is so much more to life than just money. A little strange to write that sentence on a blog focusing on investing etc, but hear me out as its not that contradictory in the end.
What I've been advocating is for people to stabilize their economy, start paying themselves first, paying off debt and start to save and invest for themselves. It has in the end not that much to do with getting rich, if that is what you want then by all means jump jobs and maximize that paycheck. But what I am after is quality of life, I want security and in the end be able to retire much earlier then 65. And for that you don't really need to maximize the paycheck, even if that would help.
If you work hard on getting on top of your personal finances, that debt you paid off will result in a bigger return per month then most job-changes and after that it will just escalate when that cash flow is put in investments instead.

In the end of the day, a bigger paycheck but lack of discipline will not get you closer to richness.

Of course there are things out of our control that can change the path that we are on, there are situations that would make me change my job, but at the moment it is not the pay (always open for suggestions tho :))

The same goes for investing, I am currently focusing on 2 companies and they are doing great. But from time to time, I get the feeling that I should own other companies as well. But my current strategy involves a focused portfolio and I really haven't found anything else that fits so well. So lets not rush into something that cannot be controlled and keep to the strategy that is in place.

In conclusion, don't rush into change, the workload is the same if not bigger on the other side. But if you have worked your butt off to maximize your current situation and there is nothing more to gain, then by all means go look over the fence for additional challenges that could improve your situation.

I don't really know if any of the above made any sense. It is getting late, 0125 in the night and I am watching the Oscars. So I'll blame my ramblings on that :)
Until next time: Work to Live, Don’t Live to Work

Disclaimer. I am in no way an expert on capital management or investing. On this blog I only wish to share my findings, ideas and comments on current events and fields that interest me. I hope that my thoughts can entertain you. I expect that everyone reading take their time and do their own research before acting on anything read on this blog. Investing is not for everyone. E&OE.

Update, week 5 of pulmonary embolism recovery

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Picture of my training room setup. Bike, trainer, computer for Netflix etc.

For the full story see:
An abrupt reminder of mortality.
Update, week 3 of pulmonary embolism recovery
Update, week 4 of pulmonary embolism recovery
Update, week 5 of pulmonary embolism recovery
Update, week 11 of pulmonary embolism recovery
Update, 12 months after pulmonary embolism
Another reminder of mortality (here we go again)

So up to 100% work week this week. It went pretty good actually. I think I was a little extra tired on Monday to Wednesday, but other than that it went pretty good.

On Thursday everything felt good until I sat in the car back home when I started to get a little pain in the lungs, most probably thanks to grocery shopping moments before. I had planned a cycling session for the day so I was in a really bad mood when I came home. First bad mood based on the situation, so far everything has gone quite smooth so I was not expecting a hiccup. After 2 hours of rest I did the cycling session anyway. And it went well. Up to 16 km/h for 15 minutes.

On Friday, I decided to do another session, this time with a little bit higher effort level. Ended up breaking sweat and 18 km/h for 20 minutes.

On Sunday, the first 60 minute session. Average speed 12, but anyway. Feels good.
Bought compression socks this week, and using them after each session as I feel that blood has a little harder to move up from the legs. Maybe that was the cause for this all after all even if they didn't find anything at the hospital. So taking the precautionary route.

All in all, week 5, according to plan. I still try to take it quite easy, not pushing anything because I don't really want a relapse.

Why I write this

I don't write this to feel sorry for myself or whatever. Just to share an experience, maybe ease for someone else that has the same diagnosis. You don't have to be old to get this, I am myself 33. I've always categorized this as something to look forward to when I get older. But life is full of surprises and luckily we humans are capable of adapting :)

Until next time: Work to Live, Don’t Live to Work

Update, week 4 of pulmonary embolism recovery

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For the full story see:
An abrupt reminder of mortality.
Update, week 3 of pulmonary embolism recovery
Update, week 4 of pulmonary embolism recovery
Update, week 5 of pulmonary embolism recovery
Update, week 11 of pulmonary embolism recovery
Update, 12 months after pulmonary embolism
Another reminder of mortality (here we go again)

Back to work then. This week at 50%, meaning I can go home at lunch and take a nap. Something that I really needed to do every day. So, I am happy that the doctor wrote 50% on this week. Next week I guess will be even harder when it goes up to 100%.


Had some real progress this week. Sat 15 minutes on the trainer on Tuesday, average speed up on 11 km/h compared to 9 the week before and 20 at the same pulse interval normally.
I.e. the limit I have on myself is less than 105 bpm and get off when it starts to feel any tiredness at all.
Normally I use this for endurance training, for at least 2 hours as current endurance level according to strava is < 113bpm. This has probably changed a little now, hence 105. But compared to normally I only manage about 15-20 minutes before I feel something, normally I could go on for hours as it doesn't put any real load on the body.
Other progress is that I don't get out of breath, but too much load causes pain.

Wednesday, went for a walk to the third road sign (about 600m) and back. Did not have to stop, had some pain afterwards so body is not OK but its on the right path.

Thursday, on the trainer again. Up on 12 km/h for 15 minutes at the given pulse interval until I start to feel a little. The feeling originates from my back around the lung area. Not pain, but tiredness, hard to describe.

So a lot of progress this week. Slowly going forward. Next week is back at work 100%, hopefully I'll manage :)

Put my beloved mountain bike on sale this week as well, so if you live in southern Sweden go have a look.

Why I write this

I don't write this to feel sorry for myself or whatever. Just to share an experience, maybe ease for someone else that has the same diagnosis. You don't have to be old to get this, I am myself 33. I've always categorized this as something to look forward to when I get older. But life is full of surprises and luckily we humans are capable of adapting :)

Until next time: Work to Live, Don’t Live to Work

Update, week 3 of pulmonary embolism recovery

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Third week at home, thought I'd write an update.
For the full story see:
An abrupt reminder of mortality.
Update, week 3 of pulmonary embolism recovery
Update, week 4 of pulmonary embolism recovery
Update, week 5 of pulmonary embolism recovery
Update, week 11 of pulmonary embolism recovery
Update, 12 months after pulmonary embolism
Another reminder of mortality (here we go again)

The first week

First week went to napping and reading about OpenGL, something that I've tried to write a little about on my coding page. I was really tired and out of breath. Daily walks to the closest road sign (about 200 meters) and back. Really slow walking, out of breath when going just a little too fast. Back home, had to take it easy for a period to get back to normal. Overreaching results in blood taste and pain in back/lungs.
Had a long talk with a nurse from the hospital about Xarelto and how it is supposed to work. Evidently I get a higher dose the first 3 weeks and then it lowers a bit. Really nice to talk about it with someone that actually took their time to explain.

Second week

Had a revisit at the hospital on Tuesday, really out of breath and a little blood taste walking from the parking lot to the doctors office.
Asked my doctor and he said that I should try to activate myself but keep it under the limit of overreaching. Easy to say, hard to do as that wall comes with no warning. One step is OK and the next is out of breath alternatively pain. He extended the sick leave with 1 week 100% and then another week 50%. Told me to not take amlodipine anymore and go check blood pressure again next week.
End of week 2 I managed 2 walks per day to the first road sign.

Third week

Things are starting to go better. On Monday I decided to sit on the bike (on the trainer) for 10 minutes. Really really really slow, like pulse around 100 bpm. 

Wednesday, off to check blood pressure (evidently you have to book a time slot in Sweden to do this). 120/85 compared to 160/110 when I got the medication at the hospital. So off those pills at least.

20 minutes real slow on the bike. Felt good. Not overreaching. Still tired but, a lot better. Nice to see progress.

Today (Thursday) I walked 3 times longer then last week. so 600 meters and back (3rd road sign). It wasn't fast and had to stop 200 meters from home as I felt pain and out of breath. So even slower home, but I made it. Tired now afterwards, probably lie down a bit. Lets see if there will be a penalty for this later today or tomorrow.

On Saturday Xarelto will lower to once per day, so I guess its a bit less risky to get papercuts from there on :)

Plan for next week

Back to work at 50% for one week and then 100%. At the time of writing this sounds doable, the original plan to go back 100% on week 3 would have ended in a disaster.

Why I write this

I don't write this to feel sorry for myself or whatever. Just to share an experience, maybe ease for someone else that has the same diagnosis. You don't have to be old to get this, I am myself 33. I've always categorized this as something to look forward to when I get older. But life is full of surprises and luckily we humans are capable of adapting :)

Thanks for reading

When I upgraded my Scott Speedster 30 from Tiagra to 105

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One year ago exactly I found a nice price for a Shimano 105 group (60% sale) and decided it was time to upgrade my Scott Speedster from the Tiagra that had gone 7000 km.
So I thought 'how hard could it be' and placed the order. Luckily I had almost all the tools needed to perform this operation.

The stripping of a work horse

Scott Speedster S30, without wheels in repair stand

This part went pretty fast. Some parts were quite stuck and needed a little extra work with the help of a rubber hammer on the tool, especially the pedals. As you can see I should have replaced the bar tape ages ago.

Scott Speedster S30, frame and handlebars only

Totally stripped bike. Only the frame, handlebars and front fork is left. Time to clean it up, really rub away all the dirt that was stuck.
I actually hadn't replaced the chain either during those 7000 km, so the cassette and chain rings were quite married to it at this point.

Build it up again

So, now that all the old stuff was removed it was time to assemble the new components.
The shifters really took some time to figure out and a lot of youtubing, evidently they had changed the design a little and until I found a clip that described how to do it... Well, after I found out how I really felt stupid, it was quite simple in the end. Shimano does not seem to ship assembly instructions with their components, only a paper that a certified mechanic should do the assembly. So when you get stuck, it takes some time to find the correct instructions. This happened mainly for the shifters.

First issue
The front derailleur that was included in the kit was not the type that can be clamped around the tube. So needed to order a replacement. A week went by.

Second issue
Tube cutters (cable housing cutters), really, buy the specially designed tool for this, otherwise.... Well its just easier with the correct tool. Ended up with a cheap one for €5 and they do the job. So much easier then trying to use normal wire cutters.

Third setback
How did I miss this? I went from a 10 speed group to a 11 speed one and didn't think of the cassette fitting the rear wheel. So, when I tried to mount it there was 1.8mm missing on the body. So it was time to upgrade the rear wheel. Sadly I had bought the old wheel just 6 months earlier. But, oh well. Sometimes you just have to pay for your own stupidity.
Placed the order, expected delivery 4 days. But for some reason DHL decided to ship the wheel to Norway and it got stuck in customs there for 5 weeks until they sent it to the correct country. At this point the spring season was starting up and I really wanted my bike ready to be able to cycle to work instead of taking the car every day.

Finally when it arrived I was able to assemble the rear wheel, get the rear derailleur working. Something extra that I recommend is to fit in a barrel adjuster for the front derailleur, otherwise you end up needing tools every time you need to tighten the tension, something that happens with new wires.

Scott Speedster S30, converted to Shimano 105 drive train

I really like how the black Cinelli Mike Giant Handlebar Tape fit the build, and the stylish black chain ring and crank arms.

All in all what I thought would be a weekends work turned out to be 7 weeks with all the delays. But in the end, it was worth it. The feel of the 105 drive train is just so smooth. Even now one year and 2 chains later it is just the best. I promised myself to take better care of this new setup so now I change the chain every 1000 km and cassette every third chain, so cassette replacement is coming up in a month or so.

Useful videos

• How to: Wrap bar tape, by totalwomenscycling.com
• How to change cables shimano 105 5800 shifters, by The System Gotcha
• How to Change Your Rear Derailleur - Replacing Your Bike's Rear Mech, by Global Cycling Network
• How To Install Inline Cable Barrel Adjusters, by RJ The Bike Guy
• Shimano cassette installation explained, by Steve Garrison

Cat tax

Thanks for reading, here's a picture of a very tired Prime (10 month kitten).

Until next time: Work to Live, Don’t Live to Work

My current plan, 2017 February

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A lot has happened since my last plan update in January.

• Trump swore in as POTUS
• Theresa May published a report on how they will do the BREXIT
• I went to the hospital and am on a sick-leave
• My favorite bank and candy maker both published nice reports

So how to tackle this all, by not doing a single thing other then following my plan. And still, my plan holds. This month I was tested as the bank stock was at its highest since I started buying, but as the plan states I shall buy shares every month until something better comes along... That is what I will do. But yes, this month it was a small psychological battle. But good to see that I made it :)

The news about the world being in turmoil should not affect my plan other then give opportunities and forward I will look at the report period that is coming to see if anything catches my eye. I.e. being better then the two I already hoard.

So my sick-leave was prolonged to 3 weeks in total and 1 week halftime after that. So I will have all the time in the world to read reports and look at that kind of stuff.
Also, I've been thinking a lot on mortality, and unexpected things happening and wrote a little about keeping all the paperwork up to date in case something happens.

On a happier note, the dividend payout from the bank and candy manufacturer is up to 1 extra deposit per year after 2 years. Meaning that if I put away say $20 per month (fictive number), the dividend payout for this year is $20. And that feels great, there is actually some progress in this. Last year it was a third of that.

Lets finish this post off with a video of one of our cats, Pixel (2.5 year female) playing in the sofa.

Until next time: Work to Live, Don’t Live to Work

Disclaimer. I am in no way an expert on capital management or investing. On this blog I only wish to share my findings, ideas and comments on current events and fields that interest me. I hope that my thoughts can entertain you. I expect that everyone reading take their time and do their own research before acting on anything read on this blog. Investing is not for everyone. E&OE.

The importance of paperwork

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Dreaded paperwork. Why do we need it?

Mostly you do not. But when things go bad in life, a partner that leaves, a business partner that tries to maneuver you out or a death in the family.

I've experienced all three either personally or from the sidewalk when it happened to someone close to me and boy did I/they wish that the paperwork was in place when things started to roll in an unexpected direction.

The private partner part

Not the most romantic discussion with the person that you want to share your life with, but being open about the possibility of things ending (for various reasons) should be part of a successful relationship. And in the end it should mitigate a long lasting court battle if the end is not on good terms.
Also, if things end, make sure that you directly update paperwork on your part that your partner is no longer your partner. This is something that people tend to forget and things can take a quite ugly turn depending on life situations etc. Especially if you happen to die. It is no fun feeling if an old ex tries to get part of the inheritance by saying that they were still together when you died.

The death part

Another topic that people try to ignore. We are all mortal and are going to die one day. It could be today or in 80 years, no one knows for sure. And that is the reason you should think of this already when you are starting out in your twenties. Make sure you have documents on who should inherit the few belongings that you have managed to get. And then to revisit this documentation at a given interval and at bigger life-changing events for example marriage, divorce, having children etc.
Another topic to have in writing is how you want your funeral to be, if you have a vision, write it down, write down what songs should be played what coffin you want. Do you want a tombstone? Be burried or cremated? If you do not write it down, your family will have to guess and in worst case there will be a battle of wills and people will become unfriendly.

One thing that is sure is that when someone dies, all old sins come into play. Unknown children appear, people find out they have more siblings then they thought. A lot of tension can build up and at this point, finding paperwork on how you wanted things to go will really help.

The business partner part

In short, I was young and naive and people tend to take advantage of that. I put in 16 hour days to deliver product for a company and I was promised a lot but no papers were signed.
Once the product was developed, the tone of my business partners changed and they would rather not share the profits with me.
So in the end, not the best deal in my life. Probably the worst and I learned a lot.
Even if you are at your workplace, if the management starts to ask you to put in a little extra to get whatever perks they are offering, make sure that it is in writing before you commit. In the end it shows your management that you want to do this, but you also want a commitment from their side before you start. If they are hesitant in doing so, then maybe you should be hesitant in doing the extra for free as well.
If you are in a startup, especially with a partner or two, hire a legal counselor to put the deal in writing so that there are no hiccups later on. If things go good, you know how to split the profits, if things go bad you should also know what is expected of every partner at that point.

Conclusion

Boring as it sounds, you should do the paperwork and make sure that it is in place before committing yourself to anything. Good paperwork should allow you to sleep well at night knowing that you are secure if your work situation changes and that your family and kids are taken care of if something should happen to you.

And make sure you get a legal counselor to look at and validate whatever documents you are about to sign, just to make sure that they are written in a way that conveys the message that you want to tell.


Until next time: Work to Live, Don’t Live to Work

Disclaimer. I am in no way an expert on capital management or investing. On this blog I only wish to share my findings, ideas and comments on current events and fields that interest me. I hope that my thoughts can entertain you. I expect that everyone reading take their time and do their own research before acting on anything read on this blog. Investing is not for everyone. E&OE.