The Ride

The only thing worse than outliving your retirement fund is...

I spent last Christmas season on deadline and swore I would never let that happen again. But I have one child in college and another who will start next fall. And so here I am. And so work I must. 

After I get my kids through school maybe I'll have just enough energy left to actually save some money for retirement (as long as I don't live too long).

Conventional wisdom says outliving your retirement fund is...

• A fate worse than death 
• Likely since the demise of the defined benefit pension 
• An illusion even with a million-dollar retirement fund 
• Inevitable since we are living longer 
• Likely since none of us can do the withdrawal rate math properly 
• A question of dignity versus survival 

So much for conventional wisdom. Here at PhilosFX, we offer unconventional wisdom.

"The only thing worse than outliving your retirement fund is... not outliving your retirement fund." 

I just made that up. 

Money is just little bits of paper. 

Connect to what matters! 

Remembering Rumi

Ahmad Wali - Dost (Sufi Music)

I love my friends neither with my heart nor with my mind. 

Just in case…

Heart might stop. Mind can forget.

I love them with my soul.

Soul never stops or forgets.

Rumi

Three countries, all part of the former Persian Empire, claim Rumi as their poet: Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey. Though he died 742 years ago, his wisdom continues to enlighten and inspire. Along with being a wonderful poet, Rumi was also a proponent of dance as a means of connecting with the Divine.

I lived in Turkey for a year in the mid-80s and heard a lot about Rumi and the Whirling Dervishes he inspired. Later, I became even more aware of Rumi's poetry through my reading of Mark Nepo. Nepo cites Rumi and many other mystics and poets in his book, Awakening. 

The Mevlâna Festival takes place annually from December 10th to the 17th in the Anatolian city of Konya, where Rumi died at the age of 66 on December 17, 1273. 

Some say Rumi was a Sufi but I believe that Rumi himself would have resisted any such labels. To read Rumi's poems is to recognize a beautiful soul.

May this post inspire you to welcome a little Rumi into your life! 

The MO is no MO...

Another MOvember is in the books. 

It's December, and the MOustache is no MOre.... 

Proud of that unruly, wild, ill-mannered upper lip rug

15-thirtieths of an inch of fur: half a thirtieth a day for a whole month!

Back in naked mole rat mode

Thanks for the meMOries! 

MOnday MOrning MOustache MOment: MOvember in Crystal City

MOvember gives us a reason to start or sustain
some conversations about men's health issues. 

Greetings from Crystal City! This is my 5th and Final MOnday MOrning MOustache MOment for MOvember 2015.  

I'm a:

• retired Army officer now consulting for clients in DoD (still serving!), 
• cancer survivor now four years in remission (still kicking!), and 
• 5th year MO Bro now sporting a 30-day 'stache (still MO-ing!). 

Why do I MO, year after year? Because I want more men to be encouraged to take better care of themselves, and that means: 

• Making and keeping appointments for testicular and prostate cancer screening
• Seeking help for mental health issues like stress, depression, and suicidal thoughts
• Combating obesity and diabetes by eating less, eating better, and moving around more

Men: I MO for thee! Get thee to thine doctor! 

To those of you who have raised a moustache as a MO Bro, or supported a MO Bro with your donations of time or money, THANK YOU! Together, we are helping to "change the face of men's health!" 

  

Happy MOvember! 

Let's MO!

James Wright's Review of Patti LaBelle's Sweet Potato Pie

The indisputable truth: Patti LaBelle can sang. "Lady Marmalade," anyone?

And as it happens, she can also cook. Witness her many cookbooks and her successful cooking show. So Wal*Mart started carrying her Sweet Potato pie, and pre-Thanksgiving sales were, um, brisk. As in, nationwide sales hit the rate of one pie per second. Now that is a lot of pies, but it is only the beginning of the story.

As it happens, Chicago-based video-blogger and Patti LaBelle impersonator James Wright heard the buzz and decided to post a review of the pie. According to Mr. Wright, the pie is so good it will turn you into Patti LaBelle. His NSFW (language) review tore up the Internet.

Go ahead and watch it if you haven't already seen it like 100 times already....



Even before this video went viral, pie demand exceeded pie supply, putting upward pressure on pie price. However, under the influence of Mr. Wright's huh-larry-us interpretations, demand soared even further. Wal*Mart was obliged to answer the phone thusly: "Hello, thank you for calling Wal*Mart, we are out of Patti LaBelle's Sweet Potato Pie, how may I help you?"

When the blackmarket price of the pie hit 1000 times the $3.46 original retail, it was time for someone to release the recipe. And one such someone was the Washington Post's intrepid food reporter, Joe Yonan.

The whole "Do It Yourself" annotated instruction manual is available here: How to make Patti LaBelle's impossible to find sweet potato pie at home. The recipe is also found in “LaBelle Cuisine: Recipes to Sing About,” by Patti LaBelle (Clarkson Potter, 1999).

Make the pie! Enjoy eating and sharing it! And if you should suddenly break out into song, post the video!

"On My Own"

So many times
Said it was forever
Said our love would always be true
Something in my heart always knew
I'd be lying here beside you
On my own
On my own
On my own

So many promises never should be spoken
Now I know what loving you cost
Now we're up to talking divorce
And we weren't even married
On my own
Once again now
One more time
By myself

No one said it was easy
But it once was so easy
Well I believed in love
Now here I stand
I wonder why

I'm on my own
Why did it end this way
On my own
This wasn't how it was supposed to be
On my own
I wish that we could do it all again

So many times
I know I should have told you
Losing you it cut like a knife
You walked out and there went my life
I don't want to live without you
On my own
On my own
On my own
[Chorus Repeat]

This wasn't how it was supposed to end
I wish that we could do it all again
I never dreamed I'd spend one night alone
On my own, I've got to find where I belong again
I've got to learn how to be strong again
I never dreamed I'd spend one night alone
By myself by myself
I've got to find out what was mine again
My heart is saying that it's my time again
And I have faith that I will shine again
I have faith in me
On my own
On my own
On my own

My version of Patti LaBelle's Sweet Potato Pie

Elvis Costello: My Life in 10 Songs

Elvis Costello: My Life in 10 Songs

Rolling Stone - By David Fricke - October 12, 2015 (the day before Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink was published)

"How Bruce Springsteen and Margaret Thatcher — plus a little revenge and guilt — inspired some of Costello's greatest work."

Attention future ‪#‎ElvisCostello fans! Do yourself a favor and follow this link to the Rolling Stone interview! TEN SONGS 

Even long-time die-hard fans will enjoy this interview and the insights to be gleaned from these 10 songs carefully selected from a catalog of over 500. 

But if you have been a fan since My Aim Is True, you probably already have Elvis' autobiography and the accompanying soundtrack.  So this post is especially for the future fans. Everyone is a fan of Elvis. It's just a question of time and timing. Not a fan, yet? This selection of songs might just win you over! 

Here's the list of songs Elvis talks about in his interview. Rolling Stone provides links to videos for each song. Must see! And read and listen and absorb!

• "Radio Soul" (1975)
• "Poison Moon" (1976)
• "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" (1977)
• "High Fidelity" (1980)
• "New Lace Sleeves" (1981)
• "Beyond Belief" (1982)
• "Indoor Fireworks" (1986)
• "London's Brilliant Parade" (1994)
• "When I Was Cruel No. 2" (2002)
• "The Puppet Has Cut His Strings" (2013)

Forty years of amazing music and powerful lyrics condensed to 10 songs selected by Elvis himself. These are the milestones of his career. And he says he has 40 more songs in the works! Bring it!

Enjoy and share this link to the Rolling Stone interview! TEN SONGS