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View Full Version : Mid-life crisis



Mitchell Andrus
05-08-2010, 11:19 AM
Ok, ok.... I admit it. I'm feel'in it.

I don't have enough of a tug towards that little red topless sports car to go out and buy one (though I'd love to have my Jag XKE again) but my LOML and I did go out and buy our 'it's not in New Jersey' home/retirement home.

So... the kids are gone, middle age is staring you in the face or has just swooshed past you like a wave on the beach.

What did you do / what are you planning / what are you trying to avoid doing?
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Bill LaPointe
05-08-2010, 11:57 AM
My mid-life crisis came at 65. Bought another Harley!

Charlie Reals
05-08-2010, 12:32 PM
mine came at 60, bought a pontoon boat rigged to fish instead of a Harley.

paul cottingham
05-08-2010, 12:40 PM
Mine came at 45 when I had my first kid.....

Dennis Peacock
05-08-2010, 2:44 PM
Mid-life crisis??? I've never left my first-life crisis. :D

Dennis McGarry
05-08-2010, 3:59 PM
Think I am currently in it at 39!

Thoughts goto what am I leaving behind as my legacy, what will I have stood for blah blah blah....

I just make a pen and continue through it... :)

Michael Weber
05-08-2010, 5:27 PM
Ok, ok.... I admit it. I'm feel'in it.

(though I'd love to have my Jag XKE again)
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Oh Man, me too. 67 yellow coupe 4.2 liter dual overhead cams. Sold it for $3000 in the late 70's. Have you priced them recently:eek::eek::eek:

Belinda Barfield
05-08-2010, 5:48 PM
Ahem . . . having not yet reached mid life (:rolleyes:), can I have an early life crisis?

Glen Butler
05-08-2010, 7:37 PM
I am sure a mid-life crisis is in the future and recently I am really sacrificing to become financially sound by the time I hit that point. At 30 with no savings and no retirement I have decided I need a different career so I can plan for the future. A friend introduced me to the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover and now I am hardcore, selling off everything I own to reduce debt and start saving. Now I have a plan in place that will at worst case allow me to retire with seven figures.

Mitchell Andrus
05-08-2010, 7:44 PM
I am sure a mid-life crisis is in the future and recently I am really sacrificing to become financially sound by the time I hit that point. At 30 with no savings and no retirement I have decided I need a different career so I can plan for the future. A friend introduced me to the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover and now I am hardcore, selling off everything I own to reduce debt and start saving. Now I have a plan in place that will at worst case allow me to retire with seven figures.


You'll need nine figures to buy a pack of gum.

If you use credit as anything like a second income, you're doing it wrong. Live below your means. Save the rest. Simple.
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Steve Friedman
05-09-2010, 12:45 AM
Woodworking is my midlife crisis!

Steve

Glen Butler
05-09-2010, 3:54 AM
You'll need nine figures to buy a pack of gum.

If you use credit as anything like a second income, you're doing it wrong. Live below your means. Save the rest. Simple.
.

Yeah at the rate the feds are printing money I don't doubt that. It is simple if you have steady income, not so much if you are self employed and have a budding business that is being choked by the crash of the housing market. Oddly I have stayed busy for the last year and a half and thankfully LOML has her RN so things are looking up and we should be debt free by next summer.

Mitchell Andrus
05-09-2010, 8:58 AM
..... we should be debt free by next summer.

What???? Debt free??? Are you un-American?

The interest you pay greases the wheels of the money machine... and fattens my 401K.

So, don't be so fast paying off those bills, OK?
.

Stephen Tashiro
05-09-2010, 11:43 AM
If you bought the retirement home before the geographic location of the grandkids became clear, you only bought your first retirement home.

Greg Peterson
05-09-2010, 11:55 AM
Since I plan on living to 100, I have a little over three years before my mid-life crisis.:D

I assume that once I am stricken with this ailment the cure will be revealed to me like a fever vision. I can't wait to see what goody my subconscious will reward me with!

A red sports car? A Marshall stack? A Les Paul? My favorite would probably be a three month back pack trip, riding the rails in Europe.

Joe Chritz
05-09-2010, 2:31 PM
I get enough periods of brief excitement at work that it never really even seemed like an issue.

Maybe I have a few years since I am only 38 but it can't be far away.

I now throw myself from perfectly good aircraft for leisure. A little adrenaline shot every day is good for the soul. :D

Joe

Mitchell Andrus
05-09-2010, 3:07 PM
I now throw myself from perfectly good aircraft for leisure. A little adrenaline shot every day is good for the soul. :D

Joe

I did that ONCE. A celebration of one year post-radiation. I took the 6 hour course (static line of course). None of that strap yourself to a teacher nonsense for me. It was a BLAST!

3,000 feet, nothing under you. It doesn't seem real that far up in the air and as you stand on the strut in 90 MPH wind waiting for the "GO", it seems like you're there for a long, long time. As you get closer to the ground it gets real, really quick. We had a nice calm day and every one of the 12 of us came to within 60 or so feet of the target. (A watcher on the ground guided us... left, right...)

I don't think I'll be doing that again. The landing was much harder than I think I can take now.
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Jon Lanier
05-09-2010, 4:29 PM
My wife told me I'm not permitted to have one. :p

And quite frankly, I don't think I will. I'm content with my life, what I do for a living, who I am and I'm married to the love of my life (who becomes more precious to me everyday.)

If I have to 'buy' something to deal with a midlife thing.... it'll probably be some wood shop 'tool.' An expensive one....LOL

Rick Moyer
05-09-2010, 8:56 PM
I am sure a mid-life crisis is in the future and recently I am really sacrificing to become financially sound by the time I hit that point. At 30 with no savings and no retirement I have decided I need a different career so I can plan for the future. A friend introduced me to the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover and now I am hardcore, selling off everything I own to reduce debt and start saving. Now I have a plan in place that will at worst case allow me to retire with seven figures.

Just don't sacrifice 'everything" to become financially sound at the end. You'll miss all the good stuff along the way!
I like to say a man's success isn't measured by his finances, it's measured by his friends. Probably because I have better friends than finances:)

Ed Harrow
05-09-2010, 9:39 PM
I've had so many they all seem to run together...

Rod Sheridan
05-10-2010, 7:54 AM
Statistically, mid life is somewhere around 40 years of age.

I can't think of anything I did then that would be a mid life crisis.........Rod.

Lee Schierer
05-10-2010, 12:54 PM
Call your local Mazda dealer and make sure they have a Miata on the lot. Then take your wife to there and get her to drive the Miata, she'll buy it so you won't have to. That's what I did:D

Anthony Scira
05-10-2010, 1:54 PM
My wife should be scared I am looking at purple and blue hair dye ! We will see if I have the courage to go through with it. The hair will grow back right ! :)

Fred Voorhees
05-10-2010, 7:57 PM
I have been in my mid-life crisis for a few years now, but how I am dealing with it will remain a secret. I will not dare reveal anything.:eek:

Mitchell Andrus
05-10-2010, 9:49 PM
I have been in my mid-life crisis for a few years now, but how I am dealing with it will remain a secret. I will not dare reveal anything.:eek:

I know, I know... you're the train robber on the Ringoes steam train. They still run that Fred-o?
.

Glen Butler
05-11-2010, 1:06 AM
I like to say a man's success isn't measured by his finances, it's measured by his friends. Probably because I have better friends than finances:)

Uh-oh, I am failing on all fronts. I only have one friend. I may define friend differently than you. I agree that people who look at money as success are hollow. I only want to sacrifice for the next 7 years, so hopefully my life becomes easier monetarily. I have been doing it all wrong the last 7 years.

How do you know when you've had a midlife crisis? Do you have to be at least a certain age? Do you have to buy a sports car? Leave your wife for a plastic blonde? Is it superficial? Or is it when you reach a pivotal moment in the path of your life that makes you realize what your life is missing?

Rich Engelhardt
05-11-2010, 6:26 AM
I did that ONCE. A celebration of one year post-radiation. I took the 6 hour course (static line of course). None of that strap yourself to a teacher nonsense for me. It was a BLAST!

3,000 feet, nothing under you. It doesn't seem real that far up in the air and as you stand on the strut in 90 MPH wind waiting for the "GO", it seems like you're there for a long, long time. As you get closer to the ground it gets real, really quick. We had a nice calm day and every one of the 12 of us came to within 60 or so feet of the target. (A watcher on the ground guided us... left, right...)


Twice - for me...

15 min of dry mouth fear as the small plane struggled to haul 6 of us up to 2500 feet.
30 seconds of intense fear as the first jumper opened the door - which of course the prop wash and wind caught and slammed it up and down - just adding to the,,,atmosphere ;) - climbed uot on the strut and "hopped" on one foot to the end.

After she (the jumper) pushed off, the pilot let go of the controls and leand over half out of the plane to watch her - hand poised on this huge knife ready to cut the static line if need be (like she got hung up on the tail or something).

Naturally, with no one driving the plane - it did what comes natural to large heavy things up in the air - it nose dived straight down four miles at 3000 miles an hour for 45 min!!!!! Or so it seemed. It was probably more like 5 seconds and the plane probably lost 50 feet - if that.
Try telling that to my stomach! Which BTW was doing it's best to trun inside out.

Next was my turn - OPEN THE DOOR! (yessir - you have the big knife!)
GET OUT OF THE PLANE! (yessir!)
Ok - now here I am - a half mile up in the air - hopping on one foot on this piece of metal 3 inches wide and 18 inches long....now I'm hovering over the wing strut - & all of a sudden the pilot slaps me on the leg - my signal to push off...

Side note - we were told once we exit the plane, we don't get back in. It's too dangerous - besides - we have two chutes on so,,,,
If you "freeze" the pilot will close the door and shake you off....

So - the big decison in your life at this point is this...

If you push off and jump it's suicide.....if the pilot shakes you off...it's murder! ;)
Soooo you do exactly what they old you never to do...you look down...
Hmmm, it ain't so bad!
(serious note here - - yes - @ 2500 feet, nothing looks "real"..)
So you push off..

5 seconds of sheer terror later.....you look up to see that blessed 35 foot round canopy...

Then comes 15 seconds of - - jezze this is really neat up here! Look at all the stuff there is to....oops - that guy on the ground yelling through the megaphone at "number 2 to turn right means me!!!

Then comes - no lie - 120 seconds of sheer - boredom!!!
There is nothing to do excpet swing your feet and do what the guy on the ground is telling you to do...

Then - all of a sudden - the stark terror returns as - - you hit tree top level and realize just how #@#$@ high up you are!!!

Mind goes numb - you hit the ground and forget everything they tried to teach you about PLF's (parachute landing falls) - and you sit plop down on your keister,,,

LOL!!
Oh yeah! Good time!
I jumped twice because I remembered very little of the first jump!

Yep - no "buddy jump" here either. Good old static line. Good (debateable) old (you bet old - the chutes were Korean war surplus old!) 35' T-10

Belinda Barfield
05-11-2010, 7:54 AM
Leave your wife for a plastic blonde?

And if you are a plastic blonde do you have a crisis of your own, or do you just become the focus of someone else's crisis? :rolleyes:

Mitchell Andrus
05-11-2010, 8:11 AM
Twice - for me...

15 min of dry mouth fear as the small plane struggled to haul 6 of us up to 2500 feet.
30 seconds of intense fear as the first jumper opened the door - which of course the prop wash and wind caught and slammed it up and down - just adding to the,,,atmosphere ;) - climbed uot on the strut and "hopped" on one foot to the end.

After she (the jumper) pushed off, the pilot let go of the controls and leand over half out of the plane to watch her - hand poised on this huge knife ready to cut the static line if need be (like she got hung up on the tail or something).

Naturally, with no one driving the plane - it did what comes natural to large heavy things up in the air - it nose dived straight down four miles at 3000 miles an hour for 45 min!!!!! Or so it seemed. It was probably more like 5 seconds and the plane probably lost 50 feet - if that.
Try telling that to my stomach! Which BTW was doing it's best to trun inside out.

Next was my turn - OPEN THE DOOR! (yessir - you have the big knife!)
GET OUT OF THE PLANE! (yessir!)
Ok - now here I am - a half mile up in the air - hopping on one foot on this piece of metal 3 inches wide and 18 inches long....now I'm hovering over the wing strut - & all of a sudden the pilot slaps me on the leg - my signal to push off...

Side note - we were told once we exit the plane, we don't get back in. It's too dangerous - besides - we have two chutes on so,,,,
If you "freeze" the pilot will close the door and shake you off....

So - the big decison in your life at this point is this...

If you push off and jump it's suicide.....if the pilot shakes you off...it's murder! ;)
Soooo you do exactly what they old you never to do...you look down...
Hmmm, it ain't so bad!
(serious note here - - yes - @ 2500 feet, nothing looks "real"..)
So you push off..

5 seconds of sheer terror later.....you look up to see that blessed 35 foot round canopy...

Then comes 15 seconds of - - jezze this is really neat up here! Look at all the stuff there is to....oops - that guy on the ground yelling through the megaphone at "number 2 to turn right means me!!!

Then comes - no lie - 120 seconds of sheer - boredom!!!
There is nothing to do excpet swing your feet and do what the guy on the ground is telling you to do...

Then - all of a sudden - the stark terror returns as - - you hit tree top level and realize just how #@#$@ high up you are!!!

Mind goes numb - you hit the ground and forget everything they tried to teach you about PLF's (parachute landing falls) - and you sit plop down on your keister,,,

LOL!!
Oh yeah! Good time!
I jumped twice because I remembered very little of the first jump!

Yep - no "buddy jump" here either. Good old static line. Good (debateable) old (you bet old - the chutes were Korean war surplus old!) 35' T-10


Couldn't have said it better myself. But my chute was Vietnam era, and we had one-way radios on the reserve.
.

David G Baker
05-11-2010, 1:47 PM
I left my wife of 25 years for my high school girl friend. Never went in for the gold chains, exposed hairy chest or sports cars. I was more interested in a happy relationship with someone that cared for me. Been here for 10 years and still happy. It was well worth the fortune it cost me to shake free of a miserable relationship.

David Prince
05-11-2010, 3:57 PM
[QUOTE=Glen Butler;1419929]Uh-oh, I am failing on all fronts. I only have one friend. QUOTE]

You need at least 6 friends so that you have pallbearers. :rolleyes:

Bonnie Campbell
05-11-2010, 5:02 PM
[QUOTE=Glen Butler;1419929]Uh-oh, I am failing on all fronts. I only have one friend. QUOTE]

You need at least 6 friends so that you have pallbearers. :rolleyes:


Not if you're cremated :rolleyes:

Rod Sheridan
05-11-2010, 6:45 PM
[QUOTE=Glen Butler;1419929]Uh-oh, I am failing on all fronts. I only have one friend. QUOTE]

You need at least 6 friends so that you have pallbearers. :rolleyes:

David, by the time most of us need pall bearers, our friends are of a similar age and can't do it.:D

Regards, Rod.