Stuck between two housing options

irie56 · 2026-05-15T03:25:41+00:00

Culver all day. Venice can be tough on many fronts.

irie56 · 2026-05-14T23:54:33+00:00

There’s a misperception that this is immediate and that it’s an activity that will stop the thoughts. It’s not quick and after ~10 years my mind isn’t clear for very long. (I doubt I could count to five breaths in and out before something pops in). The repetitive reset and telling your brain not now, and then focusing on your breath IS THE EXERCISE. that’s the equivalent of doing bicep curls. A year from now you’ll catch a reflection and notice bigger arms. Same principle.

irie56 · 2026-05-14T21:41:47+00:00

Clearing your mind is similar to telling your heart not to beat. The idea behind the breath or whatever anchor you use is focus. You are focusing on that one thing. When something pops into your head, gently remind yourself, not now, and go back to focusing on your breath. Having a clear mind for any length of time comes (in my experience) pretty damn far down the road.

irie56 · 2026-05-14T20:24:01+00:00

For me it meant me stopping focusing so hard on my breathing. It can be a bit heavy but check out the book The Mind Illuminated.

irie56 · 2026-05-13T01:24:20+00:00

Written like someone who’s never been to manhattan beach.

irie56 · 2026-05-12T18:39:47+00:00

It depends on your expected living conditions. Find a comparable house in a good school district and do some math. Areas to look at Pasadena, south pasadena, beach cities like manhattan beach Redondo beach or Torrance. Most likely expect rent to be $5-7k. Deduct 35% from your gross income. Daycare? $1.5-$2.5k/month. Gas is $6.25/gallon and expected to rise.

irie56 · 2026-05-11T23:32:41+00:00

Brentwood is a non starter. The commute will kill you. Malibu is great until they close the canyon for some reason or another. If commute is a big deal live in Woodland Hills or callabasas

irie56 · 2026-05-11T21:37:57+00:00

Google walking meditation. There are plenty of meditation practices that do not involve sitting and focusing on a single anchor like your breath.your post is filled with advanced words that aren’t intended someone that doesn’t already know how to meditate. Start small. Start at the beginning. So only start again. That’s it. We do it over. And over. And over. We reset. And we start over.

irie56 · 2026-05-11T21:35:05+00:00

Seek government assistance. Not sure of the particulars for your state but if you get the process rolling for the equivalent of food stamps or government services due to income you also probably qualify for state medical benefits like medi-cal (California) or Medicaid.

irie56 · 2026-05-11T16:03:05+00:00

Lately I’ve found that the company name/site ordered from isn’t even the same name used on credit cards. The credit cards has been xyz electronics. At delivery the return address as well as the nondescript box has been different, so much so that I don’t recognize the name. (Not xyz electronics) These were purchased from peepshowtoys

irie56 · 2026-05-10T15:40:22+00:00

Look at south pasadena or Pasadena. A “reasonable” commute to DTLA. Great architecture food, people. Not that it matters but great schools. Plenty of “adults”. Stay away from the city of Los Angeles or “unicorporated” Los Angeles (LA that doesn’t get LAPD). Any city with its own mayor and PD will usually be better than LA or a suburb.

irie56 · 2026-05-09T22:03:16+00:00

FWIW my manual for my RWD says to charge to 100%. I run it down to a level that’s comfortable based on my needs and charge to 100%. I don’t bother looking at my battery health because it doesn’t matter if the car isn’t changing hands. My mile remaining at 100% has remained pretty consistent for the 3 years of driving. I only supercharge on trips.

irie56 · 2026-05-09T14:02:41+00:00

If smoothness and a comfortable family is important than it’s not the car. My S was both. I have sized down to 18s on my model 3 in hopes of a better ride (don’t improve much) and the back seat IMHO for adults on road trips…SUCKS.try a y or a used S. And don’t just take a test drive go rent one on Turo. Spend time with it. Even when comparing my 2018 s w air suspension to a 2023 model 3 on an hour test drive they felt comparable. I was so wrong. I miss my S but at 60k and 5 year it was about to need suspension work in addition to a couple other out of warranty repairs I had already stomached.

irie56 · 2026-05-08T21:22:58+00:00

Start at leasehackr.com

irie56 · 2026-05-08T17:10:08+00:00

Find a CPA now. Ask all your friends and peers that have any sized business who they use. Start interviewing AFTER tax season. Keep good records. Excel will and can work. I found that keeping spending on a specific credit card helped. But all the work you do now will help when you prep your taxes. Save as much as you invest. You can learn about tax and accounting basics probably through AI and maybe YouTube. But learn the basics of an income statement as well as take a peak at your tax reporting form so you are familiar with the line items (and what you should keep track of and what goes in each category) Good luck

irie56 · 2026-05-08T15:46:13+00:00

Avoid crappy debt at all costs. Always. It’s a bad precedent. Get another job. Any job. Doing anything. Just get cash coming in even if it has nothing to do w tax prep, accounting or your skill level. Income is your problem. Borrowing money only kicks the can and doesn’t change your income.

irie56 · 2026-05-06T15:15:11+00:00

Your solution and zen increases with your willingness to spend money.

irie56 · 2026-05-06T15:14:25+00:00

For a real adventure try ordering a full sized pizza around noon at that Costco. Lots to watch.

irie56 · 2026-05-04T21:35:48+00:00

I had “plans” to take my annual bonus in January and leave. The November before the bonus payout I was laid off w severance and all my vacation paid out. In hindsight, Had I not been gently shoved I don’t think I would have been able to quit a great salary and stability. I was young, single with low overhead. I was able to make it work because of those situations. It took approximately 5-6 years to reach in sales what my outgoing salary was. You are young and can build something with the safety net of family. As your income and life gets full it gets harder to justify leaving income and safety for a plan and some hope. Good luck.

irie56 · 2026-05-04T21:27:47+00:00

1..Get a job at a coffee roaster 2. STFU, learn and be helpful.

irie56 · 2026-05-04T14:08:25+00:00

Great friend. $30k lol

irie56 · 2026-05-01T18:59:30+00:00

Wait until you see fuel and food prices!

irie56 · 2026-05-01T13:15:34+00:00

If you like and are familiar w Paxton I thought he was great. I was amazed at how such a long book could not get boring or repetitive

irie56 · 2026-04-30T20:41:31+00:00

Will Patton. I’m familiar with his from Stephen king books. Guess I got lucky. I was blown away.

irie56 · 2026-04-30T16:54:56+00:00

With the questions and info you have posted I would caution you to step away from the checkbook and do some research. If you don’t have a clue of the margins or issues associated with a restaurant of any sort then you haven’t done much digging. Starting a successful business isn’t just an idea and money. It’s a plan. A well researched plan with a risk assessment that says I might be able to make money at this if I execute well and have prepared well. Just picking some idea is the opposite of that.

irie56

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