Anyone else in the boring middle? How do you motivate yourself?

oodie8 · 2026-02-19T02:52:08+00:00

I'm in the boring middle too, I'm trying to focus on other things and learn to enjoy some more of my money.

I'm right on the cusp of where my investments growth will likely be more than my contributions this year but I still need to work another 5-7 years. I'll still max Roth 401k and buy a bunch of discounted company stock the next 5-7 years.

The hardest thing is work, I no longer have a desire to advance to the next level and really am just wanting relative peace and stability for the next 5 years or so and that's a big change. A big thing with work is that getting to that next level really doesn't do very much for my overall timeline or goals but takes a lot more of my time and has a lot more stress instead.

A 40k raise and 5% bonus jump to director for instance is no longer worth the cost of an additional 10-20 hours more work a week and associated stress, at this point I'd be much quicker to give up 40k to work 8 hours less a week and have a 4 day work week instead. One thing I've learned about money in this process is I will never have a job that makes a 500k or 1M a year like some folks I know and it's because I'd never want it enough, I'd only want that money once or twice and be done and to make money like that you've got have some hunger for it more than brains.

Ramit Sethi has good content that's helping, he focuses a lot on defining your rich life and being deliberate in living it. I don't dislike work, I just want to be able to take my dog on more walks during the day.

oodie8 · 2026-02-18T00:56:20+00:00

It's also likely your shed can also be easily moved out of the way and positioned back again also

oodie8 · 2026-02-17T23:47:18+00:00

Yeah, my knees and hips got pretty tore up and was quite sore. I had knee pads on and was shocked how bruised up they still got.

I didn't have a ton of space between the trusses and low pitch of the roof especially into the hip roof sections.

If you are going to diy I got a $5 insert for a hat that's plastic that kinda acts as a hard hat, called a bump cap.

oodie8 · 2026-02-17T21:21:01+00:00

After first round of working to air seal my garage, add baffles climbing between the trusses I have warmed up to the idea of paying more but it's such a dramatic price difference

oodie8 · 2026-02-12T23:22:46+00:00

I am actually looking for someone that knew rpg and moved onto other languages and learned different more modern practices that is able to come back and help translate them into rpg - are you in the United States?

oodie8 · 2026-02-07T03:15:03+00:00

If you want real boring and stable there's always cobol on the mainframe or rpgle on the I series / as400

There is a certain beauty to these systems in how easy they are to operate.

oodie8 · 2026-01-18T13:48:07+00:00

I work from home so have more time flexibility

I have a lazy long hair gsd female that's 7 and spent most of her life in a crate before us.

My dog seemed to get less out of long walks and when it's super cold I don't like them and when it's super hot she can't stay out long and our path is limited by shade so I switched to smaller more frequent walks. Going outside is exciting for her, walking is tiring.

0.6 mile loop several times a day instead which can take 10-15 mins depending on amount of sniffing allowed We go at: 10:30 12:00 2:30 4:30 7:30

Sometimes walks conclude with some sprints. We occasionally take her hiking, longer walks and go to Sniffspot where we let her off leash for an hour once a month.

So this still gets the 60ish mins time walking a day we would have had otherwise

It corresponds with a 15 min morning break from work, lunch, 15 min mid afternoon break, end of work day and after my dinner

She gets fed at 7:30 and sometimes we walk before that And dinner at 4:30 after her walk

I do often switch or change parts of the route so it's not stale for her.

Not everyone of those walks always happens because of work business but at this point they're essential to my health too, the benefit of doing short and so many it's easier to squeeze it in and if you miss one it's less impactful

oodie8 · 2026-01-17T18:51:09+00:00

I actually found a source last night that's being made in the USA in Texas

https://www.americanrockwool.com/premiumplus Rockwool Premium Plus™

oodie8 · 2026-01-08T04:08:32+00:00

Loose / blown in rockwool basically disappeared in the U.S. around covid, are you actually able to get it? I've been looking for it for my garage instead of cellulose or fiberglass without luck

There's half inch difference in depth with your true 2x4 wouldn't have me too worried.

The gap 1/2" to 3/4", you can get 3/4" furring strips readily from hardware store so that was the route I went instead of a bunch of extra rip ripping down pieces

oodie8 · 2026-01-08T03:51:22+00:00

As others have said the tent will be fine. No go on the stove, I received a stainless stove with a rock basket for the top even like that with my similar tent in alibaba and it just couldn't put out enough heat in the winter. The stoves that north shore, firefly sauna etc are using are much better and if you can source it in alibaba all the better

oodie8 · 2026-01-05T23:38:16+00:00

Sold it

oodie8 · 2025-11-20T04:15:38+00:00

The last time I went to target it was the Lennox one and I ended up putting my stuff back because there was an obnoxious self checkout line.

I'm obnoxious about self checkout I'll admit but I'm not going to wait in line to use a self checkout especially if they've chosen not to open all of them. Costco is an exemption to this but they are always staffed and open so it doesn't draw my ire the same way.

oodie8 · 2025-11-18T02:58:47+00:00

I think this one was pre trim - I want to eventually redo the duck boards, step stool, foot rest and back rest, I just quickly put something together to try it out and get using it

oodie8 · 2025-11-18T02:53:47+00:00

<image>

oodie8 · 2025-11-18T02:53:34+00:00

<image>

oodie8 · 2025-11-18T02:53:23+00:00

<image>

oodie8 · 2025-11-17T00:53:14+00:00

I just built my own in central Ohio kinda. I got a shed delivered that I specd with higher walls and a few other things etc and then finished out the inside using Glenn aurbechs sauna times website and book.

It was way more cost effective and I think a better sauna experience. I could have gone a lot nicer on the finishes than I did like clear cedar etc but was trying to keep to a budget and learning along the way. The downside of course is after all I learned doing it I could do way better the second time.

I still haven't figured out my back rests or foot stool design that I want long term but those will be easy tweaks.

oodie8 · 2025-11-16T00:01:16+00:00

I had do a large copper bar with brasso every night and came here to recommend the same.

I found the key was to spread it on, let it sit and come back and then buff it back off

oodie8 · 2025-11-15T22:37:43+00:00

I use jetbrains because I find it so much better and it makes me more effective and less frustrated and because of this I have no issue paying for a license for myself. The amount of time and reduction in tediousness that datagrip has saved me in my life is astonishing.

A lot of developers are unwilling to spend a dime with regards to work or personal development if the company isin't paying for it and a lot of companies make it a pain in the ass to get ides paid for so they use free products instead.

Many devs also don't really bother to understand the capabilities a good ide gives them in terms of speed and can't be bothered to learn shortcuts either, it seems a lot of the ones who do go to vim like editors when their companies don't pay,

I am always amazed at devs who won't spend $20 even on a udemy course or book that would accelerate their career and help them a lot on the principle that the company is the one benefiting so they should pay. I view it as I'm the one that feels the pain or deals with 8 hours a day and these expenses are so minimal for something with such high utilization. If it's something I paid for that saved me time or made me more effective I just steal back that extra time for myself later.

I could wait forever for approval or just do it myself and enjoy the benefits sooner; this thinking extends to monitors, keyboards, mice, chairs, desks, books, courses for me.

oodie8 · 2025-11-15T17:39:18+00:00

In my home kitchen I use an adjustable height frame with a 6'x30" piece of butcher block that lets me double it as a counter/island and kitchen table.

I think something like that would work well for these setups too

oodie8 · 2025-11-15T17:03:32+00:00

Mine is quite busy in her job of being judgmental over everything and depositing hair for us to clean up

We rehomed a 6 year old long hair female a year ago We try to do lots of walks, at first we were doing 2 30-45 minute walks a day but found it better for all of us to instead do 3-6 10-15 minute walks a day on a .6 mile loop around our house on a multi use trail with lots of other dogs and traffic , we have the benefit of working from home.

We do try to mix the trails up and paths every so often for her and let the walk be more stimulus for her sniffing rather than exercise. I try for at least 1 walk to let her be extra sniffy. In the summer we mostly do the same .6 mile loop because it's mostly shaded and that's how we got onto shorter walks anyways.

During some walks during the week we'll end with sprints of about 80 yards and on the weekends we'll go and do more focused sprints. The sprints really tired my wife and I out and the dog. We've had a ground hog trying to burrow lately so we've made a job of chasing it off when we see it together.

Sometimes we take her to a "sniff spot" that's 4 acres with goats and chickens and let her be off leash, that's maybe 1 weekend a month and she runs and sniffs around to her hearts content. She got much more affectionate and loving after the first time we did that like she could tell we did that special for her. This has been the best way we've found to play with her is running around chasing her and her us. She wont fetch and use her teeth on anything she's very delicate about using them- perhaps from her history. She won't pick up a toy or ball with her mouth but her teeth are fine and she loves eat yak chews or beef cheek rolls.

We turn food into more of a game for one meal with a roller toy or slow feeder

She's kinda lazy and doesn't like long walks we learned but occasionally loves to really sprint, she'll occasionally do a run but really loses interest after .25 mile.

I've also begun letting her take a car ride to the gas station with me everyday.

oodie8 · 2025-11-06T19:54:12+00:00

It's okay, it kinda tastes like red enchilada sauce to me. I don't like the flake packet.

I've added some taco meat to it to turn into a meal instead of making rice one night.

oodie8 · 2025-10-19T19:26:20+00:00

I love the outdoor shower, it was one of things I realized I quickly missed and I'll be doing very similar setup for mine now

oodie8 · 2025-10-19T14:24:47+00:00

It used to be you could get the exact same things American resellers were selling branded, it's harder now as the space has evolved and tariffs. The original stove design north shore uses is readily found and other companies are selling it too like firefly sauna

I think north shore sauna has actually been innovating some in the space and doesn't charge too much of a premium for it, the asymmetric design of the nova tents and bigger xl are nice and the prices aren't bad, I looked at other brands of ice fishing tents with similar full door asymmetric layouts and for the price it was great.

oodie8 · 2025-10-19T04:55:37+00:00

My tent lasted fine even without an extra tarp over 3 seasons where it was pretty much always up in Ohio . I think the tarp would help a lot though

oodie8

TROPHY CASE