Yeah, you KNOW that title.

I don't know where exactly I am on the scale; I know what it feels like. Even that man in the mirror gives me an approving "Atta Boy!" Yet, I look forward to the long haul before me to drive into Bolton's senior parking lot again in that '79 Ford pickup. "Lemme pop in VH's 5150. Roll the window down—we're gonna ride!" Coming up on Sunday three weeks removed from that 204 weight, it's a sure bet I've broken below the 200 threshold.

200 is the new 300. I swear I will *never* be 200 again.

I ain't never lookin' back, and that's a fact
...
I've got pride, I'm takin' it for a ride
Bye-bye, bye-bye, my (Heavy), bye-bye

-Jo Dee Messina, Bye-Bye (1998)

I feel like it is time to get back into my workouts. I am gearing up a plan to maximize abilities/desires and minimize those things that tend to send a wrecking ball in the mix—I couldn't outrun that large herd of walkers, however!

I really miss my Spotify playlists! The one from The 35th Expedition was like having a friend as my traveling companion.

Of course, like 2019 and new wave 7E and its summer playlist companion, sometimes the good ones are just gone. Songs forever play in my head.

I uncovered a truth: eating your food in one meal is more satiating in a day than dividing that same meal into 3 sessions. I still have my butter coffee throughout the day, but when I eat 4 eggs and 3 burger patties for breakfast, I am full throughout the day into the evening. When I do 1 patty and 2 eggs for breakfast, another set for lunch, and then just a single patty for dinner, I am not satisfied. Twice this past week, I added a couple more eggs to close out my day.

I find that fascinating.

There's a relationship between eating and personal finances. While I have been tracking the whereabouts of every penny for 15 years on GnuCash, there are always strategies to implement. Mortgage and student loans notwithstanding, I have no debt. I pay cars off in cash, though financing is a temptress. "Have TODAY and pay for it in the years to come!"

I have been torched by credit cards, but I still gamble that I'll have the fiscal resources/discipline to pay them off each month. Now, I've done it for some time. In fact, my strategy is to make all purchases on credit cards and then track the cash equivalent via GnuCash to maximize the cash rewards. In the last year, I made $692 which in turn just pays back the card and frees up the allocated cash.

Nevertheless, I know I am playing with fire, or at least a tablesaw, and I already have a bloody stump of an arm. It's not worth the risk. Like Dad told me, don't get credit cards. Burned him, too. They play into our build to bet on ourselves. Thus, while it is a single card, starting today, we will stop its use and will close the account out.

I don't like our mortgage—OK, that's just me being nice, I HATE our mortgage. It is an area in whose purpose can be fulfilled for far less. Dave Ramsey suggests 25% of the monthly take-home be earmarked for it; mine is almost 41%. While we can afford it—we even have about 19% left over for savings, how much more can we do if it was optimized in location?

I have wanted to invest in a Roth IRA since I was 28. It was a regular suggestion by Howard Dayton and Steve Moore on Money Matters during my hills and pine; quiet I-40; westward morning commutes from Flagstaff to Williams, Arizona. I just don't think I could beat a pre-taxed investment.

I cannot control that I have lost 17 years of time; money never seemed to be enough in all of those years. But I suspect I have been misled by fleeting wants. And yes, I regret that I never put $50 in Apple back in 1997; it would be worth a cool $75,000 today. But, Mac was trash back then. It's like that $20 I threw toward Jackson Hewlitt stock back before its bankruptcy swiped that Andrew Jackson into the abyss. Single stocks are worse than slot machines...unless it's a nickel slot. You know, blisters.

Perhaps—appearances—I wanted to keep up with those dastardly Joneses. But an Instagram life features Insta-debt shackles. And you're not foolin' nobody with them photos! As for me, I want to be the unassuming millionaire who shops for treasure in Great Value food...and I've got the second part done!