How is 2024 treating you?

Got sweetgreen and was outraged at how little food I got while paying extra for double everything.

Outside of that, been 50/50 good/bad days. Working a lot but that’s not what determines my day for me. Feels like no matter what I do or how good a day I’m having, my demons pull me back in. Even things that used to 100% get me going haven’t worked.

 

I hear you re sweetgreen, Chipotle is skimping on their meats too. Inflation's a bitch and a half and if Democrats lost the Presidential election I would bet it's probably the single biggest contributor (it's not even all Biden's fault, but he's the face that it'll be pinned to). Eating out at anything that's not a higher-end place doesn't feel worth it anymore. I walked by a BBQ food truck yesterday that was selling "half" (more like 1/3rd) a rack of ribs for $20. In the past I would've absolutely tried it but I can get a full rack from Trader Joe's for $18 and just spend the 15 minutes prepping vs waiting in line. Took my mother to lunch over the holidays at a very generic Asian chain restaurant and ended up paying almost $60 after tip. Food was ok and portions were good, but only worth it if it were half the price. It's very noticeable the difference of walking into the store to grab snacks and paying almost 2x what I would've paid just a couple of years ago.

Other than that would agree, pretty 50/50 on how the year's starting. Nothing to exciting, nothing too crushing. Not feeling pumped about anything for the year frankly unless I can get a side project I'm working on to actually catch momentum.

"The obedient always think of themselves as virtuous rather than cowardly" - Robert A. Wilson | "If you don't have any enemies in life you have never stood up for anything" - Winston Churchill | "It's a testament to the sheer belligerence of the profession that people would rather argue about the 'risk-adjusted returns' of using inferior tooth cleaning methods." - kellycriterion
 

Gambling losses are already mounting...

The important thing is never to let oneself be guided by the opinion of one's contemporaries; to continue steadfastly on one's way without letting oneself be either defeated by failure or diverted by applause.
 
Most Helpful

Gustav Mahler

Gambling losses are already mounting...

I feel you bro. What is your game of choice? I played poker tonight. Had a rough start. I started with $140 and played a few tourneys and cashed some but lost more and had $28 left and registered for a $16.50 game which ended up being a prize pool of $10,845 (PKO) and $1,600 for 1st. 723 players were in the running and I managed to get 6th for $338. Tourney poker is a rollercoaster.

Also though tonight I bagged some points in my friend Loncar's home game and am top 5 in week 2 of 16 in competition for a $2,650 Venom ticket on ACR for the first place points winner. First place in the Venom is usually around $1M, which would be nice.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Betting on table tennis. It is brutal out here

The important thing is never to let oneself be guided by the opinion of one's contemporaries; to continue steadfastly on one's way without letting oneself be either defeated by failure or diverted by applause.
 

It's been aight brother. I feel you on that front, we strive to be optimistic but sometimes lift just throws all these little obstacles in the way. That said, I now have MASSIVELY more respect for people that have succeeded and earned their way to the top because you realize just how many things try can derail someone (personal issues, mental health, medical issues, family problems, career issues, etc). 

Let me put it this way, 2023 was a challenging year for me in many respects with a ton of volatility but directionally I've been moving up for sure. Too early to say for 2024 but I'm hoping to continue the same thing but with a faster trajectory upwards. As an adult, I've found very little happens at the timeline that we want BUT you can still make them happen (might take 1-2yrs longer to accomplish a career or personal goal but it's doable).

The inflation is a bummer because our comp is not rising to accomodate it. I've been recruiting and found the comp is pretty much where it was pre Covid for the roles I'm looking for. Which is crazy given cumulative 20% inflation since 2019...

 

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