Well this has been an interesting two weeks. On October 14th I moved out of my place in Everett and on the Friday the 15th arrived in the University District of Seattle for house/room hunting. After a disappointing weekend I stumbled on a pretty nice situation. For those of you who know
Everett Seattle I found a room in a shared house at the northernmost tip of the Montlake District, across the Montlake Cut from the University of Washington campus. The house, though a little shabby compared to its House Beautiful type neighbors, is warm and dry (the latter being REAL important in Seattle) and is perfectly situated on major bus runs going just about anywhere in Seattle and in fact the region you would want to go to work/play. The weather is miserable this week and my unlimited transit pass doesn't kick in until Nov 1st so I won't put up photos and such here just yet. But in my spare time I fully plan to play camera snapping tourist this winter and spring.
I am still moving some stuff in from storage and stocking the pantry and haven't ventured to explore the campus and community resources but I think this is going to be just fine. And when I hit my stride I will try to put up more topical blogging on Social Security etc.
A new phase begins.
3 comments:
Bruce when you get back you might take a look at the french pension situation, and the other changes in europe and comment on them.
Lyle I am really a one trick pony. I know a lot about U.S.Social Security finance but am by no means a pension expert as such.
In my reading it seems the MSM has been blurring a French change in Early Retirement from 60 to 62 with a change in Full Retirement and implying everyone can just walk out the door at 60 right now. Instead it seems that FRA in France is and will be 65 just as ours used to be, But really I don't know anything except what I read in the papers (which may mean knowing stuff that is not true at all based on their past Social Security reporting and from what I glean from the people I trust: Baker, the economists at EconoSpeak, and some others.
I will say that a great deal of animus towards the French is irrational, a knee jerk resentment reaction to them being right on Iraq, but some of it seems based on bafflement that they don't embrace the Protestant Work Ethic of 'Live to Work' and instead still embrace the Continental/Catholic Ethic that suggests we should 'Work to Live'. "Two hour lunches! Seven week vacations! Why the nerve! Don't they understand that is productivity down the drain!'
It is always amusing to me that the Masters of the Universe who justify their outsize compensation on the crazy hours they put in somehow manage to keep their golf handicaps under control. It seems there is 'work' and 'work'.
I thought I read that the full age in France was going to 67 so its two years in each case. Actually as many continentals will point out its the US and the UK that have this attitude the Germans have the same vacation laws as the French. Also Germans have lots of religious days off particularly in Bavaria.
I got responses on this on other blogs that say the continentals are poor fools who just don't understand that money is the only measure that matters.
Since every one talks about competitiveness German systems may be a good model to compare with since Germany is doing so well.
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