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Morning rituals for retirees?

First I feed our cat. She demands it. But then, what comes next? Check for atrocities from the regime or check the markets? Do any of you practice news fasting? It’s easier than forest bathing and just as healthy.

Comments

  • edited January 28
    Wake up to Bloomberg's morning radio production which is far more interesting than their morning TV. Gravel-voiced Tom Keen anchors the program. Usually sounds hungover. Read headline articles in the WSJ & on Bloomberg's website. (Subscriptions to both)
  • Turn on coffee maker then feed cats (2). Lucky for me I am forest bathed at least 98% of the time by simple location. This morning I watched a handful of deer munching on last year's leaf pile while I waited for that damn coffee pot to signal 'ready'. I take my news in 10-15 min chunks and I can be easily distracted from that. Checking the markets or reading emails is part of that.
  • hank said:

    Wake up to Bloomberg's morning radio production which is far more interesting than their morning TV. Gravel-voiced Tom Keen anchors the program. Usually sounds hungover. Read headline articles in the WSJ & on Bloomberg's website. (Subscriptions to both)

    they have a radio program channel, don't know which feed it is, but except for occasional bothsidesism it's pretty good and thorough (FM station and streaming)
  • News fasting? That's my "normal". I watch zero televised news. I may listen to local radio in the car, but rarely. I read the news that I choose, filtered by headline, only consuming what I wish to engage with. I used to watch CNBC, but not any longer.

    Morning ritual?

    1. Try not to sprain ankle coming down the stairs, while still half-asleep.
    2. Start a pot of Columbian to brew while brushing teeth.
    3. Check morning financial markets and basic headlines.
    4. Shoot a couple games of pool.
    5. Look for chores to feel some sense of accomplishment, no matter how small.
  • Around here the chores seem to look for me.  :(
  • edited January 29
    @DrVenture. To those of a certain age, Columbian and pot in the same sentence had nothing to do with coffee. Big smile.

    I refer to news more broadly. We don’t have cable and haven’t watched network news for years. Mostly Substack, podcasts and you tube.

    Does taking out the garbage count?
  • I remember Columbian. It was only around for short while that I recall, in the mid-1970s. Aromatic, herbal, hash-like flavor. I miss it!

    Taking out the garbage definitely counts, especially if you do it with style.
  • edited January 29
    @DrVenture. We have trash, recycle and Green waste. Do I get triple accomplishment credits? Back in the day,,, some guys just had a lid,while others bragged about their name brand shit. Bet they grew up to drive fine German road cars and now have a sub on their wrist.
  • edited January 30
    Not one for serial TV shows. I enjoy background conversation and interesting speech delivery. That's about all one can hope for today. Real substance rare. I record PBS New hour for late evening viewing. It's the closest thing there is to real on-air news. Bloomberg TV is on most of the day out of habit. They do present late breaking headlines - but shallow analysis and left leaning bias. I agree with the bias - but call it what it is. Mike McKee is smart. Presents some real insights into the Fed and economic numbers. Getting old. So he's not on much. The others are lightweights. The most idiotic BB segments are the "interviews" in which one BB correspondent interviews a different BB correspondent, often on political issues. Predictable answers. That's a real "setup".

    Evenings a couple nights a week I watch / listen to some of the NewsNation offerings. Cuomo has some good guests. Makes an effort to present both sides. His self aggrandizing personalty will turn off many. The network airs a variety of views from left to right. I avoid FOX, CNN, MSNBC all of which have agendas.

    Publications? The WSJ is the best out there (IMHO) for financial and political reporting. Long time
    subscriber. And Barron's is excellent for offering new investment ideas / perspectives. It's paid for itself many times over.
  • edited January 30
    @hank- shouldn't be a need to record PBS News Hour- Go here, and you should be able to look at any recent Newshour programming. No membership required for News Hour, although we do support a local PBS outlet up near the Russian River house.

    Agree re the WSJ.
  • Morning rituals? I get up at the crack of noon. Two cups of coffee. Sometimes Starbucks in the coffee maker, sometimes Keurig. My wife does the buying. After the third day, the leftover stuff is thick as syrup. Just right. Take it hot and black. ("like my women," an old saw from my youth.)

    PBS NewsHour is a daily thing. It's available to me here by 3:30 p.m. or so. Yes, MSNow, the new name, brings an agenda. But it is usually the correct one. I get the rest of my news online. Local and from back East, weather. Political stuff from "The Hill." My baseball addiction is gone. Baseball is not meant to be "enjoyed" with morning coffee. That's absurd. And I can't go to the LIVE events. They've become NOISE events, pandering to the unwashed, who don't have a clue about how to play the game, what the rules are, what the pitcher might throw next. To them, the game is a spectacle, and the GENIUSES in the Marketing Dept. just pander to that.

    Thread drift? Sorry.
  • Thanks @Old_Joe

    The "recording" feature is standard with my UTube TV (internet based) service. Just set it to "on" once for any program and it will record all episodes. Works for any program. Like you, I have a PBS membership and can also go to the local affiliate's internet based TV channel and pull up past programs.
  • After a week like this, maybe knock back a couple screwdrivers in the morning.
  • edited January 30
    Options:
    • Sleep in late, go for brunch around 11 ish. Maybe scrambled eggs with chopped chorizo or a hot sausage mixed in, a nice big Margarita to cool things off. (Highly recommended from personal operations here at Russian River.)

    • Wake up gently with a pre-breakfast Maker's Mark hot toddy. Followed by waffles smothered with a nice mix from blender of strawberries/blackberries/raspberries/blueberries with a side of lean applewood bacon. Add a small amount of maple syrup. (Also a certified Russian River option.)

    Both options thoroughly tested and approved.  :)
  • edited January 30
    @Old_Joe - I'll be there as soon as I can. That's living! Still cleaning up a lot of messes here.
  • @Mark- You would be very welcome, any time.
  • @Old_Joe, what a relaxing life! Very nice routine. Not retire yet but it is coming this year.

    What i do in the weekends is to work on my veggie garden in the morning and have my coffee and oatmeal breakfast. My wife and i go to our local farmer market and enjoy our time together. I prepare our dinner while she enjoys her hobby and music. These days i limit my time spend on the news (depressing). Time spent with my wife and kids are something i treasure the most. We also support our local PBSand really enjoy the PBS news hour show.
  • @Sven Nice to hear of your up coming retirement, enjoy!
  • edited January 31
    Re "a nice big Margarita to cool things off"

    Brief love affair with Margaritas in late '97 - followed by 15 years of abstinence from alcohol. I guess it was the salt on the rim that made them so appealing. So, I'll pass.:)
  • I stopped drinking mine with salt ages ago. Salt is supposedly bad for my arteries or some such. Margarita's bring me joy.
  • Yes, same here: no salt/much joy.
  • edited January 31
    Nibblin' on sponge cake
    Watchin' the sun bake
    All of those tourists covered with oil
    Strummin' my six-string
    On my front-porch swing
    Smell those shrimp
    They're beginnin' to boil

    Wasting away again in Margaritaville
    Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt
    Some people claim
    That there's a woman to blame
    But I know it's nobody's fault


    Margaritaville - lyrics by Jimmy Buffett
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