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This is a reprint of an article I published then took down because I was concerned my client at the time might figure out who it was about.  Since that client is long in the past, I’m putting it back up.  I’m reprinting an old article because it’s been a hell of a week - the industry I work in (financial services) is collapsing, I’ve been struggling with a meltdown client, multiple utilities have been down in our house and last but not least my daughter’s been suffering through thrush (a throat infection).  Hopefully I’ll be back on track next week!

photo credit: Rhys Jones Photography

When I started working at my current client, I was lucky enough to get an office that was being vacated by a retiring officer. This arrangement made things very simple for everyone – no need to set up a new desk, get a new PC or even get office supplies. I just sat down and started to work.

Imagine my surprise when I found out last week that I was ‘unofficial’ and technically just squatting in the office. I probably should have suspected something since I never received an extension or voicemail (irrelevant to me, though, as a Grand Central user). So a small political disagreement arose between the head of my sub-department and the head of another sub-department over the usage of the office.

I was not terribly concerned about the office. As a consultant I’ve grown accustomed to cubicles and random desks here and there. I found that losing my corner office with floor-to-ceiling windows and a view of lower Manhattan only affected me for a month or two. After adjusting to the lack of an office, I have become uninterested in my physical location as long as I have the basic amenities – a moderately comfortable chair, some tabletop space and adequate air and light. Sounds like I’m a hamster, practically.

The next step in this process, though, was ridiculous. The company has tight budget on the purchase or lease of new PCs, and I was told that temporarily I would have to share a laptop computer with one other consultant (from a different company) and an employee. More than just the logistical insanity of a setup like this, the sheer short-sightedness of it was amazing. I protested that I would just bring my own laptop from home and at least piggyback onto the nearby public library WiFi. I wouldn’t be able to get on the company network but at least I could work offline on reports or documents.

After inquiring why I couldn’t keep the desktop I was currently working on, I was told it was because as an ‘unofficial’ they didn’t want to alert the department executives that a move was taking place, because it might alert them to the empty office and spare equipment. Sadly, it took me two days to realize what this meant – the employees weren’t going to physically move the computer without a work order and the desktop was going to become a paperweight. The office was going to be converted into a room for several new consultants, and they were bringing their own computers.

Frustrated by all of this, I decided to do something myself. So I solved most of my problems this morning by simply unhooking the desktop and physically carrying it over to my new cube and plugging it back in. This bold and decisive step took some of the regular employees back and I was told to assume complete responsibility if asked how it was moved, since apparently I could trigger all sorts of ‘asset removal’ problems. And of course my new cube is also ‘unofficial’, so I continue a vague status as a gypsy consultant. My pay continues to arrive, though, so the other details remain fairly inconsequential to me.

With a decision-making and action-taking process like this I wonder about the future of American business. It’s hard to believe we put a man on the moon sometimes.

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I certainly have a mixed-bag relationship with my neighbors. This article made me think about that relationship.  Several of my neighbors are very pleasant people. Some are worthless - and I mean that in the nicest possible way. The trick, when living in a townhouse community like I do, is to coexist with a minimum of headaches. Here are ten reasons I struggle to coexist with my neighbors:

1. Da kids. My son has a lot of good friends his age around our neighborhood. In the normal course of events, I might not have crossed paths with his friends’ parents, but for his sake I hang around with them - and eventually it has paid off as I got to know them.

2. Zen housing. It’s just easier to live your life if you don’t give your neighbors a hard time - primarily because they won’t give YOU a hard time.

3. Speak no evil. If you do something, well, semi-illegal like having a bar-b-q in an area where technically bar-b-q’s are, well, semi-illegal, it’s nice to be on good enough terms with the neighbors not to worry about tattle tales.

4. Lookouts. If you go on vacation, you’re going to want someone to watch your place. I’m wouldn’t expect anyone to be a hero, but just stopping someone from backing up a truck by calling 9-1-1 would be nice.

5.  Saving money. You can save money borrowing a rake if you’re on good terms with your neighbor.

6.  Being able to pick on the little things. If you’re on good terms with your neighbors, it’s a lot easier to ask them not to shovel snow in your driveway than if you’re barely on speaking terms.

7.  Built in socializing. If you work at a job with late hours or long commutes (or both) it’s nice to have someone 100 feet away who you can socialize with, rather than needing to hop in the car and drive halfway across town with kids in tow to meet someone for dinner.

8.  Networking. Oddly enough, since I live in a neighborhood full of people who commute to lower Manhattan I’ve discovered that I have a lot of networking possibilities from people who I know due to the accident of living in the same neighborhood.

9.  Advice. If your neighbor’s been in the area longer, you’re going to appreciate getting to know them all the better when they can recommend the best neighborhood plumber or dentist.

10.  Longer life. Most studies of happiness show that most people’s happiness relies on a few basic factors.  A healthy relationship with your community increases your happiness, decreases your stress and thereby lengthens your life.

Everyone realizes that life is easier if you have a good relationship - or at least a neutral one - with your neighbors. The problem is that unless you have kids (or dogs, I guess) who sortof force you into socializing situations you’re often going to have a tough time forming a connection unless you’re the naturally gregarious type.  The benefits are there, though, so just remember that the next time you see the neighbor you don’t know so well out on the street - say hi and walk a while together.

photo credit: *Susie*

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And just in passing, I was saddened to see that David Foster Wallace (apparently) committed suicide.  I was not a huge fan, but having read a few of his books and nonfiction works I was struck by how terrible it is to see another talented artist giving in to his demons.  His writing was amazing.  A shame, a shame, a shame.

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It’s not possible.

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I confess that a lot of the advice I give on this blog is often something I don’t do myself. I’ll give a good example: on Memorial Day we had a bunch of relatives over and did a big “shashlik” - a Middle Eastern/Far East/former Soviet Union form of lamb shish-ka-bobs - had a few drinks of the little water and spent most of the day lounging around under a tent outside my townhouse, enjoying the first 80-degree day in the northeast this year. I didn’t think or worry about money, or this blog, or my financial freedom, or anything else, other than eating, having a few drinks and enjoying some leisure time under the sun.

I also bought a mountain bike and a child carrier seat this weekend (not frugal), and spent a lot of time riding around with Little Buddy exploring the neighborhood. It’s decent exercise - it’s not exactly jogging, but it’s fairly difficult considering we’re on a riverside and near the Atlantic, so we have harsh and heavy winds quite often. The point being: I was tired at the end of the day after eating FAR more than I have been accustomed to, exercising a lot and soaking up a lot of heat and humidity. Little Buddy was beyond giggly after receiving bike rides and Spiderman sunglasses to keep his eyes from tearing up.

So I lounged in my easy chair last night, glanced at my computer after a long day of eating, drinking and biking and thought of Brip Blap and decided “eh, forget about Tuesday.” In the same way I didn’t spend any time doing anything to better my financial situation, to make myself more fit or more wealthy. I chucked a day overboard.

I’m not really sure if this is a good idea or a bad idea. I’m not sure that I’m the type of person to devote myself single-mindedly to wealth-building. I think someone who WAS single-mindedly devoted wouldn’t MIND worrying about it. My brother-in-law, who’s a lifelong entrepreneur, fielded phone calls all day long about business ideas from his friends and business partners. I think he does a lot of this - I spent some time talking to him about his real estate investments and I was left, as I always am, a little bit dumbfounded by the amount of risk that risk-takers seem to take on without pause. I know a lot of people would say “oh, spend time with your family, don’t worry about tomorrow” - but is that short-term thinking? Should I be thinking about being financially free when my kids are in their early teens, or worried about spending a few extra hours with them now when they (based on my own experience) won’t really remember it?

But here’s the main question: am I a lazy git for jettisoning one of the last few free days before my next contract kicks in on watching the clouds, biking around with my son, eating shashlik and drinking vodka Russian old-school style? I don’t know. Part of me says no, it’s fine: life trumps the crass pursuit of money. Part of me says, yes, you’re a dope: first you waste a day here, then one there, then 10 years are gone and you’re whining about working until you’re 65. It’s a tough balance to strike. You want to be rich, but you want to enjoy it while you’re young; you want the enjoyment of running around with the kids and playing soccer instead of hammering away at your portfolio or working on your side businesses until you’re falling asleep at 3 am.

So it’s gone: Memorial Day is shot as a wealth-building day. I spent it drinking, eating, playing, talking and laughing. All well and good, of course, but then again it’s spent and it’s one more day I didn’t get any closer to financial freedom. I’m not sure sometimes that having financial freedom in my 50s and 60s is worth having nose-to-the-grindstone days in my 30s and 40s. Probably I’ll have a different opinion 20 years from now - if I’m still writing for this blog then you can check in and see.

The struggle between this long-term and short-term thinking is probably at the core of my mental struggle on a daily basis; trying to decide whether a short-term benefit outweighs a long-term benefit accompanied by short-term effort. Most people probably say fine, I’m going to charge this plasma TV or this Wii on my credit card and have fun TODAY - to hell with tomorrow, I’ll be old and won’t have any need for it then. Making that exchange once, or twice, or three times might be acceptable - but paying for your happiness today until you’re 65 or 70 is something I dread.

photo credit: Stewart

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This won’t be much of a roundup, since I don’t have any links. I’ll try to get back to them next week. As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I did have a new tax deduction come to fruition this week; our baby daughter was delivered healthy and happy (if you can be happy being ripped from the comfort of the womb) Thursday morning. She made the heavyweight division, coming in at 9 pounds, 9 ounces, only a pound shy of Little Buddy. Mother and big brother are doing fine, too.

So again, forgive me for a lack of response to comments/emails/etc., but I’ll get back to it soon. The posts will keep coming!

And thanks so much to everyone who has sent good wishes!

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