Retirement

[Guest Thunderbuns]

>I do realize I need to count my blessings for my

>2-acre, 4br, 3-car garage home about which a friend remarked

>"you live in a state forest." I hope I can live on less

>later on, and not waste one garage space, since I own only 2

>German cars.

 

Now that we have been properly impressed with the inventory of your 2 acres, 3 car garage, 4 bedrooms and 2 German cars (why the country of origin is important beats me) why don't you just fuck off?

 

You give a new meaning to the definition of crass.

 

Thunderbuns

[trilingual]

Well, IamI2002 makes my point for me by his account of what his firm pays MANAGERS in Brazil. US$30,000 (or $2500/mo.) is a very acceptable middle-class salary in Brazil. In fact, it's upper middle-class, in terms of the local currency. Non-managers, as everywhere else, make less than that, of course. Yet my non-manager friends in Brazil are living OK.

 

By IamI2002's 2-acre, 4-bedroom, 3-car-garage standards I'm sure the Brazilian managers he's visited are not living luxuriously. Apartments in Brazil tend to be small, compared to apartments in the U.S. Very few people in big cities live in single-family homes. However, this discussion isn't about the size of the dwelling you can buy, it's about the quality of life your income can support, and in that sense most of my middle-class friends in South America have lives as I described them earlier, and which most of the middle-class readers of this site would recognize as similar to their own.

 

As for government employees in San Francisco, most of us are VERY middle-class, thanks to the costs of housing here. This moderately high-level, non-managerial civil servant shares a nice, spacious two-bedroom rent-controlled flat, which I'm sure IamI2002 would consider cramped and squalid because acreage and three-car garages just aren't found here, even in the elite parts of town. Fortunately, a car isn't a necessity in San Francisco. With low rent and no car, I can afford to go to the opera/symphony, buy books and CDs, dine out, and take trips, which are my luxuries in life. My friends in Brazil, who have jobs similar to mine but make much less than I do in dollar terms, have similar lifestyles. It just costs them less. Which is one of the key points of this discussion: the cost of living is lower in Latin America than in the U.S. That's why so many Americans retire there, to stretch their dollars and live better than they could afford to do back in the U.S. Something IamI2002 undoubtedly doesn't have to worry about; in the worst case scenario after retirement he can always just move into one of his two luxurious German automobiles. }>

 

And what's with the sniping about erudition? IamI2002 doesn't sound poorly educated himself. Bitchy and bitter, yes, but not inarticulate. In my own case, I don't make any claims to erudition. Now that I'm 56 years old, I do have some life experience. I graduated from an Ivy League university and have a post-graduate degree. I've lived all over North America, and have had the opportunity to travel in Europe and South America. I've managed to become fluent in at least two languages besides English, and have a smattering of several others. I certainly don't pretend to have been everywhere, because I haven't. But I do know the places I have been pretty well, and because I've always been fascinated by travel I know a lot about many other places on an "armchair" basis. I've always found languages fascinating, too, so I also know quite a bit about them. Bottom line is, by the time you're 56 you know a lot of stuff, or should, if you haven't gone through life oblivious. Whatever else anyone may want to accuse me of, I definitely haven't been oblivious. By the yardstick of money or things (like German cars and oversize garages) I'm certainly not wealthy, but in experience, education and friendships, I consider myself fortunate beyond measure. Also, I've been the beneficiary of generous friends who preceded me in traveling to Brazil and were kind enough to share their extensive knowledge with me before I first went there. I'm just trying to return the favor by sharing what I've learned in the hope that other guys will have experiences as rich and deeply rewarding as I've had.

 

And that's about all I have to say on this subject, much to relief of IamI2002, I'm sure!

[Guest Thunderbuns]

>And that's about all I have to say on this subject, much to

>relief of IamI2002, I'm sure!

 

Why doesn't IamI2002 arrange to travel to Brazil with our other member from Hollywood - you know who I mean - old whats-his-name with the shoe collection to rival Madam Marcos. They could just fill up the trunk of the Benz with all those Guccis and drive off into sunset. Rather like Thelma and Louise!

 

Thunderbuns

[IamI2002]

I'll make you a deal, Tri:

 

Invite me to your party, so I can do a bunda-a-bunda with Ernie and I'll let you wash one of my German cars.

 

Deal?

 

:*

[IamI2002]

You forgot "loquatious" Princeton Boy.

[IamI2002]

I don't know. As I think about it, you're a tad too self-conscious and defensive to be from the Ivies. Maayyybe Ill State-Carbondale. But, if you can complete this "fight/flit? song" you'll convince me:

 

DRINK A HIGHBALL AT NIGHTFALL

BE GOOD FELLOWS WHILE YOU MAY

FOR TOMORROW MAY BRING SORROW

SO TONIGHT ******************

 

Well?

 

To show you what a sport I am, I'll let you wash the smaller of my two German cars, anyway.

 

PS: I didn't know Ernie had missing buck teeth! Girl, you're just a heapin' bag o' news, ain't cha ?

[IamI2002]

Being "branco de escritorio" it couldn't have been BROWN.

 

:7

[trilingual]

Not like you're exactly taciturn yourself, hon. And Ernani and I wouldn't DREAM of inviting you to a party with us. We're far too gracious to foist our presence on someone who's made it clear we're much too long in the tooth for his tastes. Not to mention pedantic and "bookish." I'm sure you'd feel like an unwilling visitor at a book club evening in a nursing home while you were with us ancient types. We couldn't bear to inflict that on you.

 

Oh, and it wasn't Princeton. My alma mater, thank goodness, was considerably less snobby and much more cosmopolitan.

[trilingual]

Snookums, you can only WISH you had a smile as nice as Ernani's.

 

And no, it wasn't Brown. (Providence = boring!) }>

[IamI2002]

I just melt when you call me pet names, lollipop! Now tell Snookums where lolli went to bookie-book.