Foo - Met someone I've not seen in a while... meh

Random vent:

I've encountered people before who I've not seen in a number of years. Some have remained people worth knowing, some have turned into soccer moms/dads where their life is a 24/7 race with the Joneses, making sure their kid has more trophies than little Johnny next door, their minivan or SUV has more cupholders, etc. Still other people have gone into "organ recital" mode, where when interacting with them, they mainly talk about the operations done to them in grisly detail.

I encountered a person from my past recently, who takes the cake. I've not seen him in ages, and thought he was one of the better people I knew. He is now an absolute materialist. A choice statement or two when I met him for coffee:

"To judge a person of if they are even worth your time, look at their house, and look at what they drive. Any statements that the person gives to the contrary are just rationalizations, justifications, and self deception for a failed life. There is no better judge of if a person succeeds or fails in life than where they live and what they drive. If someone says, 'oh, I drive this Civic because I just want "point a to b" transportation', translate that as 'all I can get out of life is a crappy import car, and I'm too stupid to realize that and do better, so I lie to myself instead of actually doing something other than failing in life.'"

"There is no such thing as a friend. This," *holding up his key to his $80,000+ vehicle* "is far better than anyone who calls themself a friend. It always starts in the morning, it doesn't beg for money or drugs, and it will never lie because it finds it can do better by sucking up to someone else."

Meh. I just hope beyond hope I don't go in one of these bad directions. I already try to fight talking shop 24/7, and have to force myself to see what other people are doing.

Sounds like this guy is an absolute *u#king tool!! I would have had to get up and walk out. Not before telling him what a complete and utter *ss he was.

What an ironic person you know, mlts.

I think you're on a better track, so don't worry!

"crappy import car" LOL. What a twazzock.

The only real measure of success in life is leaving a legacy of good memories and having positive impacts on future generations. Your car, your home, what you bought - it's so meaningless as to be absurd

If the yardstick for success or failure in life is debt, expensive toys, and huge houses, then sure. Those are valid measurements

The only real measure of success in life is leaving a legacy of good memories and having positive impacts on future generations. Your car, your home, what you bought - it's so meaningless as to be absurd

If the yardstick for success or failure in life is debt, expensive toys, and huge houses, then sure. Those are valid measurements

The only things that matter are those left after a fire burns it all.

Go steal his spark plug wires :)

It almost sounds to me like he's trying to justify the choices he's made in life. Perhaps he feels like he's wasted his time and is trying to rationalize it?

so, when this guy sees me ride by on my bike he's already labeled me a loser? i know a few people like that. life is too short to deal with them.

just be glad you can see him for what he is.

I think my goal in life should be to make sure I'm the opposite of this guy. Most of my friends seem to try hard to be as "normal" as possible. This happens even more after they get married, which is fine if that's what they want. What most people consider a "normal" life would likely be misery to me, so whenever I realize I'm doing something that everyone does, I try to stop and decide whether it makes sense for me. Most of the time it doesn't. :p

Well the 300K ferrari guy is gonna call his 80k self, a loser. Whatever floats his boat I guess.

You're all wrong.

You want to know what's best in life? It's "[t]o crush your enemies -- See them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women!"

That's what you should have told him.

I wonder if his expensive car will be there for him when he's fallen and can't get up.

I saw a license plate frame that would be perfect for this guy's car. "He who dies with the most toys wins"

A couple of years ago, I ran into an old friend from HS, matter of fact, my closest friend. We drifted over the years and lost track of each other. When we ran into each other, either I've changed so much, or he did, or both, that I just plain couldn't stand him. He turned into a parochial, bitter man with no view outside his little town. In short, he was boring as hell!

Civics get like 30+ mpg. Uber kewl.

See who's cool when his hummer dies on the freeway after his 2 mpg hunk of blubber can't go further than 30 miles.

Someone has to believe all of those lies or our country would crumble under the presure of happyness and contentment.

Someone has to believe all of those lies or our country would crumble under the presure of happyness and contentment.
Sadly very true.

Ironically, most people would be much happier if they spent less time comparing their life to those of other people.

I saw a license plate frame that would be perfect for this guy's car. "He who dies with the most toys wins"

Personally, I like: "He who dies with the most toys still dies."

Go steal his spark plug wires :)

nah. potato in the exhaust pipe's alot simpler & easier!

Some have remained people worth knowing, some have turned into soccer moms/dads where their life is a 24/7 race with the Joneses, making sure their kid has more trophies than little Johnny next door, their minivan or SUV has more cupholders, etc. .


I guess in your eyes this is us. We have 2 younger kids that absolutely love there sports. We spend many hours at the ball fields with our kids and on top of that we spend a few hours at the gym with our daughter doing gymnastics. On top of that our Honda Pilot has lots of cup holders.six I think. Please tell me what makes us so awful in supporting our kids in there sporting endeavors? Sorry we are not worth knowing in your eyes.

Garysol, perhaps I shouldn't speak for the OP, but perhaps you should consider a little more deeply what he was saying before getting offended. Are you predicating your kids' and your family's value on their performance at these endeavors, and their ability to beat others at it, or is it simply one of the ways your family has fun and spends time together. The problem is not spending time at, enjoying these activities, or even wanting to be good at them, but rather measuring yourself against others by it. I don't know if he was making that distinction, but I would.

He will learn about life in the long-term - to his dismay. Until then, at least we all got a chuckle out of his high-school like blathering. :lol:

... Brad

"To judge a person of if they are even worth your time, look at their house, and look at what they drive. Any statements that the person gives to the contrary are just rationalizations, justifications, and self deception for a failed life. There is no better judge of if a person succeeds or fails in life than where they live and what they drive. If someone says, 'oh, I drive this Civic because I just want "point a to b" transportation', translate that as 'all I can get out of life is a crappy import car, and I'm too stupid to realize that and do better, so I lie to myself instead of actually doing something other than failing in life.'"

"There is no such thing as a friend. This," *holding up his key to his $80,000+ vehicle* "is far better than anyone who calls themself a friend. It always starts in the morning, it doesn't beg for money or drugs, and it will never lie because it finds it can do better by sucking up to someone else."

:lol: What a doouchebag! This moron probably thinks Rolex is cool too.

I always knew there were people like this but I never imagined that they would rationalize it and explain it to another person.

BTW, every Honda in this year's Consumer Reports was a Recommended Pick. Every one of them.

[quote=mlts22;6712204]"There is no such thing as a friend. This," *holding up his key to his $80,000+ vehicle* "is far better than anyone who calls themself a friend. It always starts in the morning, it doesn't beg for money or drugs, and it will never lie because it finds it can do better by sucking up to someone else."
[QUOTE]
Sounds like he was very hurt by some friends in the past. Probably because he chose his friends based on how many material posessions they had.

I wonder if it worked. I mean, did buying the car actually make his dork bigger? :lol:

This guy strikes me as someone who has nobody.

This guy strikes me as someone who has nobody.

I can see why. :D

... Brad

So if someone has a Rolls Royce ($200,000) then they'd look at this guy is a loser, and all he's doing is rationalizing his failures in life for having a crappy imported cheap car. hehehehe love it.

yikes....it's so depressing sometimes to see what people turn into. I ran into a woman i'd known in high school and hadn't seen in years..this is a few years ago. Then we sort of lost touch again, and she'd since divorced. She was always a bit flaky, but basically decent. Now she's become a paranoid, manipulative psycho, a compulsive liar and manipulator...i have no idea what happened. I think she was always kind of like that but something made it get worse...she has all these racist paranoid theories about everything. Yikes..now i know why i have nothing to do with most of the people i grew up with. I have a feeling a lot of them are like that....

"There is no such thing as a friend. This," *holding up his key to his $80,000+ vehicle* "is far better than anyone who calls themself a friend. It always starts in the morning, it doesn't beg for money or drugs, and it will never lie because it finds it can do better by sucking up to someone else."

Just to add one more thing: Cars don't always start. At some point, even a super expensive luxury car has a good chance of not starting when you need it to. In addition, all cars ever did for me was make me poor, fat, and lazy. Most people's enemies don't even do that, let alone their friends.

Sounds like he was very hurt by some friends in the past. Probably because he chose his friends based on how many material posessions they had.

Notice he also said they asked for drugs and money. My guess it's because he only attracts people as shallow and manipulative as himself, then is disappointed when they prove it.

Funny how some people create these situations then try to justify them.

:lol: What a doouchebag! This moron probably thinks Rolex is cool too.Bah! Rolex is so '80s and passé. That idiot the OP's talking about wouldn't even know what a fine timepiece is (http://www.finestwatches.com/patek-philippe-12013.html) even if you shoved one that's worth 4x his precious car up his azss!!!

How to measure and rationalize what's valuable in life is different for everyone. However, we all have one thing in common, and that's we've got a limited amount of time before it's over. How you spend it and how worthwhile that's been at the end is all that matters. If you can look back and say that it was time well-spent and you've enjoyed every minute, then it was a life lived well. For me, that means a long string of happy memories for me and the people I love doing the things we enjoy and having fun. Sure part of that can be materiel things that can enhance your experiences, but that's just icing on the cake.

What's really important for me on a daily basis is TIME. Having the time to read the paper in the morning, time spent with my friends, quality time spent with my wife. The trap a lot of people fall into is the robotic 9-6 corporate drone of work that steals precious time away from your loved ones. No company is going to care about you or your family and nurture them as much as you can.

The trick then... is to have the material possessions without sacrificing time, family and friends for them. There are many ways to get this:
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e346/DannoXYZ/Cycling/NiceRack1.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e346/DannoXYZ/Cycling/NiceRack2.jpg

The best way is to do it spending as little time as possible, pay for it all with cash, and still have 8-digits in the bank with zero debt. :)

Care to send some money my way?

It almost sounds to me like he's trying to justify the choices he's made in life. Perhaps he feels like he's wasted his time and is trying to rationalize it?

I have no friends like this, you can pick your friends. Unfortunately I do have realtives exactly like that. usually they are not honest enough to admit it but competing with the jones control their life. They are truly miserable. I cannot quite put my finger on it, perhaps some form of insecureity.

Garysol, perhaps I shouldn't speak for the OP, but perhaps you should consider a little more deeply what he was saying before getting offended.

I don't really get offended. My point was that we are a soccer mom and dad family and damn proud to be good parents to our kids. To the OP....Don't judge all books by there covers. While there are some parents that feel that winning is everything I think you will find most parents that drive there kids around in the SUV's and mini vans are nothing worse than involved parents. The world could use a bit more of it in my opinion

Notice he also said they asked for drugs and money. My guess it's because he only attracts people as shallow and manipulative as himself, then is disappointed when they prove it.

Funny how some people create these situations then try to justify them.

Spot on. You some kinda psycho-chiatrist? :D

Spot on. You some kinda psycho-chiatrist? :D
Nah, he's a bike mechanic. :thumb:

Some of the most interesting and wonderful people I know don't have two pennies to rub together.

Some do.

I can see this guys point of view but he's gone waaaaaayy over the edge.

*checks pockets for pennies*

*shrugs*

*goes off to play with puppies* :)

The best way is to do it spending as little time as possible, pay for it all with cash, and still have 8-digits in the bank with zero debt. :)

:rolleyes:

The best way is to do it spending as little time as possible, pay for it all with cash, and still have 8-digits in the bank with zero debt. :)

That's all? I won't be satisfied and stop working until I have 9 digits ... oh wait, you are counting the decimal places, right? :twitchy:

this is why i teach Marx and Thoreau

I wish I was born rich instead of handsome. :cry:

Bah! Rolex is so '80s and passé. That idiot the OP's talking about wouldn't even know what a fine timepiece is (http://www.finestwatches.com/patek-philippe-12013.html) even if you shoved one that's worth 4x his precious car up his azss!!!

How to measure and rationalize what's valuable in life is different for everyone. However, we all have one thing in common, and that's we've got a limited amount of time before it's over. How you spend it and how worthwhile that's been at the end is all that matters. If you can look back and say that it was time well-spent and you've enjoyed every minute, then it was a life lived well. For me, that means a long string of happy memories for me and the people I love doing the things we enjoy and having fun. Sure part of that can be materiel things that can enhance your experiences, but that's just icing on the cake.

What's really important for me on a daily basis is TIME. Having the time to read the paper in the morning, time spent with my friends, quality time spent with my wife. The trap a lot of people fall into is the robotic 9-6 corporate drone of work that steals precious time away from your loved ones. No company is going to care about you or your family and nurture them as much as you can.

The trick then... is to have the material possessions without sacrificing time, family and friends for them. There are many ways to get this:
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e346/DannoXYZ/Cycling/NiceRack1.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e346/DannoXYZ/Cycling/NiceRack2.jpg

The best way is to do it spending as little time as possible, pay for it all with cash, and still have 8-digits in the bank with zero debt. :)

what exactly do you do anyway?

I am a CPA and I have several clients that are wealthy (net worth >$5million). The one thing that they all seem to have in common is that they all live in nice homes, but most of them drive very ordinary automobiles. Two of them drive Toyota Camrys, one of them has a Tacoma pickup truck, one drives an older Lexus SUV that he bought used for $9,000, one drives a Honda Accord. The only one of my wealthy clients that has an expensive car is one guy who drives a brand new Porche Cayenne.

I have a friend who's a stockbroker and he told me that he's noticed the same thing among his clients. Many very wealthy people don't drive the kind of cars many would expect someone with a lot of money to drive. Many who have built wealth know that it's a waste of resources to spend a lot for something that only goes down in value and doesn't contribute to building wealth.

The people who drive the expensive (>$60k) cars tend to be people who feel they need to impress people with a show of wealth. Realtors, divorced middle-aged men, or those who are just starting to make a little money and want a "trophy" to signify their "success". I understand where these people are coming from, but I can't help but feel a little sad for some of them.

huh.... that's funny. a lot of these money grubbing *******s here on campus drive fancy crap like that. (although at least one seems to be quite nice actually)

I am a CPA and I have several clients that are wealthy (net worth >$5million). The one thing that they all seem to have in common is that they all live in nice homes, but most of them drive very ordinary automobiles. Two of them drive Toyota Camrys, one of them has a Tacoma pickup truck, one drives an older Lexus SUV that he bought used for $9,000, one drives a Honda Accord. The only one of my wealthy clients that has an expensive car is one guy who drives a brand new Porche Cayenne.

I have a friend who's a stockbroker and he told me that he's noticed the same thing among his clients. Many very wealthy people don't drive the kind of cars many would expect someone with a lot of money to drive. Many who have built wealth know that it's a waste of resources to spend a lot for something that only goes down in value and doesn't contribute to building wealth.

The people who drive the expensive (>$60k) cars tend to be people who feel they need to impress people with a show of wealth. Realtors, divorced middle-aged men, or those who are just starting to make a little money and want a "trophy" to signify their "success". I understand where these people are coming from, but I can't help but feel a little sad for some of them.

Yep. They've probably actually considered what a "nicer" car will accomplish for them and found a very low "return on investment." (return, of course, is relative in this case)

I met a guy through a student project when I was in school, who over the years has donated over a million dollars to the school, so you know he can afford a lot of nice things. Not only that, he's a huge racing fan and loves to talk about cars. What does he show up to lunch driving? A 10+ year old Geo Metro hatchback.

If you want sad, try this:
http://www.dallasobserver.com/2007-11-29/news/******bags-in-the-mist/

what exactly do you do anyway?Well, I guess would be an entrepreneur. I started a computer-consulting company out of school (I studied microbiology). Then used those funds to start a Porsche mail-order upgrade company. All the while putting money away in stocks, options and futures. Now I'm primarily a commodities/options trader as it makes the most money in the least amount of time.

It almost sounds to me like he's trying to justify the choices he's made in life. Perhaps he feels like he's wasted his time and is trying to rationalize it?

I think the reason is darker and more tragic. He sounds like he's walking the line between being a morbid cynic and morbidly depressed. At some point since the last time you saw him, someone burned him badly, and he hasn't recovered. Likely a woman ripped his heart out and trampled it, or someone betrayed him, to beyond the point of disillusionment. He now medicates with a constant bombardment of material excess, and divorces himself from his soul by shunning any human experience that could expose him again to the darkness he felt from the episode that turned him that way.

Many who have built wealth know that it's a waste of resources to spend a lot for something that only goes down in value and doesn't contribute to building wealth.



Yep. I don't have a million dollars so I can't claim a virtue I haven't personally been in a position that would test me on this point -- but, no matter how much you spend, your daily driver will depreciate to about zero in a relatively short period of time. Any car that retails from between 20k to 100k will depreciate to something around zero by the time the OD hits 200,000 miles....so, why spend 100k when you can get a really nice new car for around 25k.

On the other hand, I personally tried the approach of driving a cheap paid-off car for 5 years and having no car payment, and lasted only about 6 months. The concept of always paying cash for a car is a sound approach in theory, but is only practicable for someone with alotta cash in the bank. I would rather have a modest car payment for 5 years and drive something fairly modern and nice now, instead of socking away the payments for 4 years to pay cash.

But I digress...