"Did you know I'm going to be moving out soon?"
The question came from Festus, as i was ironing clothes.
No, i answered, i didn't realize that.
"Well, Young Jacob is moving, and so he's going to be letting me have his trailer. The rent there is cheap, so I can use that as a base from which to work my plan."
And what is your plan? i asked. College, maybe?
"Maybe, but not right away. It costs so much and I don't think it's worth it to go into debt when I'm not really sure what I want to major in, and I don't want to get an education just to get an education."
You don't have to use debt, you know, i told him. You can work and save up, and do the community college, and get scholarships.
"Yes, I know. I got such a high score on my ACT that I was offered a full scholarship to one college, but I have a different way I want to go about it."
And what would that be? i asked again.
"Well, I want to get a job on the oil fields in Odessa. The first year or two I'd just be a worker, but eventually I would work my way into management, and that's where the real money is. Since I'm single and will have a home base that's cheap rent, and I don't plan to raise my standard of living, I want to bank almost everything I earn and invest it.
"See, that kind of work is hard on the body. So I figure I do that for about 10 years, while I'm young and have the strength and energy, and earn a lot and save a lot and get it well invested, and then, when I'm still only about 30, I'll have enough to do anything I want. Then I can go to school and pay cash, or start a business, or do what I'd like, and it would be stuff that isn't so hard on the body as the oil field work.
"That's kind of always been my plan. To use my body while I'm young and get as much work out of it as I can, then have enough by then that I can work with my mind and do anything I want."
Interesting, i told him. At least you have a plan, and i hope it works out that way. You seem to have thought it out a lot.
"Yes, I have, and you sound like my mother. She says, 'It's not what I would do, but it certainly could work!'"
She's right, it's not the usual path, but you are one person i think could make it work, i told him.
He's got ambition and a goal, and i'm glad for him. He'll still be hanging out here, and isn't moving for a few weeks, but it's nice to see one of them trying to stretch their wings.
Today is:
Answer Your Cat's Questions Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays; meditate on what your cat's question might be, then answer it
Celebration of Life Day
Clashing Clothes Day -- "officially" (although i'm not sure who declared it) on the 4th Thursday of January, but some people seem to celebrate it every day
Come in From the Cold Day -- somebody at an ecard company decided today would be a good day to do that
Day of Unity and Liberty of Ukraine -- Ukraine
Dia de la Fundacion del Estado Pluinacional de Bolivia -- Bolivia
Get to Know Your Customers Day
National Blonde Brownie Day -- i thought these were just called "blondies."
Polka Dot Day -- looking up why they are called "polka dots" gives lots of stories, but no concrete evidence; they were probably named after the dance craze that became fashionable around the same time the pattern appeared
St. Vincent of Zaragoza's Day (Spanish martyr and Patron of vine dressers, vinegar makers, vintners; Lisbon, Portugal; Portugal; vicenza, Italy; Vilamalla, Catalonia, Spain)
a sunny day today indicates a good wine crop next season
Sundance Film Festival -- Park City, UT, US (the premier US independent films festival; through Feb. 1)
Winter Carnival -- St. Paul, MN, US (a tradition over 100 years in the making; through February 1)
Women's Healthy Weight Day -- on the Thursday of Healthy Weight Week, encouraging women to strive for a healthy weight and lifestyle
Birthdays Today:
Christopher Masterson, 1980
Balthazar Getty, 1975
Olivia D'Abo, 1967
Steven Adler, 1965
Diane Lane, 1965
Michael Kelland Hutchence, 1960
Linda Blair, 1959
Steve Perry, 1949
John Hurt, 1940
Joseph Wambaugh, 1937
Seymour Cassel, 1937
Sam Cooke, 1935
Bill Bixby, 1934
Piper Laurie, 1932
Ann Sothern, 1909
Robert E. Howard, 1906
George Balanchine, 1904
Rosa Melba Ponselle, 1897
D.W. Griffith, 1875
Grigori Rasputin, 1869
August Strindberg, 1849
Richard Upjohn, 1802
Nat Turner, 1800
Lord Byron, 1788
Andre Ampère, 1775
Sir Francis Bacon, 1561
Debuting/Premiering Today:
"Emergency!"(TV), 1972
"Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In"(TV), 1968
"The Crucible"(Miller play), 1953
"Our Town"(Wilder play), 1938
"Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District"(Opera; Shostakovich Op.29), 1934
Today in History:
The first contingent of Swiss Guards arrive at the Vatican, 1506
Postal service between NYC and Boston is inaugurated, 1673
The Native American Iroquois tribes renew their allegiance to the British against the French, 1690
Spain ceded the Falkland Islands to Britain, 1771
A severe earthquake in southern Syria kills thousands, 1837
The Zulus attack the British Army camp in Isandhlwana, South Africa, 1879
The Ancient Egyptian obelisk "Cleopatra's Needle" is erected in Central Park, 1881
After 63 years, England stops the sale of Queen Victoria postage stamps series and begins King Edward VII series, 1901
First live radio commentary of a football match anywhere in the world, between Arsenal F.C. and Sheffield United at Highbury, 1927
KTLA, the first commercial television station west of the Mississippi River, begins operation in Hollywood, California, 1947
Apollo 5 lifts off carrying the first Lunar module into space, 1968
The Boeing 747, the world's first "jumbo jet", enters commercial service, 1970
The Singapore Declaration, one of the two most important documents to the uncodified constitution of the Commonwealth of Nations, is issued, 1971
The Apple Macintosh, the first consumer computer to popularize the computer mouse and the graphical user interface, is introduced during Super Bowl XVIII with its famous "1984" television commercial, 1984
Robert Tappan Morris, Jr. is convicted of releasing the 1988 Internet Computer worm, 1990
Kmart becomes the largest retailer in United States history to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, 2002
Evo Morales is inaugurated as President of Bolivia, becoming the country's first indigenous president, 2006
Friendly Fill-Ins Week 443
15 hours ago
This is fantastic. A fresh, young mind mapping out a plan and fully prepared to execute it. There's not a lot of that going around, so this is to be commended.
ReplyDeleteHe's got a plan and I'll bet he pulls it off too. Good for him. He does sound like a good kid.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day. ☺
i only wish he'd have begun this strategy a few years ago. with the oil prices plummeting, lots of oil field workers are going to be looking for work as there just isn't the demand any more. n. dakota was a hot spot and now falling fast. texas will be hurting, too.
ReplyDeleteGood for him. I hope things work out as he's planned, knowing as I do that life often throws obstacles in your path.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good plan, and he knows how to save money and work hard. Not true for every young man out there. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope the work is not so strenuous that it is dangerous. Sometimes people take unnecessary chances. Not sure why he couldn't get at least 2 years of community college under his belt, but it is his life, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteAn excellent plan and good for him for thinking of it and from what it seems, certainly having the will to carry it out. And most likely succeed I'd wager.
ReplyDelete2 of my brothers took this method - and it's true, it worked for them. But, they did both end up with very bad backs and other pains as a result of pushing themselves so hard with such physical work. so just make sure he takes care of himself.