The Millionaire or Bust podcast has returned!  There is a whole new format, but the podcast is back.  The show now addresses a specific, stereotypical financial situation and dissects it in order to show you how to think about your finances.  Show #24 will discuss how the show will be set up.  Show #25 is the first show in the new format.  Go check it out at Millionaireorbust.com.

Today, Talli and I went with Sue and Geno to Berkeley for a tour of their favorite organic food spots. A couple after our own hearts. The itinerary was definitely chock full of extremely high quality destinations. I only wish that Fremont could offer half the variety, quality and even prices that we saw while in Berkeley. We went to:

1. ACME Bread Company
2. Monterey Fish Market
3. Magnani Poultry
4. Coffee Market
5. Monterey Market
6. Berkeley Horticultural
7. Chez Panisse
8. Cheese Board

There were a couple quick stops at other places, but the places I listed above were the highlights. So, what did we get, you ask? Good question. The answer is, in order:

1. A loaf of organic sour batard and a loaf of organic cinnamon, currant & walnut bread

2. Two pound of California farm raised Tilapia (very eco friendly choice)

3. A rack of all natural lamb(no pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, vegetarian fed) and some All Spice Seasoning

4. 1/2 lb of Organic Darjeeling Tea, 1/4 lb of organic China Green Tea and 1/4 lb of organic Sencha (Japanese) Green Tea

5. Baby Shiitake mushrooms, tamari soy sauce, strawberries, green beans, asparagus, potatoes, white pitas and wheat pitas (All items were organic)

6. Skipped this time, next time though…

7. An amazing meal. I had pan fried Hoffman Farm chicken breast with rocket and celery root salad and salsa verde and Talli had Morel mushroom ravioli with peas. We all shared the house zinfandel and two appetizers; pizzeta with leeks and lamb sausage and baked Sonoma goat cheese with garden lettuces. We also had chocolate-glazed walnut cake with bittersweet chocolate cream. Then, Talli had the mint tisane and I had Blue Bottle Coffee.

8. Organic Reggiano Parmesan & Organic Morbier

The whole experience was amazing. Talli and I enjoyed it so much. The day could not have been better spent. Good food, good times, and great company. Thank you so much Geno and Sue for the fantastic afternoon! We had a tremendous time. We also now have a list of great places that we can visit again in the future. We’re looking forward to trying out Saul’s Deli on our next trip up. The recommendation we got on that one makes it sound like it’s a place that we have to visit.

By the way Robert, we didn’t see you anywhere! I thought we’d see you around for sure.

Next stop…Shasta! Next post…Monday! Until next time true believers!

Guess where this aquarium was at? In a restaurant in Beijing. In the US, those are pets. In China, they were fresh fish ready for dinner.

Day 4 of retirement wrap-up:

1. Continued reorganization of the house.
2. Walked to Raley’s for some organic groceries.
3. Replanted marsh marigold and moved it to the pond. (Pictures to follow.)

Weekend plan:

Friday: Trip to Berkeley with Sue and Geno.
Saturday & Sunday: McCloud Hotel B&B in McCloud, CA near Shasta.

That’s our first weekend of retirement (or summer vacation, if you prefer). Makes me wish we retired earlier. Looks like fun. We also got our first call from a patient at our house. We haven’t even been gone for a week and people are already tracking us down. Oh, well. What can you do?

Here’s the new incarnation of our water garden. Last year, I created one for the first time. This year, I created a water garden using all different plants than last year. The four plants that I used this time are:

Umbrella Palm – The tall plant with fronds that look like the spokes on an umbrella.

Parrots Feather – The short plant on the top right that looks like a little bush.

Marsh Marigold – Medium height plant in the top left with large, lily pad-like leaves.

Water Poppy – The plant on the bottom right with the small round leaves. They’re still submerged, but will emerge soon.

I’m probably going to move the marsh marigold out of the water garden and into the pond or another water garden soon because it’s a shade plant. Unfortunately, the water garden gets too much sun. I’ll get it all figured out soon. That’s the fun part. Friday, we’re heading to Berkeley. Maybe I’ll find a water plant while I’m there. Either way, it’ll be fun.

Well, Talli and I brought home all the plants from our clinic and used them to redecorate our covered area in the backyard. We set them all out there, at least for the summer. Then, we rearranged all the furniture.

You can see what we ended up with here. Since, I’ve taken that picture, we’ve also changed the light hanging there from a pool table lamp to another lamp that hangs, but not quite as low. Michael’s head will be happy about that last part. I’ll throw an updated picture of the covered area with that new lamp when we finish the last few changes I’ve been contemplating.

Afterwards, Talli and I rearranged the garage a bit to organize what we brought home and reorganized a couple of our rooms after bringing some clinic items in and taking some other items out.

Okay, the question came up the other day at Robert’s birthday party. What’s your favorite Portuguese castle? Well, here’s mine: Guimaraes. This picture was taken the last time I visited it in 1999. Next time I go, I’ll get a better picture.

Why did I choose this castle? Easy. It’s very defensible. A small force could easily hold off a large one and inflict large casualties on it even if the outer wall was breached. That’s my kind of castle.

Today, was day one of our retirement. It was awesome. We slept in, I replaced the light in the covered area in our backyard with one we picked up from Lowe’s, and we cleaned up a bit around the house. Oh, and we had a great dinner and finished off a bottle of Benziger’s Pinot Noir that we opened yesterday in celebration of the last day of the clinic. It was a great bottle. We also relaxed and watched some South Park and Robot Chicken on DVD. The latter was courtesy of my brother. On loan, of course.

Well, that’s it. It is finally over. Talli and I dropped the keys off with the landlord today after the last of the equipment was picked up and moved out. We had a good run of it. At least we went out on our own terms, the way I always like to do things. It’s best to take control of your fate instead of letting fate take control of you. It leaves you with better options.

Well, now y’all can picture us rollin’.

Today is a day to reflect on the importance of the Earth in our everyday lives. A lot of people say that they don’t care about the environment. They also ridiculously call anyone who does a “hippie.” What the hell is a “hippie” anyway? It was a member of the counter culture during the sixties that indulged in drugs, free sex and protests. What the hell does that have to do with not wanting to breath pollution and drink water laced with the chemicals used to produce Teflon? Tell me.

The Earth is an important part of our everyday lives because it is where we live, breath, eat, drink, sleep and raise our children. Would you defecate and urinate on your floor and then leave it there for the whole week? Of course you wouldn’t. Why wouldn’t you? Because it’s not healthy you say? Oh my God! You care about your environment! Sure, it’s a very small piece of the environment, but it is the environment and you care about it. Now stop fouling your larger environment. Keep it as clean as you possibly can because your children will inherit a complete disaster if you don’t. Their health problems will be your fault.

Besides, a clean healthy world will be more enjoyable for you as well. Don’t you enjoy a pristine beach with crystal clear water? Sure, we all do. So, don’t throw garbage out your car window, which will go into the gutter, wash into the bay and end up on a beach somewhere. Then when you see garbage at a beach and ask yourself, “What pig would leave a mess like this on the beach?” the answer would be, you.

See what I’m getting at? The Earth is beautiful. We all enjoy it most when it’s clean. It’s your responsibility to keep it that way. Don’t tell me that there’s no point in keeping it clean because everyone else is polluting. I’m not. Talli is not. Together we can make a difference and your efforts will be appreciated. If you tell others, more will follow. That will make a difference that we can all appreciate.

Robert? Happy 20th Birthday!

Today, Gary came to pick up the gym. I’m glad Talli and I found someone who was willing to take that piece of equipment. For a while there, we were afraid that we’d have to pay someone to haul it away. Glad to not have to worry about that anymore. It took them only an hour to get it out of there and I barely had to help them, except when they were carrying it out. It was a tight fit out those doors.

Afterwards, Talli and I came home and relaxed a bit before going shopping. First, we checked out OSH, but they have a no sales tax sale this weekend, so we decided to wait to buy the pots that we were going to buy. Then, we went to see my mom. We stayed there for a bit and my brother came home, which was cool. Then, we went to Navlet’s to get some water plants and some soil for Talli’s vegetable garden. We got some great plants that I’ll feature in the blog; tomorrow most likely. Then we came back and did some yard work.

Tomorrow, there will be some more yard and house work. Then, Robert’s birthday party. Sunday, we’ll go to the clinic to move the last of the things out and turn in the keys. That will be a huge moment for us. I’m looking forward to having the whole thing finished.

Today, was one of those days that feel like two days. Early in the day, we had our last two patients come in. We treated them, they left and then the day really began. Someone came to take our desk, the bookshelf, the coat rack, the water cooler and the brochure racks. Meanwhile, Talli and I were packing up some of our stuff. Then, my dad and my brother Michael arrived with the mini-van. We took two trips with the mini-van and my car, but we got everything we needed moved.

After the moving was completed, we sat in the backyard and relaxed for a bit and I prepared to release the last two koi into the pond. My dad had to leave to pick up a new water heater to replace his that started leaking, but Michael stayed and we played a video game while we waited to release the fish.

Finally, the time came and our sanke and shusui koi were released. Then we headed over to Mission Pizza, so that I could feed my moving team. Definitely cheaper than hiring a crew and a truck!

It’s hard to believe that it’s finally coming to a close. It’s a relief though. With the nice weather that has come, it feels like we’re getting out of school and going on summer vacation. It’s been ages since we’ve done that and we’ve never done that together, so this will be so much fun. I’m looking forward to the future.