Fwd: You sent $33.00 to Your Son

I received an email alert from my bank soon after the above transaction occurred.  For proper context, here is the text message exchange that would have provided me more clarity had I reviewed it first…

I’m sure all the adults that read this and are shepherding rising adults can relate – adulting has even become vernacular.  So let’s cut to the chase if we’re being honest – adults in general think kids need to have more focus (and if this argument doesn’t have merit then maybe my wife isn’t doing a Venmo transfer of $33).  For all the concerned parents out there I can fully attest the $33 has been repaid.  For those, myself included, who question the reimbursement, just go with it for now.  $33 men’s haircuts most likely will impact future meal opportunities for said men with $33 haircuts. 

Continuing, I am not sure I’ve ever spent $33 on a haircut but since COVID I suspect my cost averages come in well under a buck based on DIY and frequency.  And man buns continue to confuse me because I just don’t get the necessity for the stowaway stash but it’s a thing.  You can read more here on Why Do Man Buns Inspire Instant Vitriol. 

So let’s play the hypothetical – you have $33.  How would you spend it?  If you’re watching the news here lately you may be spending it on avocados.  The important thing is not to panic like what we saw with toilet paper and paper towels.

$33 in 1934 inflates to $692.38 these days – it’s too bad my kid’s haircut couldn’t have worked its value backwards because then I might have only been paying a $1.65!  As it is, he would have had to work 3 hours at his new job to cover the cost (well actually 3.5 hours if taxes were withheld).  In a nod to my younger son, 33 is the speed most commercially available vinyl records spin (more precisely, 33 RPMs or rotations per minute).  33 also pops up in numerology and spirituality and is associated with promises made.

On that note, and a slightly different number of 37:04 – an American skater gives her Olympic spot to her friend – watch this video as it unfolds (she goes on to win the gold).  What struck me during the commentary was the reference to having individual goals and team goals. 

In the state of Texas, the average daily aid allocated to educate its students isn’t much more than $33 per student (about 4.5 hours worth of pay at my son’s new job).  Do your own Google search – “what percent of students go to public education” – here is your answer.  Well your answer wasn’t quite in that link but it gave you the data to do some clever math – over 50M American students go to public school – some 90% of school-attending kids.  Helping 9 out of every 10 kids achieve their goals makes for our goals.