[alnorth]

man, look at all those beaten-down domesticated people. $150,000 isn't much money. Paying off your mortgage? That is your dream?

Bizarre difference in philosophy, I guess. To me, the meaning of life is the accumulation of fantastic experiences which often but not always comes from vacations. These experiences don't end when you are done or get back home, they live on in your memory.

I don't get up every day and go to work to pay off my house, I do it so that I can hopefully save enough money someday to stop working, and then its party time.

The only reason why I'd probably take the money if it was $15MM is because even though the intangible value of the ISS voyage would be incredibly high, I can probably make up for it with that fat wad of cash because I could quit immediately and do stuff for an additional few decades more than planned.