Weird after effect of 20 years of sitting at a computer 8-12 hours a day, even if I have nothing to do: Now if I can't think of anything to do, I just go sit at the computer and I feel oddly comfortable. Gotta force myself to remember I have a shitload of books to read, models to build, discs to watch... Still in transition.
Okay, actually, officially, totally off the hook retired as of today. Dec 23-31 were a combination of plant shutdown days and my last personal days. I wasn't sure the damn boss wouldn't try to get me to come in Monday or Tuesday (which would be literally impossible since my badge and clearance was cancelled the 20th). But my official last day of employment was Tuesday, so fuck 'em all, I'm gone for good! W00t!
I hate you! You used to be cool...you changed, man! Seriously I can't wait to retire. These motherfuckers at work are pissing me off to no end. Lazy assed uncommunicating NCO customers and the no giving a shit GS managers who run them - and computer FUBARs that put me right dead in the water the day I get back from vacation. And my IT person says it's above their level and the guys who can get my internet access out of quarantine are off for the holidays! Buildings are getting torn down and our different shops are getting relocated and shit and our radio shop next building over hasn't had phone access for over a fucking YEAR! They can't have cell phones because it's a secure building - we have no coms with our own coworkers at what used to be the "The Signal Center Of The Army" but now it's "The Cyber Center Of The Army" and they can't keep computers going for ten minutes. My "giving a shit" days are over - I'm coming in stone-faced focused on that paycheck. As long as I don't do anything to get fired everyone can kiss my ass.
Second nice quiet day of retirement, first day I would have had to go back to work after the holiday, and the guy next door is having 5 trees cut down. Since our houses are only separated by an 8 foot wide driveway, the tree truck is RIGHT outside the window as I type this. Argh.
dollars-to-donuts I would get my camera ready because yard deer will show up in your neighbor's yard and possibly yours as soon as the trees are removed. Deer know the sound of trees coming down (or any kind of heavy machinery of the sort) and will come around to investigate any possible food sources that are now within reach or brought to the surface from the disturbed soil. Being winter they are hungrier than usual too from having to take in more calories to keep their furnace burning, and many food sources are now dormant.
Funniest deer moment ever in the back yard was when I was sitting out there reading, and an old rotted tree next door, on the edge of the woods, just suddenly fell over on its own onto his lawn. It broke about 5 feet up from the ground. Within seconds, a deer poked his head from behind it looking like, "Did I do that? Sorry."
Just went food shopping in the middle of a weekday morning, instead of squeezing it in on the weekend. First time ever. This is nice!
That's one of the nicest things about being retired, or having a gig like mine where I only work 13 days a month and have a lot of weekdays off. You can pick and choose the times of your outings to conform with the non-busy times, least amount of traffic, etc. I see movies in the theater these days usually on Monday mornings or the like; as often as not I have the whole place to myself. If the wife and I go, we're constrained to more conventional times. You and your wife will rapidly work out these optimum schedules, and life will be better overall.
I need an oil change, and my mechanic didn't work Saturdays, so I always had to squeeze it in on a day off. So now I can get one any freakin time at all! So I stopped at the garage yesterday to get an appointment. He says "We work Saturdays now, how about then?"
Aaaand I just wrenched my back helping the wife move furniture. Now I HAVE to just sit in a chair and not do anything!
sounds tempting but bad idea. Stay as active as you can (just move very slowly and deliberately to the limits of your mobility) and keep blood circulating and joints & tendons lubricated and whatnot. Just be consistent is the most important thing. You will heal up faster, I guarantee it. You will be kicking ass & taking names before you know it!
ooh Forbin is going to be in a real world version of Rear Window! While he's laid up from a bad back he'll see something evil going on with the neighbor's septic system!
I snuck over there and ripped up a couple of scraggly bushes he liked that kept me from putting a fence on the property line 20 years ago. Now when we replace the fence this year, I can get those 2 feet of yard back.
Oh, he told me he sold the house already - it'll be a young couple with a newborn. Exactly what I didn't want next door, after a nice quiet retired couple who spent all their time away.
01/14/2020 1106 CDT Subject: @Forbin The test subject's transition to "Get off my lawn" grumpy old man is rapidly accelerating. We may see him complaining how today isn't like the "good old days" by the end of the week. We project that the scowl will become permanent in a few months.
I'm definitely in the "get off my lawn" camp already, but I'm doing my best to never say "good old days" - I knew a couple of old geezers at work who did that all the time, and MAN was it annoying.
So the first Monday of retirement, the electric went out. The 2nd Monday my back went out. This Monday the water went out. I'm waiting for the fucking AIR to go out next week.
Normal monthly gasoline credit card bill with two people commuting: $150 - $200. First gasoline credit card bill since retirement: $37. Jan 31, one month since official retirement date, and the pension checks (one from time in the union, one from the salaried job) showed up in the bank account right on schedule. Looks like we can continue to buy foodstuffs.
