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Retirement!!!

As we get older we sometimes begin to doubt our ability to "make a difference" in the world.
It is at these times that our hopes are boosted by the remarkable achievements of other "seniors" who have found the courage to take on challenges that would make many of us wither.
Scooter Trash is such a person:

THIS IS QUOTED FROM SCOOTER:
"I've often been asked, 'What do you do now that you're retired?'
Well...I'm fortunate to have a chemical engineering background and one of the things I enjoy most is converting beer, wine and whisky into urine.
It's rewarding, uplifting, satisfying and fulfilling. I do it every day and I really enjoy it."

Scooter should be an inspiration to us all.:bottle

That's good stuff.

I just checked subscribed threads and realized I dump my emotional handbag out on the table and ran off for almost two years without a follow up. I retired 2 years ago this month. My last big trip was Sedalia, see you in St. Paul.

Since then, I really stuck it to the man. I took my GI Bill (No kids) and went back to school for music. Uncle Sam picks up the tab, tuition and pays me 1500 bucks a month to go to college. I keep waiting for the police to show up and arrest me for stealing. I told the VA benefits lady that I didn't feel I deserved it, she told me to shut up: "You been shot at, take the money and go to school".

I am a 53 year old college sophomore with Master's Degree in Trauma and Critical Care Nursing. It's like I am a gorilla and they put me in the penguin exhibit at the zoo. The handlers like me because I show up on time, do the home work and try hard. The penguins like me because I'm a gorilla, sort of like going to the zoo and looking at the, well, a gorilla. The zoo keepers really like me when I tell bullies to shut their pie hole in class. I am very different than the penguins but they don't seem to mind. Plus the penguin population at my college appears to be in a perpetual Victoria Secrets underwear ad. That's kind of weird.

But music..., picking it up late in life, that's really tough. Not the course work necessarily but leaving your ego at the door. Getting you musical teeth kicked in on a daily basis. This is harder than Iraq deployments. That, I understood. But starting over, being so different, that has been a real education.

So that's me, what have you been up to since you retired? :brow
 
Just celebrated the 16th anniversary of my eighth and ninth heart surgery on the same day. After an 8 hour ordeal, the docs told my fair lady that I had a 50/50 chance of surviving more than 3 days...and a 90% chance of permanent brain damage. I did manage to survive and eventually got back to work. About a year and a half later, decided to opt (regretfully) for an early disability retirement. I regretted that decision...for about 10 minutes! We managed to get by on my wife's salary, and now she's retired too!

Retirement is great, life is even better!

Cheers!:dance

PS. Seem to be doing okay on that 10% brain...LOL.
 
Retirement: It's A Good Thing!

At this moment, it is -35 degrees in Fairbanks, AK. I still get notifications through the Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks campus alert system. Since this morning a significant portion of the campus has been without heat, including several student and family apartment buildings for which I used to have responsibility. I can only remember with a shudder what it was like to deal with situations such as this. Now my biggest problem is deciding which bike to ride; it has been in the 50s-60s here in MT the last few days.
 
The campus is heated by the steam that is produced as a by-product of the production of electricity in the University's own power plant. Essentially heating the campus is "free". The plant and many of the utilidors through which the steam is distributed are old and in need of repairs that will cost close $100 million. In my 16 years on campus we had four major outages. A couple of times we got well into the evacuation process before things were repaired. Many homes use glycol in their heating systems, but it is not possible when using steam heat.
 
The campus is heated by the steam that is produced as a by-product of the production of electricity in the University's own power plant. Essentially heating the campus is "free". The plant and many of the utilidors through which the steam is distributed are old and in need of repairs that will cost close $100 million. In my 16 years on campus we had four major outages. A couple of times we got well into the evacuation process before things were repaired. Many homes use glycol in their heating systems, but it is not possible when using steam heat.

So, extensive water damage from burst pipes with each outage?
 
So, extensive water damage from burst pipes with each outage?

Water damage is limited to the utilidors the pipes are in. In this case they have heat restored to all buildings, but a few remain closed due to damage caused by being filled with steam. Also temperatures are now around -45.
 
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I was lucky enough to get retired at age 50. First thing I did was sail around the Atlantic singlehanded for a year, and it hasn't got much worse in the subsequent 18 years. Do it and enjoy it. You'll only regret the things you didn't do. Have fun!
 
I was lucky enough to get retired at age 50. First thing I did was sail around the Atlantic singlehanded for a year, and it hasn't got much worse in the subsequent 18 years. Do it and enjoy it. You'll only regret the things you didn't do. Have fun!

Good for you!

I punched out of my career at age 53 (after 32+ yrs. in Law Enforcement/Dive Rescue/EMS) - best decision ever. Never looked back with regret - always looking forward with a sense of adventure.

As for all that time invested, the benchmark of any fulfilling career is to be able to look back and say "If I could do it all over again, I'd do it all over again." I would.

:clap
 
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Retired in 2002. Will turn 69 this year. Wish I could have retired earlier than 56, grateful that I could retire then.

Yesterday I was sitting in our living room looking out the back door at 40 Canadian geese feeding in our lake. Suddenly they got very nervous and then a bald eagle strafed their formation. He then wheeled in the air for another chance. They huddled very close together and the eagle decided he wasn't having goose for lunch.

Batching it while Nancy is on a mission trip to an orphanage/school in Haiti. Have a full riding calendar this summer.

Life is good.
 
Have a full riding calendar this summer.
Life is good.

That does sound good. I will be retired two years on April 11, 2015. It took some getting used to. I felt a little guilty about not having to go into work, but I've gotten over that. I was 63 when I retired, so I put my years in. Hopefully my health will hold up. I am working out and taking care of myself, and plan on riding to Billings and surrounding areas for some bucket-list riding, and hopefully some other road trips as well.

Harry
 
Retired in 2002. Will turn 69 this year. Wish I could have retired earlier than 56, grateful that I could retire then.

Yesterday I was sitting in our living room looking out the back door at 40 Canadian geese feeding in our lake. Suddenly they got very nervous and then a bald eagle strafed their formation. He then wheeled in the air for another chance. They huddled very close together and the eagle decided he wasn't having goose for lunch.

Batching it while Nancy is on a mission trip to an orphanage/school in Haiti. Have a full riding calendar this summer.

Life is good.

Every day, even now with some ice on the river, the geese come in and land (sometimes with a bit of ice landing humor) in front of our house. Never see the eagles here. I think that they are somewhat wussy when it comes to getting live food. Geese fight back. Being retired affords me the time to watch all of this in a beautiful spot.

Does your "riding calendar" have the SFFR included? If not then be sure and read the upcoming 2015 promo..... after Ride Report2014 (sigh). See you in Billings? Ha, retirement, all the time but carefully pinching the pennies. Like one fella quipped: I'm glad that I am now on a fixed income because the other one I had was broke. - Bob (66 and still taking nourishment:beer)
 
A seasonal Bump

Wondering status of recent retirees, those who were and are planning the change as well.And of course the seasoned folks.

Been a fast 7 years this December...have not regretted the decision and have not gone back to visit and ask for any favors/swag as many before me often did.I keep in touch with a few still there...they say I left at a good time.

Adjusted spending habits a little, being salaried I lost the OT extra cash about five years before I left,so wasn't a big adjustment.The once a month check instead of bi-weekly did take a bit.
Definitely more active outdoors than I was right before retiring, and mentally/physically feel great...Dr thinks so too.
Retirement doesn't mean sedentary or boring here:dance
 
Wondering status of recent retirees, those who were and are planning the change as well.And of course the seasoned folks.

Been a fast 7 years this December...have not regretted the decision and have not gone back to visit and ask for any favors/swag as many before me often did.I keep in touch with a few still there...they say I left at a good time.

Adjusted spending habits a little, being salaried I lost the OT extra cash about five years before I left,so wasn't a big adjustment.The once a month check instead of bi-weekly did take a bit.
Definitely more active outdoors than I was right before retiring, and mentally/physically feel great...Dr thinks so too.
Retirement doesn't mean sedentary or boring here:dance

Helped no doubt by you continuing to send H. out to work each day........... :)
 
I have now been retired for just over a year... don't regret it one bit. I find myself pausing regularly to remind myself how lucky I am. For anyone who is on the ledge trying to decide when to retire, my opinion is to do it as soon as possible. One never knows when health or other outside influences will make you wish you did.
 
I retired from my 30 year corporate career 9 years ago, at age 52. I'm a firm believer that stress will shorten your life and I figured you can only extend retirement on the front end. I stayed retired for about 3 years, shot my first every 78 on the golf course, skied 60+ days a year and motorcycle toured extensively with my wife. While it was awesome to wake up in the morning with nothing I had to do, I started getting kinda bored.

I now do some part time consulting, working from home and managing philanthropic giving for a non-profit. I control my hours, get paid for it and have found it's the perfect balance of freedom, responsibility and fulfillment. Bottom line...doing all the things you want to do is great, but so is helping others. As I'm sure many retirees have found, you do need to find volunteer work or some way to give back. I wouldn't return to the high stress corporate world for anything, but I do enjoy having a little structure to my life.
 
I've been retired 11 months now after working 40 years for the Federal Government and I'm loving it.
It's great getting paid to do nothing :)
I know, I know, some of you will say I was paid before to do nothing :rofl
 
Retirement

Got up late because didn't sleep well. Putted around with a cuppa while preparing for a big day, and then got on the bike and headed for town the long way. Had a quiet lunch with the newspaper and no other sit down customers. Left lunch and aimed Westerly picking right or left turns as the decisions arose. I went by a reservoir I had never seen because the leaves or direction concealed it in the past. Passed two places to buy apple cider, that is in season, and didn't stop because the ride today is so nice, I will come back soon.
I went by the place where my wife and I had our first vegetable garden 40 years ago. Passed the place where we saw our first eastern mountain lion around here. Very rare to witness personally.
My right hand developed a cramp at the base of the right 3 fingers, on the technical 2nd and 3rd gear roads that brought me home.

NONE of this would have happened had I been at work !
I love riding and retirement.
Charlie

Congratulations "bogthebasher". (Previous post)
May you have many more years of retirement.
 
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