Now what do I do?
 

I'm retiring. Today is my last day at work, after eighteen years working here. Yesterday afternoon was the official retirement reception, maybe a hundred people came from all over campus, from nearby colleges, etc. I never knew I had so many friends, how many people loved me, all very maudlin. Apparently, I'm a scholar, a gentleman, a bookman, a visionary, a web guru, open-access early adopter, and more. Only I know I'm a total fraud, a lazy sonofabitch who milked an English accent for all it's worth.

It looks like spring is finally here; I timed my retirement for the beginning of gardening season. In two weeks time I'm off to England on my own for a month. I'm going to Norfolk and then the Yorkshire dales with my son (he lives in Cambridge), then staying with my sister in Sussex for a few days, ending up in London for a week.

Lunchtime, I'm off to the Chinese buffet with a couple of colleagues .. and picking up a bottle of sparkling wine at the liquor store for a quiet celebration tonight.

Re: Now what do I do?
 

Leave a stinky turd in the desk draw of someone you don't like?

Steal all the books you've always wanted?

Turn up after lunch rip roaringly drunk and off your tits? It's not like they're going to fire you :D

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We're trying to downsize our book collection at home; so rather than take some from here, I've been bringing my books in from home an hiding them in various nooks and corners of the library..

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Now what do you do?

become a snowbird. visit arizona in the winter and drive a winnebago in the middle of the road like eveyone else does :sneaky:

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Not everyone else, I like the seasons.

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I'm hoping that when I get to retirement I will finally have time to actually read the zillion books I have piled up everywhere! Whatever you do with your time, enjoy!

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Congratulations! We said we would have a BE party as well, so :drinkwine:

It's nice that so many people came to wish you well.

Have a wonderful time with your son and sister.

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and I hope you have as much fun and enjoyment in your retirement as I am having in mine. :thumbsup:

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What are they going to do with 15 copies of "the joy of sex"?

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Congrats! I'm sure it must be bitter-sweet though, saying goodbye to colleagues etc. Enjoy your trip home and the new chapter in your life, sounds idyllic...

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I have found that my life is a ritual, a collection of habitual occupations. I have emphysema and my day is punctuated by nebulizer treatments, usually at 4 hour intervals starting at 7:00AM, that is the structure on which, everything else hangs. I used to read a great deal and I expected to read even more. I retired to look after my wife through the final weeks her losing battle with cancer. I looked to go back to work but the market went soft so that didn't happen, The result was that I kept the TV on for company, NPR on the radio would have been more in keeping with my interests but seeing people on the box mitigated the loneness more than the voice. I find my attention span is shorter than I need to read a book unless it is an old friend. I find it odd that while I enjoy visiting my children and grand children, there is an element of resentment that I have to break with my ritual, I guess my body doesn't want me taking the risks of going out. That sounds pitiful! it is not as bad as it sounds but a cold wind or the exhaust of a diesel can stiffen my lungs and cause me some difficulty, The nebulizer medication returns some of the lungs flexibility but cannot be used more frequently. I've written more than I expected and, I think, given the wrong impression, I am quite happy living in this retirement community.

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Thanks Sally! :drinkwine:

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Congratulations on your retirement. I hope it is all you want it to be. Enjoy yourself. :thumbsup:

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Good for you, enjoy your seasons ;)

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You become like this Guy;

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What do you mean? He already is that guy...has been for years!:lol:

Have a great trip Robin:thumbsup:

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Congratulations Robin, enjoy your trip to the UK, do what you want to do, and take time to live your retirement to the full.

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Congratulations! How lovely to go to the UK and not have to think about getting over jet lag before you go back to work. :thumbsup:

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Hmm.. Bit of a waste of jet lag though. I used to enjoy lolling around work for four days or so; "I wish I could help you with that, but I'm a bit jet lagged still.."

Now I'll be jet lagged on my own time!!

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Congratulations! Like the others said, do what you want, and I wish you many years of traveling, reading, gardening and whatever else you like to do! :)

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Congratulations!! Enjoy your time in the UK with your family!! Hopefully it will have warmed up a little bit when you arrive there. "Oh to be in England, now that April's here".................. (well almost here). :)

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Big Congrats -
Enjoy retirement and enjoy your UK trip

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Look at the pictures ? Has anyone read the text ?

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Just remember Robin, you have earned your retirement! Do whatever it is you want to do and take the time to enjoy it. How nice for you that you will have no work schedules to keep, no vacation time to earn, it's all vacation time now! Wishing you good weather, good health and good times ahead:)

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Thank you, kind people!

So, April Fools Day, my first day of not going to work. I actually made no attempt to prepare for the shock of the transition, I thought I may as well wallow in whatever scared & remorseful feelings came along. I feel like one of those ping pongers, returned to England, immediately realises s/he made a horrible mistake, and now wants to immediately return to Australia.. My boss kept telling me he wants me to come back as an adjunct or a consultant, he's got projects for me etc. We'll see.

My first project is to prepare for my trip to England in two weeks. My son spent the weekend in Skegness, playing 2p slot machines and eating cheesy chips. Now that's a way I could see spending my retirement!

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I often think if I didn't have to spend my days at work I could do something that could change the world such as create a new source of renewable energy, redesign the combustion engine or cure a disease or two. Take your pick and put your mind to it, what have you got to lose?

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My idea of retirement....

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Just to add my congratulations!

In 3 months, maybe 6 months time, you'll have a sudden realization (epiphany?). You'll wonder why in the hell you didn't do this 5 years ago. And yes, we all know the financial reasons we didn't, but after a few years, even that becomes questionable given the pleasure to be had.

Being retired is like being a kid again. You wake up in the morning, and you can do anything you want to today. If you serve as a consultant, you serve on your terms. And, there's no mummy to tell you different. (OK, there's 'she who must be obeyed', but you'll work that out).

Enjoy it to the full. The next phase ain't so great, so make sure you get your full, rightful share.

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I started out, in #5 to congratulate you and wish you luck. I started to muse over my own experience, typed that and forgot to do this:

Congratulations, have a great time.

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Congratulations Robin. :thumbsup:

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Congrats Robin! Enjoy your trip and hope you find interesting ways to spend your time!

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Best wishes on this new phase of your life! Please keep us posted on how things transpire.

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Thanks both!

OK here I am at home, had a dreadful cold since I retired so have not begun to luxuriate in retirement yet.

Both our kids just went on exciting trips. One went to Skegness for the Easter weekend, the other to San Francisco (she's refereeing at the hockey national championships in San Jose this week.)

This got me to thinking. We should go on some LONG trips now that we are retired. Skegness I will get to someday, but how about a month or more in San Francisco; or at least, somewhere in the Bay Area, handy for the BART system, museums, concerts, pubs, hiking, etc. Beyond staying at a hotel, for $150+ per night, are there suite hotels etc that offer lower rates for long stays? I.e. something between a hotel and a short term rental? And where would be a good spot in the Bay Area that is cheaper than SF?

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Cheapest basic (and clean and friendly) place we stayed at in San Francisco was http://www.wharfinn.com/ right by the Wharf and free parking (unheard of apparently) We walked everywhere from there and took the Tram.

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We are hoping to do several long road trips around the US. We are planning to spend the summer in Toronto...in late September head west from Toronto to Vancouver. Then down the west coast...heading back to Toronto for Christmas. In January we will head south and spend the remainder of the winter in Florida. Well that's the plan...:unsure::blink:

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Boy do you have that wrong. Almost everybody I know that has retired, works harder after retirement than they did before retirement and they work at things they don't like. Now that he has so much time on his hands, do you think his wife doesn't have a lot of things to be done around the house that he has been ignoring for years and she also will want him to come along when she does shopping.:rofl:

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:lol: Boy, am I glad you said that. I thought I was the only sucker that has been saddled with that.

Robin's just made one of lifes big decisions, and for now, he's happy about it. Let's not burst his bubble too soon.

Wait till he wakes up in the morning and starts the 'inventory'. Yep,...know what that pain is. Yeah,...know what that ache is. Opps,...that's a new one.

He's already planning all these trips. Wait till he finds his body will no longer tolerate a flight that lasts for more than 3 hours, thanks to the dinky seats in economy class, and has to book all flights in business or first. Then there's the assumption that you are now the on call baby sitting service for the grandkids. I have retired friends who live in the Midlands and live constantly by the phone waiting for the (instant) summons from Brighton. And, they go,..instantly.

All in all: When Megacorp did a programme to 'rationalize' the company, many freinds retired early. We meet about once a month for a pub lunch. Not one wishes they were back at work, in any way, even given their new tasks in life.

One thing I learned whilst living in California; it ain't laid back. My condolences. Maybe the retired life in Blighty isn't all that bad after all. :D

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Not might be your thing, but considered AirBnB ? Usually a pretty cheap option for casual stays.

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That's the big one. Now that both mom and dad or grandma and grandpa are home without anything to do, "why don't we just leave the kids with them". After all they have all that time on their hands so a weekend here and there and sometimes a week at a time with the kids will really give them a lot of pleasure. And the real fun begins when they get babies to watch.;)

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Yeah well, in our case I don't think grand kids are on the cards.. As for physical infirmity, yes, it is proceeding apace. One challenge is getting to Boston or Cape Cod. We can fly cheaply and conveniently from our local little airport, but I no longer want to commit to an hour and a half with no toilet available (our flight to Boston is on a nine passenger Cesna 402.). Neither of us like driving far these days, either. I know what you mean about long flights; however, if I can get up and stand in the aisle for twenty minutes two or three times in a seven hour flight, it's tolerable. What I now find hard about flying to the UK is the overnight leg from here to there. We have a very good flight from our nearest big airport, Ottawa, but it is overnight. We have to go to Boston or New York for a daytime flight to the UK.

And hiking.. Ten years ago I'd be up for a brisk thirty mile ramble up hill and down dale, now it's more like a maximum five or six miles with not too much climbing if possible. And if there is a tea shop along the way, all the better.