Answer the perennial question

dougdo · 03-07-2006, 11:08 PM

So how do YOU answer the perennial question which comes when you tell someone you've ER'd? You know the one, the one that comes right after "oh, you're so lucky" (when luck had nothing to do with it). Yep--the "What do you do all day?" "How do you spend your time?" or any of the variations thereof.

Do you have a prepared response? Do you waffle and give a list of the bunch of things you did yesterday?

Full disclosure: looking for interesting stories, answers for potential rip-off and inclusion in my novel... which of course will feature a slacker!

Cheers, Doug.

audreyh1 · 03-08-2006, 10:39 AM

Oh - there is no question that we were lucky!!! I freely admit to luck. Not every small startup you join right out of college makes it into the big leagues - most don't.

What do you DO all day? Yes - many people who work don't have time for anything else after they other chores/obligations so it's really hard for them to imagine what they would do with true leisure time.

Just start listing all your activities and hobbies. We travel all the time (actually we live in a motorhome now). We pursue our hobbies very seriously - nature photography, hiking, bird-watching, computers.

Now it really bugs me when someone tries to convince me to go into business and make money from our hobbies. Yes we're GOOD at it, but that doesn't mean we are somehow obligated to make money at it - just because we could. We do it for FUN! That's the point of life IMO.

BTW - the "earn a living" mentality is so culturally ingrained in American society that I rarely try to argue the point and I hide my annoyance.

Audrey

astromeria · 03-08-2006, 11:01 AM

I tell the curious that I do pretty much what I used to be able to do only on weekends, evenings, and vacations....allow my mind to wander where & when it likes (that's a big deal for me!), spend time w/friends & family (esp the hubster--we're so relaxed, we often hold hands watching TV like we did when we were first together), entertain friends and host family events, take walks & go birdwatching, hang out online, cook and do housework and handle finances, read, watch movies, listen to music, and travel. Only thing I've newly added to my life in retirement so far is volunteer work. I don't really have a "calling" yet other than travel and getting out in nature--although I've been accused of spending too much time online!

Oh yeah...I smile a lot more

lazygood4nothinbum · 03-08-2006, 11:57 AM

i tell them i do nothing and that i'm becoming an expert at it. i'd really excel at doing nothing but it just seems like too much work. this way, they don't know whether to be envious of me or just sorry for me and so they feel better about their own miserable working lives. that's what ya do for your friends when you're a lazygood4nothinbum.

03-08-2006, 12:23 PM

Astromeria, you gave me a good idea.

Q: "But, what do you do all day?"

A: "What do you do all day on weekends?"

cute fuzzy bunny · 03-08-2006, 01:03 PM

I'm a stay at home dad getting to spend all my time with my son and taking care of the house

What do I do all day? A baby, three dogs, three cats, three cars, a house...I'm afraid i'm unfamiliar with this term "free time".

I fondly remember my work life and my weekends, where I sat behind a desk or in an airplane seat, surfing the internet, posting to discussion groups, getting paid for it, and then relaxing on saturdays and sundays...

I've actually said twice when my wife got home and I had just finished bathing and feeding Gabe..."any chance I could go back to work and you stay home?". She just laughs and pours a glass of wine and goes to watch Dr. Phil.

Outtahere · 03-08-2006, 01:11 PM

So I'm guessing that's a big fat NO from the wife CFB?

cute fuzzy bunny · 03-08-2006, 01:19 PM

Yeah, i'm thinking.

I'm just a babysitter, house cleaner and sperm donor as far as she's concerned...

bow-tie · 03-08-2006, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cute n' Fuzzy Bunny

Yeah, i'm thinking.

I'm just a babysitter, house cleaner and sperm donor as far as she's concerned...

...beats a sharp stick in the eye

cute fuzzy bunny · 03-08-2006, 01:37 PM

Well, like I said, that sharp stick thing might not be as bad as we've been led to believe.

I was informed last night that while she was a little tired from work, that she expected servicing this evening.

I feel like such a piece of meat.

Outtahere · 03-08-2006, 01:39 PM

Ya'll have to stop making me laugh out loud at work.

brewer12345 · 03-08-2006, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cute n' Fuzzy Bunny

Well, like I said, that sharp stick thing might not be as bad as we've been led to believe.

I was informed last night that while she was a little tired from work, that she expected servicing this evening.

I feel like such a piece of meat.

DW ad I have about the same deal as you guys do, except 1) she is the one who stays home and 2) she's pregnant. I think if I came home and told her what you were told, I'd be looking in the gutter for my head.

bow-tie · 03-08-2006, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cute n' Fuzzy Bunny

...I feel like such a piece of meat.

I'm guessing it didn't take long to get over it... the feeling, that is.

cute fuzzy bunny · 03-08-2006, 02:20 PM

She's napping right now. I think when she wakes up i'll just go in there and get it over with. Then I can pull up the carpet and get on my hands and knees and put down the new floor. I just hope the lord sees fit that this doesnt cause her to want me a second time. My virtue just cant stand it.

audreyh1 · 03-08-2006, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astromeria

I don't really have a "calling" yet other than travel and getting out in nature--

Hey - I've figured out how to make a full time "career" out of just that!

Audrey

MJ · 03-08-2006, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cute n' Fuzzy Bunny

Yeah, i'm thinking.
I'm just a babysitter, house cleaner and sperm donor as far as she's concerned...

Don't know anyone else on this forum who deserves that type of life. Suffer bud.

Wait, I thought your inhouse sperm donor days were over not unless you are being farmed out like a bull.

LovesLife · 03-08-2006, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJ

Wait, I thought your inhouse sperm donor days were over not unless you are being farmed out like a bull.

Oh no, please don't bring up that nasty bull sperm thread again.

dougdo · 03-08-2006, 10:55 PM

I'm busy enough as a slacker that it just seems inconceivable to me now where would i fit back a full-time job in the picture even if i wanted one.

Sometimes i do feel like i want a little more structure in my life and wouldn't mind a job. But it's such an all-or-nothing proposition. Suddenly I'd have 2 weeks of travel/vacation a year (instead of my average which is about 20 weeks). My freedom is worth a little lower cash flow that's for sure.

audreyh1 · 03-09-2006, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dougdo

Sometimes i do feel like i want a little more structure in my life and wouldn't mind a job.

Ya don't need a job to have structure in your life!

Audrey

saluki9 · 03-09-2006, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cute n' Fuzzy Bunny

Then I can pull up the carpet and get on my hands and knees...

That's a new term for me, you learn something new every day

03-07-2006, 11:08 PM	#1
dougdo Recycles dryer sheets Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 115	Answer the perennial question So how do YOU answer the perennial question which comes when you tell someone you've ER'd? You know the one, the one that comes right after "oh, you're so lucky" (when luck had nothing to do with it). Yep--the "What do you do all day?" "How do you spend your time?" or any of the variations thereof. Do you have a prepared response? Do you waffle and give a list of the bunch of things you did yesterday? Full disclosure: looking for interesting stories, answers for potential rip-off and inclusion in my novel... which of course will feature a slacker! Cheers, Doug. __________________ Professional slacker, traveler and builder of a few websites: <br />Mexico: PuertoVallartaSatellite.com<br />Costa Rica: PuertoViejoSatellite.com<br />My personal blog: dougdo.com

03-08-2006, 10:39 AM	#2
audreyh1 Thinks s/he gets paid by the post Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,222	Re: Answer the perennial question Oh - there is no question that we were lucky!!! I freely admit to luck. Not every small startup you join right out of college makes it into the big leagues - most don't. What do you DO all day? Yes - many people who work don't have time for anything else after they other chores/obligations so it's really hard for them to imagine what they would do with true leisure time. Just start listing all your activities and hobbies. We travel all the time (actually we live in a motorhome now). We pursue our hobbies very seriously - nature photography, hiking, bird-watching, computers. Now it really bugs me when someone tries to convince me to go into business and make money from our hobbies. Yes we're GOOD at it, but that doesn't mean we are somehow obligated to make money at it - just because we could. We do it for FUN! That's the point of life IMO. BTW - the "earn a living" mentality is so culturally ingrained in American society that I rarely try to argue the point and I hide my annoyance. Audrey

03-08-2006, 11:01 AM	#3
astromeria Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,375	Re: Answer the perennial question I tell the curious that I do pretty much what I used to be able to do only on weekends, evenings, and vacations....allow my mind to wander where & when it likes (that's a big deal for me!), spend time w/friends & family (esp the hubster--we're so relaxed, we often hold hands watching TV like we did when we were first together), entertain friends and host family events, take walks & go birdwatching, hang out online, cook and do housework and handle finances, read, watch movies, listen to music, and travel. Only thing I've newly added to my life in retirement so far is volunteer work. I don't really have a "calling" yet other than travel and getting out in nature--although I've been accused of spending too much time online! Oh yeah...I smile a lot more __________________ You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find you get what you need.

03-08-2006, 11:57 AM	#4
lazygood4nothinbum Thinks s/he gets paid by the post Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 3,897	Re: Answer the perennial question i tell them i do nothing and that i'm becoming an expert at it. i'd really excel at doing nothing but it just seems like too much work. this way, they don't know whether to be envious of me or just sorry for me and so they feel better about their own miserable working lives. that's what ya do for your friends when you're a lazygood4nothinbum.

03-08-2006, 12:23 PM	#5
TromboneAl Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Answer the perennial question Astromeria, you gave me a good idea. Q: "But, what do you do all day?" A: "What do you do all day on weekends?"

03-08-2006, 01:03 PM	#6
cute fuzzy bunny Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ... Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Losing my whump Posts: 22,527	Re: Answer the perennial question I'm a stay at home dad getting to spend all my time with my son and taking care of the house What do I do all day? A baby, three dogs, three cats, three cars, a house...I'm afraid i'm unfamiliar with this term "free time". I fondly remember my work life and my weekends, where I sat behind a desk or in an airplane seat, surfing the internet, posting to discussion groups, getting paid for it, and then relaxing on saturdays and sundays... I've actually said twice when my wife got home and I had just finished bathing and feeding Gabe..."any chance I could go back to work and you stay home?". She just laughs and pours a glass of wine and goes to watch Dr. Phil. __________________ Many an optimist has become rich by buying out a pessimist

03-08-2006, 01:11 PM	#7
Outtahere Thinks s/he gets paid by the post Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,677	Re: Answer the perennial question So I'm guessing that's a big fat NO from the wife CFB? __________________ Dogs aren't our whole lives, but they make our lives whole. - Roger Caras

03-08-2006, 01:19 PM	#8
cute fuzzy bunny Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ... Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Losing my whump Posts: 22,527	Re: Answer the perennial question Yeah, i'm thinking. I'm just a babysitter, house cleaner and sperm donor as far as she's concerned... __________________ Many an optimist has become rich by buying out a pessimist

03-08-2006, 01:37 PM	#10
cute fuzzy bunny Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ... Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Losing my whump Posts: 22,527	Re: Answer the perennial question Well, like I said, that sharp stick thing might not be as bad as we've been led to believe. I was informed last night that while she was a little tired from work, that she expected servicing this evening. I feel like such a piece of meat. __________________ Many an optimist has become rich by buying out a pessimist

03-08-2006, 01:39 PM	#11
Outtahere Thinks s/he gets paid by the post Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,677	Re: Answer the perennial question Ya'll have to stop making me laugh out loud at work. __________________ Dogs aren't our whole lives, but they make our lives whole. - Roger Caras

03-08-2006, 02:20 PM	#14
cute fuzzy bunny Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ... Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Losing my whump Posts: 22,527	Re: Answer the perennial question She's napping right now. I think when she wakes up i'll just go in there and get it over with. Then I can pull up the carpet and get on my hands and knees and put down the new floor. I just hope the lord sees fit that this doesnt cause her to want me a second time. My virtue just cant stand it. __________________ Many an optimist has become rich by buying out a pessimist

03-08-2006, 10:55 PM	#18
dougdo Recycles dryer sheets Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 115	Re: Answer the perennial question I'm busy enough as a slacker that it just seems inconceivable to me now where would i fit back a full-time job in the picture even if i wanted one. Sometimes i do feel like i want a little more structure in my life and wouldn't mind a job. But it's such an all-or-nothing proposition. Suddenly I'd have 2 weeks of travel/vacation a year (instead of my average which is about 20 weeks). My freedom is worth a little lower cash flow that's for sure. __________________ Professional slacker, traveler and builder of a few websites: <br />Mexico: PuertoVallartaSatellite.com<br />Costa Rica: PuertoViejoSatellite.com<br />My personal blog: dougdo.com