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Visited My Old Office Today
03-10-2011, 04:31 PM
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#1
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Smith
Posts: 743
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Visited My Old Office Today
I had to go back to my old workplace to collect my fantasy football winnings today. Kind of surreal. I visited my old office and found out one guy suddenly announced his retirement (got an offer for a post retirement job...whatever) and another relocated. Saw my ex-boss. Still don't like him.
I asked about old projects and learned that life went on without me, which I already knew. Projects I started are finished or progressing nicely. Kind of divorced from all that now, but still nice to hear that something you worked on is going well and bringing some value to the world.
Then I went across the hall and visited some friends. As I sat in the office, it all got very familiar, I had a flash back and suddenly felt very claustrophobic. I was happy to leave the place. I feel dirty now. I need a shower or something. 
__________________
Retired July 4th, 2010 at age 43
Trout Bum, Writer, Full-Time Dad and Husband
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03-10-2011, 06:48 PM
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#2
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Gone but not forgotten
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 6,924
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 Quote:
Originally Posted by flyfishnevada
I had to go back to my old workplace to collect my fantasy football winnings today. Kind of surreal. I visited my old office and found out one guy suddenly announced his retirement (got an offer for a post retirement job...whatever) and another relocated. Saw my ex-boss. Still don't like him.
I asked about old projects and learned that life went on without me, which I already knew. Projects I started are finished or progressing nicely. Kind of divorced from all that now, but still nice to hear that something you worked on is going well and bringing some value to the world.
Then I went across the hall and visited some friends. As I sat in the office, it all got very familiar, I had a flash back and suddenly felt very claustrophobic. I was happy to leave the place. I feel dirty now. I need a shower or something. |
Been more than 6 years and I've never been back.
__________________
"Knowin' no one nowhere's gonna miss us when we're gone..."
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03-10-2011, 06:52 PM
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#3
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Collin County, TX
Posts: 9,296
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Visited My Old Office Today
I bet I know what you'll be dreamin' about tonight...
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There's no need to complicate, our time is short..
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03-10-2011, 08:10 PM
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#4
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Hooverville
Posts: 22,983
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bbbamI
Visited My Old Office Today
I bet I know what you'll be dreamin' about tonight...
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That cute gal in the cubicle that used to be next to his?
Ha
__________________
"As a general rule, the more dangerous or inappropriate a conversation, the more interesting it is."-Scott Adams
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03-10-2011, 08:15 PM
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#5
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Collin County, TX
Posts: 9,296
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Quote:
Originally Posted by haha
That cute gal in the cubicle that used to be next to his?
Ha
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ooooooo....could be.... 
__________________
There's no need to complicate, our time is short..
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03-10-2011, 08:44 PM
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#6
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 6,695
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With the awful commute I had to my old office, I have ZERO desire to make another trip there ever.
I di stay in touch with a few people I was friends with, but it is not often. Seems like a different lifetime/universe ago when I was there.
__________________
Retired in late 2008 at age 45. Cashed in company stock, bought a lot of shares in a big bond fund and am living nicely off its dividends. IRA, SS, and a pension await me at age 60 and later. No kids, no debts.
"I want my money working for me instead of me working for my money!"
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03-11-2011, 09:41 AM
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#7
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 229
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Been retired 4-1/2 years and have never gone back; don't miss it at all!
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03-11-2011, 09:51 AM
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#8
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,015
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Walked out of MegaCorp at 1:30 pm on Friday, June 29, 2001...and never looked back!
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03-11-2011, 09:52 AM
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#9
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: East Nowhere, 43N Latitude, NY
Posts: 9,037
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Coming up on 4 years on April 1...
I attended a few off-site Christmas parties for the first 3 years, and relished the separation from the still-w*rking crowd. I saw a lot of good folks who were still w*rking and retired, so it was worth going.
I used to faithfully go to weekly Chinese buffet with a small but very good group of folks. I am finding I am really not interested in listening to w*rkplace news at all.  So I go approx twice a month just to say hello.
I have no contact otherwise. 
__________________
"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney
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03-11-2011, 10:19 AM
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#10
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gone traveling
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 3,864
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The bigger question is: Why?
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03-11-2011, 10:43 AM
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#11
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Hagersville
Posts: 794
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I go to the retirement and Christmas parties as much to visit with and catch up with the other retirees as anything. Two or three times a year I will go to lunch with a former coworker who is still there.
__________________
I wish I was half as good as my dog thinks I am!
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03-12-2011, 06:37 AM
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#12
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Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Eastern WV Panhandle
Posts: 25,340
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I've been back there a few times, although not recently, and maintain membership in the alumni association. There is a monthly breakfast gathering usually attended by ~20-40 depending on weather and I've been to a few of those, but it's an hour and half drive so not often. And the annual dinner I haven't missed yet, it's mostly a fun time, but there is a remembrance ceremony for those who died in service.
And it is kind of neat to see what the others are doing in retirement. Most get other jobs (there are a lot of "type A" people in that group) and a few just kick back and go fishing or get an RV.
But really what it boils down to is a survivor's club.
__________________
When I was a kid I wanted to be older. This is not what I expected.
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03-12-2011, 08:58 AM
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#13
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Alberta/Ontario/ Arizona
Posts: 3,393
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Been to a few retirement parties but these have petered out. I had lunch with my successor a couple of weeks ago. I was her mentor and she still seems to value contact. I guess that's good. Have set up a lunch with 3 cronies I worked with who retired around the same time as I. Looking forward to that. How soon we are forgotten.
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03-12-2011, 09:27 AM
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#14
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gone traveling
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 3,851
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Retirement date: May 1, 2007
Office shutdown announced: May 1, 2008
Section shutdown (where I "resided"): May 1, 2009
Can't (nor have a desire) to "go back" - it ain't there anymore ...
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03-12-2011, 11:43 AM
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#15
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Smith
Posts: 743
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Quote:
Originally Posted by haha
That cute gal in the cubicle that used to be next to his?
Ha
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I was not that lucky. All men in my office.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Khan
Been more than 6 years and I've never been back.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Westernskies
The bigger question is: Why?
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I won $175, that's why! Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone and don't plan to do it again.
__________________
Retired July 4th, 2010 at age 43
Trout Bum, Writer, Full-Time Dad and Husband
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03-13-2011, 07:55 AM
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#16
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 5,072
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flyfishnevada
I had to go back to my old workplace ...
I asked about old projects and learned that life went on without me, which I already knew. Projects I started are finished or progressing nicely. Kind of divorced from all that now, but still nice to hear that something you worked on is going well and bringing some value to the world.
...
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The key part of the statement is "without me"...
No one is irreplaceable... but it is sure nice to in a position to FIRE and be replaced!
[voice from above] Thy life sentence is commuted!
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03-13-2011, 09:21 PM
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#17
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Thailand countryside, Sisaket province
Posts: 1,331
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I went back to my old work site last week. The first time since I left last December. I was dropping off some old management books to give to a former workmate. We talked for a while and I said hello to a few other people. It was useful to me to assure myself that I had no regrets about ER. I've been to lunch offsite 2x now with friends from work. I plan to keep on doing this until I'm no longer interested or there isn't anyone left to see.
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03-14-2011, 06:39 AM
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#18
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Naples
Posts: 2,179
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Retirement date was 5-1-88. Back off six weeks vacation earned and last day of work was actually March 15, 1988. Twenty three years ago tomorrow. Never looked back and never went back.
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03-14-2011, 06:52 AM
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#19
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sarasota, FL & Vermont
Posts: 36,373
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chinaco
The key part of the statement is "without me"...
No one is irreplaceable... but it is sure nice to in a position to FIRE and be replaced!
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For a while I though I was indispensible. Then I started taking 2 or 3 week vacations (rather than days here and there or a week as I typically had). I learned two things:
1) the longer vacations were much better because it takes almost a week for me to "unplug" and
2) when I returned I discovered that things were moving along smoothly, in fact arguably better than when I was around. Luckily I had two outstanding people who worked for me so things didn't miss a beat when I was out.
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03-14-2011, 07:10 AM
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#20
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Earth
Posts: 334
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pb4uski
For a while I though I was indispensible. Then I started taking 2 or 3 week vacations (rather than days here and there or a week as I typically had). I learned two things:
1) the longer vacations were much better because it takes almost a week for me to "unplug" and
2) when I returned I discovered that things were moving along smoothly, in fact arguably better than when I was around. Luckily I had two outstanding people who worked for me so things didn't miss a beat when I was out.
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Didn't this worry you that you could be replaced or that things ran smoothly without you that maybe the boss would feel that you were no longer needed and you could get laid off/fired (not the good kind) not at a time of your choosing?
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