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Kroeran · 11-12-2009, 01:37 PM

Congrats on making the transition. It will be interesting to hear your reports on your emotions, especially relative to expectations, as you go through the process.

DW was very close to pushing the button a few months back, but that got put on hold when her government agency decided to look into privatizing her section...so now we are waiting for that process to unfold, hoping for a 6 month salary bonus to add to the regular departure allowance and pension, similar to Frank's position.

I will likely ease out, have started taking multiple and luxurious 3 week absences this year, and will try to get a 3 month leave booked off next winter, 6 months the year after that. By then my years will be close enough to a penalty free exit to push the button (if I remain disciplined and dont eject earlier) and DW will also have a couple of years of ER under her belt and know what she wants to do with the "nice" house up north with the big garden that she envisions spending a lot of time in.

"I" want to sell out up north and relocate home base to Florida taxes and health care, and travel June to September, back home north and to visit my favorite brother in law who has a house on Lake Como Italy (don't hate me for being lucky!! : - ) )

enough about me! please keep us informed..hourly report would be helpful ; - )

W2R · 11-12-2009, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kroeran

I will likely ease out, have started taking multiple and luxurious 3 week absences this year, and will try to get a 3 month leave booked off next winter, 6 months the year after that.

That is sort of how I did it. I reached "use or lose" status in December, 2008, and then used as little leave (=vacation time) as I could for the first six months of 2009. Then, I used most of my leave up. I took four vacations in my last four months: A week off in July for purposes of sanity, and then two 2-week vacations and a 2.5-week vacation in September and October, with only a week between these last three. These vacations really lessened job-related stress, which was getting to be toxic for me. Also, they allowed me to adjust to ER gradually which helped. Work issues stopped seeming so important after distancing myself from them during those vacations. The vacations were not quite as good as ER, though, because I knew I had to return.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kroeran

enough about me! please keep us informed..hourly report would be helpful ; - )

Oh, never fear!! I have never been guilty of not posting enough, at least not so far...

ziggy29 · 11-12-2009, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R

Oh, never fear!! I have never been guilty of not posting enough, at least not so far...

Bored yet? So what are you going to DO with yourself?

W2R · 11-12-2009, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ziggy29

Bored yet? So what are you going to DO with yourself?

Not hardly!! I am sitting here being a TOTAL hedonist today, of the laziest kind! Frank took me out to lunch and I ate enough for six people... now I am playing with my Wii and posting on the forum from my easy chair with my feet up. Pretty soon I might take a nap. Or, I could expend some energy and walk over to the door to open it, because the weather is PERFECT outside. Life is a bowl of cherries!

Not bored YET...

Orchidflower · 11-12-2009, 02:15 PM

Wow, you are really happy, W2R!!!!
When will you be moving to Missouri now?

W2R · 11-12-2009, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchidflower

Wow, you are really happy, W2R!!!!
When will you be moving to Missouri now?

Yes, I am!

Probably at the end of 2010 or beginning of 2011. First Frank has to retire (probably at the end of February or a little later), and then we have to fix up our houses and put them on the market. Then they have to sell. The housing market here seems really slow. The neat thing is that there is no rush. I have no more deadlines and we can just do it at a pleasant speed.

Love your new avatar!

FinanceDude · 11-12-2009, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R

I have been doing that!

Today, I was trying to explain to Frank why being retired is so much better than I thought. Just as a vacation is better than a weekend off, retirement is SO much better than a vacation!! I didn't expect that.

Kinda like a "million day weekend"...........

Dancer373 · 11-12-2009, 05:04 PM

Congratulations!! A new beginning ~~~

ejman · 11-12-2009, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R

Not hardly!! I am sitting here being a TOTAL hedonist today, of the laziest kind! Frank took me out to lunch and I ate enough for six people... now I am playing with my Wii and posting on the forum from my easy chair with my feet up. Pretty soon I might take a nap. Or, I could expend some energy and walk over to the door to open it, because the weather is PERFECT outside. Life is a bowl of cherries!

Not bored YET...

I dunno W2R I see a new career developing as an ER coach... Hum back to the trenches?

Kroeran · 11-13-2009, 06:50 AM

I wonder what the proportion of retired to retired-wanna-be ratio is on the forum and to what extent the postings of the retired are a sort of voyeuristic retirement porn for the wanna-be's?

you may have a business model here....set up a webcam and charge a fee so that the cubical-bound can watch you engaging in retirement fantasies...waking at 10, naps, stomping around in a nightgown at noon, watching oprah, wiii and so on

then...to what extent do people drop off the forum once they are actually doing it, rather than just talking about it?

can't seem to find the emoticon function here...maybe I was suspended for abusing them? ; - )

Sarah in SC · 11-13-2009, 07:52 AM

Gee Kroeran...really? A webcam so we could watch W2R walk around in her nightgown?

Easy there, captain.

Kroeran · 11-13-2009, 08:49 AM

Ha!

the business model is just as valid watching Frank laze around in his slippers on a business day, with his clothes ON, please!

W2R · 11-13-2009, 08:59 AM

Well, Frank is not retired yet (looks like the end of February for him) and I have been getting dressed (in comfy "at home" clothes) first thing in the morning.

This morning was the latest I have slept in so far - I got up at 7:00. That's pretty late given my working schedule, but not approaching 10:00 so far. I haven't watched Oprah yet.

I think we have a LOT of retirees on this forum. Think about it - - REWahoo, CuppaJoe, Ha, TromboneAl, Goonie, Audreyh1, and so many other regulars here are retirees.

FinanceDude · 11-13-2009, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R

Well, Frank is not retired yet (looks like the end of February for him) and I have been getting dressed (in comfy "at home" clothes) first thing in the morning.

This morning was the latest I have slept in so far - I got up at 7:00. That's pretty late given my working schedule, but not approaching 10:00 so far. I haven't watched Oprah yet.

I think we have a LOT of retirees on this forum. Think about it - - REWahoo, CuppaJoe, Ha, TromboneAl, Goonie, Audreyh1, and so many other regulars here are retirees.

But there plenty of us "slavers" still slaving away on here. This forum is my "look into the future"........

Goonie · 11-13-2009, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kroeran

.....you may have a business model here....set up a webcam and charge a fee so that the cubical-bound can watch you engaging in retirement fantasies...waking at 10, naps, stomping around in a nightgown at noon, watching oprah, wiii and so on......

I think many cubicle-critters would be VERY disappointed in what they got to watch for their money! Because, most of the time, all that they'd see is an empty chair in a quiet room with nothing going on.....'cause the web-show 'host' is too dang busy enjoying retirement, and doing things, and going places (a.k.a. livin' life)...and doesn't have the time (or desire) to be hanging around in front of the webcam!

W2R · 11-13-2009, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FinanceDude

But there plenty of us "slavers" still slaving away on here. This forum is my "look into the future"........

OK, then here's a look.

Yesterday was "Day Three" of my retirement.

It just gets better and better.

I got up at 5:30, got dressed, and watched the sun rise with my coffee again. I like that. I listened to the news and pondered what I would do next, since I was pretty sore from two days of gym workouts in a row. So, I didn't think I should go to the gym in the morning as I had the previous two days of ER. Also, I thought I would have to "babysit" the plumber again at Frank's house in the afternoon. After some momentous pondering, I decided to go to the grocery store in the morning.

So, I got to the grocery store by around 8:30 (wonderful!! Almost NOBODY was there!!). Then drove home and saw the retired guy down the street walking his cute little poodle-terrier mix dog. There are more retired than not living on my street, so it's not like I feel odd being free during the day. Put the groceries away, and posted on the forum a little while eating breakfast.

Frank called at 11:30 and said that his plumbing problems turned out to be immense, and I wouldn't be needed to "babysit" the plumbers since they would wait to start the Big Job. But would I like to go to lunch with him? (of course I would!

). So, he picked me up and we had lunch together at a favorite restaurant. Thursdays the restaurant has an especially delicious Pork Chop Special, which I seldom got when working since I was at work, so we got that. It was enough for several people and afterwards I almost hurt from overeating (lesson: DON'T EAT a whole Pork Chop Special next time!!).

Then we went to his house, and talked and messed around on his computers until he had to go to work. He drove me home. For the rest of the afternoon and evening, I sat in my big easy chair with my feet up on the huge ottoman, laptop in my lap, posting to the board while e-mailing back and forth with Frank and playing Animal Crossing on my Wii at the same time. I skipped dinner but that wasn't enough to make up for what I ate at lunch. I did some laundry in the evening, stayed up late, and went to bed at 11 PM.

It is SO NICE to know that I can do what I want and don't have to plan for work! Obviously I am in the "de-stressing", vacation-like phase of the very beginning of ER so I am not doing a whole lot of anything constructive at this stage.

**Alan** · 11-13-2009, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R

Frank called at 11:30 and said that his plumbing problems turned out to be immense

Has he tried "Flomax" ?

happy2bretired · 11-13-2009, 11:28 AM

W2R, when I retired, my brain was still going faster then my body or something. Anyway, I'd find myself running around my house trying to get things done but it was like my brain was pulling me in 5 different directions...not knowing what to do first. Thank goodness that phase stopped and now I can just take my time and do one thing at a time and my brain isn't reeling any more.

It sounds like you are settling in quite nicely.