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In limbo
Old 04-06-2010, 06:33 PM   #1
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In limbo

At the end of this month I am going to....semi-retire. I think. Maybe it will be retire.

As it gets closer, it becomes more real and it is strange to think about how different things will be a month from now.

There is so much going on. We bought our downsize house in March (I posted about that when I was thinking of buying...we ended up paying cash for it). We are still trying to get the old house on the market. If it hasn't been one thing it has been another to get everything done to get it listed. I thought we would list a month ago and things keep happening to postpone it. Thought we were almost ready then the pool had a problem and needed to have someone out to look at that. We were going to move our dogs to the new house but then DH got sick this weekend and so that got postponed. And so on.

Work is sort of interesting. Most people don't know I'm leaving (my immediate supervisor does). He wants me to stay on and work one day a week and I'm amenable to it (assuming I can work out some issues). I don't want to get deeply involved in any new projects (just had a major matter end that I was working on almost exclusively for the past several months). It feels strange to not have much to do and I am so used to worrying about if I am billing enough hours that I can't get into the mindset of realizing it doesn't really matter.

Today my DH was home sick (he plans to retire in the summer) and I offered to pick our son up from school (usually DH does it). He said he would do it since he was used to me not having time to do that kind of thing. He said he wasn't sure if I could get away from work to do it. I pointed out that there wasn't much that anyone could do to me.... (Originally I had planned to leave at end of March and agreed to stay through April with an understanding that my time would be flexible).

Feels strange to think that in 3 1/2 weeks my entire schedule will be different. The other day I worked at home while some people were doing work at my house and I went to the store during normal workday hours. I was astonighed at how easy it was to find parking and do shopping. Then I realized I could do that all the time in a few weeks.
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Old 04-07-2010, 05:51 AM   #2
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It does feel like a huge impending transition. You're gonna like it! During my last six to eight weeks I was taken off cases (criminal investigation) because I wouldn't be available for court. Our office had no janitorial service because of the evidence control issues so the practice was that the tasks of emptying trash cans and vacuuming the carpet were rotated around, one person per week. That became my sole assigned task, which took about 45 minutes, for about two months.

So for two months I was probably the highest-paid janitor in the entire DC area.
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Old 04-07-2010, 07:37 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Katsmeow View Post
The other day I worked at home while some people were doing work at my house and I went to the store during normal workday hours. I was astonighed at how easy it was to find parking and do shopping. Then I realized I could do that all the time in a few weeks.
That was one of the big changes for me as well. I've become very used to running around doing things during the weekdays without crowds and traffic. One day, after about a year into retirement, I found myself caught up in a traffic jam, and I was fuming about the situation. "Why are there so many cars on the road at 2 in the afternoon? Don't these people have jobs?", I wonder aloud - to which my son replied, "Dad, it's Saturday."

Shopping, especially for groceries, and working out at the gym are activities that can be a breeze when you do them at off-peak times. All of the working stiffs try to cram that stuff in before and after work, so the gyms are almost deserted between 9 and 3 and so are most stores. I avoid the grocery store like the plague between 4 and 6 in the afternoons on weekdays or any time on Sunday afternoon.

In fact, I find that the most desirable place to be on a weekday evening is sitting on my back porch enjoying the late afternoon sun. Once you get used to doing your daily errands in a less hectic manner, you begin to notice how frenzied the working people get when they're on their way home in the evening. Whether they're driving home on the roads, or pushing a cart around the market, they all have the same mindset - "Must Get Home, Now!" You don't want to be mixed up with them when they're like that, it can be dangerous.

On the flip side you also learn to avoid "Senior Shopping Day" at the grocery store. Trying to shop while weaving in and out of the oldsters is a little too much for me. I've learned to scan the parking lot when I pull in, and if there is a small bus from one of the local retirement villages I just keep on going - it can wait until later.
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Old 04-07-2010, 03:50 PM   #4
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One of the greatest feelings is that first Sunday night after retiring when you realize you don't have to go to work on Monday.
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