Finding the perfect "Second Act" after ER

[Nords]

... and it's fun trying to figure out the next cool thing to do.

Among parenting, home improvement & maintenance, yardwork, landlording, surfing, taekwondo, researching investments, e-mail, reading (books & Internet) and writing... by the end of the day I'm exhausted. And I'm an introvert.

I don't do every activty every day but I've certainly got more paperwork piled up on my computer desk (and my study desk) than I care to deal with. I also have a two-foot-tall stack of books that I'd like to catch up on.

Do you & your kids have the interest & space to tackle a project-car rehab or an electric vehicle conversion? Our kid has turned into a real home-improvement geek by working alongside us. She's probably the only teen in our town who can swap out a toilet or any of its parts...

 

[SVHoper]

After following a real estate thread from here to the 2 + 2 poker forum, I'm thinking of teaching myself to play poker... and expecting to come out w $. DH just smiled when I told him... but I'm not game enough to tell my BFF.

 

[NW-Bound]

I always thought of myself as an imaginative dude when I was working, dreaming up all kind of crazy ideas for what I would do post car business...

I had these crazy ideas too when I left the security of the megacorp to join a couple of start-ups. We were still doing engineering work, but in entirely different fields than what we did at megacorps. Man, it was tough, and we did not make enough money with our products to sustain ourselves, and finally folded. Yes, it was crazy and I should be glad I still have my shirts.

Anyway, I got really curious about the 3 different guys that I bought used vehicles from. I had been watching craigslist for what I wanted for a long time. I did not know these guys were car flippers from their craigslist listings until I met them. They had the best prices, and beat individual sellers, and of course car dealers. Thus, they knew where and how to buy cheap, and obviously you do too. I would not give that up.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I'm trying to come up with something to fill those six years that will be interesting and fulfilling for DW and I to do, not take up too many hours during the day, and be off in the summer. Kind of tough parameters, but that's what I'm working with.

While not for everyone, I had a cousin who would do days as a substitute teacher after he retired. He got a kick out of the kids and would tell them his big exaggerated stories with him as the hero. He only worked when he felt like it. And best of all, summers and holidays always off.

It wouldn't be what I would choose but he seemed to like it.

 

[kyounge1956]

After following a real estate thread from here to the 2 + 2 poker forum, I'm thinking of teaching myself to play poker... and expecting to come out w $. DH just smiled when I told him... but I'm not game enough to tell my BFF.

I'm gonna be a wet blanket and suggest if you're serious about playing poker for money, that you read this thread first. If you were just kidding, ignore the link, and I apologize for mistaking your meaning.

 

[jayc]

Food concession trailer. A little more generic than the Taco thing. You can get these used and change the menu for different venus. They come in all sorts of formats. There are always festivals, car shows, etc that may take some time to get your foot in the door. The kids can work in it and you can go to as many or few as you like. I know a lady that has one and she only goes to about 7 events a year and makes net 700-1200 for the weekend.

 

[SVHoper]

Thanks kyounge 1956, I am serious... whether I get a round to it - is another thing. I had previously read the sad thread and separately noted the danger.

Personally, I expect to be OK. I do have a totally irrational part of me that likes to gamble, but have no addiction problems... 1 scratch lottery ticket every 3 months and currently small $ worth of Citibank shares... ouch.

 

[haha]

Thanks kyounge 1956, I am serious... whether I get a round to it - is another thing. I had previously read the sad thread and separately noted the danger.

Personally, I expect to be OK. I do have a totally irrational part of me that likes to gamble, but have no addiction problems... 1 scratch lottery ticket every 3 months and currently small $ worth of Citibank shares... ouch.

I know a guy who is professional poker player and he claims to do pretty well. However, his long suffering wife is a professor, and I think he would be looking for a job quick if she ever left him. Which event would make great sense form her POV I think. Many of the guys on this board who have support from their female partners at least know enough to become good housekeepers, but he hasn't learned that one yet.

Ha

 

[kyounge1956]

Food concession trailer. A little more generic than the Taco thing. You can get these used and change the menu for different venus. They come in all sorts of formats. There are always festivals, car shows, etc that may take some time to get your foot in the door. The kids can work in it and you can go to as many or few as you like. I know a lady that has one and she only goes to about 7 events a year and makes net 700-1200 for the weekend.

That sounds kind of interesting. Can you suggest a book I could read to find out more about a food concession business?

 

[clifp]

Thanks kyounge 1956, I am serious... whether I get a round to it - is another thing. I had previously read the sad thread and separately noted the danger.

Personally, I expect to be OK. I do have a totally irrational part of me that likes to gamble, but have no addiction problems... 1 scratch lottery ticket every 3 months and currently small $ worth of Citibank shares... ouch.

I am pretty serious player (cashed in WSOP event) and play 1-2 times a week in Hawaii. The 2+2 forums are very useful place to learn a lot about the game. The books recommended there are particularly good.

It is a fun hobby (and it least for me) a modestly profitable one. Its been 2 years since I've need to use an ATM I use cash to buy a fair amount of things, however the summer of 2008 was pretty expensive.

The least expensive place to learn to be a decent players is online. I think anybody with good math background (EE certainly qualify) can learn tob e a decent player (this doesn't mean winning) for a several hundred if you stick to the low limits ($.25 table online.) Poker "lessons" in a card room like Bay 101 in San Jose are considerably more expensive easily require a few thousand investment and many hours before becoming a decent player.

 

[jayc]

That sounds kind of interesting. Can you suggest a book I could read to find out more about a food concession business?

Sorry, I have no leads on books. You can do searches on ebay to get an idea on different types available. Maybe go to a few events/festivals and when it is slow at one, ask some questions.

 

[ItDontMeanAThing]

Sorry, I have no leads on books. You can do searches on ebay to get an idea on different types available. Maybe go to a few events/festivals and when it is slow at one, ask some questions.

And if you like the answers offer the owner $$ so you can shadow him for a day then pick his brain for an hour in a follow-up session.

 

[ItDontMeanAThing]

Starting a Baja Fish Taco stand only on W-TH-FRI and only in the evenings and not during the summer so our kids can learn the value of work and earn some extra change but so we can still travel all summer!! (as I explain breathlessly and excitedly to anyone who will listen)

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just sounds goofy as hell when I try to describe it to people (especially DW).

My initial reaction is why would your customers put up with the schedule? You expect them to remember the days & hours you're open? To remember when you reopen in the fall? Wouldn't it be so much easier for them to take their business to a fish taco stand that kept regular hours?

How about you get a partner who runs the stand when you don't?

 

[obgyn65]

Planning to provide free healthcare in different parts of the world, including Asia, eastern Europe and Central/Latin America. It seems that a lot of planning is needed, especially financial planning rather than pure logistics....

Anyhoo, just wondering if any other folks have had any success starting up something new in ER, and if so what kind of stuff did you have to go through to get it going?​