Tag: Work
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Repost: Hug an illegal immigrant today! (August 2007)
What’s old is new! What’s old in this case is the following post, first posted nearly ten years ago in August 2007. Given Trump’s desire to deport pretty much anyone, it’s as topical now as it was then. And it’s one of my better posts. So time for a repeat. Enjoy! Here is a basic…
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Retirement is great (for introverts)
So what’s it like being retired? I can faithfully report that it’s great! But it’s only recently that I figured out why it’s great. It’s great because I’m an introvert. Doubtless you have heard stories about how many people are miserable in retirement. There is nothing to do, you hear. That is not a problem…
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Readying for another adventure
So how is the retirement thing going, Mark? It’s been about a month since I retired. Is retirement boring? Stressful? Did it feel like jumping out of an aircraft without a parachute? Does it feel surreal? Am I ready to divorce my wife because we are sharing the days, nights and the same house pretty…
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The countdown
I haven’t been counting. Really. Counting down days until I retire, that is. It’s sort of expected, like you are chomping at the bit to begin a life of leisure. It’s the natural question from colleagues at work, all of who know I am retiring at close of business on August 1st. “How many days is…
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Passing through the retirement door
Deciding to retire so far has been all about getting our financial ducks in a row. I’ve been doing this for many years. The 401K seems to be large enough. The pension looks generous enough. Our liabilities are paired down: just $35,000 remains on the mortgage, our last debt. The daughter has graduated college and…
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All the lonely offices
In February I will celebrate my tenth year of working at my agency. As I near that milestone, it’s hard not to see that a lot has changed. Some things have not changed at all. My building is still the same. The view out my window of the parking lot and (on clear days) the…
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Furlough Diary, Day 3
Our bathtub is looking real nice after its caulking yesterday. With time to spare and prohibited from even touching a government-owned device, this currently “non-excepted” i.e. furloughed federal employee has time to play Tooltime Tim. Unfortunately, I’m not terribly skilled at home improvement, given how I messed up my last three attempts to caulk our…
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I’ve grown accustomed to her face
I’ve grown accustomed to the tune that She whistles night and noon. Her smiles, her frowns, Her ups, her downs Are second nature to me now; Like breathing out and breathing in. Henry Higgins “My Fair Lady” The popularity of TV shows like “The Office” are easy to understand when you spend much of your…
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Transitions, Part 3
When it gets a little too comfortable or too familiar, life seems to conspire to kick you in the pants. If you are seventeen going on eighteen, this is the time of year when you are about to graduate high school and are thrust, usually with some trepidation, onto a larger and more chaotic adult…
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Am I overpaid?
The Washington Post, the newspaper of record in this federal city and whose suburbs I inhabit decided to poll the country. The subject: me, or more specifically, the 1.9 million employees of Uncle Sam, and whether Joe and Jane Citizen thought we were overpaid and under qualified for our jobs. Unsurprisingly, the rest of the…
Occam's Razor 