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Protagonist · 10-19-2017, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InterBlog

LB_3 earned his Silver Snoopy this year, which is a performance award given to less than 1 percent of the NASA workforce annually. He earned that even as he was taking all that time to retrofit our lithium system, and he also passed his Texas state professional engineer (P.E.) licensing exams in mechanical engineering at the same time. It's been a very intense 2017 so far.

It's overachievers like him who give slackers like me a bad name!

bugsbunny · 10-19-2017, 07:49 PM

I think this is a great idea!

One of the reasons that we got an Interstate in the first place was to be able to take off somewhere for the weekend at the last minute. After hundreds and hundreds of $ of hotel reservations that went unused due to last minute needs to work the weekend, this was a great way to be able to get away.

We have similar jobs to LB_3, and am happy for both of you that you have found a way to get away for a few days, that is close enough to home to get there quickly when you are tired but far enough away to feel that you are away. This is vital to being able to relieving the high amounts of stress that these types of careers carry. A great solution! Oh an by the way, Congratulations on the Silver Snoopy!

Katy

InterBlog · 10-20-2017, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Protagonist

It's overachievers like him who give slackers like me a bad name!

Nobody could work as hard as LB_3 has on a continuing basis and not totally burn out. What happened in our case is that The Daughter went away to university. We'd been largely in coasting mode for a number of years... not planning any lifestyle disruptions or career advancement strategies until the kid was out of the house. Now it's time to execute a countdown-to-retirement plan and follow the resulting decision tree. We have an added complexity in that I am a decade older than LB_3. He may need to accelerate his advancement and resulting salary growth and retire early if we are to have any "retirement" time together at all before I end up either too old to get the most out of it, or in the grave entirely.

Protagonist · 10-20-2017, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InterBlog

He may need to accelerate his advancement and resulting salary growth and retire early if we are to have any "retirement" time together at all

I was fortunate in that regard. As a result of being in the right place at the right time, and doing my job very well, I got sufficient pay increases to be able to retire from Federal civil service about 10 years earlier than I would have otherwise, without having to obtain a promotion to a purely supervisory management position, which would have been torture for me.

If I had stuck around, I would have earned more retirement pay, and banked more of my salary in the meantime besides. But I'm of the opinion that everyone who can afford to retire should retire and start doing the things they enjoy full-time instead of doing the things they have to do full-time and the things they want to do part-time. So as soon as I could afford to retire, I was gone.

Sure, there are a few things that I can't afford to do on just my retirement pay. And unforeseen circumstances have required me to chip away at my savings faster than I might have liked, for a while. But I still have a buffer of two years' worth of retirement pay squirreled away among my various accounts. I don't regret retiring early, not for one minute. Just the relief from the stress of my job made me feel 10 years younger the day I retired, and that feeling hasn't gone away ever since.

Lily&Me · 10-20-2017, 10:29 AM

I agree, Protag.

Maggie

InterBlog · 10-20-2017, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Protagonist

....But I still have a buffer of two years' worth of retirement pay squirreled away among my various accounts. ....

Remember, too, that if push came to shove, you have the option of marketing yourself as a part-time consultant. Anyone with engineering skills is in demand on the Gulf Coast - there are far more jobs than people. I can't count how many people I've seen retire from a primary job only to take on a second one, either out of boredom or necessity.

bugsbunny · 10-20-2017, 11:48 AM

Same in the Northeast for doing engineering consulting....

Boxster1971 · 10-20-2017, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Remember, too, that if push came to shove, you have the option of marketing yourself as a part-time consultant. Anyone with engineering skills is in demand on the Gulf Coast - there are far more jobs than people. I can't count how many people I've seen retire from a primary job only to take on a second one, either out of boredom or necessity.

I started doing part time consulting about two years after I retired from my full time job. If you have skills and experience there are lots of jobs out there for part time work. I did it partly as favor to former co-worker and partly out of desire to be " back in the game" of twists and turns in business. Guess you could say that was boredom with my fully retired life.

Protagonist · 10-20-2017, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

Guess you could say that was boredom with my fully retired life.

You have my condolences. Unfortunately for me, the fully-retired life has contained rather more adventure than I counted on— of the type where you don't know if it's an adventure or a disaster until it's all over and you're telling the story around a campfire. Luckily for me, I can laugh at my troubles once they're over, so they were adventures, not disasters.

But most of those adventures would have still happened if I had been working for a living, and they would have caused me to miss quite a lot of work besides.

Wingeezer · 10-20-2017, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wachuko

Maybe I am going the wrong way about this… Please validate my reasoning.

The places around here where I can store my AI are around 150.00/month. This is uncovered, no hookups. Just a parking space to store it.

Using the example of Land Yacht Harbor, this is a place where I would have to pay around 5K to buy the share, then pay around 2.1K the first year, and 800.00 for the following years. It has water, electrical, dump, etc. facilities as well as external storage. It is a place that I felt comfortable leaving the AI without any worries.

Being a newbie with a new AI, I am probably being paranoid… but the two RV camp grounds that I have seen so far scared the heck out of me. Not well maintained, many of the RV units were in very bad state… not the place that I would want to store my AI or spend time in…

And others that I looked at, where I could buy a spot, where only for Class A RVs...

I will keep looking… and we plan to stop by LYH anyway to see if there is anything that can be done that would satisfy their requirements while still allowing us to keep it there… …long shot as I know that the purpose of the LYH is to have a community and not a storage place. It is certainly a place we would like to be when we retire...

Hi Wachuko,

We have been to LYH 3 or 4 times with our classic 30 and have reservatins to go there again for a month this winter.

I could be wrong, but I don't think you even need to buy a share to stay on an annual basis - though you pay a little more (not a whole lot). You might want o look into that.

The place is friendly (except no kids no pets) and is immaculately kept. There is no pool though if that matters to you. Lots of beaches nearby with free parking and facilities.

As well there is no washroom /shower building, but there is a fairly large community bldg with meeting hall, pool tables, library and toilets, open around 8am to late evening.

Brian

toskeysam · 10-20-2017, 07:48 PM

I retired (engineer) at 56 for about 6 months and got sucked back into the same position as a part-time consultant. I was the guy who said I wasn’t going to come back [emoji38][emoji38]. Finally pulled the plug completely the year we bought the AI (2014)....after 7 more years. It DID help combat the brain-rot! Now just tinkering with the AI is taking care of that!

InterBlog · 10-21-2017, 06:22 AM

My father was basically forced into retirement after 37 years with the civil service. He remained "retired" for 2 or 3 years, didn't enjoy it, and took a consulting job part-time. It was originally envisioned as a short-term gig, but it turned into 19 years. He handed in his notice last month and his employer is already asking for him to come back. He keeps saying, "Dudes, I'll be 81 next month... maybe I ought to think about retiring."

Humans did not evolve to sit around. The correlation between early retirement and early death (irrespective of health status) is well-known. When one of my relatives retired from the military, the exit program required that she take an entire short course in the subject. Certainly there are many people who remain active and don't suffer this outcome, but the overall statistics are clear.

Anyway, I have always envisioned myself following a similar path as my father, just because I like to be involved with a wide variety of stuff. It's a good thing that I think that way, given that I have a young husband.

Lily&Me · 10-21-2017, 07:46 AM

With State of Illinois employees, statistics lean toward retirement adding 10 years to your life.

There are lots of ways to stay busy, without tradional employment..

If you can save enough to retire early and pursue retirement dreams, by all means GO, in my opinion.

We’d all like to think we will live into our 80’s or 90’s, but that simply isn’t the case.

Them that can, does, and them that can but don’t, may look back and wish they had.

Maggie

Boxster1971 · 10-21-2017, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Protagonist

You have my condolences....

Don't get me wrong I really enjoy being retired. My part time gig is less than 10% and it fills a social void. I was used to working 60+ hours per week for the last 42 years so my retired life is great. My Interstate is now my main hobby project and I traveled over 90,000 miles in five years of retirement.

Just finished making all the parts for the sewage plumbing re-built yesterday. Even had to do a bit of welding on the original cracked macerator bracket. Will do final assembly on Sunday and post some photos.

Protagonist · 10-21-2017, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Humans did not evolve to sit around. The correlation between early retirement and early death (irrespective of health status) is well-known.

I knew a lot of people at work who retired, and then died within two years. Without exception, those were people who did not know what to do with themselves without a job to go to. That's one of the main reasons why I bought my Airstream, so I would have a retirement hobby that would keep me active and interested in life.

But I also knew several people who died before they got a chance to retire, and with very few exceptions like accidental deaths, they were people who hated their jobs but kept doing the job anyway for whatever reason.

Natuzzi · 10-21-2017, 02:46 PM

And then there are those who “died” on the job but still show up everyday to keep getting paid!

Protagonist · 10-21-2017, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Natuzzi

And then there are those who “died” on the job but still show up everyday to keep getting paid!

That bit of levity is misplaced. I was referring to real people, who really died, that I really knew, and I am trying very hard not to be offended by your insensitivity in this case.

LB_3 · 10-21-2017, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Natuzzi

And then there are those who “died” on the job but still show up everyday to keep getting paid!

To those GS-14s sleeping at their desk, we say RIP (Retired in Place).

Natuzzi · 10-22-2017, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Protagonist

That bit of levity is misplaced. I was referring to real people, who really died, that I really knew, and I am trying very hard not to be offended by your insensitivity in this case.

Protagonist, in no way was my comment aimed at you or anyone else posting here. But, I sincerely apologize for having offended you and rest assured it will never happen again.

Lotus54 · 10-22-2017, 05:03 PM

I should certainly count myself lucky. Where I live I use the AI all year, very rarely too hot or too cold. I use it LOTS for day trips (off-road motorcycle rides) and weekend trips too.

I love being retired and can’t even understand someone that doesn’t know what to do. Heck, I seem to have less time than I had working, and I worked at my job very hard.
That said, I had max carry over annual leave (vacation) and no way I’m going to loose hours I earned. So I took my leave- in as big of blocks as I could. I liked getting away for as long as possible at a time. It sure helped me.
Since I was WG most of my career, I could not get promotions for performance. And was ‘maxed out’ many, many years ago in any case. They didn’t upgrade the position even though I worked well above my grade constantly.
After 34 years my patenice with the BS was pretty short- too many times the ‘re-organization’ or ‘new approches’ That had been tried several times before and didn’t work. But of course, they claimed were not the same (but they were).

I could work as a consultant and make way more money than I did as an employee. But I don’t know when I’d find the time!

Mark