Thursday, September 30, 2010

FREE!

FREE! FREE! THE WICKED PRINCE IS FREE!
I had not expected the decision to come quite this quickly, but advancing age and declining health have led me to pull the plug, and take early retirement. Today, 09/30/10, was my last day on the job. The decision has not been made lightly, but it has become more evident that I am no longer fully effective on the job, and I am not being a credible asset to my employer, and my health is suffering because of my trying to keep up.
I look forward to using the opportunity to better distribute and control my nutrition (insulin-dependent diabetic) and energy levels (congestive heart failure), and to be around a while longer to further harass and generally bug my family and friends. We are cutting expenses around here by such measures as dumping the landline phone, so I will be operating solely on my cell, at too oh five five for one won six one ate, with no texting. At sixty five mpg, I suspect that the Elite scooter will become a more integral part of my transportation, which will be easy – my increasing sensitivity to weather means that if it is raining or less than 60 degrees, I probably will not leave the house anyway.
I plan to use the situation to reconnect with my lady wife – presently, she sees me mostly after work, when I am tired all the time, and I normally leave in the morning before she is awake. I have 20+ years of things I would like to have been doing with the house, but have been unable to do because of time/health issues, and I hope that with operating at my own pace and ability without the pressure and hassle of work, I can get a bunch of it done. I hope to pursue my hobbies more seriously.
I also hope to avoid bankruptcy and homelessness, as our household income will drop by about a third on the early pension, and the mortgage is not paid out yet. We have been crunching numbers however, and I am surprised at the savings that will materialize. I spend about $7 a day in fuel making the commute in the truck, and if I am not careful, I can spend $10 a day in food for breakfast, lunch, needed occasional snacks, etc. Working an average of 21 days per month, we are looking at over $350 a month in working costs. The gasoline costs for the truck will, of course, not disappear, but will drop drastically, and my insurance will go down since I am no longer commuting, and I plan to turn the Pimpmobile, making for more savings, and I will have less clothing cost. Add this to the $70 per month savings by dropping the landline phone, and we about have the mortgage covered.
It will be uncomfortable while we get used to it, but it seems doable. We will see.
I will think about you commuters in the morning. Briefly.

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