Retirement?

Today is my second day of retirement. I went to the gym, rode my horse, went to the grocery store, post office and dry cleaners and was home at 10:30.

I think retirement is going to take some practice.

 

maybe start taking the horse everywhere to kill more time.

 

You accomplish more by 10:30 a.m. than the US Army does all day.

 

First off, congratulations, Amy.

I had been thinking about getting out early, but I don't think so anymore. I had my job duties at the state Department of Aging expanded to include working in the Ombudsman division. I really enjoy it, to the extent that I think I'm going to work toward becoming a certified state ombudsman and work at getting older Pennsylvanians what they want out of life.

I know I'll want somebody doing that for me when I'm older.

BTW, I haven't picked up my old paper in seven months. Don't miss it at all.

 

Congrats. It's great when a plan comes together.

 

Aren't they already getting those sweet lottery proceeds?

 

This is where all those things you've always said you wanted to do comes in . Don't worry, I don't think not working will take much getting used to. Enjoy it all, and yourself.

Maybe you can plan and arrange a cross-country "agility trial tour" for you and Gadget to go on. You know, the way sports fans (and sports writers here) go on tours of pro baseball stadiums....

That's in jest, although I'd like to think it is a possible idea, too. I know with the Craig Stanke thread revived, and it being a couple of days past the anniversary of his passing, and especially with a lot of free and/or quiet time on your hands right now, that you might be thinking of him a lot. I hope you're doing well and taking care of yourself, and have found continued fulfillment in your life.

 

For now, anyway. Governor is proposing consolidating four departments, including Aging, into one. Don't know what happens to it then, although they've said the lottery funds will still be earmarked for older Pennsylvanians.

 

I called my boss yesterday and broke the news that I'm done at the end of the year.

I joked to a few people last night, "Now I know how those people feel when they get paroled." In all seriousness, though, I can't complain about 99.9 percent of a career that lasted more than 42 years: a fair number of awards and honors, producing some stories and pages that I'm terribly proud of and, maybe best of all, working with or meeting a long list of exceptional journalistic talents. Thanks to each and every one of you that has in some small way inspired me strive to do better. As a kid, all I wanted to do when I grew up was to work in sports, which was all fun and games, and to have had that opportunity has blessed me more than I probably deserved.

I think back to some of the unforgettable experiences from my first job — trying to cover a high school football game while standing on the top row in a set of bleachers that had only six rows, learning on my own how to keep stats and, harder yet, keep them legible in a downpour that I was completely unprepared for. I never would have imagined that I'd ever have jobs that would fly me to many parts of the world and give me the opportunity to interview or get to know some of the greatest sports personalities of the last half century.

I'll never forget the thrill of walking into a corner newsstand the day after covering my first World Series game and seeing my byline on a story across the top of A1, right next to a stack of the New York frickin' Times. Being part of a newsroom that shifts into high gear after the clanging of bells on the teletype machine was an incredible experience. I loved the smell of freshly printed newspapers and, just like they do in the movies, grabbing one off the line to see how your work really looks in print. That never got old.

Like so many on this board, I experienced the painful, sometimes life-changing moments of industry layoffs and downsizing, but through four-plus decades I was unemployed for only three days. I've thanked the good Lord a lot for taking care of me.

On the unusual side, I'm pretty close to holding some kind of record for the shortest time worked in a new job — 8 hours.

I'm excited about the new year and beyond. I do want to see if sleeping in is all it's cracked up to be.

I should note that my current employer is the company that is probably the most despised on this board; dealing with the corporate BS makes me more certain than ever that my timing is right.

 

Congrats on a good, long career ... and for leaving on your own terms.

p.s. I once left a new job after three hours. Not a newsroom job, though.

 

Trifectarich -- I couldn't be happier for you. The best decision you could have made. About 4-1/2 years ago, I had a similar post as my 44-year career came to an end. The very next post was from Versatile, who ripped me for writing too long about myself. That was followed by Amy posting that Versatile is an ass and telling him to get lost. Versatile is long gone. I'm happy as hell to be retired and I'm sure you will feel the same way. Congratulations.