A post about nothing

Tanker - Builder

Uh-Oh!

 Don't tell me . You got a whole year Built up? That's what happened to me and the company wasn't happy when Personnel ( Human Resources) said I had to burn it All ! ! 

One year off Paid. I never got more than seven days after that ! Turned out it was H.R.and payroll that messed up together.

 

How long have you been on retirement?

Uh-Oh!

 Don't tell me . You got a whole year Built up? That's what happened to me and the company wasn't happy when Personnel ( Human Resources) said I had to burn it All ! ! 

One year off Paid. I never got more than seven days after that ! Turned out it was H.R.and payroll that messed up together.

Ted4321

 

 

Bakster

 

 I awoke this morning thinking about stuff. I have to remind myself over and over, you are in vacation! It hasn’t set in yet. 

 

 

 

 

My boss actually gave me some good advice about this.  He told me the best way is to take 2 weeks off. Spend a few days worrying about work, then you can relax for a week, then start worrying about going back as the 2 weeks starts winding down.

Of course this only works if you have that much pto. We're lucky we get 32 pto days per year. 

T e d

 

Hey Ted, that is awesome, you have a good boss. And it’s nice that they allow you to take two weeks at once! In my case, it’s not that I don't have the time built up to do it, it’s that it‘d be frowned on. I am sure if I made a big stink they'd let me, but there’ll be a price to pay if I did.

I tell you though, your boss is dead on correct. With every week of vacation that I have ever taken, I have always wished for just one more week. I already know that it will be Thursday before I begin to decompress, and really, until that happens, I am not really enjoying the time off. I have to get past the angst before the roses begin to smell nice. The sad part is is that just when your start to feel good, your start to think about your vacation being almost over. Lol.

Ah well, such is life. Some people have it worse, so I shouldn't complain.

Cheers!

Bakster

 

 I awoke this morning thinking about stuff. I have to remind myself over and over, you are in vacation! It hasn’t set in yet. 

 

My boss actually gave me some good advice about this.  He told me the best way is to take 2 weeks off. Spend a few days worrying about work, then you can relax for a week, then start worrying about going back as the 2 weeks starts winding down.

Of course this only works if you have that much pto. We're lucky we get 32 pto days per year. 

T e d

Tanker - Builder

Hey Bakster !

 Got this retirement thing down now! Model when I want to And all the other stuff .Collected a few unusual Haig and Haig bottles .The fun ? Emptying them with friends around .

 Finally got a recliner.An older used,but well cared for " Pod " type.You know with the sound system inside? Changed it over to Bose and am always falling to sleep in it .Nice part? When I am in it no one bothers me ! 

 Goy a bigger T.V. Because it's easier for me to see at twelve feet.It's all the way across our living room! Went to the park My Late wife loved .Oh My,what a relaxing walk .Got to four miles on my walking meter afore I realized it and didn't hurt!

 

We've been exploring making Monterey County into a "Blue Zone".

You know, where people live into their 100's.

Diet and exercise, Lloyd, my man, diet and exercise.

Hey Bakster !

 Got this retirement thing down now! Model when I want to And all the other stuff .Collected a few unusual Haig and Haig bottles .The fun ? Emptying them with friends around .

 Finally got a recliner.An older used,but well cared for " Pod " type.You know with the sound system inside? Changed it over to Bose and am always falling to sleep in it .Nice part? When I am in it no one bothers me ! 

 Goy a bigger T.V. Because it's easier for me to see at twelve feet.It's all the way across our living room! Went to the park My Late wife loved .Oh My,what a relaxing walk .Got to four miles on my walking meter afore I realized it and didn't hurt!

GMorrison

I like staycations too; not so much my wife. She's a get-out-and-do-it type, so we balance it. 

As a boss for 35 plus years, I instituteed two policies relative to vacations, well three taking into consideration the point of Bakster's rant.

First; PTO. I don't care what you do or where you go or don't go, whether you are really sick once a month or the day after St. Patrick's Day.

Second; if you respect my schedule regarding deadlines, I will return the respect regarding your own personal needs. Kids graduate, parents get sick, it's not for me to judge. Please just don't lie about it.

Third; lead by example. Get to work every day on time. Don't leave early. Take a regular lunch break. 

I have no issue with nepotism, however it is all about the individual. Some of the great companies were built by families.

We just took most of five days off volunteering for the US Open. I had no problem posting news about it to my employees, They seemed to get a smile out of the boss going to work (for free) at 4.00 a.m. every morning.

 

 

I like staycations too; not so much my wife. She's a get-out-and-do-it type, so we balance it. 

As a boss for 35 plus years, I instituteed two policies relative to vacations, well three taking into consideration the point of Bakster's rant.

First; PTO. I don't care what you do or where you go or don't go, whether you are really sick once a month or the day after St. Patrick's Day.

Second; if you respect my schedule regarding deadlines, I will return the respect regarding your own personal needs. Kids graduate, parents get sick, it's not for me to judge. Please just don't lie about it.

Third; lead by example. Get to work every day on time. Don't leave early. Take a regular lunch break. 

I have no issue with nepotism, however it is all about the individual. Some of the great companies were built by families.

We just took most of five days off volunteering for the US Open. I had no problem posting news about it to my employees, They seemed to get a smile out of the boss going to work (for free) at 4.00 a.m. every morning.

Greg

 

As an ex-business owner of 40-some years, that makes me cringe and actually a little angry. And I'd best bite my tongue and leave it at that.

I wish you a good weekend. Looks like we might actually have a nice Saturday in the Great Lakes region of the friggen' midwest. It's a miracle.

 

Maybe with our team we can help push through change. I have extreme doubts, but just maybe, I hope so. It is a good company and there are a lot of good people working there that can’t reach their potential because they are bogged down in the mud of discord. It shouldn’t be this way.

Yeah Buddy, about the weather. It remains on the cool side of things but the weeks forecast seems to be trending warmer! Giddy up!

Bakster

Worse than all that, a few of them seem born to push peoples buttons, they love getting a rise out of people. Can you imagine a manager doing that? Rather than supporting his people, they like to mess with their own staff? It is no joke, they admit to enjoying it.

As an ex-business owner of 40-some years, that makes me cringe and actually a little angry. And I'd best bite my tongue and leave it at that.

I wish you a good weekend. Looks like we might actually have a nice Saturday in the Great Lakes region of the friggen' midwest. It's a miracle.

Ted4321

Stay-cation is the best. I love being at home.  As far as letting work know what I'm doing during MY time off... I'll tell them when i get back.  "I will not have access to email or voicemail". I'm not paid enough to be accessible during vacation/pto. 

Enjoy your time off Bakster. I hope you get maximum bench time. 

T e d

 

keavdog

I'm a big fan of the "nothing" vacation.  I live just outside of San Diego, great pool, built an outdoor living area with kitchen/grill,  2 outdoor tvs..... why would I leave?  Plus theres my bench right inside.  Relax and enjoy!

 

I tell ya, the company I have worked 30+ years has produced some of the worst managers. Nepotism, lack of people skills, and lack of common sense is the norm. They have no management training at all. Worse than all that, a few of them seem born to push peoples buttons, they love getting a rise out of people. Can you imagine a manager doing that? Rather than supporting his people, they like to mess with their own staff? It is no joke, they admit to enjoying it.

I had one very good manager in all these years, and SHE was fantastic. She was not afraid to get her hands dirty, she got it, and she bucked the good old boys club. She left the company a year later because she saw the writing on the wall; the owners like how things are, and they are not going to change. That remains true to this day. As a result, the company is imploding from it’s massive disfunction. They just hired a consulting firm to figure things out, of which, I was recruited to be part of:

How do you tell the owners to save the tens of thousands for a consultant firm, and that the problem is YOU! For starters, how about showing up to the office instead of fishing all the time?  Secondly, how about listening to your people, and maybe actually managing  them? 

All I can say is, I am glad to be closing in on retirement age. I had a coworker friend once tell me, “Hey Steve, I don’t let this stuff bother me. What are they going to do, send me back to Vietnam?“ I always remember that, it puts things in perspective.

Thanks for listening.

GAF

Bakster>  Try to relax and forget about work.  That's the best advice anyone can give you.  It will still be there when you get back and your boss will still be a... there.

Retiring early was the best thing that ever happened to me.

Regards,

Gary

 

Man I relish the days of zero contact with the company.  In my role these past few years thats just not possible - but, I'm not hands on these days.  When on vacation and the poop hits the fan I have to coordinate and put the right resources in place and oversee.  About 1/2 the vacations I've done I have to do this sort of work - but I'm watching my phone/emails/texts etc.  Not on the keyboard digging into issues.  It's good and bad.

Stay-cation is the best. I love being at home.  As far as letting work know what I'm doing during MY time off... I'll tell them when i get back.  "I will not have access to email or voicemail". I'm not paid enough to be accessible during vacation/pto. 

Enjoy your time off Bakster. I hope you get maximum bench time. 

T e d

I'm a big fan of the "nothing" vacation.  I live just outside of San Diego, great pool, built an outdoor living area with kitchen/grill,  2 outdoor tvs..... why would I leave?  Plus theres my bench right inside.  Relax and enjoy!

Bakster>  Try to relax and forget about work.  That's the best advice anyone can give you.  It will still be there when you get back and your boss will still be a... there.

Retiring early was the best thing that ever happened to me.

Regards,

Gary

Oh man, G. Maybe I have the same boss! Shaking my head. Well, if you don't have a drink, I will have one for you. Lol! Thanks for posting!

Bakster,

Enjoy your weekend off.  And have a rum Coke.  Or  two.  

I hear you about work man.  I had worked for 10 years for a guy, I came to work early, left late a lot, sometimes didn’t take vacation for over two years, got interrogated for having to take my cat to the vet (“Why do you need to do that?”), and on my last day left five minutes early and got a loud “HEY, LEAVING A LITTLE EARLY HUH?!”

The irony is that he could not hire someone to take my place despite me giving him over a month notice, so he asked me to do work on the side until he found another worker.  I agreed more out of pity than anything else.  Luckily he got a bright guy who I was able to train up fast and could handle the work.

Gosh, now I need a drink...

Well, it is still a post about nothing. Today begins a weeks vacation for me. What a battle. I take care of one problem, two more come in. Alas, I am free from the chain gang.  What will I do with all this time, sleeping in would be nice. 

Get this. My boss goes, what are you doing on your time off. I say, no major plans. He says, then why are your taking off a full week?

Really? I could have punched him. Two years in a row he did this. No matter he takes off weeks at a time, as do others in the company. What a pin head. Maybe next time I say, none of your damn business what I am doing. Or maybe I break my mold and lie. May I tell him, dude, I am going on an expedition into the heart of Africa. Shaking my head.

Anywho... here is to a week from the madness. Cheers! GULP GULP GULP. lol.

Ted4321

This is something that needs to be taught in grade school and high school.  If it is already, it certainly wasn't taught in my school.  "Pay everything off"... keep the credit card balance at zero- use it only when you already have cash for whatever is going to be charged- then pay it off every month to zero.   Retirement options also need to be taught or at least introduce kids to the ideas. I think navigating your finances and personal budget is just as important to survival as reading, writing, and math. 

What a novel idea. 

DRUMS01

I believe the key for me was to live within my means, pay everything off, and save (IRA, Stock, Bonds, etc.). One of the mottos I have always lived by is "If you fail to prepare, be prepared to fail"

This is something that needs to be taught in grade school and high school.  If it is already, it certainly wasn't taught in my school.  "Pay everything off"... keep the credit card balance at zero- use it only when you already have cash for whatever is going to be charged- then pay it off every month to zero.  

Retirement options also need to be taught or at least introduce kids to the ideas.

I think navigating your finances and personal budget is just as important to survival as reading, writing, and math. 

Anyway, my pops retired a few years ago.  I haven't seen him as happy in my entire life.  He passes the time by building model ships and "collecting bourbon". 

I've enjoyed reading this thread. Thanks for sharing. Thanks to all you guys in public service.  

T e d

Ben, that is excellent.

[quote user="GMorrison"

[/quote]Seriously. I did my Bachelors Degree dissertation research in the DDR, lived there in 1977 for about a month.

Everywhere I went, my luggage was searched in my room. After the first time, I just left the suitcase open on the bed.

[/quote]

The Stasi at work.

Another thing about retirement is that time is not as relevent as it was when working. Everyone who works normally has a boss (unless they are the accountable official for the company, the owner). Even then EVERYONE is looking to do more in less time at a cheaper cost, and better than everyone else.

Some of the working people have to deal with being "on call" while others have to adjust thier life to shift work. Some who work in the labor fields have more physical stress and fatigue while those behind a desk have mental stress and fatigue. Then there are those like "first responders" have a little of both with some high adrenaline urgency to boot. 

Now that I have retired and after finding my identity I have learned to take it slower and reduce the stress. What does not get done today will get done tomorrow. The only one I really have pushing me now is myself and I have learned that does not not happen very often anymore (smile). If I am real busy now it is by choice, not because of any another influence.

After a military career and then a DoD career in Anti-Terrorism, Force Protection, and Emergency Operations... taking time for me and my family are my biggest rewards.

To all of us who have worked and planned a path into a nice retirement,... good to ya. And for those still working, remember that every retiree you know has walked the walk to get to retirement just as you are doing now. I believe the key for me was to live within my means, pay everything off, and save (IRA, Stock, Bonds, etc.). One of the mottos I have always lived by is "If you fail to prepare, be prepared to fail", and I DO NOT like to fail. 

Do I ever miss the job? very rarely but sometimes. I miss many of those I worked with much more than the job.

Have I ever thought I could go back and provide input to make a mission or task better? Sometimes, but it is no longer my place. I made the choice to retire and they have replaced me with another selection. It is thier turn, in thier time, with different dynamics, to grow and support the mission. 

Do I miss the authority or rush that comes during a response? not really... at this age I am happy I made it, did my job well, and that I did my very best to train or coach others to take my place as just one of the many cogs of the wheel.  

Retirement is just another chapter of life. Much like the transition from childhood to adulthood, from college or school to the work force, and now from the work force to what you make of it in retirement. Remember that normally retirement is something your earn, so do everything in your power to earn it well. 

Ben

[quote user]

It cracks me up whenever someone here in the US complaints that we live in a "Police State". Really? These people have no clue what that is.

[/quote]Seriously. I did my Bachelors Degree dissertation research in the DDR, lived there in 1977 for about a month.

Everywhere I went, my luggage was searched in my room. After the first time, I just left the suitcase open on the bed.

plasticjunkie

It cracks me up whenever someone here in the US complaints that we live in a "Police State". Really? These people have no clue what that is.

That just brought back a long-forgotten, dumb memory.

I was probably a freshman in high school, I was with Mom and Dad in Chicago for some reason and on the way home Dad got pulled over. I remember it being on the Chicago Skyway. I had to do a speech for Speech class and spoke about living in a Police State, referring to the 'grossly unfair ticket'.

I was never much of a student, I got a deservedly poor grade, and ironically, less than a year later all of a sudden all I wanted to do was be a cop.

Sorry, couldn't resist becuase I sure was one of those dumb-assed kids who had no idea what a police state is!!!!!

murph

 Are the police without sin?  Absolutely not but everyone seems to be painted with the same brush.  Do the police deserve criticism and complaints?  When warranted, sure they do.  

There are rotten apples in every profession. The majority of us dedicated most of our adult lives in trying to make a positive impact on as many people as possible. And then there is the very small minority that cast a shadow on all. 

It cracks me up whenever someone here in the US complaints that we live in a "Police State". Really? These people have no clue what that is.