Ponderings for April 16th 2022

[mikeyank]

The trees are getting greener on this April 12th, not all the way there but on their way!

 

[br6205]

Thanks for sharing

 

[chac54]

It was almost 70 here in southeast Massachusetts. By Friday we will be 75+. Looking forward to it!

 

[mikeyank]

It was almost 70 here in southeast Massachusetts. By Friday we will be 75+. Looking forward to it!

It’s been even warmer here Chac. I’m loving it. Rain is predicted for the weekend and back to the 60’s next week. And with the warm temps, I saw a couple of very fit young guys running shirtless through the neighborhood today. A secondary but wonderful benefit of the beautiful weather.

 

[mikeyank]

Today concludes my vacation week from my part time job. They actually reopened today but I will resume on Monday, and I was reflecting or “pondering” this morning on my situation. I did the math and realized that I retired from full time work in June of 2016 and so I’m coming up on seven years since I had to endure the drudgery and pressures of a sales job that I never wanted and actually hated, but I couldn’t imagine looking for another job at that stage of the game.

But I enjoyed the work I did in the office at this job, (which was similar to my original work), when I was not out selling and asked if they could use me two days a week, which they did, and it has worked out better than I’d expected. They have come to need me for what I do and although my friends who are fully retired, cannot believe me, but I actually enjoy going into the office twice a week. It is mostly interesting with zero pressure as I do not need the job financially, but do it because I want to.

Our perception of time changes throughout life. Seven years of semi-retirement has gone by faster than four years of college did, way back when. And it is going to be 19 years in total at this job at the end of this year, whereas I worked for thirty one years at my original job. That jpb through three locations as we kept moving to larger facilities, seems like a lifetime, filled with hundreds of employees and co-workers, but I finds the older I get, the faster time goes by.

Over-all I am very pleased with my life at this stage and the part time job helps me feel useful and occupied and makes me enjoy my time off, like this week has been. I appreciate where I am in life and try to enjoy what I have.

 

[br6205]

Today concludes my vacation week from my part time job. They actually reopened today but I will resume on Monday, and I was reflecting or “pondering” this morning on my situation. I did the math and realized that I retired from full time work in June of 2016 and so I’m coming up on seven years since I had to endure the drudgery and pressures of a sales job that I never wanted and actually hated, but I couldn’t imagine looking for another job at that stage of the game.

But I enjoyed the work I did in the office at this job, (which was similar to my original work), when I was not out selling and asked if they could use me two days a week, which they did, and it has worked out better than I’d expected. They have come to need me for what I do and although my friends who are fully retired, cannot believe me, but I actually enjoy going into the office twice a week. It is mostly interesting with zero pressure as I do not need the job financially, but do it because I want to.

Our perception of time changes throughout life. Seven years of semi-retirement has gone by faster than four years of college did, way back when. And it is going to be 19 years in total at this job at the end of this year, whereas I worked for thirty one years at my original job. That jpb through three locations as we kept moving to larger facilities, seems like a lifetime, filled with hundreds of employees and co-workers, but I finds the older I get, the faster time goes by.

Over-all I am very pleased with my life at this stage and the part time job helps me feel useful and occupied and makes me enjoy my time off, like this week has been. I appreciate where I am in life and try to enjoy what I have.

You are very lucky & the fact you appreciate it is awesome. I was not so lucky and I take full responsibility for how it worked out . It arose because I fell for a sadly troubled soul and had been warned by his ex not to become involved but in my arrogance I thought I could help him and failed and learned the hard way you can not help a person who is incapable or unwilling to help themselves. However things in the end evolved to a great place in my life thanks to my awesome eldest son.

 

[mikeyank]

Yesterday I traveled to Central Park to see cherry blossoms and just now walking home from the supermarket, I saw this right on my block a few doors away from my apartment. I’ve been walking the other way lately and missed this.

 

[mikeyank]

As I continue pondering the transformation from winter into spring in New York City, I took some pictures of a tree on my corner. As I recall, it transforms into beautiful pink flowers around this time each year. Today I saw the first pink buds on the tree. I will track it as the buds become flowers. I think it is a Forsythia tree, but I’m not sure. If there are any botanists who know, please inform me.

April 15

 

[br6205]

More like early summer the past week, so enjoy because this out of spring weather is hard on the blooms.

 

[mikeyank]

I started looking at and photographing and posting pics of my neighborhood looking for signs of spring on March 7th.

 

[mikeyank]

And today, approximately five weeks later, it looks like this. Again, I know this phenomenon has been going on my whole life and for centuries before, but as I get older and have a digital camera on my iPhone, I am fascinated by the process and will keep checking it out as we get deeper into spring and then summer. It’s just what I like to do.

 

[GoneWithTheWind]

1 year ago the pondering started, and mike is still at it. I love seeing New York but not having to be there.

 

[br6205]

1 year ago the pondering started, and mike is still at it. I love seeing New York but not having to be there.

Agree (of course I lived there for 3 years as a grad student, the first of three schools I was at to get my advanced degrees)

 

[mikeyank]

1 year ago the pondering started, and mike is still at it. I love seeing New York but not having to be there.

I noticed the one year anniversary too, GWTW and thank Chac very much for starting this thread.

By the way, I think you would be surprised if you came here to visit. New York City gets a bad rap in the press, and by people with an agenda against the Democratic government here. But while there is crime in this city of 8.5 million people, it is very rare to encounter in everyday life as people go about their business. And while it can seem overwhelming in it’s totality from a distance, it is made up of individual neighborhoods like mine, which has families and little shops and people just living their lives.

Peter has visited me here, for his only trip to NYC so far, as well as former forumites, Bartira from Brazil, and Rep from Texas. I have invited Tampa and Chac to come down and you too are more than welcome if visiting New York for me to give you a personal guided tour. I think you would have a good time. But for now, I am glad you are enjoying my pics on the forum. Thank you!

 

[GoneWithTheWind]

I noticed the one year anniversary too, GWTW and thank Chac very much for starting this thread.

By the way, I think you would be surprised if you came here to visit. New York City gets a bad rap in the press, and by people with an agenda against the Democratic government here. But while there is crime in this city of 8.5 million people, it is very rare to encounter in everyday life as people go about their business. And while it can seem overwhelming in it’s totality from a distance, it is made up of individual neighborhoods like mine, which has families and little shops and people just living their lives.

Peter has visited me here, for his only trip to NYC so far, as well as former forumites, Bartira from Brazil, and Rep from Texas. I have invited Tampa and Chac to come down and you too are more than welcome if visiting New York for me to give you a personal guided tour. I think you would have a good time. But for now, I am glad you are enjoying my pics on the forum. Thank you!

Traveling is a huge expense and I don't really get much out of it. I have a time share at the beach that I see as prepaid vacation and it forces me to get out sometimes, plus there's a convention I plan on attending in Vegas near the end of the year. My career might take me out east eventually tho, a lot more opportunity in general. I went to NY in middle school and all I really remember is how busy everything was, being in a rush all the time would drive me absolutely bonkers. NYC is probably fairly similar to Portland just way way way more of everything.

 

[mikeyank]

Traveling is a huge expense and I don't really get much out of it. I have a time share at the beach that I see as prepaid vacation and it forces me to get out sometimes, plus there's a convention I plan on attending in Vegas near the end of the year. My career might take me out east eventually tho, a lot more opportunity in general. I went to NY in middle school and all I really remember is how busy everything was, being in a rush all the time would drive me absolutely bonkers. NYC is probably fairly similar to Portland just way way way more of everything.

I totally understand and again as with porn tastes and everything else in life, “Different strokes for different folks”, but if you are ever in the area for business or anything else, please give our fair city another try. You might have a good time. Reminds me of an old TV Commercial!!

 

[br6205]

Traveling is a huge expense and I don't really get much out of it. I have a time share at the beach that I see as prepaid vacation and it forces me to get out sometimes, plus there's a convention I plan on attending in Vegas near the end of the year. My career might take me out east eventually tho, a lot more opportunity in general. I went to NY in middle school and all I really remember is how busy everything was, being in a rush all the time would drive me absolutely bonkers. NYC is probably fairly similar to Portland just way way way more of everything.

Cities that have a history do vastly differ in character, setting aside the slum areas.

 

[chac54]

1 year ago the pondering started, and mike is still at it. I love seeing New York but not having to be there.

I noticed the one year anniversary too, GWTW and thank Chac very much for starting this thread.

By the way, I think you would be surprised if you came here to visit. New York City gets a bad rap in the press, and by people with an agenda against the Democratic government here. But while there is crime in this city of 8.5 million people, it is very rare to encounter in everyday life as people go about their business. And while it can seem overwhelming in it’s totality from a distance, it is made up of individual neighborhoods like mine, which has families and little shops and people just living their lives.

Peter has visited me here, for his only trip to NYC so far, as well as former forumites, Bartira from Brazil, and Rep from Texas. I have invited Tampa and Chac to come down and you too are more than welcome if visiting New York for me to give you a personal guided tour. I think you would have a good time. But for now, I am glad you are enjoying my pics on the forum. Thank you!

Hard to believe it has been a year since I started this thread! I'm still pondering, just another year older LOL

I've not felt great the last few days, been in the dumps as they say. I had to break down and take some ibuprofen for a headache that wouldn't quit (fuck allergies ). I'm ready for Friday, is it here yet

Here's to hoping there are many more years of pondering!

 

[mikeyank]

Hard to believe it has been a year since I started this thread! I'm still pondering, just another year older LOL

I've not felt great the last few days, been in the dumps as they say. I had to break down and take some ibuprofen for a headache that wouldn't quit (fuck allergies ). I'm ready for Friday, is it here yet

Here's to hoping there are many more years of pondering!

Here Here! Indeed hoping for many more years of pondering together. I hope you feel better Chac &…….

 

[br6205]

Congratulation on your first year anniversary, may there be many, many more.