Simply random stuff

[Owen Smith]

or the high-stress difficulty transitioning into new employment as a senior worker imposes.

I hear you. I'm 59 in February and happy working to keep my brain occupied. But the thought of changing job, even in the same industry as a computer programmer, fills me with dread. It's such damned hard work in the first two years getting up to speed, learning what you need to know etc. I'm not sure I'm up for it again, and I hope my current role sees me to retirement.

 

[barfle]

When I was working, I found it difficult to work from home even though I have a dedicated space. Too many distractions: If my wife wanted to talk about something, I was there for her to do so. When the cat wanted attention, which was all the time, he was there scolding me. I preferred having an office away from home.

I never felt that I could be effective working from home, and now that home is my work, the distractions are always there. I rarely turn the music on during the day, but the cat regularly wants me to do something other than running cables through crawlspaces (she’s been successfuly locked out so far) or soldering capacitors.

 

[barfle]

COVID more or less forced me into retirement by Nov '21, though I confess that I was fortunate to be able to so at age 64, and then live lean until I hit SS FRA in April '24, 66.5 years old. Theoretically I was sufficiently fit to work right up to now, but tragically both my brothers died in early '22, & I was GRATEFUL that I could be fully present for at least my younger bro's last few months.

Retirement's a bigger topic than this forum can manage, BUT I remind myself daily how I was (and am) LUCKY in all sorts of ways to have been able to arrive at this "far shore" after decades of mostly benign employment grind. I've been comparatively healthy (though not unscathed), but even so, I REALLY appreciate how many seniors who are even ABLE to stagger across the age 62 SS eligible age just plain HAVE to retire. What is downplayed I think is just how difficult-to-impossible it is for even a reasonably fit & alert senior to find suitable employment at 60+, or the high-stress difficulty transitioning into new employment as a senior worker imposes.

Mercifully I'm a native urbanite living in a small state, and had a reasonably short commute even as workplaces shifted over decades. Even so, and especially given our VERY mercurial weather, I'm EXTREMELY grateful that commuting daily to & from a workplace is now behind me. Risking life & limb going & coming on a glazed highway in January is something I'll NEVER miss! I cannot imagine enduring DC or LA traffic daily, much less London, or even nearby Chicago or Minneapolis.

I lost a job at 60 and it took me a year and a half to find another one, and it sucked. Fortunately, that led me to a good position in another year, although, like almost every job, the shine eventually wore off and I retired. Fortunately, I have pretty good genes and at 77, I’m still pretty vigorous.

 

[par4ken]

A friend of mine once owned a TV repair business. It was located in another town, occasionally I would stop in to talk/visit him. Customers were continuously dropping by to check on thier equipment ask questions or just to chat. I don't know how he ever got any work done, at work!

 

[mandrix]

In early 2001 everyone in R&D got summoned one by one alphabetically to meet with a dept head,
where we were almost all laid off immediately. I loved that job. The place shut down completely a few months later.
Curiously, my first boss, a PHd, who I considered my friend, did my exit interview, and asked me if I was mad or bitter. Took me back for a few seconds in surprise. I told him it was the best job I ever had and I had learned and grew so much, I could not be mad about things beyond my control.


So I did the right thing and went back to school. Sort of a two year vacation.

Then again in 2011 I was working for Coker Noler and the plant shut down. My arthritis was becoming a major problem so I retired. We got a generous severance package and full paid up insurance for one year.
I came to loathe that job (mostly the people) over time and enough was enough.

 

[mandrix]

Great.
We're under a tornado watch. arrggghhhh.

 

[mandrix]

Great.
We're under a tornado watch. arrggghhhh.

Seems to have all passed by except some rain. Safe and sound.

 

[DuncanS]

I lost a job at 60 and it took me a year and a half to find another one, and it sucked. Fortunately, that led me to a good position in another year, although, like almost every job, the shine eventually wore off and I retired. Fortunately, I have pretty good genes and at 77, I’m still pretty vigorous.

I lost mine 31 Dec 2016 at the age of 59, and I was really really lucky, as not long before then I had a phone call from a company in another country saying, "we hear you're being made redundant, do you want a job as a freelancer?" and knowing them and being the crazy lunatic I am, I still said yes, still working for them, and still enjoying it (apart from replying to a lengthy email on Xmas Day!)

 

[ar surround]

I lost mine 31 Dec 2016 at the age of 59, and I was really really lucky,…

I’m sorry, Duncan, but when I started reading this, what immediately went into my head was ‘virginity.’ Obviously not.

 

[DuncanS]

I lost three times at 42, 44 & 59 ............................................ jobs that is

 

[Owen Smith]

Curiously, my first boss, a PHd, who I considered my friend, did my exit interview,

I'm in my 6th job now, I've never had an exit interview and they seem to be rare in the UK.

 

[mandrix]

I'm in my 6th job now, I've never had an exit interview and they seem to be rare in the UK.

Well...the R&D manager was a good guy. Whether he wanted the interviews out of courtesy to us, or some other reason...you have to understand we had zero warning that one day we would all go to work and be shown the gate. Not even a rumor.
I turned in all my keys, picked up my personal stuff and hit the door. I probably had 50 or so "experiments" running on automated equipment....I was told to just walk away and don't worry about it. lol.
My job was classified as being under the "material science' umbrella and my main job was to investigate and make rechargeable battery alloys. I had an arc furnace and heat treating equipment, and a lot more, always in use.

The last year I just kept doing what I was doing essentially without any direct supervision. But I could see the handwriting on the wall.
My manager had fired my boss, and with good reason. The manager just laid out what he expected and I strived to deliver.
We knew the Chinese were underselling us via cheap labor. The company built a new 70MM$ plant to manufacture Lithium-Ion batteries. Upon completion, it was decided to not open it as we could not manufacture to beat their prices.

Way it goes in today's world.
But was the best job I ever had, to work in science and with some very smart people.

 

[Owen Smith]

I had an arc furnace and heat treating equipment, and a lot more, always in use.

Great kit to have. At some jobs I've had oscilloscopes with built in logic analysers that cost about as much as a year of my salary.

 

[gvl_guy]

I lost a job at 60 and it took me a year and a half to find another one, and it sucked. Fortunately, that led me to a good position in another year, although, like almost every job, the shine eventually wore off and I retired. Fortunately, I have pretty good genes and at 77, I’m still pretty vigorous.

I only "lost" a job once, although it was kinda my own doing. Bastards called me in just after New Years and told me that I wasn't losing my job, but me salary was going to be cut. (This from a small company with an insane owner who already stopped paying anything toward our healthcare after promising a few years before that they would pick up the entire tab.) When I asked "how much of a cut, they told me "50%!" I nicely told them to KMA. They truly expected me to stay on.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

too many gone in 2024

 

[Mr. Afternoon]

When you've thunk too hard you feel like uuuuoiuoouaahguuughhhhh

 

[mandrix]

When you've thunk too hard you feel like uuuuoiuoouaahguuughhh

You should use that for your sig!

 

[quicksrt]

I tore my 5.1 system apart and started a repainting job in my living room. Decided to paint in darker shades of blue, green and gray (each wall a diff color). Then the gray turned out to be too dark I discovered after I finished one of the walls. Had to mix a few pints of this color with a pint of that to get the green the right shade, and it all was a mess physically. I did the molding and baseboard in high gloss white after ripping up the speaker cabling. Bought all new speaker cabling and nailed it all down around the baseboards. This went on for weeks where I was not able to listen to proper surround.

Then I ordered a couple of Fillmore posters from Wolfgang's when they had a big sale. I also got (from ebay) a vintage movie poster (reprint) Creature From The Black Lagoon - framed two of them - but the other (Hendrix) is not yet up. So I have had the room in partial disorder for weeks. and just last week finally got things together.

Here are the new posters going up in listening room:

 

[mandrix]

I never got into posters and decorations. Not sure why. Don't care about the trivia in box sets.
I know others do, and that's cool, and I've seen some sweet listening rooms here.
For me, it's all about the sound for an admittedly budget audiophile. I've never had the space in my small home besides. I'm good with that. I even put up with neighbors with cheap ass stereo systems and the distorted sound and Lfe carrying like a wave across the woods from cheap speakers cranked to the max, probably streamed off their freaking phones.

 

[cbmmm3]

welp. Tonight at midnight we are above freezing. Then we begin The Slide. Experts are saying that we will not be above freezing again until late January - if we are lucky. @mandrix Boonie git yer ass up here for some ice fishin !!!