I think retirement is settling in for me. Often my periods of not working have been like busy holidays. Lots to do, including looking for the next work gig with varying degrees of effort. The idea was that I would return to some form of a day job.
My buddy Sean and I were out for a photo ramble Saturday morning. (Stay tuned for the photos.) We're about the same age, and he and his wife are getting to the point they need to do math to understand if they can retire or not. Not yet, but soon, they hope. He's still working, and nothing he says about it is inducing any desire in me to return to the office. Neither do any of the tales my other working buddies tell me.
Photography has become a passion for me. I love getting out and looking for interesting shots. If someone were to want to buy a print of a photo, I'd be happy to work with them to get them exactly what they want. If someone wants to offer me an honorarium for doing some photo work I'm happy about that too. But I already know I don't want to set up and run a photography business. That's almost as tough a way to make a living as writing.
One of my neighbours lives right beside a giant excavation for the storm water drain under 24th St. He's also a photographer, and we were chatting about what to do with all the photos that generated. I know I've taken more than 50K photos in the last several years. There are at least 11,000 in the folder of edited photos. Think about it, 11,000 photos. Many are banal, with no redeeming artistic value whatsoever, of course. It's a shot of one of my neighbours at a pancake breakfast, for example. But there's more 500 that I'm really proud of, and would show to anybody. If you've been following my blog you've probably seen many of them. But what to do with them? I'm not so vain I want to pay for a web presence to display them. I'll think of something.
The realization has slowly been dawning on me that I don't want to do another triathlon of any distance. There are more than 10 years of habits built up around staying fit; going for a run, bike, or swim, though the road bike has been mostly gathering dust lately. Maintaining at least some level of fitness is important to me, but it's finding a balance that is difficult. I need to do some research around how much activity is optimal for people like me.
I was on my road bike fastened into the spin trainer for an easy 30 minute spin, which is sort of like using a Ferrari to get groceries. Really, if I'm not riding to train for a triathlon, I should sell the bike to someone that will ride it the way it was intended. Which will be a bit (a lot!) of a pang, Estela has been a sweet ride. Then there's all the other triathlon gear. If I'm not going to use it, why keep it?
I didn't run much over the summer, and have been getting back into it, at least a bit. 5 K nice and easy has been the distance lately. The swim has been tough, mentally. I think of myself as a swimmer, and lately my swims have been short and slow, by my standards. I've been hoping my shoulders will start feeling stronger and I can push harder on the swim, but it hasn't really been happening.
The writing has been interesting, fiddling through the subtle details of smoothing things into a unified timeline. It isn't particularly any closer to being a chunk of text I could show a publisher and sell commercially. I'm not even sure that's something I want to do. From what my writer buddies tell me, the part AFTER the book is written and sold, is the hard part. Publicity, trying to get people to buy your book. The model where the publisher took care of publicity, and sent the writer on booze-fuelled trips for book signings and readings are long gone. I've seen writers sitting at a table in Chapters, eager to sign a book for someone, anyone, and yet nobody even notices them. I'm not sure I can take that much rejection.
The hard part of planning for retirement is figuring out how long you'll live. Granny's birthday is today, she would have been 99, and in the scale of things she missed it by that much. I'm pretty sure that ISN'T the model I want to pick for retirement, though. My four grandparents lived to an average age of 86. Something to keep in mind.
So I'm thinking about changes to my daily routine. Any advice from people already retired? Anybody want to start making dates for some form of regular activities? Let me know.
No, Curtis isn't mad at her. He's grooming her, and she's barely putting up with it.
They often like to sleep together, though I wonder what Curtis thinks. This is one of his favourite spots. He can keep an eye on us and out the window for the hot buttered mouse he'd love to hunt. Then Celina comes along and moves in. Sometimes they settle down, sometimes there's a bit of a spat.
Celina can be a hard snoozer. She didn't notice the camera clicks at all. I like how she interlaces her paws and tail.
The email I'm using for photography related stuff is loungecatproductions. So I've been looking to get a photo of Curtis lounging. He does it extremely well, the trick is catching a photo of him doing it. This is almost it, but he perked up as I aimed the camera. He has a way of propping himself on his elbow that reminds me of the 50's tough guys with their T shirt rolled up to tuck a pack of cigarettes in, and leaning their elbows out the car window, hanging onto the roof.
There are more dawn reflection photos on the way, via Beaver Dam Flats.
Hmmmm...wish you lived closer Keith so we could have long talks about retirement and other things over coffee or wine, and/or go for photo rambles and slow runs together. There's a lot to think about and you're a few months ahead of me. Love the cat photos but they make me wish we could have another one - not a good idea with a JRT in the household.
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