Retirement – What would you do?

For most of my working life, other than trying to save a bit 'of money, I've never seen that many people believe in retirement. But I must admit that when my sixty anniversary came around, the thought crossed my mind more than once. I have begun to weigh in my mind about how it would be like to finish my work and constantly running into the sunset. Every day can be the same, or may be different. Every day can be anything you choose it. What would have to roll and goReturn to bed when the alarm goes off at five, I thought.

October 12, 2005, will not be eligible to start with 80 percent of my social received, but the benefits gained from my twenty-eight days to a few companies as well. Still, the idea of living on a fixed income, with some questions, and I began to consider when the time came.

What would I do with my free time? Should have enough money to do what I wanted to do? What ifwent wrong, something unexpected, something catastrophic? I would be happy? As Betty and I manage our time better together?

On the one hand, I had thought of pulling back to my time in comparison with 1970, when I applied for my GI Bill benefits and go to college. I attended classes in the mornings and evenings and work on TV in the afternoon. TV work has been word of mouth, and I could call and the caller wanted to know. But the $ 400 I received fromthe government should be as reliable as the sun rises in the morning. That was my thought at that time.

As I see it, the worst case scenario is manageable. When times get hard and not come, I could take a partial payment for the university and the purchase of certain foods or make a payment of interest. The thought gave me a warm feeling of comfort, or as the geeks would say, a warm fuzzy that I could do, regardless of what happened.

Secondhand, all that I've ever done is a job. I enjoyed my time at work. I always enjoyed batteries in a cold morning and hunt for the plant. I never tired of going to the computer room to check the screens after the room for the laboratory tests down. There will, I am a cup from a new pool, which had already been made, or a beer for me. So I go into the next room and discuss what was happening during the night with a mix of Pharmacy.

Ensure that the work is more structuredHour more uncertain, the vertices of the new and demanding, and some of the more interesting would be obtained from the offices of the company, under contract to other companies, too. But there is another aspect that I mentioned. I spent endless hours on weekends and nights, the ground heavy defeat in the footsteps of a crane control room, together with the budgets to try to get the most out of every man or woman who has worked for me. It's my agendathe last 40 years, where I worked, or my employer.

I had survived a strike, more than a company that sells an attempt to review a place I worked, and others that were already represented by a local. Were backed into a corner, is slugged, and then learned that the budget was Busted on a draft of 5 million euros, while I was visiting for three weeks in Sweden in 1984.

I started to worry about the budget, when they discover that Bruce Ewing has said about the problem. He wasmechanical engineer assigned to the project.

"Ben will take care of them when they returned from Sweden," Bruce said to call if a large portion of attention away from his desk as he could.

It was the sale of plants or had just been sold and there was a lot of friction on all sides. All were eager to impress a new leader or to throw a smokescreen to protect its own interests.

We had a meeting shortly after my return and Ewing began throwing documents over meaccused me of creating the situation. The only problem for him is that he has thrown one too many papers on the table, in other Gospels.

"Ben, do you remember that piece of paper?" He said, sounds a bit 'arrogant.

"Yes!" I said, after examining the document.

He threw a second document on the table.

"Do you remember?" Said, piling up, obviously trying to paint myself into a corner.

Not everyone understands fully what is happening, and feltsqueezed out of place to go, I took the second piece of paper, and to compare what was written, which was the first piece, then a sigh of relief rough.

"Yes … and there is a hell of a lot more money in this document that one," I said, pointing to the first piece is on the table.

Frank Weigle, superintendent of the mill, to achieve two seemingly contradictory evidence.

"Let me see!" Asked and started to investigateDocuments, point by point.

After comparing the dates and dollar values, Frank changed the direction of engineer.
"What happened, Bruce?" Asked.

Without hesitation, Ewing kept a straight face, but starts back.

"Yes, we ran out of money and I had to get somewhere." Said.

These are two elements with the card, think they can come in handy later, and few have survived the disaster along with a few others through the years – some that maywere avoided, others who have been inevitable.

A second, even if nonrelated, the incident occurred when he invited me to withdraw from the 2-way shop in Dallas. Once having learned I was leaving, one of the salespeople came by. We have some time without anything substantive in nature discussed are spoken. And the conversation was over that way, probably would not have remembered the brief meeting was for everyone. But before leaving, the seller ended the conversation with an informalunusual reaction. I think it would be more accurate to describe the seller's comments as being more philosophical or a scientific explanation for the fact that instead of 'E' was great to know that I will see you later "type of comment.

What he said was this. "When someone comes to work for a company, is like putting your finger in a bucket of water. There are a few waves at first, but if you and the company is a good game, the rings quickly reduced and there is no evidence thatthere. "

He paused a moment to exchange glances with me before proceeding.

"So when you leave the company," he said, "is the same, but in reverse order. You can get your finger out of the bucket and rings the return, but let them vanish just as quickly, and there is no real evidence who were still there. "

I Scratch my head and has contributed to confusion when the seller walked away. What was he trying to tell me that I was a good employee and that I would lose apoor worker, not lose, or that my time there were no problems, no matter what?

Then there was the accident at the steel plant in Sand Springs a few weeks before my departure for Pryor Creek. I have not completely crazy to leave when a salesman came into office and my boss, who is Frank Weigle at the time boasted of the work we have done to automate the mill.

Weigle sits behind his desk, and I stood in the door, and sells sitting in front of meHead, where he could see the two of us.

Frank said: "This mill can run!"

The seller countered, "You mean to tell me that every Tom, Dick and Harry can come here and do a job out there?"

"You damn right," my head shot back with pride. "I can do something here cock shot from the road, and had every job I have to do."

The seller, sitting there for a moment, his eye contact from my head to me, without moving his head.

Finally, he says, "Well, Frank,If the mill is automated to the point where a dummy can do … have to go fast? "

Follow-up observations pointed the seller, I gave a blank stare blank seen crawling on the face of my head. But he said nothing, and I turned and left the room.

Later I thought, what the seller said, and I think he was right, or at least has a good condition. As the puppets is that we have had, or would eventually have, so what did that meanmine?

Now after all these years, I sit at my desk contemplating my fall or segregation of any future disputes or situations of a similar nature, thought it would be better to leave everything behind and to plot a new course. A path without power so, perhaps, not rabid sharks that inhabit deep water, fire and corals that live on the rocks that competition for a beautiful piece that can be there for the taking – or caught on the road last minute some power hungryMongrel hunger or a person who earns more.

When the last batch of managers came on board, I remember going down the plant after a meeting at the office of the maintenance plan at 6:30, I just entered the room when Herb Leeman, Maintenance Supervisor achieve the ' meeting, he asked me what I did there.

It is expected that people who have been shifting production Foreman, Maintenance Foreman, supervisor and head of electrical maintenance, if there were anyextenuating circumstances, such as a large piece of equipment off-line or was down for a long time. Then there was Herb Leeman, sitting at his desk, because it was a piece of him, or one of hundreds of tattoos that cover most of the surface of the skin of his body.

I was there, as the system has been automated to the point will automatically be 90 percent. I filled in for the electrical supervisor at times and I have my position as a computer guru felt was an important component of the plantmachines. I felt that I needed to be there. I wanted to know what equipment was down, if nothing else, and what is planned for the day. But in the race, was the supervisor of maintenance does not believe, or would such a trivial observation was made – at least that was my thought at that time.

He said: "What are you doing here?"

I can not answer, but it was not in my mind. His point was well taken, and there was no reason for me to try to make aevent is something to the contrary.
To think that I tried the incident out of my head and said it was a big problem. But it was. He tried to push me into a corner or out the door, and it bothered me. But obviously I have not.

One day, some time later, not the same person on my phone and shouting in my ears – something about me on my cell phone to respond quickly enough. Hell, I do not think it is important not to lose by him or someone else not.

Even later, Iknew he was diabetic and had to move to a new recipe. I suppose he has seen signs of withdrawal and not total shit, I had imagined it to be.

Well, I could go on forever with the situation after situation that may have contributed to my thought at the time – my thoughts are thinking of leaving or staying. But the incidents referred to above could not have had anything to do with anything. Maybe it's just my thoughts on itWhen Herb was an irascible son-of-a-bitch like some of the others I met in my life's work. I suspect that there are people who say the same about me. I see few people think. I certainly was not blameless.

Whatever, I guess the straw that broke the camel's back, no matter the open, so to speak, was when my boss asked me if I retire. I think my age shows: I hang myself in the eye when he says let me;I fit into his plans if he was afraid that I would leave and not be caught without a replacement is not.

But the time he made a remark, if that's what it was, I do not know. Whatever, never mind. Why do not I have given a lot of thought, except to say that I knew that the benefits will be available to me at the end of this year if he chooses to accept it.

Time will be early in 2005 and was at the time said that irritated me. It made me angry to be put onposition and is expected to make a decision I was not willing to do. Wanted me on my time, and approach him with the idea. I wanted to be pushed towards the decision taken by him or someone else not.

Finally, I sent my boss a sarcastic e-mail and told him he had won, it was my intention to resign. But it is tempered by a second paragraph to explain that I work with him for a substitute to rail.

Hell, if I were in his place, I would have done the same. IfMy job was important and I left one morning and no one knows already, that would put on the field. But it pissed me off to get rid of this. I wanted to do whatever the hell I wanted to do and not thinking at all.

But when the moment comes, I began to rationalize that it is not only better for the company, but also for me. I had no intention of leaving the city or my phone in Flushing toilets, to cut all ties withcommunity. Hell, the plant has started to call me for everything that has happened and I certainly do not want.

That said, and engraved in stone, I started working with all the essentials: my feelings, my pension is payable with the company, my social security and the decade of steel mills have health insurance and my 401K.

But it was not easy. I hit the company said he did not use more than one month before the date I plan to retire. If I couldwill retire January 1, 2006, would be my turn to late in my office work until 1 December 2005.

After peering with some rocks without finding anything, I was still Antsy to say the least. Yet I continue to play for my social security is used by the Social Security Administration. What I said was that I would not be eligible to start receiving my checks until the month after having received my last check of cement. The representative said that I did fora lot of money.

Anyway, a few months before the end of 'year I drove to the construction of community in Pryor Creek and waited outside with a number of other doors to open.

In about thirty minutes, the woman appeared in his fifties, opened the door and pointed to a yellow pad is placed on a table inside the door. I suspect that he was a volunteer.
"For your name and you will be in the order they are listed is not known," he said with authority.
I got my name, the other charactersthe list, have a seat along with four or five others and wait for a government representative to come.

Later, a moment that seemed more than an hour past the time I was told that someone would, in short, a little 'overweight blonde came in and played a part in this review. She was dead serious at first, but then began to smile and try to make everyone feel comfortable.
A minute later, a second person was a black man wearing a jacket and tie, standing more than sixmeters in height and weighing about two hundred pounds. He has a briefcase, so the woman and he followed her into a side room and sit on a wooden desk with his back against a window on the right side of the head can be seen that the ground run. The woman had a table on the left, just before the direction of the window and the side of the room with the man.

Betty, his birthday is nine months ahead of me, me, told me that there was during the previous year. She explained to me that you took care of that quicklyShe was given the exact amount he had received, the day will begin its control the whole ball of wax. He said that a woman is written in a computer right there in front of her and told her everything. Disappointed no, my experience was almost that simple.

What happened was this. The two government representatives contain side of the room disappeared, but then again in a few minutes with a name on the lips. The blonde called the first name on the list: one gray and limpingaddition, weak, elderly woman, whom I had heard that there was a new social security card. The black man outside the door and called my name.

Back at his desk, he motioned to a chair opposite him and began to ask me some questions: where I worked, where I was born, my birth date, etc. All I had before him was a yellow pad similar to that we in particular from the front and a red No. 2 pencil signed.
The man was quite cordial, and a minuteor two later, no more than five minutes at most, came to the page torn and told me it would be in touch. He said he declined to make the paper into his briefcase.

I was a bit 'surprised that it was over so quickly. At least that was my take at the moment. And things worse, I remember him asking me my name.

"You want my name on the paper?" I asked.

Froze for a moment, shows a confused look on her face when they found the paper,a glimpse into the soon replied: "No, what's your name?"

I told him that he had written that he had begun the direction of his briefcase again, but stopped when I asked if it was my social security number was.

As before, looked at the piece of paper to respond.

"No. What is your social security number?"

I told him and started his briefcase again.

I could not think of anything else, he could lose, and take the self-addressed, letter sizeBrown envelope, which published his office yesterday and asked me to use my DD214 to resubmit it.

I asked him about the importance of form and said there may be some additional resources available as a result of my four years of service in the Navy.

"It would be so much, maybe twenty or thirty dollars per month," he said. "But it must be relevant to look at."

I thank him and stood to leave, feeling as if there was some progress on my first attemptTake my papers in order and begin the road to becoming a pensioner. But when I discovered a few days later, there was more to do. Over the next few days I had a phone call from him, but was unable to reach it in return.

I finally decided that the matter in my hands and returned to the Club Sertom next month. I do not know if there would be the same person or another, but I do not feel comfortable with everything that has happened up to thattime.

The following month, the same man was there, and he nonchalantly acted like everything was in order. Said, but added that I still have an e-mail a copy of my DD214. When I explained that I was never able to find one in my files and I would like a copy of a public web site, downloaded, said it was ok.

"No hurry," he said. "We had enough time. Only you have done in the coming days."

Over the next few weeks, I started working on a number of objectives: onewhat to publish my first book, a novel 9-11, a second was to join a Toastmasters group. I realized that if I could continue writing as a second career, I need to work with me. A third objective would be to run the Tulsa Run.

But even that was not the end of it. There were other things to do as well. First, I wanted to build a small car derby soapbox. My plan was to take a picture of my three years old grandson Dylan behind the wheel and the photo on the front of another setbook I had in the yard. Also, I have an old bicycle repair was that my father had back in 1960.

Betty has a couple of motorcycles, and I could ride one of those times and I've chosen. But I would have my staff. Then there is the Writer's Club once a month and Investment Club once a month.
All the things I mentioned, along with those who are married and have some of the things that Betty wants to do, to occupy my time, even more than when I was working. The good part of allWhat I was hoping that I could work at my own pace, save a chance encounter, and nothing bad will come of it.

Finally, Friday, December 31, 2005 came around. I did all my papers, supper retirement age, put together by the girls in the front office immediately, had played its role, and I went home. But what I would do – really?

Probably, I have a couple goals, but what could I do, that first morning at five is what I would do at 5:15, when I wasusually sits at the dining table eating a bowl of oatmeal and peaches? So what I'm doing at 5:30, when you normally get in and drive the Ranger site?

In many ways, it seems so much different than planning for maintenance outages not. Here's an example of my previous thoughts.

I worked in a factory, but a few months after the first summer was approaching. When I see a message on the planning of the meeting I went toElectrical General Foreman, Max Shauer and request a calendar.

Max, a tall, thin, elderly man with a stick chin, has more than twenty years in the mill. He knew so much of the steel plant, and if anyone wants to know if it's something important on the way down the pike.

He looked up from his desk and smiled when I entered his office.

"What's going on, Ben?" He asked to see the door close behind me.

Without answering, I looked around the room.

"Max, Ihave not seen anything about the interruption of next week. Did you see anything? "

Max has returned his attention to the standings of the previous day was at his desk and responded as if the point in my research, the least important part of his daily life is.

"Well Ben, I see that have not been here long enough to see how we do things around here," he began. Dan geslinger the pen on the table, leaned back in his chair, folded his arms, and in my eyes.

Here's how it works. Come seven o'clockMonday morning, we're going to cover everything in this mill down, electric ovens, the company store, and roll. Once this is done, you will pass through each unit. Then, a month after we started again. And that's all that matters. "

Has the whole statement without pause or take a breath, then took the pen and returned the documents to lie.

Not satisfied with his answer, I came to him a bit 'differentcourse.

"No, Max!" I said, standing away from his desk and staring at a shelf on the east wall full of books and looseleaf binders. "What I say is," I said, and turned to his desk. "What will you do the first few minutes after the power is off, what will the next hour, and in the coming days?"

Max was a man who had worked with the ranks and has never paid much attention to every detail. WhenA piece of equipment has fallen, has a couple of people sent to the job site and worked until it is restored. As a permanent restoration was not possible, the equipment was placed in a temporary state of repair, until a more convenient time. I also heard the term permanent for temporary use during the months since I arrived.

Stayed on the right of the head office of the general and immediately see the signs of deepening frustration with the rules of the tensions that inhabit his face. Hefroze for a moment, raised his head and his eyes met mine. Also this time there was a clear hint of combativeness in his voice.

"Look, Ben!" Foreman said the general, throwing back his pen on the desk. "Come Monday morning, I would conclude this son of a bitch down, I will make every person I deal and how the hell we want! Then a month later, I'm going to start over, and we will work our way through the mill, piece-per-job until there is a child of a givenbitch back on line! "

Ah-ah. I think the board is a bit 'like that for some people. When that day comes, will ignore the data and do whatever it takes. But this method could be the same as planning for an error appeared after a couple of tripwires. If you're married and your spouse's life, and you throw the two of you in the house, twenty-four hours a day, I think most people will begin to have a problem, surely after a few days or weeks to dothat.

And in my case, I would not be able to establish a business in a corner of the room or a bedroom and eight to twelve hours a day writing. Betty is left to me, although I do not.

I had one of your comments heard.

"All you have to do is sit down and work on the book!" She said.

So what could I do?

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