Retired!

 New Beginnings

It’s official, I’m retired.

It has been a week now and it is still sinking in. All of a sudden I have time. I can just … be.

Really this is the first time in my life where I was not expected to be constantly busy. To be productive, to live according to someone else’s timeline.

There are a lot of things that I want to do but the urgency to squeeze them into specific time slots isn’t there.

This week I had to clean off the bed in my craft room and change the sheets. (Our daughter is coming into town this weekend and staying with us.)  It took me almost a week but it is done. 

Over the last few months the bed has become my de facto desk. I have a lap desk set up on it with my computer on top so that when I sew I can easily consult the pdf instructions without having the computer eat up my limited sewing space. Since the bed is a desk, that means that the bills and other papers that I didn’t have time to file and sort wound up intermingled with sewing patterns and scraps of fabric because, in addition to being a desk, the bed is also a great place to put projects-in-progress.  And my feet. (I’m currently sitting in my desk chair with my feet up on the bed and the lap desk on, well, my lap.) During the morning hours it is a lovely place to sit and bask in the sun. And, since I’m retired, I can do just that.

Now I still have a lot of other things to do in this room and in almost all of the other rooms. That said, I can do them when I wish. Slowly, quickly or, should I so choose, not at all. The last one is unlikely but it is an option.

In the last week I have slowly and intentionally practiced with my new serger/coverstitch machine. For those not in the know, it is a machine, a little bigger than my sewing machine, that allows me to sew with much more professional looking seams and hems. The new machine is now occupying my sewing table and the sewing machine is on the floor waiting for me to clear off my desk (not the bed-desk but my actual desk-desk) so that  I can use them both on the same project without having to switch them around.  The desk desk is currently occupied mainly with my daughter’s violin and another lap desk (they multiplied during lockdown.).

My new machine was my retirement gift to myself. So far I have made 2 pairs of workout tights, two pairs of flare leggings, two double layered hooded blankets and a dress. I have also used it to repair a couple of items where seams had popped open. So for someone not doing much this week, I’ve actually done quite a bit.

Past projects have either been rushed through in a weekend or taken a couple of weekends to complete due to time constraints, Yes, the blankets were over a month overdue but I am hoping that, with time on my side (and the presumed ability to actually decide on the fabrics) that I will be on time for the birthdays next year. (Sorry L & L!)

What else have I been up to this first week of retirement? Well I worked out 6 out of 7 days, 5 barre classes and a rowing class. All in the morning! No more late dinners! I also finished another project which has a looming deadline and made progress on some knitting. And finally, I took time to sit with a cup (or three) of tea and just read.

#noregrets

Ready, Set, Go!

During this most chaotic of weeks, I am taking a day off to make life a little less hectic.

Little Squid's Winter Solstice concert is this morning, followed by a holiday/publishing party. Rather then worry about work and having to get to work, I am taking a personal day. I am not hiding where I am or what I am doing. I'll worry about work tomorrow -- when I'm there. Today, I can stay at the party as long as I like. Today, I can shmooze with the other parents and I can kvell in how talented my progeny is as he plays his flute with the band and his violin with the chorus. Today, I can take the time to really read his writing, and that of his classmates. My comments can be thoughtful instead of peremptory. My thoughts can be of fifth grade instead of high school.

And afterward? I can take myself to lunch. Or not. I can go for a manicure. Or not. I can snag a couch at the 85th Street Starbucks and listen to my book and knit. Or snag a couch and take a badly needed nap. I can take a long walk to Knitty City and Zabars. I can shop for a new suit (for work). I can just wander the streets of the city and look at the winter finery. My only constraint is that I wind up back on the Upper East Side by 4:00 or so -- so I will probably not go home.

The video camera is charged, a fresh battery is in my digital camera, I have my knitting and I have enough cash for my fairly modest needs. My son is relaxed despite his need to wear blue and black for the chorus and white and blue for the band. His violin is tuned and his hair is in desperate need of a trim. He is wearing a single watch on each arm, one around his neck and one in his pocket.

So, if you see me wandering the streets of the Upper East or West side today (in a bright pink parka with a pale purple hat and grey mittens), stop me. Say hi, feel free to schooze. I've got nothing but time.

Nature vs Nuture

When the kids were little, we briefly had them trained to respond to the following question: "how did you get so ... (insert: smart, cute etc.)." Squidette answered "genetics" and Little Squid answered "environment." What we do to our kids!

Around the same time, their Grandmother was working on getting Little Squid to tell time and badgering Squidette to wear her watch (purchased by Grandma, of course).

Grandma always had a watch on. Grandma loved watches and was always punctual. If she was late, due to unforeseen circumstance, it drove her nuts.

It also drove her nuts that Squidette would not wear her watch regularly. Squidette still does not wear a watch. She does carry one in her pocket or uses her cellphone when necessary. So far she has not had any problems getting places on time.

Grandma would be proud of Little Squid with all of his watches and his love of time.(Grandma's watch collection, now in my possession.)

He received three new time pieces for Chanuckah. A stopwatch / watch from one Aunt, a pocket watch / sundial from an Uncle and a binary clock from his parents. He also received a watch repair kit. A good one.

Together, he and I have attempted to fix one of his watches and successfully repaired a second.
His Grandma would be proud!

Fancy Schmancy

Today was a long day. O.k., it wasn't really -- all days are the same length. Except for yesterday which, at 25 hours, really was a long day.

I woke up early -- see that comment about yesterday -- and kept looking at my watch all day. I don't usually do that, I usually look at the school clocks but they were wrong. So I kept looking at clocks and then looking at my watch. And the day seemed to go much more slowly then usual. You see, since I kept looking at the clocks, I kept thinking it was an hour later and then had to correct myself and kept getting disappointed. Or relieved. It depended on what time it was and where I had to be.

The clocks should be back to normal tomorrow. We are supposed to have a fancy, schmancy computer controlled clock system. Since it was installed last year, before the government changed the rules governing Daylight Savings Time, I asked the installers if it would update correctly. They said no. So, the weekend before the spring time change, I changed the school clocks and the system that controls our bells. And came in on Monday to find the time 2 hours off. This time I laughed. "Ha!" I said. "We have the fancy, schmancy clock system that updates itself, no need for me to reset the clocks." Just in case, however, I made sure to get in to school a bit on the early side today, to discover that, not only had the clocks not updated but that the master clock was off by ... wait for it ... SEVEN hours. Good thing I got in early.

So much for the fancy, schmancy clock system.

Oh, and yesterday? After an afternoon out with my daughter, I sat down at my computer, glanced at the clock, compared it to my watch and almost cursed out my operating system. You would think that a brand new edition of Vista would have the right programing to update. And, in fact, it did. My watch however, is an old fashioned Timex. Which does not automatically update. Um ... can we say "user error?"