Thursday, October 08, 2015

Potpourri

It has been a strange year. About eight years ago I retired from flying and moved on to instructing other pilots. The job was a great retirement job, three to four days a week and less than 6 hours a day. I got to drink coffee, tell "there I waz" stories and was paid to do what I would have done for free at the local airport. Life was good.

A couple or three years ago the job started to change, slowly, like the frog in the skillet I kept keeping on, doing the best I could for the clients and also the other instructors. Instead of a nice semi-retirement job it slowly became a ball buster. Over the last several months I have done several nine to twelve days in a row lines, with no end in sight.  It has come to a head, for the first time in my working life my inter two year old has come to the forefront. I've started to say NO, not just NO but hell NO, I will not be there.

I'm not sure how it will end, I expect I will go part time so I can control my schedule. We will see but bottom line what is happening now is not sustainable.

The above is the main reason shop output has been low. When I work usually all I have energy for is a little sharpening. I posted the other day about the 20000 Gukumyo stone, I still feel the same way....It is the best finish stone I've found. It produces little mess, stays flat, cuts fast, and gives a beautiful polish.

I'm slowly completing the bath wall cabinet....The door is butt ugly, nothing wrong with the jointery but wood selection doesn't work. I expect when finished I'll hang it but replace the door when I find a day or two to build another.

I'm slowly cutting down the number of tools in my shop. Some are being sold, a few given away, but bottom line I plan to cut to two sets of tools, one for the main shop and another to travel. If you are looking for a tool let me know I might have a spare.

Because of saying "NO" I have a long weekend coming up. MsBubba, Sam the Wonder Dog, Sweet Maggie Dog and I are going to Rocky Point, MX for the weekend. A little Sun, toes in the sea, lots of beer, and more than a few fish tacos should be consumed.

See you folks on down the road.

ken

3 comments:

  1. Enjoy the weekend and tip one back for me as I still have to work full time. Retirement is fog like dream right now.

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  2. In my humble experiences, life can be way too short, so retire and enjoy life... Before you miss your boat waiting at the airport or something like that :-)
    Bob, awaiting for Heather to finish her first week of radiation

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  3. Guys,

    My retirement is moving closer or at least going part time so I can control my schedule. Problem I have as stated before, I like what I do, just not as much as is being demanded over the last couple of years. If I wasn't doing it for pay I'd be at the local airport drinking the same bad coffee and telling the same "there I waz" stories for free.

    BTW, I can't do the Mexico thing too often, the 9 Kg (sorry Bob I couldn't resist :-)) I lost over the last three months I found in three day in Mexico.

    I hope Heather's treatment is going well, you both are in my thoughts,

    ken

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