T Minus 7 Days And Counting

The drama continues to build toward my grand farewell to Tedious Systems.

I am sure that there are big, big plans underway to throw me a huge bon voyage gala. So far, the conspirators in the super-secret planning have kept it totally under wraps. Not even a hint of the scope and nature of the party. It should be something.

My coworker did ask me this morning if I would be here next Friday because he was "thinking" of getting a cake. Sure he was. No doubt the committee asked him to do reconnaissance work. I'm no fool.

Many years ago, in the early 1970s, a coworker of mine died on the way to his own retirement party. I always figured it was the sudden stop that got to him. You know, you work all day everyday for about 40 years and then one day you just stop and drop. It's 9-1-1 time, the old dirt nap. Your body can't handle the sudden deceleration.

So, I have taken precautions against that happening to me by easing into this retirement gig. I invented this little thing I like to call undertime. It is really a simple concept. Instead of staying late, I leave early.

About two years ago I made a commitment that no matter what, I was leaving at 4 pm sharp. My starting time is inconsequential. The expectation at Tedious Systems is that the salaried employees will put in 9 to 10 hours a day. My typical day began at 7:30-ish and I worked straight through to 4:00 pm, with no lunch hour. That's 8.5 hours, more or less at work and if that isn't good enough for the brain-trust at Tedious then, oh well.

When I gave my notice, 4 pm became 3 pm, then 2 pm and now about 1 pm. You have to ease out, no sudden stops. Next week, it may be noon. The funny thing is that no one even noticed. Am I that good or that useless? And does it really matter?





Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky


Tag: Daily Life
Personal Finance
Humor