The Visible Woman...July 1, 2003

I retired with the attitude that I wouldn't work unless (1) I really needed the money; or (2) I was really crazy to do the work. If I had an all-consuming passion, then yes. Otherwise, while away time as a dilettante. Do stuff; but don't get into any long-term commitments. Nothing about today tempted me to change that.

I'm exploring, investigating, learning and relearning. Looking for what really motivates me. I've thought of several business ideas that seemed intriguing. But time-consuming if not risky in the monetary sense.

When I worked, I threw myself into the job for some hours a day trying to work hard or, if not hard, at least smart. Trying to give the employer something of value. I won't say that I always succeeded. I was rewarded richly, though. I really was. And sometimes I did succeed in 'earning my keep.' And sometimes I went above and beyond. Perhaps. But it took forty or fifty or more hours a week of work and commuting and meetings and after hours agony thinking how to handle something.

Today, I went to lunch with some folks who work for a competitor of my old company. Their chairman is one of the original guys from my old company. I'd 'seen him from afar' during the short overlap of my tenure and his. I wanted to meet him. The lunch ended up being six people and then a couple of other guys came by the table, one who used to work at my old company, too, and a founder of a local success story of a company that sold some time ago to a major biggie in my business and then became just another struggling subsidiary. Several other people at the lunch were veterans of this behemoth or my old company or both.

The work they were suggesting doing that made them buy my stuffed trout and salad doesn't interest me. Well, that's not true. It interests me in a dilettante sort of way. But not in a 'throw yourself into this for the long haul and let it suck the life out of you' way.

No, I just wanted to meet this guy. And it was nice to meet some of the guys who were also working there. Because it is interesting to see what people do with their time when they are rich but still interested in something. Or maybe poor and still interested in something. And these people all seemed to fall into one of these categories.

I also learned that there are different kinds of money. The guy who stopped by the table was describing his funding at his latest venture. He mentioned investors and the VRG (very rich guy) said, "There is smart money and stupid money. And you have some of both."

It was entertaining. But I don't think it will lead to a reentry into the workforce. It was interesting to see what gossip has gotten around the business. It was interesting to hear me open my mouth and profess some industry knowledge. Knowledge I felt oddly confident in somehow. I was careful not to say anything that I hadn't said in public before so as not to violate any agreements I had with my old company. For example, I said: "There are 86,400 seconds in a day." I had said that at industry conferences. You might think that was a stuipd and obvious comment. You had to be there, see.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to hear the VRG talk about sports teams, letting grown children invest large sums, his philanthropy or a few other topics I was interested in. I did get to hear him say a few interesting things, though.

Tuesday, July 1, 2003

A Journal from Austin, Texas. A Project of LBFFP Stealth Publishing.
food	reading	writing	time	exercise	health and mood

Ad for Meccano for sale on ebay...at one point I thought I might become an expert collector and buyer/reseller of construction toys. Really? Well, almost really.	business I retired with the attitude that I wouldn't work unless (1) I really needed the money; or (2) I was really crazy to do the work. If I had an all-consuming passion, then yes. Otherwise, while away time as a dilettante. Do stuff; but don't get into any long-term commitments. Nothing about today tempted me to change that. I'm exploring, investigating, learning and relearning. Looking for what really motivates me. I've thought of several business ideas that seemed intriguing. But time-consuming if not risky in the monetary sense. When I worked, I threw myself into the job for some hours a day trying to work hard or, if not hard, at least smart. Trying to give the employer something of value. I won't say that I always succeeded. I was rewarded richly, though. I really was. And sometimes I did succeed in 'earning my keep.' And sometimes I went above and beyond. Perhaps. But it took forty or fifty or more hours a week of work and commuting and meetings and after hours agony thinking how to handle something. Today, I went to lunch with some folks who work for a competitor of my old company. Their chairman is one of the original guys from my old company. I'd 'seen him from afar' during the short overlap of my tenure and his. I wanted to meet him. The lunch ended up being six people and then a couple of other guys came by the table, one who used to work at my old company, too, and a founder of a local success story of a company that sold some time ago to a major biggie in my business and then became just another struggling subsidiary. Several other people at the lunch were veterans of this behemoth or my old company or both. The work they were suggesting doing that made them buy my stuffed trout and salad doesn't interest me. Well, that's not true. It interests me in a dilettante sort of way. But not in a 'throw yourself into this for the long haul and let it suck the life out of you' way. No, I just wanted to meet this guy. And it was nice to meet some of the guys who were also working there. Because it is interesting to see what people do with their time when they are rich but still interested in something. Or maybe poor and still interested in something. And these people all seemed to fall into one of these categories. I also learned that there are different kinds of money. The guy who stopped by the table was describing his funding at his latest venture. He mentioned investors and the VRG (very rich guy) said, "There is smart money and stupid money. And you have some of both." It was entertaining. But I don't think it will lead to a reentry into the workforce. It was interesting to see what gossip has gotten around the business. It was interesting to hear me open my mouth and profess some industry knowledge. Knowledge I felt oddly confident in somehow. I was careful not to say anything that I hadn't said in public before so as not to violate any agreements I had with my old company. For example, I said: "There are 86,400 seconds in a day." I had said that at industry conferences. You might think that was a stuipd and obvious comment. You had to be there, see. Unfortunately, I didn't get to hear the VRG talk about sports teams, letting grown children invest large sums, his philanthropy or a few other topics I was interested in. I did get to hear him say a few interesting things, though.
JUST TYPING Retirement. Is such a loaded word. It's just a different, often less lucrative, career.
		Food Diary. Two slices of homemade bread and butter with homemade strawberry jam and three slices of turkey bacon A small smoothie 'sample' Two pieces of fancy bread Trout with crumb stuffings and some vegies and part of a corn pudding thing. Some cheese and chips. Large serving (six ounces?) of salmon in ginger lime sauce and some canned spinach.
		Time flies.... Talking to people is a waste of time. Isn't it? It depends. On what you learn. What contacts you make.

		Reading. Courting Danger by Alice Marble. It's amazing how backward medical science was in the thirties. And, boy, this is a real name-dropper of a book. Old Alice apparently knew everyone who was anyone. Heck, Randolph Hearst bought her a car. Those were the days, though. Going to play at Wimby on an ocean liner.
		Well, I didn't actually write anything. But I gave it some thought.
		Exercise Biking to nowhere for an hour and some 'core body' (ab and lower back) work. I still hate the latter but I'm getting better at doing it anyway.
	.	My mood was OK. BP 110/78 Pulse 66...that doesn't seem to bad, does it?