• Home
  • Who, me?

A Seat By The Fire

Put your feet up and relax. You're with friends, now.

Feeds:
Posts
Comments
« Book Review: Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Recipes for Two
“Next on ‘Mystery’ from the BBC” »

So far, retirement is boring

November 12, 2020 by Barliman

So, I retired from UCLA last June 29th. I have to say that, so far, it’s been pretty damn boring.

Financially, it made absolute sense to retire. With the changes to my deductions after I entered the UC Retirement system, my net pay went up a little more than twenty percent, even though my gross pay went down about two percent — and that will catch up next year. So, while I’m not a millionaire, money is not a worry.

But… well… there’s not much to do. Between pandemics and riots and lockdowns, the little things I’d planned to do to add some variety to life -try new restaurants, take short trips to new places, tour the Los Angeles area, join organizations to meet new people, etc.- have all been placed on indefinite hold. And, since I live alone, things are pretty quiet around here.

Too quiet.

(Except for my upstairs neighbor stomping around and playing her music too loud.)

And that’s the problem: very often there’s no one to talk to. I have hobbies, but part of the fun of hobbies, for me at least, is sharing them with others. Online message boards and Zoom get-togethers just don’t cut it. I could write, I’m a very good writer, but the lack of interaction and intellectual stimulus kills any sense of creativity or energy.

I suppose boredom is like that.

It doesn’t help that not only are places that might be destinations largely closed, but the neighborhood has gone downhill, too. Not just with business closures, but an increased population of mentally-ill, drug and alcohol-addicted homeless wandering the streets and a rising crime rate makes it less and less safe to just go wandering about.

And that adds to the stuck-at-homeness and the sense of ennui that comes from it.

Not that I regret retiring. In the last few months before I left UCLA, we had already shut down most operations and were working from home. Busy work. Useless time-filling tasks to justify our salaries. From what I’ve seen of my former coworkers, things haven’t gotten much better, and they’re all miserable. In at least that regard, I can say I picked the right time to leave.

Nevertheless, it’s clear I need to make a major change.

The question is “What?”

(Comments closed, since this is really just me mulling things over.)

Spread the love:

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Pocket
  • More
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Posted in Miscellany | Tagged boredom |

  • The Cellar Door

    • Register
    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.com
  • Buy me stuff!

    My Amazon profile page!
  • Why pay for MS Office?

     Use LibreOffice
  • Why pay for an OS?

  • What I’m reading

  • Top Posts

    • Sunday Book Review: The War of the Spanish Succession, 1701-1714
    • Merry Christmas!
    • The bloodiest gunfight in the Old West, here in California
    • So, Uncle Sam doesn't want my money?
    • Book Review: "A Fatal Thing Happened On The Way To the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome"
    • Three years with Duolingo/Três anos com o Duolingo
    • Book Review: Penric's Fox
    • Valentine's Day. Bah! Humbug!
    • Merry Christmas!
    • "Next on 'Mystery' from the BBC"
  • Recent Posts

    • Sunday Book Review: The War of the Spanish Succession, 1701-1714
    • Merry Christmas!
    • The bloodiest gunfight in the Old West, here in California
    • So, Uncle Sam doesn’t want my money?
    • Book Review: “A Fatal Thing Happened On The Way To the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome”
  • My favorite RPGs

  • Food and Wine

    • Alton Brown
    • Cold Glass
    • Crepes of Wrath
    • No Recipe Required
  • Roleplaying Game Sites

    • Basic Roleplaying Central
    • Blood of Prokopius
    • Brave Halfling
    • Dave's Dungeon Generator
    • Dwarven Forge
    • Dyson's Dodecahedron
    • GenCon
    • Grognardia
    • Hexographer
    • Meatshields!
    • Melee Wizards
    • Miniature Building Authority
    • Otherworld Miniatures
    • Reaper Miniatures
    • Rogue Games
    • Stormbringer
    • Strike to Stun
    • Woodland Scenics
  • Tropical Fish

    • Aquaria Central
    • Aquatic Plant Central
    • Big Al's
    • Drs. Foster and Smith
  • November 2020
    M T W T F S S
     1
    2345678
    9101112131415
    16171819202122
    23242526272829
    30  
    « Sep   Dec »
  • Categories

  • counter customizable free hit
  • Pages

    • Who, me?
  • Archives

    • March 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • September 2021
    • May 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • September 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • February 2017
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • June 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
    • January 2013
    • December 2012
    • November 2012
    • October 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
    • May 2012
    • April 2012
    • March 2012
    • February 2012
    • January 2012
    • December 2011
    • November 2011
    • October 2011
    • September 2011
    • August 2011
    • July 2011
    • June 2011
    • May 2011
    • April 2011
    • March 2011
    • February 2011
    • January 2011
    • December 2010
    • November 2010
    • October 2010
    • September 2010
    • August 2010
    • July 2010
    • June 2010
    • May 2010
    • April 2010
    • March 2010
    • February 2010
    • January 2010
    • December 2009
    • November 2009
    • October 2009
    • September 2009
    • August 2009
    • July 2009
    • June 2009
    • May 2009
    • April 2009
    • March 2009
    • February 2009
    • January 2009
    • December 2008
    • November 2008
    • October 2008
    • September 2008
    • August 2008
    • July 2008

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • A Seat By The Fire
    • Join 114 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • A Seat By The Fire
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: