During the initial weeks after retirement there was a flurry of activity on my end. I thought I’d have all this free time, and I needed a way to maximize it all. I set up an independent mail server for my project needs (i.e. the plethora of mailing lists I would undoubtedly be able to keep up with). I read Getting Things Done. I read the follow-up to Getting Things Done. I set up an incredibly intricate system to keep track of projects, TODO lists, etc. Ahem, Org Mode. And of course, as in all things emacs, I read copious amounts of documentation so I could write an enormous amount of lisp code to tweak every conceivable feature to save me 5 minutes every 2 weeks. Ah…free time, how I missed you! Continue reading Early retirement or how I traded deadlines for diapers.
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Adult incontinence and raising kids at 50.
Last week I met my cycling buddies for Thursday night drinks and pizza. We’ve been doing it forever, but I’ve been understandably absent since Lola was born. Putting two kids under 3 to sleep at the same time is a nightmare. Even though I’m sure Alba wouldn’t complain, I wouldn’t wish that hell on anyone. However, now that my eldest is going to pre-school, he comes home absolutely shattered. He pretty much passes out mid-sentence around 7, which means I’m in a better position to negotiate meeting friends for beers at approximately 7:03 :).
As usual, the conversation turned to kids and spouses, and someone said “I only have 8 more years…and then we’ll have an empty nest to thoroughly enjoy life”. I chuckled, cause my kids will NEVER leave home. I’ve had them so late in life, that by the time my youngest is done with college, I’ll probably be on my way to either the cemetery or an all inclusive retirement home. You may laugh, but it’s true! Continue reading Adult incontinence and raising kids at 50.
My 3 hour work day was a myth!
During the last 15 years of my career, give or take a meeting or two, I kept a detailed account of hours worked per day. My obsession was such that I even kept an SQLite database with minute details such as longest stretches of time worked, times during the day whether I was more likely to slack off (after lunch of course), and how cycling affected my ability to stay focused. I kept the data to myself, because I learned quite early that I could be very productive with just a handful of hours, and this made me feel guilty. It wasn’t until I stopped working that I realized that my behavior was unlikely to be different than most (in my field anyhow). Continue reading My 3 hour work day was a myth!
Retiring for a year or two or forever.
I’ve always had a flexible relationship with work, working myself to the bone, and then taking off large chunks of time to recharge. More often than not, though, I end up realizing that I absolutely love my job, and come back early from sabbaticals to go at it again. This has frustrated the Mrs in the past, especially when she realized I was hacking on patches during at least one of the past two paternity leaves. However, a funny thing happened in the last leave. Continue reading Retiring for a year or two or forever.
Lay’s potato kids
I never quite understood the need to procreate to feel fulfilled in life. I mean, if having kids is the best thing you’ve ever done, I must say you’ve lived a pretty boring life. Well, that was until 2.5 years ago, when my child, aptly named Mai (never in Catalan, as in I’m never having kids), was born. Continue reading Lay’s potato kids