Monday Musings for a Tuesday

PEARL HARBOR (July 4, 2022) Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) and Zumwalt-class destroyer USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001) sit pierside as a 4th of July fireworks display illuminates the night sky over Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022.
U.S. Navy Photo

Once upon a time I had a job, a job I loved, working with people who I loved and respected. Of course, I also worked with quite a few people who didn't fall into that category. But hey, that's life. The world is full of assholes, scoundrels, and nitwits, you can't always (mayhaps never) get to choose with whom you work.

That being said, I had breakfast on Sunday morning with one of the people from the old days whom I still love and respect. I introduce her as "my old boss" even though she said, at breakfast, "I wasn't really your boss."

"Were you in charge in the lab?"

"Yeah, kind of."

"Did I have to do what you told me to do?"

"Well, sure, I mean ..."

"So there, you were my boss."

Okay, I'm kinda old school. Someone is always in charge. Modern corporate America likes to think in terms of teams, all for one and one for all, but someone is always responsible for making sure shit gets done. Whether you call them the boss, or not, they call the shots. If no one calls the shots, then whatever you're working on invariably fails.

Anyhoo ...

We had nearly four inches of rain Sunday and we were out there in the midst of it. It bothers some people, as for me? Hey, it's water, it's not going to freeze, and if I get wet I'll eventually dry off. Which was the case, got a little wet, and dried off.

I love that opening photo. The ship in the middle, USS Michael Monsoor, is the one whose systems I worked on in the twilight years of my career. Best job I ever had and the reason I worked until I was 71. If some of our upper management hadn't been so stupid I might still be there. But it was time to walk away.

Do I miss it at times? Sure, I was there for 25 years, worked with some awesome people, got to work on some awesome systems. There are days I wonder if they'd have me back, then I sober up and go back to bed.

I miss it yes, but retirement means that one can finally march to the beat of one's own drummer and not that of some remote desk pilot wearing a suit.

Retirement is nice, but I do miss some of the folks I worked with. Fortunately I get to see two of them on a fairly regular basis. We hang out, tell stories, and enjoy each other's company.

I cherish those moments.

Be well, this bachelor stuff is tiresome, but The Missus Herself will return and I'll have to go back to shaving and not swearing at the television. If you're wondering, I do shower, every day. I even do laundry!

But going to bed at 2 AM and getting up at 10 is for younger folk, but with the wife not around, I have no one to remind me to be civilized.

Ah well ...