This dragon has retired

dragon1952
dragon1952 Posts: 4,907
edited April 2024 in Clubhouse Archives
Yep....after 30+ years of federal government service I've called it quits. I accepted an early retirement incentive which allowed me to retire at age 53....just under 3yrs short of my minimum retirement age of 55 and 10mos. Today was my first official day of retirement and it sure felt good not having to get up in the morning. These last few years have been tough on the old mind and body with the ugly commute I've been dealing with. Probably won't be browsing the forum as much now since I won't have as much free time on my hands....lol! Anyway, I've noticed one particularly annoying aspect of retirement so far. Having to answer the same freakin' questions over and over! "So, how does it feel?"......"So, what are you going to do?" ....."Gonna get a part time job or something to keep you busy?" I'm going to tape the freakin' answers on my forehead from now on. "It feels great", "Oh, I guess I'll find something to do", and "If I wanted a freakin' job I would've kept this one". The best thing I think will be at night when I'm doing something I enjoy, like listening to music or playing poker online, and won't have to quit so I can go to bed because I have to work the next day. That feeling is freakin' priceless! Peace and Happy New Year!
2 channel - Willsenton R8 tube integrated, Holo Audio Spring 3 KTE DAC, audio optimized NUC7i5, Windows 10 Pro/JRiver MC29/Fidelizer Plus 8.7 w/LPS and external SSD drive, PS Audio PerfectWave P3 regenerator, KEF R3 speakers, Rythmik F12SE subwoofer, Audioquest Diamond USB cable, Gabriel Gold IC's, Morrow Audio SP5 speaker cables. Computer - Windows 10/JRiver, Schiit Magni 3+/Modi 3+, Fostex PMO.4n monitors, Sennheiser HD600 headphones
Post edited by RyanC_Masimo on
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  • Shizelbs
    Shizelbs Posts: 7,433
    edited January 2006
    Wow, congratulations. I'm not quite old enough yet to be jealous, but I am getting there. I do already understand about having to go to bed on time. 53 and retired, sounds like a nice deal.
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  • Frank Z
    Frank Z Posts: 5,860
    edited January 2006
    Congratulations!
    9/11 - WE WILL NEVER FORGET!! (<---<<click)
    2005-06 Club Polk Football Pool Champion!! :D
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  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,861
    edited January 2006
    ****, you are way too young for that job............. :D Hope all works out for you!
    HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable

    2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited January 2006
    Congrats! enjoy your freedom.. do things you want to do.. and @ your pace.. whether that be at a relaxed pace or not.

    Life is wayto short to not enjoy this special time in your life. :D
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited January 2006
    Congratulations.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • Mike Reeter
    Mike Reeter Posts: 4,315
    edited January 2006
    Good for you,in less than three years I hope to be joining the ranks of the unemployed also...I will be 55 at that time.
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  • michael_w
    michael_w Posts: 2,813
    edited January 2006
    Must be nice to be able to retire at 53... I only hope I can score a deal like that (still have 35 years to figure it out though ;) )

    So when does the gray tracksuit and lawnbowling set come out? :D
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  • Schris22
    Schris22 Posts: 983
    edited January 2006
    wow congrats!

    Enjoy retirement and your newfound music time =)

    I got a long way to go till retirement...i guess i can quit college and take an early retirement =)

    Chris

    p.S. - ...soooo how does it feel?
    Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR502-S
    DVD Player: Pioneer DV-578A-S
    Left and Right: R50
    Center: CS1
    Rear Center: R15
    Surrounds: R30
    Subwoofer: 10'' Dayton 100 Watt
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited January 2006
    Enjoy! The best part of being retired: when you wake up, you're already on the job.
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  • PolkThug
    PolkThug Posts: 7,532
    edited January 2006
    Congrats!!!!
    Never Forget
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  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    edited January 2006
    Congrats! Enjoy!!!
    Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
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  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,080
    edited January 2006
    Congrats!!
    I plan for the future. - F1Nut
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  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited January 2006
    Cool. Your life is just beginning.
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
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  • SDA SRS 1.2
    SDA SRS 1.2 Posts: 255
    edited January 2006
    Congrats! Just 15 months away myself and can't wait! :)

    Robbie
    Main System: Polk SDA SRS 1.2 Speakers, Sunfire Signature 600~two Amp, Carver C-16 Preamp, Carver TX-11b Tuner, Marantz 6350Q TT, Philips CDR-775 Recorder, Teac V-707RX Cassette Deck, Signal Cable Double Run Speaker Cable

    Upstairs Den: Marantz 2325 Receiver, Marantz 5220 Cassette Deck, Marantz HD-880 Speakers, Marantz 6370Q TT

    Exercise (Kabuki speaker) Room: Kenwood KR-9600 Receiver, Pioneer CS-99a Speakers, Sansui SP-X9000 Speakers (not pretty, but LOUD! :) )
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  • nadams
    nadams Posts: 5,877
    edited January 2006
    Congratulations, dragon! I've got another 50 years ahead of me, but then I'll come on here and post how it feels :p
    Ludicrous gibs!
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  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,538
    edited January 2006
    Congrats buddy, you must be under CSRS? I'll hit 24 years in July, I'm gonna do 40 years, that'll put me at age 60.

    Enjoy brother, you've earned it!!
    Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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  • janmike
    janmike Posts: 6,146
    edited January 2006
    Congrats. Now what?
    Michael ;)
    In the beginning, all knowledge was new!
    NORTH of 60°
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  • audiobliss
    audiobliss Posts: 12,518
    edited January 2006
    Wow, that must be great! What does it feel like? I can't imagine what I'd do with all that spare time, though....what are you going to do with it? Perhaps a part time job to keep your hands busy?









    :D
    George Grand wrote: »
    Jstas wrote: »
    Simple question. If you had a cool million bucks, what would you do with it?
    Wonder WTF happened to the rest of my money.
    In Use
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    Epson 8700UB
    In Storage
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  • ND13
    ND13 Posts: 7,601
    edited January 2006
    Man, I'm glad I'm not that old ;) :eek: :D

    j/k.........Congrats!!!!

    Enjoy the retirement. Don't go stir crazy. Have fun, you've earned it.
    "SOME PEOPLE CALL ME MAURICE,
    CAUSE I SPEAK OF THE POMPITIOUS OF LOVE"
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  • HBombToo
    HBombToo Posts: 5,256
    edited January 2006
    Congrats.

    GO FISHING!!!!
    ***WAREMTAE***
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  • kingtut
    kingtut Posts: 813
    edited January 2006
    Congrats Dragon.
    Wow, retired at a young age of early 50s; the man sure know how to manage his money and retirement savings. Are you going to stay in Escondido? Or are you going to move out of CA?
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  • Skynut
    Skynut Posts: 2,967
    edited January 2006
    Oh what I would give to retire now. I play the lotto frequently and when I hit it I will NOT be one of those who say "I think I am going to keep working"

    No freaking way, I will keep busy but not keep working.

    Good on you, and I understand how you do not have all the free time you had at work.

    Speaking of I gotta go back to work.

    enjoy the time you have worked so hard to get.
    Skynut
    SOPA® Founder
    The system Almost there
    DVD Onkyo DV-SP802
    Sunfire Theater Grand II
    Sherbourn 7/2100
    Panamax 5510 power conditioner (for electronics)
    2 PSAudio UPC-200 power conditioners (for amps)
    Front L/R RT3000p (Bi-Wired)
    Center CS1000p (Bi-Wired) (under the television)
    Center RT2000p's (Bi-Wired) (on each side of the television)
    Sur FX1000
    SVS ultra plus 2

    www.ShadetreesMachineShop.com
    Thanks for looking
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  • dragon1952
    dragon1952 Posts: 4,907
    edited January 2006
    LOL! Thanks guys....appreciate all of the congrats. To answer your questions and comments,

    1) No tracksuits or lawn bowling in the near future :rolleyes:
    2) It feels great
    3) Oh, I guess I'll find something to keep me busy
    4) If I wanted a freakin' job I would've kept this one :p
    5) No CSRS....one of the first FERS. I had 8 yrs military and about a year and a half temp time I paid back to get the 30+. No way could I have gone 40....I'm burnt out now and don't think I could have done another day! You really want to work until you're 60!?!? Yikes! :eek: Makes me queasy thinking about it. Please reconsider bud ;)
    6) I, for one, am glad I'm this old. These are the golden years buddy ;)
    7) We bought a lot on the Oregon coast and are in the process of drawing up house plans. Will be up there hopefully by the end of summer sipping a brewski on the deck and checking out the view :cool:
    8) For you youngsters...if you want to retire early start saving now. If your company doesn't have a 401K start your own and put as much as you can afford into it monthly. I was lucky to have such a great plan available to me. We had to bite the bullet a little to afford it and near the end were putting in 15% of our gross each but it was well worth it.

    Thanks again for all the well wishes!
    Love ya!
    Mr and Mrs Dragon
    2 channel - Willsenton R8 tube integrated, Holo Audio Spring 3 KTE DAC, audio optimized NUC7i5, Windows 10 Pro/JRiver MC29/Fidelizer Plus 8.7 w/LPS and external SSD drive, PS Audio PerfectWave P3 regenerator, KEF R3 speakers, Rythmik F12SE subwoofer, Audioquest Diamond USB cable, Gabriel Gold IC's, Morrow Audio SP5 speaker cables. Computer - Windows 10/JRiver, Schiit Magni 3+/Modi 3+, Fostex PMO.4n monitors, Sennheiser HD600 headphones
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  • Burnzy
    Burnzy Posts: 250
    edited January 2006
    Congrats!

    Enjoy your free time...
    SYSTEM
    HDTV ..........Sony KP-57WV600
    CD / DVD......Sony DVP-C675D
    AVR ............Denon 2801
    MAINS .........Polk RTi8
    CENTER .......Polk CSi5
    Surrounds ....Polk FXi3
    Sub ............Polk PSW-250
    Cables.........Zebra Cables
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  • Schris22
    Schris22 Posts: 983
    edited January 2006
    I'm a little youngin but don't you get to join the AARP? which has a small membership fee but gets you benefits everywhere?

    Chris
    Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR502-S
    DVD Player: Pioneer DV-578A-S
    Left and Right: R50
    Center: CS1
    Rear Center: R15
    Surrounds: R30
    Subwoofer: 10'' Dayton 100 Watt
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited January 2006
    BlueMDPicker wrote:
    Enjoy! The best part of being retired: when you wake up, you're already on the job.
    Ed Zachery... ;)

    Congrats, d'52... 'bout time. :D

    Here's hoping that that if you ever work again, it is at your discretion and is doing something you love...
    _____________________________
    Tour(retired at 50 yrs 15 days)2ma
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • kingtut
    kingtut Posts: 813
    edited January 2006
    dragon1952 wrote:
    LOL! Thanks guys....appreciate all of the congrats. To answer your questions and comments,

    15) No CSRS....one of the first FERS. I had 8 yrs military and about a year and a half temp time I paid back to get the 30+. No way could I have gone 40....I'm burnt out now and don't think I could have done another day! You really want to work until you're 60!?!? Yikes! :eek: Makes me queasy thinking about it. Please reconsider bud ;)

    8) For you youngsters...if you want to retire early start saving now. If your company doesn't have a 401K start your own and put as much as you can afford into it monthly. I was lucky to have such a great plan available to me. We had to bite the bullet a little to afford it and near the end were putting in 15% of our gross each but it was well worth it.

    Thanks again for all the well wishes!
    Love ya!
    Mr and Mrs Dragon

    Good advice Dragon. My wife is also in the FERS system. She contributed a good portion of her income for the first few years of marriage, then we have kids, and the contribution decreased each successive years. 15% contribution of his gross income from Mr. Dragon is excellent. I wish we have the $ to contribute 15%.
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  • MacLeod
    MacLeod Posts: 14,358
    edited January 2006
    Just remember, retirement is twice as much wife on half as much money! :D
    polkaudio sound quality competitor since 2005
    MECA SQ Rookie of the Year 06 ~ MECA State Champ 06,07,08,11 ~ MECA World Finals 2nd place 06,07,08,09
    08 Car Audio Nationals 1st ~ 07 N Georgia Nationals 1st ~ 06 Carl Casper Nationals 1st ~ USACi 05 Southeast AutumnFest 1st

    polkaudio SR6500 --- polkaudio MM1040 x2 -- Pioneer P99 -- Rockford Fosgate P1000X5D
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  • trubluluc
    trubluluc Posts: 2,067
    edited January 2006
    Every time I hear someone remark, "Retire? I don't know what I'd do with myself?"
    I feel like saying, Fine, how about you work for me, and I'll take my chances figuring out what to do with the extra time.

    ENJOY!!!

    -Luc
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited January 2006
    :eek: I can't take it anymore!!! I'm going back to work!!!!! :eek: :eek:
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