The First Month of Retirement...

A great sculpture at the Chicago Botanical Gardens.

Hi all,
Well, I have been retired from the FAA for one month! And, even though I am already un-retired, it is a tremendous relief to no longer be a supervisor of an air traffic control operation. In my new job, I will only be a computer systems specialist/analyst, and only have to argue with software! More than likely, I will not be breaking any phones in my new job.

Some of the nifty gifts. You have to have been in Area "C" to understand the cape...
Also, I have cool friends; especially the ones that worked for me at the ARTCC. It seems they all got together and threw me a nice retirement bash, and made sure that even though upper management wasn’t up to the task, I had a proper sendoff from the FAA. Friendship, good people, some nifty gifts, and malt-based beverages made for a nice time.

I have been told this software is "finicky"...

In other news, in my new job, I have already begun the transition to the computer world. I had to learn 12 new log-ins on my first day! And to make things worse, have been issued a laptop computer. I have been assimilated!

For you inquisitive types, to answer the question from the last blog entry, this is Burbank!

In the bike world, there has been very little bike riding in the past few weeks; mainly because I fractured a toe. It’s been almost two weeks, and I still can’t get a cycling shoe on my foot. We will leave the details of how I broke my toe for another time, as it wasn’t one of my more graceful maneuvers. Yes it hurt, and no, there won’t be a picture here on the blog of the black and blue toe. So, lately I wear sandals and ride the Redline back and forth to the store.
As we glean towards relocating, I am trying to decide how to configure the bike fleet. I really don’t have the space for 4 bikes. So: The Klein Panzer Tank has a new home, my friend Bert wants a project bike. The Cannondale mountain bike will also head to a new home as I spend more time lying on the trail in pain than actually riding it. The Redline single-speed is an intriguing issue. One hand, I love this bike; one of the more enjoyable rides I have ever had.

Our new city...

But, my new home is a historically VERY windy place and I think I would like some gears under me for that daily 25-30 knot wind. The Barcroft Virginia GT is not going anywhere. It is my trusty, dependable, comfortable, distance bike; I am just not sure about riding it to work as Palmdale is lacking in bike paths that run east/west.
That’s the news from here. All is well, a busy time.
Jim