Observations 28 JUN 2012

My apologies to Pat for the lateness of approving her post; a lot has been happening. My life has taken some radical changes in the last months. Scruffy's death marked the start of them. As noted earlier, I'm in a good relationship (And, she's forced me to clean up my life in more ways than one). Among other things, I'm living physically and mentally healthier. And a great deal of that change has been a decision to change my lifestyle to a simpler one. One turn has been to get rid of the monster computer array that I had at home- expensive, and too much hassle to maintain. I'm consolidating my records on file, e-mails, contacts, media, etc. I've downsized to a laptop, and some external drives. Another change has been to my house. Much of the reason for my house was to have a dog. Another was as a storage unit for my junk. I'm slowly disposing with that. Soon, I may be selling my house. It's too much to maintain, and afford, for a single person. It's amazing what I do not use, or need, that I have accumulated over the years. Kindle has greatly assisted with my book collection. Netflix, and broadcast TV do away with the need for pay TV. My prepaid cell phone has nearly replaced my landline. I'm keeping my radio gear. I hope to have a new base for it sometime in the next few months. The new location is not as advantageous as the doghouse. but will suffice for HF. I'm expecting to greatly reduce my costs of living, and eat healthier in the bargain. Very importantly, I'm changing my employment. It is time to be better educated, and to work at a job that has potential for growth. Someone asked me what I wanted to do for the second half of my life; part of that answer is to work at a job I find more fulfilling. I'm just a little funny in the head to try this in the middle of the Great Recession, but the clock is ticking, and I would rather work at a job that I can feel better with myself at. This will probably mean contract work, or part time work, but I now have a spiritual side that needs fulfillment. Working at my present position until 70 would mean I would not have a gastro-intestinal system left... Also, my current job means I have little spiritual or social potential for growth. My relationship has broken barriers that have been in place for decades. I actually have some self-esteem, now. :) It's time to stop being unhappy. And, I like the adventure. Wally.