I may be retired on 12/1

[ParadigmDawg]

Wow dude, congrats.

I turned 50 this year and still working as hard as ever.

When I really feel stressed and I am hating work, I step back and remember that I actually probably work 6 hours/week so there isn't really a need to stop doing it.

One of my new riding buddies asked me if I "work" and I said yes but I have a system that allows me to fit in riding. He asked me to explain:

The day 1-7 of each month- it's too early to tell if I will hit quota so I am available to ride anytime.

Day 8-15 of each month- just doesn't matter to me as I either had a first good week or I can scramble the last 15 days of the month so sure I can ride.

Day 16-30 of each month- it's the end of the month, I can't change anything at this point so I can go ride

 

[ImcLoud]

Wow dude, congrats.

I turned 50 this year and still working as hard as ever.

When I really feel stressed and I am hating work, I step back and remember that I actually probably work 6 hours/week so there isn't really a need to stop doing it.

One of my new riding buddies asked me if I "work" and I said yes but I have a system that allows me to fit in riding. He asked me to explain:

The day 1-7 of each month- it's too early to tell if I will hit quota so I am available to ride anytime.

Day 8-15 of each month- just doesn't matter to me as I either had a first good week or I can scramble the last 15 days of the month so sure I can ride.

Day 16-30 of each month- it's the end of the month, I can't change anything at this point so I can go ride

LOL, see when I work I WORK, moving boilers, lifting 20ft lengths of 6" steel sched. 80, ect.. And I did my share, Tonight at dinner a few of our close friends joined us and the toast given by a long time friend of mine was "when ever I think "wow I worked hard today" the memory of Irv coming home from a 16 hour shift at 10pm and taking a 15 minute shower while shoveling wet soap covered protein bars down his throat so he could get back out to work flashes through my brain and I remember I never worked a day in my life"...

That was from my buddy Dee, we have been friends for a long time, one day about 10 years ago, he followed me home from a red light, he pulled up to my house right behind me, I of course invited him in and my wife and kids were sleeping it was around 9-10pm, and we were about 25 years old, he was going to a bar to get a few drinks and I was getting home from working at my regular job, he followed me in the house , talking as I walked through the living room, I went into the kitchen and grabbed 3 protein bars, unwrapped them and started blasting them into my body as talking to him. He followed me to the bathroom door, I walked in stripped down jumped in the shower while eating the protein bars, washed up, and then exited the shower, through some clean clothes on and he followed me back out to my truck, where I told him to have a good time and tell everyone I said "hi", I went back to work on a "side job" I was doing until 4 am. I remember than day because he loves to tell that story, I can home around 5 am and slept for around 3 hours, was back in work at my regular job for 8am and worked until 1pm to do it all over again...

My wife stood up tonight at the table and thanked me for the years of 90 hour work weeks I did, I am not too manly to admit I felt that tingle in my nose like my eyes were going to tear up, I honestly feel like tonight made it all worth it, I thought it was going to be dinner for me and my family, when I got there it was a party of 16!!!! It made me feel like the years of not seeing my kids hold the spoon on their own for the first time, missing all the other firsts, like first day of school, first words, first steps, first everything was not a waste, the back breaking work I did to build what I sold for 3.8 million dollars today meant something!!! I had a little too much to drink tonight but I got it, and tonight made me feel a lot better about the life I carved out for my family... Just when I thought I was less of a person for not being around they made it all worth it...

Life is good, live it while its in your reach... it's 2:30 am here and I am all revved up, I am going to go down stairs and work out for an hour so I may be able to get some sleep tonight.... good night AH friends...

 

[herbu]

Congratulations, man! I have an idea you will love it. You can do the work you want to do, when you want to do it. Lots of projects that don't really need to be done, but you want to do. Very low on priority list before, now you can arrange that list how you want. And you have lots of years to enjoy the more demanding activities before your body starts to protest. Happy for you, and always happy to see another example of how hard work still pays off.

 

[Steve81]

All Adam saw from your post:

I am not too manly... I had a little too much to drink tonight...my buddy Dee...he followed me home...of course invited him in... He followed me to the bathroom...I walked in stripped down

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Irv, you have been like a son to me and both my wife and I love you dearly. I know this will be shocking to you but we have decided to adopt both you and your wife. My lawyer will call you around noon.....

 

[afterlife2]

This is a heart touching thread. I'm happy for you and your family. Rave On.

 

[Midwesthonky]

Congrats! I'm glad to hear the hard work paid off for you. Enjoy your family and I wish you the best for the future.

 

[ImcLoud]

He guys, here is an update..

I am having our xmas party tonight, even though I don't own the company any longer, the new company doesn't have xmas parties, so I decided to have a "get together" for my old employees, I personally invited everyone and everyone is attending, 2 of them changed their plans to make sure they could make it. That makes me feel so good, because it reinforces the feeling that everyone is still happy with me, seems I made no enemies and didn't ruin anyones life, lol... I guess my existence wasn't as detrimental as I previously believed, which is a good thing...

I am excited about this, I am glad I have my wife around to help me with this because me and my office manager {who still works for me she now runs my real estate division} were putting a slide show of pictures from this year and a few from over the years, and I was including some of the italy trip and our new home, my wife explained how it is not appropriate, and it made sense to me after she said it. I can't wait to see everyone, I am honestly more excited than I should be, but I miss my old "crew"....

 

[ImcLoud]

So xmas party went very well, everyone ate and drank till their hearts content so how could anyone be upset about anything, lol. I brought in a fake xmas tree and hired a Santa for the kids and a photographer, it was a big hit, people from the restaurant area of the place we had it were letting their kids come in and sit on santas lap, it was fun...

Everyone had gifts under the tree and everyone was happy, I feel much better about my choices now, seeing everyones life go on it very nice...

One of the waitresses came over and said "you have the best xmas party I have ever seen in my life" and I explained it wasn't really a "work" party since there is no more work, she was like "so they don't work for you and you still threw a party, I work here and this scrooge wont throw us a party", you should have seen her face when the owner came in {he probably shows his face in his restaurants once a month, he owns 3, pays to have them ran} and had a drink with me, I just winked at her to show her I wasnt going to say anything, it was pretty funny...

Anyway, merry xmas all, incase I am not on here in the next couple days, we have a pretty full schedule, stay safe and enjoy yourselves...

 

[ParadigmDawg]

So xmas party went very well, everyone ate and drank till their hearts content so how could anyone be upset about anything, lol. I brought in a fake xmas tree and hired a Santa for the kids and a photographer, it was a big hit, people from the restaurant area of the place we had it were letting their kids come in and sit on santas lap, it was fun...

Everyone had gifts under the tree and everyone was happy, I feel much better about my choices now, seeing everyones life go on it very nice...

One of the waitresses came over and said "you have the best xmas party I have ever seen in my life" and I explained it wasn't really a "work" party since there is no more work, she was like "so they don't work for you and you still threw a party, I work here and this scrooge wont throw us a party", you should have seen her face when the owner came in {he probably shows his face in his restaurants once a month, he owns 3, pays to have them ran} and had a drink with me, I just winked at her to show her I wasnt going to say anything, it was pretty funny...

Anyway, merry xmas all, incase I am not on here in the next couple days, we have a pretty full schedule, stay safe and enjoy yourselves...

Sounds like a fun party.

I bought my office pizza. I would've gotten them less but Pizza Hut had a deal for $6.99 each....

 

[ImcLoud]

Sounds like a fun party.

I bought my office pizza. I would've gotten them less but Pizza Hut had a deal for $6.99 each....

classy , a friend of mine has a staff of just over 30, he leases a floor of a local business center, 70 phone lines, 20 or so offices, good size operation, he had all of his employees bring their families to work with them yesterday, then took them in limo's to a hall he rented where he had chefs cook dinner and a full bar setup, then he paid for Hotel rooms for anyone who wanted to stay in the city, he had a block of 40 rooms and they used all but 2, so that was almost perfect planning... He called me last night and said he had 2 rooms if I wanted to come up, but the kids were tuckered and so was I...
He told me the budget was $40K for the xmas party!!! So some companies had really good years!!! A friend of his from his building spent more then him and doubled bonuses!!! I couldn't imagine what his bonuses looked like, his payroll is over 2 1/2 million dollars a year before bonuses!!! I remember when I used to buy the guys turkeys for thanksgiving and give them gift cards to toys r us and macys for xmas, as you grow so does that stuff. My sister in law works for a firm out of hartford, she gets $10K in bonus check and a gift bag that is a $1000 purse with about $2500 in gift cards in it!!! Some other employees got all inclusive cruises for their entire family worth $15K+!!!!

But you know what I noticed about the companies that go above and beyond for their employees? They are all privately owned!!! Not many big huge corporations going out of their way for the holidays, its the smallish under 50 employee companies owned by Joe and Jill Johnson that care and want to show their appreciation...

Merry xmas everyone, I am off to do the rounds, I got the Santa claus from last night to go buy a few friends and families houses that have kids and drop off the presents we got them in person, he actually drives a Red F350 that looks like something a santa claus would drive, lol, I wish it was snowing so when he pulled up he could tell the kids the truck is better in the snow than the deer, but he said he tells them the reindeer are resting for tonight, he gets the special deliveries out of the way first and uses the truck... Should be fun...

 

[lallygagging]

...My wife is already planning 56 days in Italy, lol, she actually spoke these words at dinner tonight when I told her the deal was getting signed Thursday "maybe we should buy an apartment in Milan", I told her yah if she wants me to have to go right back to work, lol...
she found this one http://www.sothebysrealty.com/eng/sales/detail/180-l-1952-gh2fls/splendid-apartment-on-the-top-floor-of-historic-palazzo-milano-mi-20129 I don't think I am in the plans since them stairs will break from my weight, lol... Plus you guys have seen pictures of my home, how could I go from this to 1000 sq foot apartment... I know it would only be for vacations, but no matter how much money I have I am not buying property in another country to use for 2 months a year

I wa laughing a minute about when I read one of my posts in this thread, where i said I wouldn't buy a house in another country, I talked to a real estate agent from H-ford today, I was thinking about it earlier and I want to buy her an apartment in Italy, if she wants it and I can afford it she can have it...

I have spent so much money on stuff that will be worthless in a few years, why not let her feel like we can go to italy when ever she wants... I spent $150K on a boat under 24 ft!!! lol, I can think of worse things to buy than an apartment in milan... PLUS that at least 4 more rooms I can put speakers in.....

I have been living in Italy for the past 18 years.
I am curious. Why Milano?

 

[ImcLoud]

I have been living in Italy for the past 18 years.
I am curious. Why Milano?

Liguria not Milan, what part do you live in?

 

[lallygagging]

I live in Cortona in Tuscany (province of Arezzo). That's the town in which they made the movie Under The Tuscan Sun.
Have you've seen it?

 

[ImcLoud]

I have been to tuscany, and I have seen the movie, lol...

We are in San Remo. Imperia Province, we can get anywhere pretty fast, and the airport is a little over an hour away.. I think the highway is A10, we did a little investigating, but not much, in February we will have much more time since we are going to be there for 2 weeks, we met some friends who are going to show us around, they are from Genoa but time share a property by us... No shortage of friendly people where we are, vs some other parts of Italy we have been that is not so friendly, lol...

Also a lot of people say to stay away from the places where there are many tourists if buying property, and Liguria is full of tourists, BUT also full of english speaking people, lol and we are tourists, we don't plan on moving there full time, we will spend summers and small trips throughout the year, as well as let family and friends use the property when they want to vacation, that area seemed perfect, plus we got an AMAZING DEAL, the property is gorgeous, 7 bedroom, water view, 2 pools, its as close to paradise as I have ever witnessed not in a picture, I am not a selfish person, but walking out onto the veranda in the morning makes me want to keep it all to myself and not share it with anyone else...

 

[lallygagging]

Sounds very good... as you said, ''as close to paradise....'' !!
By the way, I am pretty sure that there are very few placed in Italy that are not full of tourists... and most likely you would want to live in any of them.

 

[lallygagging]

In my last post I meant to say ''and most likely you would NOT want to live in any of them.'' Sorry about that...