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Saturday, July 23, 2011

MY RETIREMENT IS NOT WORKING

MY RETIREMENT IS NOT WORKING

I worked for forty years at a job I did not particularly enjoy.  For forty years I looked forward to retirement and not doing anything.  When I took vacations I did nothing.  I am just a lazy person.

Now that I am retired, people expect me to do something.  “What are you doing?” They ask me.  “Aren’t you bored?” They follow up.  Some people have even offered suggestions for things to keep me busy.  “Have you tried helping at the Hospital?  Do you know they are hiring part time at Wal-Mart?  The Church is always looking for volunteers.”

Thank you very much, but I enjoy doing nothing.  I plan to continue to do nothing.  Doing nothing has always been my dream.  Doing nothing is what I do.  I am not good at many things; I am very good at doing nothing.  It has been said that if you can earn a living doing something you love, you will never have to work.  I love doing nothing!


Occasionally I play golf, go bowling, read, swim or go to the gym.  These are just my diversions from doing nothing.  Doing nothing is my primary vocation.  I enjoy my vocation thank you very much please don’t offer suggestions for things for me to do.  I don’t go to a lawyer and suggest he become a life guard.  I don’t suggest to my doctor that he try teaching.  I do nothing, I do nothing very well and I love doing nothing.

On a typical day I wake up at 12:30, have breakfast (brunch), think about going to the gym and then watch TV.  I am an expert on TV Judge Programs.  Judge Judy is my favorite (I plan a future blog on these shows).   At five I think about dinner.  At six I eat dinner (if I feel like it).  Then I watch TV, baseball football or basketball if they are on.  At eleven Mrs. Cranky is home from her part time job and we watch more TV, maybe spend some couples time and then watch more TV.  I might turn in at 3:00AM if there are no more good shows or movies.  During TV time I am on the computer reading stuff or playing poker.  I spend maybe an hour and a half on my blog.

Recently I received an email from my once a year fishing buddy, Catfish.  Catfish retired this year after forty some years of a high stress government job.  The Catfish had made a list of his top 100 popular songs from the sixties to today.  He was interested in opinions of his list so he emailed it to a number of people.  He received many responses suggesting songs he left out or songs he should not have included.  Along with each suggestion he was also admonished with “You must have way too much time.”

I say to Catfish; NO! You do not have way too much time, you finally have THE time to do stuff you always wanted to do.  Embrace it.  Enjoy it.  You have earned it.

Incidentally Catfish’s list has created quite a stir of comments, apparently by people who have way too much time.

Here is The Catfish’s list.  Make a comment if you have the time:

1.       AC/DC                                                                                   Hell’s Bells

2.       AC/DC                                                                                   Thunderstruck

3.       Aerosmith                                                                           Rag Doll

4.       Aerosmith                                                                           Walk This Way

5.       Bad Company                                                                    Feel Like Making Love

6.       Bad Company                                                                    Bad Company

7.       Bill Haley and his Comets                                              Rock Around the Clock

8.       Billy Idol                                                                               White Wedding               

9.       Billy Joel                                                                               It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me

10.   Black Sabboth                                                                    Iron Man

11.   Blondie                                                                                 Heart of Glass

12.   Bob Dylan                                                                            Like a Rolling Stone

13.   Bob Dylan                                                                            Subterranean Homesick Blues

14.   Bob Seger                                                                           Old Time Rock and Roll

15.   Bon Jovi                                                                               Wanted Dead or Alive   

16.   Bruce Springsteen                                                           Born in the USA

17.   Bruce Springsteen                                                           Thunder Road

18.   Buddy Holly                                                                        Peggy Sue

19.   Buddy Knox                                                                        Party Doll

20.   Carl Perkins                                                                        Blue Suede Shoes

21.   Chuck Berry                                                                        Roll Over Beethoven

22.   Chuck Berry                                                                        Johnny Be Good

23.   Creedence Clearwater Revival                                   Born on the Bayou

24.   Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young                                  Woodstock

25.   Deep Purple                                                                      Smoke on the Water

26.   Def Leppard                                                                       Rock of Ages

27.   Del Shannon                                                                      Runaway

28.   Derek and the Dominos                                                                Layla

29.   Eagles                                                                                   Life in the Fast Lane

30.   Elvis Presley                                                                       Jailhouse Rock

31.   Elvis Presley                                                                       Hound Dog

32.   Eric Clapton                                                                        Lay Down Sally

33.   George Thorogood and the Destroyers                 Bad to the Bone

34.   Guns N’Roses                                                                    Sweet Child of Mine

35.   Heart                                                                                     Barracuda

36.   James Brown                                                                     I got You (I Feel Good)

37.   Janis Joplin                                                                          Me and Bobby McGee

38.   Janis Joplin                                                                          Piece of My Heart

39.   Jefferson Airplane                                                           Somebody to Love

40.   Jerry Lee Lewis                                                                 Whole Lotta Shaken’ Going On

41.   Jerry Lee Lewis                                                                 Great Balls of Fire

42.   Jimi Hendrix                                                                       Purple Haze

43.   Jimi Hendrix                                                                       Foxy Lady

44.   Joan Jett and the Blackhearts                                     I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll

45.   Led Zeppelin                                                                      Stairway to Heaven

46.   Led Zeppelin                                                                      Whole Lotta Love

47.   Little Richard                                                                      Lucille

48.   Little Richard                                                                      Good Golly Miss Molly

49.   Lynrd Skynyrd                                                                   Freebird

50.   Marvin Gaye                                                                      I Heard It On the Grapevine

51.   Metallica                                                                              Enter Sandman

52.   Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels                       Devil with a Blue Dress On

53.   Neil Diamond                                                                     Cherry Cherry

54.   Neil Young                                                                          Rockin’ In the Free World

55.   Norman Greenbaum                                                      Spirit in the Sky

56.   Pat Benatar                                                                        Hit Me With Your Best Shot

57.   Pink Floyd                                                                           Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)

58.   Prince                                                                                   Purple Rain

59.   Queen                                                                                  We Will Rock You

60.   Queen                                                                                  Bohemian Rhapsody

61.   Queen                                                                                  Fat Bottom Girls

62.   Righteous Brothers                                                         Unchained Melody

63.   Rod Stewart                                                                       Hot Legs

64.   Rod Stewart                                                                       Maggie May

65.   Roy Orbison                                                                       Oh, Pretty Woman

66.   Santana                                                                                Black Magic Woman

67.   Sly and the Family Stone                                               Dance to the Music

68.   Steppenwolf                                                                      Born to be Wild

69.   The Allman Brothers Band                                           Ramblin Man

70.   The Animals                                                                       House of the Rising Sun

71.   The Beach Boys                                                                                Help Me Rhonda

72.   The Beach Boys                                                                                Little Deuce Coup

73.   The Beatles                                                                        Hey Jude

74.   The Beatles                                                                        Revolution

75.   The Beatles                                                                        Hard Day’s Night

76.   The Beatles                                                                        Twist and Shout

77.   The Byrds                                                                            Mr. Tambourine Man

78.   The Del –Vikings                                                               Come and Go With Me

79.   The Doobie Brothers                                                      Black Water

80.   The Doors                                                                           Roadhouse Blues

81.   The Doors                                                                           Light My Fire

82.   The Everly Brothers                                                        Bye Bye Love

83.   The Hollies                                                                          Long Cool Woman (in a Black Dress)

84.   The Isley Brothers                                                           Shout

85.   The Kingsmen                                                                   Louie Louie

86.   The Kinks                                                                             Lola

87.   The Rolling Stones                                                           I Can’t Get No Satisfaction

88.   The Rolling Stones                                                           Brown Sugar

89.   The Rolling Stones                                                           Sympathy for the Devil

90.   The Troggs                                                                          Wild Thing

91.   The Who                                                                              Won’t Get Fooled Again

92.   The Who                                                                              Pinball Wizard

93.   Tina Turner                                                                         Proud Mary

94.   Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers                                                Last Dance with Mary Jane

95.   U2                                                                                          With or Without You      

96.   Van Morrison                                                                    Brown Eyed Girl

97.   Wilson Pickett                                                                   Mustang Sally

98.   Wilson Pickett                                                                   In the Midnight Hour

99.   ZZ Top                                                                   Sharp Dressed Man

100. ZZ Top                                                                                 Legs



Since the “Catfish 100” received so much interest I am adding the Cranky Top Ten Movies in no particular order:

Godfather

Jaws

Inherit the Wind (S. Tracy)

My Cousin Vinnie

The Green Mile

King Kong (Fay Ray)

Cool Hand Luke

Deep Throat (the uncut version)

The Jerk

Brian’s Song

Respond if you have nothing better to do with your time.


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5 comments:

  1. I look forward to doing the same thing in the future. And I too shall ignore those who thoughtfully offer me things to do. I have no intelligent comment to add about the list other than that the movie Jaws scared the bejesus out of me.

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  2. Right now, I feel like I'm the opposite - I have far too much to do, when I'm supposed to be relaxing and doing nothing! I get so stressed. And yeah - "The Green Mile" is a great film :D Think I might be a bit too young to comment on the songs.

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  3. OK you had me nodding away until I saw "My Cousin Vinnie", Please explain?

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  4. Well, my gramps pre-occupied himself by making a bucket list. Maybe you need a little more than the usual adventure in your life. These are your golden years, and you ought to spend them like you mean it.

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  5. Well, I commend you for sticking with your decision to just be laid back in your retirement days. But wouldn’t it be nicer if you put a little thrill in your twilight years? I agree with Andrew, the fact that his grandpa is doing his bucket list will definitely help him make the most out of those years. Well, you have to at least enjoy and have fun. But if doing nothing is your happiness – you know, chilling, relaxing, and other “doing nothing” stuff – then I’m with you man!

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