A Year On....

Don't discount isolation. Being able to "leave" work is not to be dismissed, either. It may be right for Scissors and me, and not necessarily for everyone, regardless of occupation. Discipline can help keep you from working off hours. Which I have in finite quantity, so I work off hours often (as do my people). But hey, none of you have the 2-3x/year "commute" that I have following the weez around the west, so count ya blessings!
 
An unladen European Swallow?

Honestly, for me life changed not so much.
I work in medical device manufacturing. I would wear a mask for about a third of any normal day, now full time.
I have mostly ridden my normal rides with my normal friends( until my buddy Eric pulled a Mikie and had both knees replaced in April and became a non riding buddy)
I even went and did RAGBRAI this year.
My SUP group has only grown stronger and we have hardly missed a Sunday year round.
My wife went from 2 days a week at home to full time. Her 26 year old daughter ended up moving back home ,( dang, thought we had her fully moved out)
In the last six months events and races and such have come back.
Honestly, I'm probably less affected than 90 something plus percent of most people.
Except, three of my friends died. I don't know where that sits on the over/under; but it sucks nonetheless.
 
I’ve become a professional PowerPoint presenter for NGC. I own the Process Improvement Program for the Aeronautics Sector. My job is to design tools and training for process improvement. With C19, I would say 90% of my presentations have been Skype from my desk at work. 10% have been “on location” presentations in Auditoriums or training classrooms. We JUST resorted back to limited occupancy conference rooms which means more Skype and possible Zoom presentations.
My goal is to convince them there is no reason I can’t do what I do from any remote location which would lead to heading off to NorthWest Arkansas early. Put in maybe another year and retire already settled.
A guy can dream, can’t they?

(yeah… it’s 3:00am. Not enough sleeping right now)
 
I’ve become a professional PowerPoint presenter for NGC. I own the Process Improvement Program for the Aeronautics Sector. My job is to design tools and training for process improvement. With C19, I would say 90% of my presentations have been Skype from my desk at work. 10% have been “on location” presentations in Auditoriums or training classrooms. We JUST resorted back to limited occupancy conference rooms which means more Skype and possible Zoom presentations.
My goal is to convince them there is no reason I can’t do what I do from any remote location which would lead to heading off to NorthWest Arkansas early. Put in maybe another year and retire already settled.
A guy can dream, can’t they?

(yeah… it’s 3:00am. Not enough sleeping right now)
Work that angle to the fullest! Being it can be an inconvenience for an employer, I’d throw in some $incentive to grease it up. In fairness, going remote is like a raise.


@Rumpled, devices you say…good on you. I worked at a couple device-only agencies. Still eye-deep in healthcare. Great industry for SoCal.
 
Last edited:
After being home for a year and a half, having to now drive to an office and stare at a computer for eight hours suuuuuucks. #spoiled
Most of my work is case management which I can do with Zoom, Excel and Outlook pretty damn well from anywhere. I don't' mind going in for the 25% that I need to be there, but lame to have to drive in for the other 75%.
Hoping for an early retirement incentive to be offered, but looks like another seven years right now...
 
Last edited:
Nothing has changed for me. I still don't go in to work and I still don't work from home. I'd gladly join the work force again doing something that is fun/enjoyable **IF** the employer would be willing to work around my riding and "being out of town" schedule which is highly unlikely. Okay, need to get off thew computer and go ride to get my legs ready for 5 days in Hurricane later this month :D
 
Work changed zero for me. Road my bike to the factory every day like I always do.

But on a personal level, F@ck I miss 2020. Less traffic on the roads (better for riding my bike AND driving). I spent WAY more time traveling and doing things since my GF was working remotely and started riding MTB and road riding, on top of our crazy running. I did so much fun stuff. I am looking forward to using up some more vacation time in the future to go out and repeat 2020 adventures.
 
Nothing has changed for me. I still don't go in to work and I still don't work from home. I'd gladly join the work force again doing something that is fun/enjoyable **IF** the employer would be willing to work around my riding and "being out of town" schedule which is highly unlikely. Okay, need to get off thew computer and go ride to get my legs ready for 5 days in Hurricane later this month :D

If you're riding IN Hurricane, you're doing it wrong. Just sayin'. o_O:rolleyes::facepalm::Roflmao
 
Curious to know what professions you gents that are working from home are in. I would VERY MUCH like to be a work from home guy and I am working on getting there. Not so much because I don't like the commute, it's only 5 minutes each way. I wat to work from home so we can move out of the Vegas area. After close to 18 months we already know we do not want to stay here. Utah has been calling our name since before we left Cali.
 
Curious to know what professions you gents that are working from home are in. I would VERY MUCH like to be a work from home guy and I am working on getting there. Not so much because I don't like the commute, it's only 5 minutes each way. I wat to work from home so we can move out of the Vegas area. After close to 18 months we already know we do not want to stay here. Utah has been calling our name since before we left Cali.
Sorry for a bit of a derail....but just curious why LV area isn't working out. I'm beginning to search for good spots to move to in a year or two when I retire and LV has always been in the back of my mind. Thanks!
 
Curious to know what professions you gents that are working from home are in. I would VERY MUCH like to be a work from home guy and I am working on getting there. Not so much because I don't like the commute, it's only 5 minutes each way. I wat to work from home so we can move out of the Vegas area. After close to 18 months we already know we do not want to stay here. Utah has been calling our name since before we left Cali.
Kevin, it's creative work here – graphic design and writing. These industries might be a little ahead of the curve for remote employment. Data transfer is usually not an issue; it could be for video and even for some print work, but it's improving with time and technology. Ideas fly over the net, so I try to nudge things in that direction versus heavy lifting of pixels. Easier on the wrist, too.

Bravo on reaching for the stars, man. Contructive discontent!!!! :thumbsup:
 
Last edited:
Curious to know what professions you gents that are working from home are in. I would VERY MUCH like to be a work from home guy and I am working on getting there. Not so much because I don't like the commute, it's only 5 minutes each way. I wat to work from home so we can move out of the Vegas area. After close to 18 months we already know we do not want to stay here. Utah has been calling our name since before we left Cali.

I'm a budget/capital project/contract analyst/troubleshooter/reviewer. I work for a local government. What I do has no non-government equivalent as far as I can tell. I'm supposed to be a budget and accounting whiz, know all the legal ins and outs of public contracts, and keep capital project managers from stepping on their own schlongs so we get reimbursed by our grantors.

None of what I do requires being in an open-office concept with a bunch of other people. I can do Webex and/or Teams, educate and cajole, and just be a pain in the keister from my 3rd bedroom set up as an office.

It would be awesome if more people could stop commuting. We've made a lot of progress in SoCal regarding smog and emissions, but the future is for someone else. I'm headed to southern Utah my own self jsut as soon as I can make retirement pencil out. 2 - 4 years max.

I hope you can get there. Commuting is a waste of life.
 
@G-man Vegas is F'ing HOT during the summer. My wife and kids are over it, even though we have a pool and spa, its still rough. NO ONE goes outside during the day in the summer months. It's too hot. Riding during the summer... either you ride at night when its only 100 and you'll sweat as if it was the middle of the day. Or, you ride at the crack of dawn when its only 95 and you'll sweat as if it was the middle of the day. Oh yea, it's freaking windy a lot too. The winter is COLD but not horrible. Definitely can ride all year here. And, there are a lot of good trails that are just about all single track. Bootleg in Boulder City is real close and has beyond gnar trails should you want to pucker. IF you want to do any kind of gardening, forget about it or use raised planters in a green house. It is sooo difficult to grow any vegies/fruit here. If you like night life, shows, etc. Vegas is top notch and helps make this place more bearable. I'd be down with staying if the other 3 family members were. We kind of knew Vegas wouldn't be our forever home when we moved here. It was more of a reason to get out of Cali and all the greatness of it. Our goal is to land somewhere we can garden and enjoy more than two seasons. Utah seems to have all that and more. The fact it is a very conservative state overall means a lot. Hit me up if you have more questions about Vegas, its not horrible. but, not for everybody too.
 
I'm quite happy to be back working full time outside of the home. My last 5 years in the music business were almost entirely from home, and when I switched to insurance I divided my time pretty equally between home and in the field. Sure, I had more time to do non work things on the days I wasn't commuting, but I really hated not having that separation between work and home. Hard to switch off, and hard to switch on. I grew to really dislike the room that was my office. These days it gets used primarily for meditation, yoga, and throwing kettle bells around. And I like the commute. I travel through the canyon and then PCH just after rush hour on both ends. I have no cell service in the canyon. For 35 minutes each way I get a fun canyon carving drive, music/podcast of choice, and I'm largely unreachable. Good time to get the head right. And my 11 year old has really taken note of the fact that I'm available to her now when I'm home.
 
Last edited:
Friend of mine works some sort of legal stuff. She does the part time #vanlife thing, rock climbing all over the place.

I wish I could figure out how to do a job like that. But I am an industrial mechanic with a union job and pension, I'm terrified about walking away from this gig!

That said, while I can be at work in a little over 20 minutes on the motorcycle, the hour commute on my bicycle works. In the very least I get to ride my bike every day, base miles, and not have to deal with traffic. I feel less stressed about idiots on the road compared to the van.
 
Friend of mine works some sort of legal stuff. She does the part time #vanlife thing, rock climbing all over the place.

I wish I could figure out how to do a job like that. But I am an industrial mechanic with a union job and pension, I'm terrified about walking away from this gig!

That said, while I can be at work in a little over 20 minutes on the motorcycle, the hour commute on my bicycle works. In the very least I get to ride my bike every day, base miles, and not have to deal with traffic. I feel less stressed about idiots on the road compared to the van.
I’ve been tethered to a office and a shop floor myself, and get jealous at the folks who can work anywhere. But for sure, don’t walk away from that gig without some serious thinking. Now at almost age 52 I’m realizing that I could actually consider changing jobs in 3 years, and even not working in 7-9. A lot of my coworkers are just ahead of me, and are retiring for two months but planning to come back on 20-30 hr/week contracts. Some are looking for work that doesn’t make them come in to the office, and some are saying it’s enough and just living off their investments.
 
Somehow I missed thread.....great Sunday morning reading.

Looking back, I'm a lucky guy. In '19, I downsized my lifestyle, from 60+ hours a week for 15 years, to working for my #1 customer at 40 hours a week and NO OWNERSHIP duties. My mind, heart and spirit soared. I had just gotten used to the humane schedule when Covid hit.

The industry was considered essential so we never took a day off. With a super generous offer, the entire workforce was fully vaccinated
in two months. Both of my grown kids did the WFH gig for a few months before their jobs started hybrid schedules. My wife is in the dental profession, and the only one of us to take a small hit. She was able to WFH helping emergency patients and apply for the small business help programs. She was back to full-time when the OC Dental Society formalized working conditions.

My scheduled knee surgery was delayed to October and the 6 weeks off were welcome, but I was ready to get back on the shop floor. I really miss the traffic free days. I have a recurring vision now...one afternoon, my F350 finally says "enough" and decides to tattoo the idiot who just cut me off. That reminds me, put the trailer hitch back in the front receiver.:bang: J/K - retirement is a short two years off, my second knee is scheduled for February and we have a wedding to plan. Life is good, everyone survived the pandemic and I have lots of spare bike parts.
 
I’ve been tethered to a office and a shop floor myself, and get jealous at the folks who can work anywhere. But for sure, don’t walk away from that gig without some serious thinking. Now at almost age 52 I’m realizing that I could actually consider changing jobs in 3 years, and even not working in 7-9. A lot of my coworkers are just ahead of me, and are retiring for two months but planning to come back on 20-30 hr/week contracts. Some are looking for work that doesn’t make them come in to the office, and some are saying it’s enough and just living off their investments.
Well there's a good example of what's going on across the country! Reasons for labor shortages, "the great resignation" phenomenon. Crazy how so many things are unpredictable
 
I am not sure if I could deal with working from home, if I were in a position to choose. I need to be moving. I'm a laborer type of person. Siting still for periods of time drives me nuts. I actually enjoy traveling (driving) to and from client work stops even though Southern California traffic tends to suck.
 
Last edited:
I have a recurring vision now...one afternoon, my F350 finally says "enough" and decides to tattoo the idiot who just cut me off.
I can't tell you how often I think about that in my ambulance!

"the great resignation"
I can think of only one person who has quit my work. LOTS of people threatening due to the vaccine requirement, but only one actually left (though a lot of people suddenly became "religious" :cautious:). I think only one took the offered retirement package during the height of the slowdown...after working here for 40+ years (45 I think).

don’t walk away from that gig without some serious thinking
I have tried the greener grass a few times, never worked out. Only way I am leaving here now is if something special happens. I am seriously considering starting flight school in a year, but I have always dreamed of getting my license. If all goes well I am young enough to go commercial and still come out ahead. But I could just settle for having a PPL and enjoy flying on occasion, just like I do occasionally riding the motorcycle.

I can officially retire at the age of 55 if I set myself up well. Probably won't happen, but I have goals. Between my pension, 401k, investments, and trying to live pretty cheap, I am hoping for 60.
 
Back
Top