Mining with Rarejule

It's Friday... the end of a very long work week. I thought I'd copy/paste a bit of a reply to my good friend, Alex, today. Although we've never met IRL, he has become someone I enjoy catching up with online. Alex used to answer my distressed phone calls to our IT help desk. He has since moved on to another position, but we keep in touch. He sent me an email update on his life, and in it, he included his plans for retirement. Currently, however, he's in the second-to-last stage of life, the "Bill Paying Stage." I loved his definition!

I replied:

I envy you being in the "second-to-last" stages of living... thinking of all that I have in the coming decade scares the living sh*t out of me. My eldest sons is giving me fits, but I hear that's par for teenagers. The younger two, they're not so bad most of the time.

Work is work. I am looking forward to May 2010 when the education handcuffs come off and my eldest (fingers crossed and all the powers of God summoned) graduates from high school. I don't know what I'll do in that year, but it will be something good, by golly! While driving to work today I saw a guy sitting on the side of the road in an "advertising truck" - have you seen these? He gets paid to sit, during rush hour, and read the paper and have coffee. I thought to myself, surely I must be doing something wrong... I want HIS job today!

My husband turns 50 this fall. He seems closer to retirement than I ever will be... maybe I should speed up my savings & paying off so I can retire at 52 with him. A girl can dream.

I envy Alex and his wife, Dody, who are now empty nesters and have a plan! Someday that will be mine too... until then, a girl can dream!

Go Alex! 52 months and counting!!