My Declaration of Independence Day

That's all she wrote! Stick a fork in me, I'm DONE!

It may not sink in for a few days, but it soon will, that I am now really RETIRED!

Rats and Brat, thank you (again) for your kind words.

Would you believe the train crewman goofed AGAIN and I got another free trip? Now I have about $25 in tickets to redeem for a refund. And the office folks played "Uncle Leo" and gave me $150 in lieu of a lunch I did not want (a friend/coworker treated me anyway) and a box of Devil Dogs LOL! I even finished my part of the huge project I had been working on for the last 20 months.

I faxed all the documents to the savings plan administrator so in a few weeks my $$ ship will arrive, the QUEEN MARY! Woo Hoo!

I toast you :beer for your foresight, practicality, and skill with money but most of all for being a sterling example of CF freedom. Great day!

Thanks for the toast, Clem. Right back at you! (if I knew how to get those fancier emoticons in my posts )

Well, the first (electronic) half of the Queen Mary $$ has arrived. The other half is on its way via U.S. Mail. Very soon it will be earning plenty of interest to keep me afloat for the next 20+ years.

It was soooooooo nice not having to go to friggin New Jersey this passed week. I was telling my dad the other day that this week is the first time in 27 years (since before I went to college in New York City) that I will have no association with New York City in any way at all. Since 1981, I have either worked in, gone to school in, lived in, or travelled through New York City on a daily or part-time basis. But not any more. And it is good to have rid myself of dealing with that cesspool!

And my own copy of Eleanor Burkett's "The Baby Boon" arrived last week. I had read a library copy but wanted one of my own. Good reading for all of you on this board.

Whoooo!
Yay for you!

"It truly is the one commonality that every designation of humans you can think of has, there's at least one asshole."
--Me

I began my second month of retirement this week. I received my first dividend from the bond fund I just invested in. It was only for about half the month so it was low. However, the rate of return was stellar as it has been before.

I don't miss going to friggin New Jersey ONE BIT! The LIRR (local commuter rail system) had some major headaches just before Thanskgiving last month including a low-speed derailment (no injuries) and a low-speed train collision (5 people had minor injuries) within spitting distance at the same station on different days. This came just after the parent agency announced a doomsday budget proposal including a 20% fare increase. And I LAUGHED as I drove through the station on the way home the other day!

I was at my brother's place in MA (Massachussetts, about 200 miles away) for Thanksgiving. His little son (nearly 5 years old) was not nearly the brat he had been in prior years; he was actually fun to be with.

Life is good.....

I received my first full-month dividend from the bond fund which will be paying my bills. While it was a little low compared to prior Decembers, it was higher than in most recent months. Even a few tenths of a cent per share translates into over $100 extra because I own so many shares. My pretax income now is almost as much as my pretax income while I was working (part-time).

Then I learned from a friend and former coworker that my company's stock price took a BIG hit with its 4th quarter evaluation. Now I KNOW I got out just in time!

"No kids, No debts!"

Life is good......