changes

[ken-do-nim]

(07-09-2021, 05:02 PM)rayray Wrote: ken--i was up in boston recently, only for one night to pick up a pup that was supposed to go to my father and stepmother but our dog and more importantly the wife bonded so well with the pup that now we have two dogs...that or it was a planned foist from the beginning and i fell for it...hook line and sinker lol

Cute story.  My daughter loves dogs; she's going to a vocational high school and hoping to get into the animal care program.

[fenders53]

Here's a cute doggy scam story. My daughter gets a lab and a shepherd pup. Moves to a new city and asks us to watch the dogs for a few weeks while she finds an apartment that allows pets. That was last summer. She stops by and takes them to the lake every few months. I have retained an attorney as she is not making her child support payments lol.

[Kerim]

What a thread. Condolences for all of the losses mentioned.
 
And I can certainly relate to rethinking things. I’d been planning to stay at my company at least until I turned 55, for a variety of financial reasons. That’s only 3.5 years away now, but things at work had become completely untenable in some important ways, and I had no choice but to leave. I’ll have to readjust my financial plans, and potential retirement date – it feels wildly unfair, but sometimes you just have to take a stand for yourself and what’s right.
 
Ken-do-nim, it sounds like we’re leading parallel lives in some ways. My daughter has Dravet syndrome, and will never live independently. Her mom (my ex) and I are in the process right now of figuring out where and how she’ll live when we can’t care for her ourselves, and creating the trusts and other mechanisms to try to ensure her safety. It is incredibly stressful and psychologically taxing. We also live in MA (not far from Brattleboro, actually), and will likely stay here given that it is better than most (which is not to say great, sadly) on services and support.
 
In any case, and nonetheless, I am planning to take a good chunk of time off right now to try an undo the severe burnout that has built up over the past few years. And when I do go back to work, I am very hopeful that it can be a significant downshift from the high stress jobs I’ve had for the last 20 years. My health has taken a hit in the last couple of years, and I’d really like to take better care of myself so I can be around a lot longer.
 
The pandemic has been a tragedy and a nightmare all around, but I do appreciate the small silver lining that it does seem to be causing a lot of people to rethink what is important. Myself included!

[ken-do-nim]

Hi Kerim,

Stress from both job and family life - not good! In 2010 I moved from development (less stressful) to support (more stressful). I will never forget the weekend that Carnival Cruise Line had a problem with our software and I was on the phone with them while my wife-at-the-time was literally trying to keep our autistic son, who was violent then, from tearing her hair out. (Thankfully, that violent period has passed.) I was back in development by 2012.

Enjoy your time off, and if you find yourself in the Eastern part of the state ring me up.