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Stop Working Too Hard in 2021

Posted by $ Abaco 3 years, 2 months ago to Culture
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This is my resolution (if I actually have one). I'm going to retire from my full-time engineering work babysitting lunatics.

I just saw on Instagram a friend of my wife's this morning checking in with her IG personna/whatever and she's saying "I'm in my special space this morning. Just had my tea. Had my yoga." Meahwhile I'm fielding calls and emails on COVID-related engineering problems starting at 6am, and everything is an emergency. It's been like this all damned year for me and it's certainly effecting my health. 12-hour days if I'm not careful. So, I'm pulling the plug in 2021 on this phase of my career. Going to slow the hell down. So...who's going to join me?

At this point I have to marvel at people my age who can just sip their tea and watch the clouds drift by. Made me laugh my ass off, actually... Heading to the Gulch, baby...


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    Posted by $ Markus_Katabri 3 years, 2 months ago
    There’s absolutely every reason to literally go Galt after this year. If you live in the United States, after seeing all the pointless crap our tax money is being spent on, it’s pretty much a requirement. The parasitic filth that demands more money but will use anything as an excuse not to work. Starve the beast.
    I’m in Engineering at an essential equipment manufacturer. When you commented on Babysitting Lunatics I can totally relate. I’m heading for the gulch at 55. Mixture of minimalism and saving. Before this latest “pandemic” I figured I could make it to “normal” age. Not anymore. I’ve got, and had, enough. Of the things I had left that I wanted to do, I’m just accepting that they are not on the menu anymore. Why give THEM anymore of my time and money. All this BS has done, regarding me, is remove an otherwise productive citizen, with an uncommon and essential skill set, from the production of GDP. Good Job Statists. I’d try to enact change. But, this country is rotten to the core. The “United” States as it currently exists is not worth the proverbial squeeze. We literally cannot perform simple addition. 1+1 does NOT equal 3. Although with the correct software and a box of ballots found under a table at 3am it can. Balkanization is the only outcome which I will feel my time spent contributing to society is well spent. It’s time to dissolve this union. Let the parasites feed off of each other. In a world of their own creation.
    We need a practical guide to Going Galt. Things to do and not to do. For me getting a new vehicle is out. My old vehicle does 99% of what a new one will. Except one very important feature. It doesn’t enslave me.
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    • Posted by $ Commander 3 years, 2 months ago
      Hi Markus. After 30 years I just told my customers to go pound sand, moved from 2.5 mil to a county of 75k, brought some of my machinery with as contingency and find I'm happily immersed within a very conservative rural community. Urban is uncertainty.
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      • Posted by $ Markus_Katabri 3 years, 2 months ago
        10 years ago I left a county of 300,000 for a county of 14,000. I have not regretted it at all. I live in a state where the governor has gone on a power trip. Using the state and federal constitutions as toilet paper. When the edicts were ruled unconstitutional, in court. A court that is also corrupt and was kicking that can down the road as far as it could to avoid ruling what was obvious. The governor got sneakier. And has still accomplished 90% of her agenda.
        In my county I have a network of farmers, ranchers, mechanics, medical professionals and foresters. Surprisingly we also have oil,natural gas, hydro, wind farms and solar farms. We also have a small power plant that burns the waste products of our local sawmill. We also have rail access. And 75% of our county is of the same political mindset. I have raised beds. I have lakes. Forests. I’m $10k away from everything paid for. I have skills to repair. My employer is on the correct side of the political coin. But, the governor has forced their hand to enact stupid and ineffective measures that complicate daily life. Which is why I choose to participate no longer. I will become the 1099 superior race. And, if I’m required to don the requisite Virtue Signaling Devices to service customers, there will be a hefty “safety” surcharge on the invoice. I’m done playing by the “rules” of a system that seeks to enslave me.
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        • Posted by $ Commander 3 years, 2 months ago
          Perhaps our respective Gulches begin trade.
          And as we dot the landscape....refuse service to high density population zones. Autocorrect without politics, just equitable economics.
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  • Posted by freedomforall 3 years, 2 months ago
    Unless there is a Trump administration in early 2021, I'll be heading for a Gulch, too.
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    • Posted by $ 25n56il4 3 years, 2 months ago
      I went shopping yesterday for a new light-weight small RV that will follow behind my Explorer. Found a beauty. Army campgrounds here I come. My kids house is about 3 weeks from completion and I'll see this place in my rear view mirror. Just me and my dog and my computer of course.
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    • Posted by mccannon01 3 years, 2 months ago
      +1.

      Yeah, looking for one as well. Moving is going to suck, but can't stay this close to a big blue city.
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      • Posted by $ 25n56il4 3 years, 2 months ago
        We don't see much blue in Texas. I can recall in earlier years when we did but not today.
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        • Posted by $ 25n56il4 3 years, 2 months ago
          We have a lovely military reservation at Canyon Lake (near Austin). Good fishing. Friendly campers. Cooking tacos, serving margueritas. My BFF who died in 2010 loved the 'Army people'. Also Lake Somerville is wonderful, boating, fishing. And the Army reservation at Belton Lake even has an Enlisted men's club up on the hill. Good food and drinks. You can fish all night and all weather....barge with a hole in the bottom of it and heaters and fans for comfort.
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  • Posted by $ AJAshinoff 3 years, 2 months ago
    Frankly, if I stopped working as hard or as long as I do I'd lose my mind.

    This country offers nothing to me anymore. The central aspect of my existance has always been to follow my own path and let others do the same. Until 2020, until covid, I've been able to go about my business. Now its expected that I comply, I bend a knee, wear an asinine mask in publiuc, and pretend all is okay..its not. I am angry and disgusted. There is no where to go, I can't write, I can't stomach TV anymore, no movies to go to, and I can only play so many video games (or work on my own).

    I'm sick of this shit and am perfectly happy that I'm on the downhill slope. If it weren't for work...
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    • Posted by $ gharkness 3 years, 2 months ago
      We also find it important to work or otherwise have something to occupy the mind. I also cannot stand TV and am currently finding it difficult to even concentrate on reading. Video games have never been appealing to me, or hubby either.

      We are within 11 months of mortgage pay-off. Not bad, since we only bought the house less than 5 years ago, but we will be living on the edge of a very red city - but it’s still a city. Not sure what comes next. This year will be the determining factor, I guess.
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      • Posted by NealS 3 years, 2 months ago
        Hang in there, it only gets better, and if you think think time moves now, just wait until that day you owe no one anything, and your free to do whatever you please (more of less). I don't know what happened to the last 20 years of my retirement, but it's gone. Take advantage of all your whims and desires and just do it, you don't get a second chance.
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        • Posted by $ gharkness 3 years, 2 months ago
          Anyone who is in the low carb/keto world - I know we have some here - probably are well acquainted with a personal friend of mine, Tom Naughton (producer of FatHead, FatHead Kids, a Facebook Group called FatHead that he doesn't participate much in - and a very prolific blog with a huge following). Anyway, he wrote a farewell post in which he indicated that there's a moment when you feel the tap on your shoulder that tells you it's time. Time to do what you want to do, time to focus on your own priorities, time in which you realize - down to your bones - that there is a clock ticking away. No one knows when the clock stops (for them) but it's a certainty that it will.

          That realization is very eye-opening, and in his early sixties, Tom recently felt that tap on the shoulder. As a result, he's changing his life focus.

          Although I am senior to Tom by 9 years, I only felt that tap just over a year ago, when the birthday cake said 70. But just as he said, I felt it, I know it, and some things just can't be un-felt.
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    • Posted by Dobrien 3 years, 2 months ago
      We finally found something to watch and I highly recommend it. It is called “Escape to the Château”
      We watch it on demand at “peacock”. https://youtu.be/E9ozkJmFLuY
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      • Posted by $ allosaur 3 years, 2 months ago
        OMG! These evil times has made me dino mind become really pessimistic.
        Just imagined all that restoration work on the chateau rewarded by that lake flooding.
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        • Posted by Dobrien 3 years, 2 months ago
          The moat is self contained no stream in or out of it.
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          • Posted by $ allosaur 3 years, 2 months ago
            That's good. Me dino's Florida family lake house (inherited ownership now shared by one brother and a deceased brother's widow/two other siblings and me took $$$ for our shares) at Compass Lake is located well up a shore line's hill.
            Despite a small dam under what was once part of the old two-lane Highway 231, I've seen the surface level of that lake repeatedly rise and fall since old dino's childhood.
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    • Posted by edweaver 3 years, 2 months ago
      Took the words out of my mouth. Right there with you AJ! I won't wear a mask so I go no where. Making for not a fun life. I own a slowing business because of government shutdowns but my safe haven is my farm. I can spend all my spare time working on the farm and completely avoid people. Good thing I have it because it would kill me to sit on my ass.
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      • Posted by $ CBJ 3 years, 2 months ago
        I’m 77. I wear a mask when necessary, mostly to go to the supermarket and the gym. It beats the alternative in terms of my overall well-being and happiness. I’m not going to refuse to wear a mask just to make a political or social statement.

        In the Atlas Shrugged version of the Gulch, members continued to be productive even after withdrawing their talents from society. They had the advantage of each others’ company, but we have the advantage of online forums and virtual meetings, so there are some compensatory advantages in today’s world.

        Isaac Newton accomplished some of his most productive output while in self-isolation from the pandemic of his day: https://www.washingtonpost.com/histor...
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        • Posted by $ gharkness 3 years, 2 months ago
          I pretty much do the same WRT masking. I have a doc’s appointment on Monday - can’t go without the mask. They will not allow me in the door. But other than that, I stay out of places that require it. Since I live within 500 yards of a town that has no mandate, I’m in pretty good shape, because I can go grocery shopping without it, no problem. Every once in a while I get the Black Stare of Death which I don’t even acknowledge.
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  • Posted by $ TomB666 3 years, 2 months ago
    We haven't 'worked' in about 8 years. We sold our paid for house about 2 years ago and moved into a rental in very gulch like community where people mind their own business. But I got to thinking about what is happening to our money - the trillions being created out of thin air and we decided to buy a home with a big mortgage - interest at 2.375%. With inflation being well over the 'official' 1.2% I figure we are coming out ahead by still having the money in our hands and making a mortgage payment less then half the rent we were paying. (And that was less then the costs of our owning a paid for house given taxes, maintenance, etc. in Illinois.)
    Can you believe a bank would give a 77 year old couple a 30 year mortgage :-) What a joke!
    But I think the joke is on those who don't know TANSTAAFL!
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    • Posted by $ 3 years, 2 months ago
      I'm in my early 50s and haven't had a mortgage for 16 years now. It wasn't easy. But, being debt free is amazing. That said, your math is well-founded. And, they are decimating the dollar. I recently added bitcoin to my portfolio. The returns are so good I am sure the feds will step in soon and put an end to that.
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      • Posted by Jkj7 3 years, 2 months ago
        I am in agreement with the general theses of the above. I had planned to retire a couple years ago. Bought my retirement home and I have a few other properties. I agree the $$ is becoming scary. I got two mortgages at low rates, one for primary, one for retirement. Figure as inflation returns, it will be like making money! I too have added bitcoin and some tesla...not much but it has already done well.
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  • Posted by $ 3 years, 2 months ago
    I wish I could divulge what I've seen lately. Maybe someday. But I'll just say that those who the people have put in charge are very dangerous to the people. Gross stupidity has completely infiltrated the ranks of those in charge of everything. I'm getting out this year. I could go the way of Robert Stadler. But, I won't do it.
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  • Posted by $ Commander 3 years, 2 months ago
    I'm out in front of you pal.
    2018 and 19 were prep years to remove as much debt as possible. Finished a move end of March 2020. I have a 60k debt structure and lifestyle that requires less than 25k a year.....this allots time. First is network of relationships outside a work environment...this is blossoming far beyond expectations. In planning stage of pseudo-permaculture living....network is major part of this. I have a 1/4 range fed cow in the freezer and a full hog coming in a week....traded my labor doing some repairs.

    This week...oy...rotated tires on both trucks and changed fluids. Went 2 hours north and repaired a semi trailer spindle on a farm. Cut down a small grove of Cedar (15 mature trees) to stop "rust" on my 2 apple trees, limbed and removed brush to disposal. Planned a 15 bed raised garden and identified seeds to procure. Housemate moved out and I re-arranged 2 rooms for office and bed. Met three times with my garden / food support network. Welded a plow frame for a friend. Still two days left this week. Tomorrow I pick up 12 logs of hard maple and take them out to make the garden frames, stakes for a trailer....and possibly 8 to 10 slabs for furniture grade stock. Sunday....rest?...slow down? I'm having too much fun involved in relationships that sustain my life....literally. I'm usually up at 5 and down at 11....enthusiasm...
    I'm in my Gulch.

    When you find that special place, peopled with hearty outlook, .....let me know....that'll make 2 Gulches.
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    • Posted by teri-amborn 3 years, 2 months ago
      You're doing very well.
      Glad that you can be so active and prosperous here in WI.
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      • Posted by $ Commander 3 years, 2 months ago
        Prosperity....requires definition. If this equates to happiness in the midst of mindful, equitable relationships, of mutual support of mortality...
        I'm just being a bit pedantic! LOL
        I am doing more "menial" things of real purpose to my life than ever before. Support of a community outside the "Universe 25" of the metro areas.
        But wait...there's more! Fostering an axle repair business outside of Plover and cultivating a small, very select source of hardwood for furniture makers in Wy. Just got word on 3 metal building frames outside Kaukauna that will be bases for solar kilns.
        This will take up time until late March when fruit tree pruning begins.
        I grew up in farm country...9 to 5 does not exist for me.
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        • Posted by teri-amborn 3 years, 2 months ago
          Sounds like you are the ultimate multi-tasker.

          I also thrive taking on my "menial" jobs.
          Filling a niche can be lots of fun and very rewarding.

          Finding meaning in my work (and hopefully making a profit) is my definition of prosperity.
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  • Posted by VetteGuy 3 years, 2 months ago
    I retired (also from engineering) about 5 years ago. I highly recommend it!

    I just wish things would open back up so my wife and I could travel more. And yes ... in the Vette!
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    • Posted by $ 3 years, 2 months ago
      Gotta love the Vette. There are many here in California. Saw an all-white 63 or 64 a couple days ago. My buddy had a Stingray with the big-block. Neat cars. I'm weird - I want a 2nd Toyota Tundra that I can set up for drag racing.
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  • Posted by Eyecu2 3 years, 2 months ago
    I pulled back a few years sgo but I can't afford to retire as yet. So I work within the system as a high school teacher. I do what I can to save the few who will listen.
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    • Posted by Jkj7 3 years, 2 months ago
      Admirable endeavor, but how do you manage? My daughter is a Randian in a middle school in a somewhat rural conservative community, but the school administration and bureaucracy make her keep her ideas hidden. What a shame that in today's country, we have little or no freedom if you have the "wrong" views!
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      • Posted by Eyecu2 3 years, 2 months ago
        I live in the Houston area, as such there are over 100 school districts within an hours drive from my home; additionally, I teach high school math. (a VERY high demand position) About 5 years ago I had a disagreement with an administrator over just such a thing. I informed the administrator that I could find another position every year for the rest of my life and never run out of opportunities. I left that school 2 weeks later to a higher paying position at a school closer to home.

        So I don't hide my opinions, and yes occasionally I run into opposition but as I really don't care and they need me, they largely leave me alone.
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  • Posted by $ Stormi 3 years, 2 months ago
    My husband retired at the end of July, saw what was coming, even if Trump staff did not. We live in a rural area, thank goodness, but know they are coming for our right to do so. Remember when Hillary started asking how many bedrooms people had, might use them for homeless. Not liking what we see. Know gas is going to be overtaxed, that estate tax will eat up with we hoped to pass on, and capital gains will kill us. How could so many warning signs been ignored, how could people not have seen them, how could Trump adm. not seen them. Now look at the commie nation of the US.
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  • Posted by Owlsrayne 3 years, 2 months ago
    Unfortunately, many of us are stuck where we live for now. My house consumes much of my time in maintenance. I'm waiting for warmer here in north-central Arizona to do exterior repair work. Maybe the revolution will arrive in the spring and I won't have to do anything. Many of the retirees in the neighborhood live on great pensions (many are retired from major industries in California). They can hire contractors to do the work on their homes. So, I can't wait when things start falling apart and see how they fair.
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  • Posted by $ 3 years, 2 months ago
    One other thing that is making this good timing. As I watch how this pandemic is being reported, the enthusiasm for attaching your vaccination to your passport, etc...The total lack of science being applied (a news story this morning said, "We're testing all the school kids and there was no COVID, so we prevented it by testing")...I think things are really going to take a downturn as the powers-that-be jump on this opportunity to really destroy liberty.
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  • Posted by term2 3 years, 2 months ago
    Interesting, I am cutting back on work and expenses. I just dont want to fund the collectivists any more with their crazy schemes. NOT to mention that they make it harder every day to actually make the money that they tax you on. Regulations and additional taxes have to be dealt with before I can even turn a profit. ENOUGH
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  • Posted by $ Markus_Katabri 3 years, 2 months ago
    Those of you who say “Keep Charging Ahead Full Speed!” Seem to be missing the point. Your zeal only generates more taxable income. You’re literally attempting to swim up a waterfall. The more they spend the more they print. The more they print the harder you have to work. Dollar amounts are not THE GOAL. Unplug from the matrix. Intrinsic value matters. The rest is all fake. And don’t buy into that Bitcoin crap. It may have a theoretical ceiling, but it has no floor. When you can buy up to eight decimal places of bit coin it is effectively infinite. Rand didn’t live in an economy where the Dollar was not backed by anything. She’d have a good deal to say about this.
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  • Posted by $ servo75 3 years, 2 months ago
    I have never understood the "do the minimum possible to sustain your existence" part of the Galt mantra. Seems like cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.
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    • Posted by $ AJAshinoff 3 years, 2 months ago
      I think you misinterpreted, it's not do the minimum possible but walk away and do your own, as much as you choose to, for yourself apart from the moochers.

      Granted, it is not always possible to separate from society (where can you go) so why help build their shit pile more than you have to until you find a way to Shrug. These days that's a tall order as the societal noose tightens and can no longer be easily ignored.
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    • Posted by CircuitGuy 3 years, 2 months ago
      I don't agree with it at all. My reading of AS is that people are motivated by honest trades, not by being whipped or beaten. Even the most hardworking people imaginable, will eventually stop working if they are not free.

      The world has loads of problems, but IMHO it's better than ever. In the US I turn over nearly a third in income taxes plus other taxes. (I just mailed the Q4 estimate.) That's bad, but US and many societies throughout history have seen everything as belonging to the king or the church and even practiced out-and-out slavery, so I do not see the AS scenario in my world. On the contrary, I'm surprised how much freedom has increased in my lifetime, how people without regard to location, sexual identity, race, or other identity group are serving customers and building wealth.

      Everyone's free to do what they want, but I'm for living life to the fullest.
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  • Posted by CircuitGuy 3 years, 2 months ago
    It goes without saying that people are free to work hard or not.

    I am a huge fan of plug-pulling, shaking things up, trying something new.

    Slowing down, though, is not for me at this point. This has been a crazy year, with a lot of crazy ups and downs, but everything worked out amazingly well. Things will be even better when the pandemic ends.
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    • Posted by term2 3 years, 2 months ago
      That is the dilemna. Work hard so you get ahead, or slow down and fall behind. What a choice.

      Another one is to reduce expenses by NOT buying what you really dont need. Then work less and look for ways to find ways to escape the taxation, whether in the USA or in other countries.
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