Retirement Looms!

Well its almost official. Two Fridays ago Dan and I went to Downey to the LA County Office of Education and then to Glendale to the PERS office to hand in my paperwork for retirement. I must say it was just a bit intimidating. As one looks forward eagerly to this new stage of life, there are some trepidations as there are with any change and certainly with a change as monumental as this one is. That'a a picture of me at the PERS office just after I'd turned in my paperwork.

By the way, the place was packed. With all the talk of pension reduction and union bashing, I guess if you're ready to retire and have been thinking about it, most people think they had better take the plunge now before its too late! At least that's what the lady at the desk said. She mentioned that there were many more people turning in their paperwork or seeing a retirement counselor than there had been at this time last year. Sign of the times I guess.....

Going to the County Office was a little bit like deja vu. Having worked there 15 years it was almost like going to an old home again. But this time it was quite different. The place is buttoned up tight. I was hoping to go upstairs to see my old office, but no chance. Security all over the place--- you must sign in and declare where you are going and who you are seeing. Then all kinds of security in carts in the parking lot. Quite different from when I worked there. Of course, that was almost 25 years ago! Wish they had had all that security when I worked there. My little diesel Rabbit got broken into in that parking lot and my radio stolen while I worked there. Don't think that would happen now.

But I'm sure that I will look back and just laugh at all the machinations that I went through as my retirement became imminent. I love it when I ask people who are retired how long they have been retired. They say, "Oh 10 years or is it 15? The days seem to just go by you know....."

As of today I have 80 days left....and I'm looking forward to it (no matter how I sound!).