Richard_D Blog Comments (476)

RE: Is It Florida a Paradise?

Florida is beautiful! (for a vacation)

Bugs, they have plenty... if you're by the water/swamps, you have to wonder whether the creatures in it are going to visit you...

I like the water at Disney World! I don't think you can bring your own kayak to their pools however.

I could be persuaded to live there... much of it is very nice.

Living an Unstructured Life

Redex - Re-evaluating ... I understand ... a smart thing to do.

Thank you for sharing your thought process... this really addresses the topic of the blog... the choices made and when we don't make choices and things just happen...

Thank you for your fond wishes.

Living an Unstructured Life

La Chica es Bonita in Jakarta - Isn't it fun to share part of real life here? ... just a group of nice people talking about life ... sharing stories.

I will do a medical blog next, I think. Having multiple medical appointments lately makes me want to share some experiences.

Retirement at 55/56... The standard age for retirement in the US used to be 65. The government pension (Social Security) can start at age 62, but you get more per month if you wait until 65 or later. (the dates and amounts are a puzzle that seems to keep changing)

I'm glad your mother has good social habits... to stay involved physically and emotionally... good use of unstructured time.

For yourself... having options and being involved... and having the time to do this... So you'll bring some structure into your life... but like your mother, with a purpose.

Living an Unstructured Life

Hi K -

Editor... then scriptwriter for a series... now scriptwriter, as needs and moods dictate... less and less structure with each step...

That's a very interesting career path... and interesting work...

We don't need to continue on this blog but one of the questions that comes to mind is about story research... to write for characters has to be interesting on its own... but any story of depth is going to have technical or historical details to work out... to be (mostly) accurate and believable where fiction and fact meet... hmm... perhaps that part goes back to the editor to think about.

Thank you for sharing your journey!

Living an Unstructured Life

kenanga - Interesting thoughts

It's a new morning here... sunny and very warm ... freelance work is fun, isn't it? ... as long as you have as much work as you need and don't have to worry too much about the money... a great deal of flexibility... quite liberating to work this way.

Did you have a prior job with a committed schedule? If so, how did you manage the transition to freelance? Was it a smooth time of change or a stressful time of your life?

My own transition... to the (nearly) freelance work I do now... my transition was planned for months and was quite smooth. It's been 8 years now and I still feel fortunate to earn a living this way.

RE: Rodney King R.I.P

oh, boy ... alright ... eventually it got the best of me ... had to read through this.

The riots occurred because the story got way too much media attention and people became emotionally invested in the outcome. For a large number of people, they felt emotionally "slighted" because the verdict went against their opinion.

It's a horrible reality of the human condition that this can happen... but people of limited maturity will "act out" when they feel like they were a loser.

Some will see the irony.

Living an Unstructured Life

Hey Ed,

72 ... that was the age for my father too...

Okay ... not working is boring ... hmm ... nope ... can't agree with you. But - it's just a shift of perspective ... depends on what role work fills in your life. And you know your own perspective the best... so I'm glad you've been making the choices you wish.

I've known people who work because they like having a place to go each day ... somewhere to be ... things to be done and people expecting them to do them. They don't work "in the mines" (nothing to hard or stressful) ... but they keep working... as long as they are able.

There's more flexible income this way... to supplement a pension... a way to take nice vacations and spoil grand-kids... things like this.

I can see it... and I would always want to feel useful... but I like the prospects of "unstructured" ... at least 'mostly' ... maybe I'll start a web site or something ... perhaps a way for people from everywhere to talk about whatever is on their minds... perhaps ... some day.

Living an Unstructured Life

Summer -

Hey there... Tea for you... << tea mug :)

It's nice to see you on this fine day. It's after midnight here... but late morning there... hope your day is going well.

You point out the difference between the things we do to live... the jobs we perform so we can pay the rent and take care of ourselves and our families... and ... the things we would do so we could feel accomplishment and success... to learn and grow...

Some are fortunate to find fulfillment in their jobs... to do the things they enjoy doing and earn a living while doing it. I think it's rarely 100% of this... but some just do what they need to... either that's all they want from their job or just all they've been able to get...

working until you're old... to keep accomplishing things is good... to enjoy your work is good... I suspect you'll find different ways to use your education and skills as you get older... I know it has worked that way for me... just a couple of changes along the way, but not really changes I would have expected years before.

Thank you for adding your thoughts!

Living an Unstructured Life

Frank - You're evil, aren't you?

Thinking about the poor saps ... out there in the hot sun ... waiting in traffic to get to the job where they won't feel appreciated ... just getting through their day ...

(I'm smiling) ... With my schedule, I'm rarely on the road during rush hour myself (not that there is much of one here) ... I go in late in the morning and come home an hour or two after most others...

It's a wonderful luxury, isn't it? ... To not need to chase the clock...

Living an Unstructured Life

Ham !!! Hammock !!! Hammish !!!

I do like a good hammock ... I'm a big fan of naps when the air is fresh and warm and life is serene.

Unstructured life ... I had to think of you when I started this blog... going where the wind blows... where desire leads... without a need for a long-term plan.

Clearly this works for you... the freedom brings happiness.

For some, I have to wonder what they'd do. I think many people would find ways to make life busy... they want their time to be driven externally... they find comfort in having structure imposed... for them, perhaps it's a freedom from responsibility that's appealing...

I find this topic interesting... how some feel comforted by structure while others feel controlled and imprisoned by it.

Thanks for sharing about your morning routine... some time allotted for structure each day... a comforting start each morning...

Living an Unstructured Life

Redex - Hope your evening is going well.

Jobs are necessary but tie us down, don't they? It's a different life when you don't have to schedule the rest of life around your work schedule.

I like your 'annual list' strategy ... nothing rigid but life is out there, waiting to be experienced.

And peaceful time in nature ... it's nice to appreciate that ... and to live at a pace that allows a walk in the woods to be the event of the day.

The annual list and other adjustments you've made --- Did you just figure them out as they happened or is this something you did before you retired?

Living an Unstructured Life

Hey Frank,

Some plan for years and for some, it just happens one day.

That's sort of how it went for my father... he was getting close to retirement (a few years still to go) ... went to work one day... came home around noon and announced "I'm retired". ... he did go to work elsewhere for a few years but a 35 year career wrapped up in an unexpected way.

I can relate to your words about Sunday nights... it's much easier to enjoy them when you don't dread Monday morning.

Thanks for your encouragement!

RE: Wishes

"I want to meet him."

and I'm certain he wants to meet you.

Changing jobs... it's another type of relationship and you will miss some parts of it... but starting a new chapter in life is good... new experiences and new happiness await.

RE: Smile :)

Kenanga - A nice, positive blog!

Hope you feel better soon... being sick... is not fun...

RE: The earth is flat, but that's nothing new!

Okay... I'm completely in agreement!

How about posting a picture of the fence? Perhaps looking over the edge... maybe a clip on YouTube ... That would be cool to see.

So... flat... except for the hills and mountains, right? ... flat except for where it's not... something like that.

Oh... a detail you left out... would love to know... are the edges squared off or sort of rounded? ... The folks who did the fence should know.

RE: I've Been Set Free....though my heart is sad...

One with a narrow outlook it seems... yes, that can be an issue.

It's very nice to see you, Calli.

RE: How free are the media...?

Hekamaat -

In the big picture... that's part of the power of the internet. There are blogs, youtube, facebook, twitter and many sources for many stories... newspapers are online...

For an individual story, coverage might be limited but overall, coverage of world events is much broader than ever.

Personally... I'm very encouraged by the amount of information sharing that's taking place now.

RE: How free are the media...?

News isn't news. Seems simple enough.

Pure news simply reports who, what, where, when, how... but never why. Commentary is purely based on observable facts. "There were 2 people in the car" ... all opinion and conjecture should only come from witness accounts (in their own words) as witnesses are not news people... they will speak with personal bias.

If a news reporter starts explaining "why" themselves, the report is now an editorial.

It's really challenging ... so little pure news is available ... and the public may never receive enough truth to be able to reach their own conclusions.

It's unfortunate.

Multiple sources... that's the best answer I know... I no longer take any single news account as being factual. I need to hear the same story from more than one source before I'll consider it more than a story/theory about the event.

An interesting blog.

RE: Our cat just had 3 kittens today

I like Ham's idea... with a twist...

1) Ham
2) Hammy
3) Hammish

All can simply be called "Ham"... (saves the trouble of keeping the names straight )

For a more serious answer... the grandkids... if you don't mind their growing attachment to the kittens... I'd let them name them.

RE: Driven or Carefree Toward the Future

Hi Ham

I used to play the part of the driven type ... didn't want to be but felt that was the show I needed to put on to have a successful career.

My natural character is to feel useful and that things I've done mattered. I'm closer to the more relaxed approach and do want to appreciate the current moment but my primary focus is always on how my efforts today contribute to the happiness and success of tomorrow.

(I enjoy blogs that reveal things about ourselves. I think friendships are built this way. )

RE: Learning how to Love from Soap Opera

Hi Kenanga -

From being naive to becoming mature ... Stories are just stories ... but it doesn't feel like this when we're young.

We might read a book or watch a movie (or soap opera) and the drama of the story touches our emotions... we want to feel that way... we want to live the story that makes us feel that way.

As we learn from real life... if we want that feeling, we need to find it in other ways... following real life examples... from our family... from the elderly couple in the park... from real people who live normal lives and find their happiness in ways that wouldn't sell many books, movie tickets, or achieve high ratings on TV.

However... the simple answer is to follow the (virtual) experience of fiction... so many do this... and in doing so, often find the opposite of the feeling they seek.

I like your blog. It's good to see our perspective shift over time... and realize that we are learning and changing.

Conversation - Why? Let's Talk

Ariel is right! Today... I'm up (slept in late... needed it) ... I'm feeling much better!

And the blog --- It's still here!!! Didn't run away at all ... so I can scatter more words into the winds of CS!

---

Food... it had to have been food... felt like I had a fever... felt warm and a little numb... it came on about 2 hours after eating at the church Tuesday night... they try to be careful (servers even wore latex gloves)... but something wasn't right it would seem.

24 hours later... later last night... I started to feel normal... had a good long sleep... and still feeling normal now.

Now --- what were we talking about? ... Talking about talking... and reasons to talk... and perhaps my short illness showed one... some emotional support shared between friends. This can be the best part of a friendship, I think. On the bad days... the people who will be with you on the bad days.... some special people, indeed.

Conversation - Why? Let's Talk

Ariel and Shay - Thank you.

Conversation - Why? Let's Talk

Hi Folks!

My blog hosting stalled last night ... I'm not feeling well at the moment ... think is was something I ate but can't be sure ... still feeling a bit 'off' at the moment but have enough energy to sign in and see how my friends on CS are doing.

<< it's so very nice to see you. :))

Conversation - Why? Let's Talk

Lazly! - Hi, Silly!

To entertain ... that's part of enjoying being with friends ... ways to relax and laugh and share smiles ... an important part of life for many of us.

I enjoy seeing your sense of humor here on CS ...

Conversation - Why? Let's Talk

La Chica - << means wave this time

<< means smitten... and my fire is lit.

Yeah... that sort of fire.

There's a matter of style to conversation. The way each of us starts a conversation... the way we gain attention, introduce our subject ... the way we steer to different subjects ... and the way we close it up. We learn this from everyone around us... most just do what others do and don't spend time thinking about their style.

I think some of our conversation style shows in our blog posts... it's an interesting part of our personality that we reveal here.

(The 'silent treatment' ... I'll need to come back to that later ... passive-aggressive issues and barriers to communication...)

Conversation - Why? Let's Talk

Firas - To teach and to be taught, right? No matter how much we know... there's always something to learn from everyone ... that's what I think anyways.

To be productive. That can be difficult... in business this is somewhat simple... working towards goals requires good communication... but there are times when the most productive thing to do is to talk about sports or something else for a few minutes before going into the next topic ... it doesn't feel productive but can be an important part of the conversation if there are tough issues to work through.

I'm familiar with your thinking... I tend to be like this (mostly at work) ... I don't relax too well until the key things that need to be done have been taken care of.

<< >>

Another question though... with the right woman ... wouldn't just talking about anything still be a sort of emotional connection that would be enjoyable? ... to just relax together ... to talk or to be quiet ... and no serious subjects ... well, that's appealing to me ... so I'm wondering if you might feel the same.

Conversation - Why? Let's Talk

Viking - A fully documented vessel. ... for a crew of 1 ... and the voices that keep him company through the day ... (and hopefully a really good radio... water isn't always friendly... stay safe, my friend. )

Conversation - Why? Let's Talk

Stony - Communicating with the animals (Dr Doolittle, I presume. )

and stories ... perhaps some sharing of emotion ... from their owner ... time spent being a friend it seems.

Conversation - Why? Let's Talk

Nessa - Fabulous - I like it!

8 hours difference here ... 11:30 am ... and I'll be working (and hopefully checking in here) this afternoon ... a performance (outdoors if the weather is good) tonight for a church picnic ... should be a good day!