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At least once every year there was a Command level dress uniform inspection. That required new corfam shoes and new ribbons.
BDU pants are $50. A pea coat was around $300.
After every deployment/patrol means you have to change the arrangement of stars on one medal and on ribbons. Sometimes you can re-use a previous ribbon, sometimes you can't. The medals get scratched up after you move stars around a couple times, so they have to be replaced.
Most years I did two patrols.
We went through a lot of uniform changes from an 'old style' to some newer 'style'. Black [then later blue ones] poopy suits and one wooly-pully sweater was the only uniforms I recall being issued.
Wool cracker jacks and the double-breasted blazer with white shirt and CPO hat, to the poly-blend crackerjacks and 'gun-slingers'. Remember summer 'whites' that included a short-sleeve white shirt with black heavy wool slacks. Plus the 'tropical whites', and the white crackerjacks that yellowed if they were ever worn outside.
I think the only uniform item that I retired with that I still had from Bootcamp was the black raincoat.
Wow - you bought all new items for inspection? They must have been tough. We were maintainers - airfield comm - lived in BDUs. I think I had 3 maybe 4 blue class A uniforms in total over those 20 some years. Definitely only one mess dress.
When we switched over from all green utility uniforms to BDUs, I was in a tactical unit and they gave us all new BDUs since they were not an issue item and required for our tour. They would give us new ones when one got too old or damaged. I think I had about 20 or so of those things. I gave them all away at a yard sale. They even gave us all kinds of boots - even ski boots! Guess we had money to burn.
In another unit, we had to be trained on climbing towers, so they would issue us lineman's boots. I loved those things.
I guess we were laid back in the Air Force!
Still have my belt from basic training and my duffel bag.
I'm not saying that I'm retired but it is starting to look that way. I quit my job on a whim without thinking about it being permanent. It's coming up on the three months I promised myself and John that I would take off to determine if early retirement is for me. It doesn't help that John is telling me to stay home with him all the time. We will see how the winter goes. So far I've been having so much fun that I don't want to go back to work and we haven't missed the money either. Wanting it and needing it are two different animals. I'm amazed at how easy it was for me to get over this workaholic mentality that's been with me for decades. Time will tell how I feel after the projects dry up and the long winter sets in. Hmmmmm more time in my snow gear or work?
I was going to say this too. Here we have free range cattle. I often have to stop for them during the day and at night I wouldn't be able to see them.
Great point.
I scout many places.
At one point I was thinking of my own little ranchito somewhere like Central Kern County (for example, around Weldon). But then, reality set in. I still have good night vision and decent reflexes but not forever.
Once you rumble across the cattle guard, many sudden surprises are possible.
Yep, I certainly agree that the demands on our time while working can become a bit much. Sometimes, but not as a rule, I had to get up early seven days a week: five for my career job and Saturday and Sunday for my moonlighting jobs, which were at least a welcome and complete change of pace involving riding motorcycles. And being late was not an option, especially for the moonlighting jobs.
But must it be all or nothing? If I had almost no occasion where I had to get up and be somewhere, I wouldn't like it. I sure do like being able to sleep in followed by working the crossword puzzle without watching the clock three or four days a week. But that same "freedom" seven days a week would get old in a hurry for me.
My pleasant aspect of retirement is some of each, and being able to choose how much of each. Right now the commitment to getting up and being somewhere (to do something I enjoy, of course) is three days a week, and that is perfect for me.
Yes, I am aware that I am swimming against the current in this thread, but that doesn't bother me.
You (we? ) SoCals are the epitome of the "get up at the crack o'dawn" sterotypical Western US denizens. The sidewalks around here roll up at 9PM due to all the early morning joggers and hot yoga freaks! This is even true to an extent on weekends. I think the concept of the 10 O'clock news (and more recently even the 9 O'clock news) were Western US / West Coast inventions. What a bunch of party poopers we are.
My faves are Taryn Rose. Designer is a Euro zone ?orthopedist?. Another Euro brand is Josef Seibel. Any German shoes are guaranteed to be ugly in the fashion sense but comfortable.
American brand for similar comfort and choices is Munroe. Munroe has an insane range of widths and sizes. Hope they don't go out of biz.
Google up "comfortable women's shoes", maybe? Best, Jane
Campers are very nice (but perhaps a bit too bohemian for certain settings, thankfully I'm in tech).
Can they please stop with these flexible work schedules? It used to be a retiree had 5 days with the world to themselves. Now you have all of these people home on a Friday, mucking up the stores, driving or bicycling around mucking up the roads, crowding up the parks and the lakes and then add THOSE people who are unemployed and people out on disability. I swear I'm going to vote for the candidate who promises to put America back to work again just to get these people off the street and back into the offices and plants where they belong instead of having them muck up my retirement space! AND, if they throw in 365 days a year of school to their campaign promises, I'll send them a big fat check.
Pleasures of retirement:
1. I can rant, like the above, and people just think I'm a crotchety old person like Walter, Jeff Dunham's dummy. When I was younger, people called the same kind of thing "whining" which was much more distasteful.
2. I can take my time on the road (in the right-hand lane of course) and make believe I don't see or hear the guy in a hurry behind me cursing and gesturing as he obviously has to be someplace at a particular time, I don't and he's running late. Incredulous as it may seem, he apparently doesn't know why God created passing lanes.
3. Low expectations. People are amazed when you just do normal stuff you always did before. Example: You go on a two week road trip by yourself. They act like you just built the Taj Mahal with Crazy Glue. Not sure if it's the "road trip" part or the "by yourself" part that shocks them. I don't even know when I went over the border fence of age helplessness. I've been doing this myself since I was in my late 30s but now all of a sudden they are all in awe of this feat.
4. Sitting for hours observing behavior. Now I know some of you like to sit and watch people. I like to sit I my car for hours and watch birds (and take photos). I didn't even know they existed before I retired...But, I couldn't pick my neighbor out of a crowd of 2 people and I live in an apartment complex.
5. No more scraping the snow/ice off the car at 6:30A. Now, I go out and I look at the car. It apparently snowed a little the night before. I go back in the apartment, have a muffin and wait for the earth to move the sun to my side of the parking lot to melt it off. Then, I go out...or not.
I'm not saying that I'm retired but it is starting to look that way. I quit my job on a whim without thinking about it being permanent. It's coming up on the three months I promised myself and John that I would take off to determine if early retirement is for me. It doesn't help that John is telling me to stay home with him all the time. We will see how the winter goes. So far I've been having so much fun that I don't want to go back to work and we haven't missed the money either. Wanting it and needing it are two different animals. I'm amazed at how easy it was for me to get over this workaholic mentality that's been with me for decades. Time will tell how I feel after the projects dry up and the long winter sets in. Hmmmmm more time in my snow gear or work?
It's a very comfortable feeling, isn't it? I began getting over it during my last year of work which is when I knew it was time for me to retire. For me the choice between work and no work would be no contest, especially at election time.
LauraC? You have just made it to the top of my 'top 10' list (maybe even top 3) of funniest all time posters on CityData. You have a great sense of observation and humor.
And I wonder how many of us 'play the old age card' when we just don't want to participate in something, or prefer to dawdle (walking, usually) while others are swarming around us? Every so often I must say I am guilty.
If someone is trying to help me and apologizing for my wait it's nice to say "Don't worry, I'm not in any hurry"
Usually it gets a relieved look and makes me wonder how many times other people snap at them instead.
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We will see how the winter goes. So far I've been having so much fun that I don't want to go back to work and we haven't missed the money either. Wanting it and needing it are two different animals. I'm amazed at how easy it was for me to get over this workaholic mentality that's been with me for decades. Time will tell how I feel after the projects dry up and the long winter sets in. Hmmmmm more time in my snow gear or work?
