Watching the "Battlestar Galactica" series again on Netflix, quite a show. Talk about being so much darker that the original television series, wow! But I find myself watching the entire newer series about once every year or so since it came out. Just like to try and pick up more details each time, see if there's anything I missed the previous times I watched it. In order to cheer up after this I'll probably have to re-watch Stargate SG-1, LOL.

So the Democrats have shut down the government, but are using their pet lackeys in the media to blame it on the Republicans? Wow, haven't I seen this movie already? I am at a complete loss as to how this regime expects to accomplish anything other than by dictate and executive order, because they refuse to negotiate and compromise like they are always claiming the "other side" is supposed to do. The U. S. Constitution is being ignored and stepped on at nearly every turn. We are in serious trouble here.

Mac

55 days to go. Have spoken to so many other individuals who wish they could retire, but just aren't there yet. I wasn't "there yet" just three months ago, but my how things do change. Once the change happened though, it was complete. I now wish to move on and not look back. All things change, that's the one thing that never changes. So we either change with it, or we get left behind. Funny how much less stressed I feel now that a decision has been made!

Don't get me wrong, the remainder of life is still just as it was. Worrying about my kids and grand kids, making sure my bills are paid, responsibilities taken care of, wondering if Tony and Ziva will actually get together, you know, the usual things in life. The only thing that has changed really, is my outlook for the future. Thinking about the fellas that didn't even make it to retirement, one of our sergeants here dropped dead just the other day. He hired on at the S. O. about the same time I did. A good friend died a couple of years ago, at the same age I will be in a few days. Life is too short as it is, so it's time to go and do something else now, something that will perhaps make me happier, and if not, then something else again, till I find the something else that I want to do with the next part of my life.

I'm done with this part, yes indeed.

Mac

56 days to go. Sushi and then watermelon for supper, it just doesn't get any better. Just getting through each day at this point. Wanting to hit the road and travel. Thinking about the places I want to go, things I want to see. The dream of having the time to just go where I want, when I want. it is going to be a funny kind of life after all these years of being pretty buttoned down and straight laced.

I can hardly wait.

Mac

Another long day with not a lot to show for it. Hunting for a part I need to finish an AR-15 I'm building, didn't find it. Not a problem, it will be found eventually, perhaps Monday. Trying to get through each day with no drama and no hassle of any kind. I find myself seeing things in front of me that I used to get out and do something about, or say something, etc. But now, unless it is something truly needing it, I make myself hold back and just kind of say under my breath, "I don't care, I don't care, I don't care."

Of course, I actually do care, but I'm trying to make myself get used to not being in the position of needing to police people. It's just a mental exercise to get me out of the mindset that I need to "do something" about all the ills of the world, because I most certainly don't. In other words, I shall now have to learn to pick my battles much more judiciously and make sure whatever I am going to go ahead and get involved in is damned worth it.

In other words, World, you're on your own. Sounds cynical, eh? It was a long, long time coming, trust me.

Mac

58 days to go. Still planning and scheming, trying to figure out what I'll have to put in storage, that seems to be the biggie right now. I've actually got about four months to figure it out, I'll be in Houston till probably the end of January as far as I can tell.

Too much to do, too much to think about. Naps seem to creep in there and take up an inordinate amount of time as well. Necessary though they are, and enjoyable, they are eating into my "get something done time", lol.

Watching the political theater that is Washington, D. C. What a full blown circus we have for our enjoyment every day. Too bad that circus is the most expensive one in the world, and we're going to be paying for it our entire lives, and those of our children and grand children, and even our great grand children. I am simply amazed how those 500 some odd people who are supposed to be representing out best interests have so completely forgotten what they are there for. It's all about power now, nothing else.

We need to clean house and start over from scratch, unelect every one of them and get a fresh start with people who are NOT professional politicians. But, what are the chances of that, eh?

Slim and none doesn't even seem to approach it.

Mac

Well alright, day two of my retirement blog, we are now at 60 days and counting!

Not much to report today, got a few things done around the house, and worked my extra job, that's about it. I started eating better a month ago and I have now gone from 265 (the most I've ever weighed in my entire life, except maybe when I was wearing the bomb suit) to 252 so far. Not a huge drop, not even enough to really notice, but my waist is a little smaller as my gun belt is now pretty loose, might have to take it up a notch soon. So there's progress anyway.

Started placing items I KNOW I will be taking with me when I hit the road in one particular place in the master bedroom. Since I'll be putting a LOT of stuff into storage for a while, I need to gather important stuff and put it all in ONE place, lol. I am making lists like I'm planning the logistics for an Armor Brigade. It seems that all of a sudden I am extremely busy getting ready to NOT be busy????? Ah, the joys of retirement so far, lol. From what I hear, it gets better.

Trying to decide what to sell, what to keep, what to give away. How in the world have I accumulated so much junk since the flood in 1994 when I lost everything. What is it about stuff? It is time for a real cleaning of the junk! For real this time! No, I mean it this time..... LOL.

I'm slowly, but surely, getting all my camping gear together. I plan to do a bit of that in the future. I used to do a LOT of camping, but over the years of my military service, the "camping" was sufficient that I didn't do a lot of it on my own time anymore, now I miss it. So it's time to take it up a bit now. Don't get me wrong, there won't be any sleeping on the ground like in my youth, oh no. I have a great cot I found that makes all the army cots I've ever slept in feel like they are made of bricks. A nice tent that allows me a lot of room, and very, very comfortable sleeping bags with a REAL pillow. If I never sleep on a "camp" pillow again, it will be too soon. I even found an air mattress that fits in the back of the Jeep with the back seats folded down. Fits right in between the wheel wells perfectly. I got it out of the box and inflated it today in the living room to see if it is any kind of comfortable, and it is! So, I have options, lol.

I'm thinking of purchasing a trailer. I'm not sure what kind to go with, whether I just need a cargo trailer, or a camping / cargo trailer, or just a camping trailer, or what I want. So I'm still in the initial research and decision making process on that one. Seems like it might come in handy to have one, just not sure yet.

So many things to decide, so many things to think about, so many things to plan. I love it, lol.

Mac

Time passes on, and on, until it doesn't. So why not enjoy the time we have, eh? Sage advice, if only we'd pay attention.

I have decided to retire from the Harris County Sheriff's Office at long last. It's actually a couple of years earlier than I'd intended, but events have taken place that just made me think, "Why? Why should I wait?" The answers I kept coming up with were a bit lame, and did not justify staying so I have set a date of November 30th, 2013 as my retirement date. In all honesty, the date may have to have some flexibility to it as things may not go as smoothly as I'd like, or other considerations may push it to after the first of the new year, but my intention is to be out by December 1st.

To that end, I'm going to try and make this a retirement diary of sorts. I've utterly failed to keep any kind of journal over the many years of my career, both in police work and the military, so I'll have to try and remember stories from my adventures and list them here as I document the day to day adventure of becoming a retired sheriff's deputy / peace officer.

I do not intend to pick up another career in law enforcement. Hopefully I will not need to wear a gun belt ever again, unless I am teaching firearms safety, marksmanship, etc. Not sure what I want to do but I intend to do something. The short term plan for now is to travel a bit, spend some time with old friends who've had to put up with my absence and neglect over the years, who deserve better. After that phase, I'm headed out to Las Vegas where I intend to stay with my brother Shawn and his lovely bride Julie for a while, the pair of them having had the poor judgment to offer me a place to stay, lol. So there is no telling what kind of trouble I will find myself getting into out west, but there is no telling where I'll wind up or what I'll wind up doing. Time will tell.

I shall try to post here daily, or at least to remember to come in once a week leading up to retirement to put my thoughts down, and try to update it daily once I am actually retired to reflect on the process and how I feel about it. Who knows, it might be worth the effort to be able to look back on it one day and see what kind of chills and thrills, ups and downs, and ins and outs I go through during this transition.

Then again, it might not be worth the electrons it takes to type it out....lol.

Stay tuned, it can only get better, or worse, or stay the same.

Mac