[Leica] OT How many here are retired? How many are happier after retirement than when you were working?

[marcsmall at comcast.net (Marc James Small)]

At 05:12 PM 11/27/2006, Vick Ko wrote:
 >How many here are retired?
 >
 >How many are happier after retirement than when you were working?
 >
 >Regardless whether you are retired or not, what do you do to make funds for
 >those additional Leica purchases?
 >
 >...Vick, dreaming of retirement (or minimally not working at present job)

Vick

I retired from the practice of law in July.  The 
profit from the sale of my building (fortunately, 
the building next door had just been rehabbed) 
gives me quite a bit of breathing room, though I 
will probably have to find something to bring in 
some money until my Army Reserve retirement kicks 
in in three years.  I was able to do this as my 
wife got a significant promotion and pay-raise, 
and so I have now succeeded in my original career 
goal of becoming a "kept man", a goal it only 
took me four decades to achieve!  (Marry a 
Master's level Nurse:  they are great at 
management, are easy to work with, and generally 
don't gripe too much about your cooking.  Bear in 
mind those words of Red Green, the former Chief 
Optical Designer at Leitz, Midland, that, "if 
women don't find you handsome, at least they should find you handy".)

I really don't plan on buying any more major 
Leica items, unless they bring out another 
Televid doo-dad, though this is probably 
unlikely.  I have a IIIc, IIIf RDST, IIIg, M3 DS, 
and M6 Wetzlar, along with a bunch of Leica 
lenses (1.4/35 Summilux ASPH, 1.4/50 Summicron, 
1.5/5cm Summarit, 2/5cm Summitar, 2/5cm NF 
Summicron, 1.4/75 Summilux, 2/90 APO-Summicron, 
3.4/135 APO-Telyt, 4.5/20cm Telyt, 4/200 Telyt, 
4.8/280 Telyt, 5/40cm Telyt) and a bunch of other 
non-Leitz/Leica LTM lenses (and a 4.5/21 CZ 
Biogon converted to Leica M BM).  So I am good to 
go for the present -- I also have a bunch of 
Rolleiflex TLR gear, including a 2.8GX and a 2.8F 
12/24, and a Hasselblad 2000 FC/M, a 500 CM, and 
an SWC.  And I have a Leica Pradovit P150 slide projector and a V35 enlarger.

I will spend my off hours now setting up my 
darkroom once I get everything moved here to 
Chester from my former home in Roanoke, 
Virginia.  I will then try to learn how to do 
digital photography but the local Community 
College doesn't offer much, I fear, though the 
one in Richmond, a half hour's drive away, does 
offer some courses.  I was absolutely horrified 
by the recent discussion of computer gear 
necessary for Photoshop, as I simply had no idea 
what the guys were discussing:  it was as if I 
was eavesdropping on a conversation of American 
football fans.  Swap disks and so forth:  it was 
all gibberish to me.  <sigh>  I was deprived of a 
sound mathematical training in High School, as I 
was always taught by Basketball Coaches whose 
approach when I got lost was to demand, "ask a 
SPECIFIC question", which, of course, I could not 
do.  I made it to the Calculus, but only through 
the grace of God.  I wanted to go back in my 
retirement and start anew at Algebra I and work 
my way up, but it now seems that I will have to 
defer this once again so that I can learn the 
definitions of the terms the Computer Guys are 
using, a process which apparently will take me some years, I fear!

So, I won't be buying much Leica gear anew, I 
fear, but I will probably be knocking off odd 
lots of darkroom stuff being remaindered!

Marc


msmall@aya.yale.edu
Cha robh b?s fir gun ghr?s fir!