I thought I would need this blog when I left corporate life to join academia for a number of reasons. I figured I would miss it, maybe even feel less valued in my new role, and wanted a way to stay in touch with everyone from my time at IBM.
I was wrong. (Ask my wife sometime how significant that statement is!)
Almost 2 years ago, I had a joyful July/August summer vacation after retiring from IBM. I'm now just 3 short months away from having my 2nd full summer off since that time! I don't really miss the workload, the travel demands, or the year-round schedule. I certainly don't feel less valued. If anything, I feel even more valued by the students I teach every day during the active semesters. And, I found so many other ways to stay connected to the wonderful people from my prior career that mean so very much to me. I do wish I saw many of them more often, but between email, Skype, text, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, lunches, dinners, parties, Facebook, inviting some to guest lecture in my classes, and even a trip to a conference in Las Vegas, I have managed to keep in touch with several of the people, and hope I will continue to make this effort.
So, as I come up on 2 years away from IBM, I don't look back anymore. I miss the money a very little bit, and I miss the people there like I said, but I really don't think this next chapter blog will serve the purpose I thought I'd need it for, because frankly - I don't need what I thought I would!
I think I'd rather use this space to tell you what life is like out here for me ... stay tuned!
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Day 20 - Maine and back.. and some stuff along the way...
Almost 3 weeks in "retirement" and still no regrets, so that's something right there! I've been busy - with the help of some friends I incorporated a new business venture, I took the family to Maine on vacation and did not get anyone killed while changing a flat tire on the Mass-Pike on the way home, and I've been unwinding.. maybe a bit too much!
Hudson Valley Advisory Group is now a corporation in the State of New York and I am looking for some artistic friends who might want to create me a customized logo .. the letters HVAG are in play.. HVAdvisoryGroup.com, .info, .net, and .org are all mine too.. I'd like a logo that can be put to good use on the web presence, on business cards, and perhaps on letterhead or other marketing gadgets. Color scheme is completely open for suggestions. The company will be my pathway to providing insights, advice, and related consulting services in the areas of work / life balance, project and time management, information technology, and business & marketing operations. I've got a little bit of experience in all of these areas, and I've got some friends who want to join me in this adventure (the "Group"), and they have lots more experience than me. Between us, there's nothing we can't help people with - household projects, career acceleration, decision making for business or pleasure, overcoming business slumps, and even finding better ways to manage time at work and at home. So, anyone creative out there that wants to take a shot at a company logo, send it my way at algozine@gmail.com! I can't wait to see what people come up with.
Last week, as I continued to unwind and relax, we went to Maine to visit family and enjoy the Maine scene. I have always loved the Pine Tree State, as the very air always seems more fresh and the people are, well, less fresh. Politeness rules the day in Maine.
Two memorable things for me this trip were being introduced to "Cheap Eats" and "Shain's of Maine" in South Sanford, where on Wednesday nights you can get hamburgers for 75 cents and cheeseburgers for a dollar. We had dinner there and I fed 6 people for $19.71. Okay, $6 more for drinks from the machine.. but still .. the ice cream we had for dessert cost more, and I didn't even order an ice cream! And, compared to the $150+ bill I paid earlier that same day for sea-coast-fried-clams and assorted other sea-foods just off Route 1 in Saco, dinner was a steal.
As we packed to leave, Uncle Richard declared that our van was so full of people and stuff that we'd be alright so long as we didn't get a flat tire on the way home. Really!?!?! He just had to say it ..so, you guessed it.. it happened. I-90 West bound was backed up and slow (thankfully), so when the "LOW AIR IN 1 TIRE(S)" alarm flashed on the console, followed almost immediately by a strong vibration in the whole van, I was able to get safely to the side of the road to begin the laborious and unpleasant work of figuring out how to change a flat on a Chrysler Town&Country with stow-n-go seating. Less than 3 minutes into unpacking the cargo, an angel of mercy pulled up behind us and the flat was fixed in about 20 minutes with his skillful assistance. It was a fun learning experience for everyone, and I am totally grateful to the Insurance Company for sponsoring these folks to be out on the highway to help us.
And so, we all made it home safely without any injuries.
I feel great. I've been relaxing and finding time to do things that were long overdue.. simple things like tending the garden, fixing the gas grill, clearing clutter. But, I have work to do to be ready for my classes this Fall at Marist, and so I begin to not necessarily feel pressure or stress, but feel the pang of having to 'work' a bit more than I have these past 3 weeks. And I am teaching a Hunter Safety course this week, so I need to get that organized in my head today.. not work necessarily, but an enjoyable chore.
Don't feel sorry for me (not that you were)... I'm still semi-retired!
More soon...
"Professor" Algozzine
calgoIBM on Twitter
Hudson Valley Advisory Group is now a corporation in the State of New York and I am looking for some artistic friends who might want to create me a customized logo .. the letters HVAG are in play.. HVAdvisoryGroup.com, .info, .net, and .org are all mine too.. I'd like a logo that can be put to good use on the web presence, on business cards, and perhaps on letterhead or other marketing gadgets. Color scheme is completely open for suggestions. The company will be my pathway to providing insights, advice, and related consulting services in the areas of work / life balance, project and time management, information technology, and business & marketing operations. I've got a little bit of experience in all of these areas, and I've got some friends who want to join me in this adventure (the "Group"), and they have lots more experience than me. Between us, there's nothing we can't help people with - household projects, career acceleration, decision making for business or pleasure, overcoming business slumps, and even finding better ways to manage time at work and at home. So, anyone creative out there that wants to take a shot at a company logo, send it my way at algozine@gmail.com! I can't wait to see what people come up with.
Last week, as I continued to unwind and relax, we went to Maine to visit family and enjoy the Maine scene. I have always loved the Pine Tree State, as the very air always seems more fresh and the people are, well, less fresh. Politeness rules the day in Maine.
As we packed to leave, Uncle Richard declared that our van was so full of people and stuff that we'd be alright so long as we didn't get a flat tire on the way home. Really!?!?! He just had to say it ..so, you guessed it.. it happened. I-90 West bound was backed up and slow (thankfully), so when the "LOW AIR IN 1 TIRE(S)" alarm flashed on the console, followed almost immediately by a strong vibration in the whole van, I was able to get safely to the side of the road to begin the laborious and unpleasant work of figuring out how to change a flat on a Chrysler Town&Country with stow-n-go seating. Less than 3 minutes into unpacking the cargo, an angel of mercy pulled up behind us and the flat was fixed in about 20 minutes with his skillful assistance. It was a fun learning experience for everyone, and I am totally grateful to the Insurance Company for sponsoring these folks to be out on the highway to help us.
And so, we all made it home safely without any injuries.I feel great. I've been relaxing and finding time to do things that were long overdue.. simple things like tending the garden, fixing the gas grill, clearing clutter. But, I have work to do to be ready for my classes this Fall at Marist, and so I begin to not necessarily feel pressure or stress, but feel the pang of having to 'work' a bit more than I have these past 3 weeks. And I am teaching a Hunter Safety course this week, so I need to get that organized in my head today.. not work necessarily, but an enjoyable chore.
Don't feel sorry for me (not that you were)... I'm still semi-retired!
More soon...
"Professor" Algozzine
calgoIBM on Twitter
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Day 1 - yep, my first full day as a retiree .. doesn't seem that much different. I still remember all my IBM friends, and was just there yesterday to sign my final papers and collect my severance pay. Severance - it sounds so, well .. severe! It was great to get a chunk of money on my way out. But, it was better to know that I left IBM having achieved what few do .. I was an IBM Executive.
Click here to see the leaders I left behind at IBM on my Facebook timeline.. and friend me!
I decided it was time, and now I'm here .. jobless, for the moment. Just so you understand, this was not a whim .. I have a full time job with a private educational institution all lined up and have accepted a position as a professional lecturer (basically, a non-tenure track professor job), and will start teaching in the Fall. I'm very excited! The leaving IBM and the joining Marist College timed themselves perfectly!
So, for today, not much on tap .. went to see the financial planner this morning, got some stuff done with her that will help insure our financial future. Later I'm going to meet up with a friend to make some plans to teach a Sportsman Education (Hunting Safety) that I've scheduled for next month. And I will spend some quality time with my kids and my dog.
Not a bad plan for my first day of "retirement", eh?
Oh, if you're wondering, Hudson Valley Advisory Group is coming to a 'theater' near you soon .. that's another project I have in motion .. retirement, after all, is for old people .. and that's not me!
-Professor Algozzine
Click here to see the leaders I left behind at IBM on my Facebook timeline.. and friend me!
I decided it was time, and now I'm here .. jobless, for the moment. Just so you understand, this was not a whim .. I have a full time job with a private educational institution all lined up and have accepted a position as a professional lecturer (basically, a non-tenure track professor job), and will start teaching in the Fall. I'm very excited! The leaving IBM and the joining Marist College timed themselves perfectly!
Not a bad plan for my first day of "retirement", eh?
Oh, if you're wondering, Hudson Valley Advisory Group is coming to a 'theater' near you soon .. that's another project I have in motion .. retirement, after all, is for old people .. and that's not me!
-Professor Algozzine
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