Springtime has finally come to New England. Yesterday was a dandy day and the next three promise to be even nicer. It was cool in the breeze, but the sun was strong and warm. Joe worked for a good part of the day on our electrical projects. We had lunch on the back porch and soaked up the sun's rays like flowers. The birds are louder this time of year because we don't have the leaves on the trees to absorb the sound.

Nearly 10 days worth of music. I found several discs from Stevie Ray Vaughn, Abdullah Ibrahim, and Emmylou Harris, ones that I hadn't listened to in years. Next week I'm will put together playlists.

Late yesterday I received a follow-up email from a startup company in Lexington. Neat technology. I have an interview on Thursday. The recruiter asked if the commute to Lexington would work for me. The commute would be about a half mile shorter than the commute I've made for the last six years.

During this time off, I frequently think about retirement. Until six months ago, I was convinced that I would work well into my late 60's. I do like the work I do and, in reasonable health, I can continue to work for a long time. This time is giving me a different perspective on retirement.

The Red Sox beat the Yankees, six months to the day after that fateful game in the Bronx.

This site has no relationship with this one.

Yesterday I went into the Lexington office to pick up a package and visit with a few folks. It was just enough time. I worked with some great people, interesting, intelligent, nice. I didn't get to see everyone I liked, but I also shouldn't have stayed any longer than I did. I need to sustain these friendships, but it doesn't have to, and shouldn't have to, happen at the workplace. It's that workplace where I don't belong.

It's also been nearly a month since I've driven the Mass Pike and 128. It wasn't the culture shock that I'd expected. I quickly became just another Massachusetts driver.

Today Joe, a friend of ours who is an electrician, will come by to give us an estimate on some work. Most of the tasks are routine, but a couple might involve some design decisions. What's the best way, for example, to get overhead lighting into a first-floor room?

I've started re-reading the basic job search text - What Color is Your Parachute?. I think I last read it in the late 80's. It's a good resource, updated for the new tools and techniques of the 00's. The basics are the same, however: a life-changing job hunt. Make your job search and job goals fit your personality and skills. Distinguish yourself from the pack with persistent and innovative approaches to finding a job. See also the Job Hunter's Bible site as a supplement.

CDs hit the market in force about 20 years ago. Within three months of buying my first CD player, I stopped listening to LPs. Within a couple of years, I'd replaced most of my important LPs. We're now in a slushy period where online music is poised to replace CDs, but hasn't reached the tipping point for everyone. For example, I bought a CD the other day because I couldn't find the music online - Anonymous 4's American Angels. On Easter we listened Handel's Messiah from my iPod, so we're near the tipping point in this household.

The rain has stopped. The day dawns clear and cold.

Another cold, rainy day. One weather forecast hinted that we might see some wet snowflakes.

Yesterday afternoon I received a call from a recruiting agency regarding a very interesting job. More about this in subsequent entries. In the meantime, I've been researching opportunities using the Fortune 1000 list. I've started with software companies and will expand my search later.

I called the Audio Journal in Worcester to talk about volunteer opportunities. I have an appointment for next Tuesday to visit their office and studio. The readers, as I understand it, can choose their own material. If you could read something over the radio, what would you read? I'll probably read from The Economist.

The MacGregors left for PEI at 5:45 this morning. They are remarkable people. Most folks their ages are house-bound or worse. They make the trek to and from PEI four or five times a year. They are great housemates and inspirations for our retirement years.

Today I'll take a ride to Lexington to pick up a package that was mistakenly delivered to my old office. It's my first time back there. It will be good to see a few people and good not to get caught up in the work that has gone on since I left. I would welcome the opportunity to return to a good job at IBM, but I'm not holding onto a lot of hopes for that.

A friend observes that a key to spiritual development is to appreciate that "it's not about me." I can remember more than a few occasions when I would talk with someone about my plan to be a better listener, only to leave the conversation without asking the other person a single question. Let's see how we can improve this. One way is to spend time with correspondence and personal contact that isn't related to my job search. I owe a couple of thank-you notes to family members. I'll get those into the mail today.

Yesterday's rains have swelled the rivers and streams. The National Weather Service predicts more rain today and has issued flood warnings for several rivers in southern New England. We have a small stream across the road. It's loud, but it's too small to put any houses in danger.

The online music collection is getting close to six days. David Byrne's Looking into the Eyeball was a nice rediscovery. I've also enjoyed music by Willie Nelson, Gillian Welch, Wynton Marsalis, and, of course, the Grateful Dead. (David Byrne made sure that we knew that the name of his old band was Talking Heads, not the Talking Heads.) Dunno about The Dead.

I didn't receive the call I'd expected from the agency yesterday. I did apply for a couple of jobs and have several more to investigate this morning. Today I will attend a networking meeting at DBM. The last one was pretty good. One of the other attendees had assembled a list of the venture capitalist firms in the Boston area so that we could see which companies had recently received funding. I have about three more months of services from DBM.

As I mentioned before, I am planning to run in a 5K fun run later this month. My goals are, pretty much in this order:

1. Finishing
   
2. Not finishing last
   
3. Finishing ahead of someone older than me
   

Marley's gone back to sleep in front of the wood stove. He's snoring gently.

It's tax season, so today we're finishing up the last of the tax prep work. We should have it in the mail tomorrow, a full day ahead of the deadline.

Last night we had a little celebration of WHM's 85th birthday. We are certainly blessed with great examples of long, good lives in our family. The MacGregors will be going back to PEI this week. Yesterday their dog, Molly, ate the Easter candy that was left unattended for just a few minutes.

The April rains have come, so I won't get outside for a run today. (The National Weather Service has put out a flood watch announcement.) We're fortunate to have a YMCA just a few miles away. The Y has a great selection of Nautilus equipment, as well as indoor tracks in each of its buildings. The main building has a swimming pool that Sandra uses (and with her mother when she's in town). I don't care much for pool swimming (chlorine) and so spend my time on the track or the equipment. We joined the Y last fall. I get there four times a week. Sandra can swim during the day at a facility at her workplace; she uses the Y on the weekends. We'll see how this changes during the summer.

When I was working I'd go to the Y shortly after 6AM. Now I dawdle and get there between 7:30 and 8:00. By then, the silver sneaker crowd has arrived. The early crowd is mostly middle-aged (close to my age). Late afternoon brings a younger crowd, 20s and 30s. I know people by sight and we nod greetings. Some people talk a lot, talk more than they exercise. The locker room fosters a habit of good eye contact, even if little is said.

I'm expecting a return call from an agency regarding work. A friend referred me to this agency and to a position that may not be the best match. (Technical evangelist. Jimmy Swaggart with a laptop.) The recruiter at the agency thought that she might have some other opportunities.

I've not been impressed by the job listings on monster.com. I have a few automated search agents that look for documentation, project management, and related positions. Every morning, I get a long list of "HOME MAILERS & DATA PROCESSORS NEEDED NOW! WORK AT HOME!" postings. I'm not quite ready for a career stuffing envelopes.

My online CD collection is up to 3.7 days worth of music.

It's nice to get an early start, but it can make the day long. I will be running low on energy around 11 and will have an early lunch. Some days I have a nap in the early afternoon, but less frequently now than before. I think that I might finally be caught up on my sleep.

This is the first time that I've been out of work, not of my choosing, in about 25 years. It's been three weeks since my last day at IBM Rational . In that time I've had a couple of interviews, replied to many job postings, and rebuilt my personal network after several years of inattention. Now comes the acceptance. This is going to take some time. After eight or so years of 12-hour days, I have time. It's an unplanned break and an unplanned gift. So where do we go from here?

When the 12-hour days return, this journal will help us remember how I spent this time, how I used this gift.

A friend once remarked, "Don't tell me what you think. Tell me what you did."

To start, here's a list, in no particular order, of a few of the things that I've done since being out of work, in addition what the social workers call the ADLs (activities of daily living):

Updated our Queen Lake web site using JAlbum.

Babysat for our granddaughter Krista who was sick and home from school.

Use the various outplacement services at Drake, Beam, and Morin (DBM), provided by IBM.

Copied the first 50 of my CDs to my iPod. The iTunes software reports that I've stored about 2.5 days worth of music. I'm going to have to listen with both ears.

Read a story to granddaughter Lily before her afternoon nap.

Ran six miles on the indoor track at the Y in preparation for a 5K later this month.

Configured our new laptop and found several wireless hotspots in the area.

Learned that the local Sam's Club has too few checkout registers open on weekday, just like on weekends.

Unpacked the stuff from my work office into the home office. I think the room looks pretty tidy, but there are some differences of opinion on that.

Added a dozen people to my LinkedIn network.

And what's ahead for this week?

Call an out-of-work electrician friend who can take care of a number of miscellaneous projects at home and at the camp.

Make arrangements with my brother-in-law to volunteer in his company's IT department. Many of my system administration skills are outdated. I'd like a chance to acquaint myself with 21st century operating systems, applications, and systems.

Meet some friends for coffee.

Split and stack wood for next season.

Take care of the errands that barely make it to the list of accomplishments, but are necessary for the well-being of the household and its occupants.

More later.
kh

Oh, one more thing. About the title. Roaster Boy is a dark roasted blend available at the Kimball Farms' coffee shop.