I confess I haven't paid attention to half of the YIR notifications I've seen. I've been getting them for a several weeks now, it seems. I think some of them arrived shortly after the Thanksgiving tryptophan was finally out of my system.
The early arrivals leave me wondering, this Wednesday, how the authors would feel if something huge happened before the end of the year, leaving their YIR in shambles.You know, some horrible tragedy (heaven forbid) or some wonderful news like a major celebrity wedding, or the discovery of a new planet, or a famous politician's birth certificate or green card, or something like that.
Kind of like what happens when we have early voting well in advance of election day, which leaves open the possibility that a dead person could win by a landslide, or some similar bizarre occurrence. That would likely mean that a court would probably have to determine the winner. And we all know how that works out, right?
Given that my own attention span for these things is slim, I'll keep my YIR brief.
Before the end of New Year's Eve Day, I'll have had three major milestones this year: my 25th anniversary at my day job; my wedding, and my husband's retirement.
On my 24th work anniversary, I did a post about the foolishness of the Tax-Free NY program, wondering why it was necessary for me to pay taxes as an employee of a 78 year old company, when some new kid can move in to the Empire State, hire me and I would not have to pay income taxes for ten years. I thought it was unfair to me, and of course unfair to my company as well.
I just checked the STARTUP NY website, which is the official home of the tax free project, and realized that, for my Central New York region, the selling points for our Quality of Life include two pictures, one of fishing in the Salmon River, the other of Chittenango Falls. What's more, three other regions also feature water activities as one of their two pictures.
I'm wondering, are we trying to lure fishing-related industries here? Trying to net a big one, maybe?
The last of the three milestones, my husband's retirement, happens officially next year, but for all practical intents and purposes, it's happening on 12/31. In the morning, we'll get ready for work and head off on the commute together, for the last time.
I'm wondering, if I'm honest, how much things will change. I've got a few more years to work, although the jury's out on exactly how many. A lot of that depends on how much of a mess the current Congress and POTUS make of our somewhat encouraged economy, and what happens next year when the new gang is elected. Will we be trickling down? Will everyone be making double their current wage (if things go up in tandem with increases in the minimum wage)? Will my 401(k) keep growing, and will Social Security be gone when I get there? So much to wonder about, with no answers anywhere in sight.
What I don't wonder about, though, is whether this is the right decision for him, and for us. After 20 years at his second career, he's done enough, and had enough, and I want him to be around when I eventually make the decision to retire. We are better when we're happy, and we're happier when we're better.
I'm sure I'll have a twinge or two of something (I'm not sure yet exactly what), come January 4th when I have to go to work and My Sweet Baboo doesn't. But then, that's something for the 2016 YIR.
A final note: I would be remiss if I didn't talk at at least a little about this blog. Thanks to all who've hung in there with me over the past few years -- I appreciate your tolerance, your interest, and your feedback. To new readers, thanks for giving me a chance. Your feedback is also warmly welcomed.
Here are the top five posts from 2015, all of which are part of two new themes I introduced this year:
- My Middle-Aged White Lady Perspective: Don't Apologize for the Truth
- Wondering, on Wednesday (v30)
- Wondering, on Wednesday (v29)
- Wondering, on Wednesday (v28)
- My Middle-Aged White Lady Perspective: Words Matter
Hope to see you then!
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts!