2024 New Years Resolutions

Posted on January 8, 2024 by Just Chuck

Now that I am retired from the daily soul crushing commute and job, I hope completing my

New Years Resolutions in 2024 will come easier.  So here are my 5 New Years Resolutions that I plan on …. Resolving?

Resolution #1 CREATE – Write, record and distribute my own song(s) or write my Memoir

I really need to complete this.  It is a carryover from 2023.  I have accepted a challenge in January from a music club I am a part of.  The challenge is to come up with chords, melody, lyrics (which I have done many times) during the month of January.  Although I have many song ideas, I’ve yet to record the song fully and release for distribution.  So I hope to complete this in 2024.  I have started a mini memoir of a time when I ran a recording studio.  I need to finish that.

Resolution #2 Continue to lose weight, another 25 lbs

I did pretty good with this one in 2023. I lost at least 50 lbs. I want to get down to my high school weight and lose some more fatty pouches.  That means another 25 lbs. I just need to stay on track with the low carb, low sugar diet and count my calories.  It was a challenge during the 2023 holidays but I have pretty much maintained a weight, now it’s time to finish the race and then stay at my desired weight.

Resolution #3 One YouTube video per week

I’ve launched a YouTube channel based on my retirement, it’s called Retirement Ain’t Easy.  I’ve posted one video about my last day at work last Monday.  I plan on recording and uploading one video per week AT LEAST to capture what my retirement life is about.  These videos will include me doing my hobbies of music, photography, model making etc.  Something to keep me busy and away from the damn TV.

Resolution #4 Start a side hustle – photography, music, recording, eBay store

By side hustle I mean something to bring in some spending money.  Being on social security, I am limited to around $1800 per month of income or the Social Security Administration will take away money.  Until I turn my full retirement age of 67, I am limited to the amount of income from a job.  So a side hustle such as a photography business needs to be part time and low money making.  I am not sure about selling my personal belongings on eBay though.  That may not qualify.  I have a lot of action figures and other stuff I can sell to make some vacation money.

Resolution #5 Blog once per week

Although I tripped up in November and December with my weekly blog posting in 2023, I plan on continuing to maintain this blog and possibly dovetail it with the YouTube channel… I hope.  We shall see.  I will continue with the Vinyl of the Month posts.  I will continue to post once per week and will try to do that on Monday each week.  So this Resolution posting is post #3 of the new year.

There you have it.  My 2024 New Year’s Resolutions.  I will do a quarterly review and grade myself on how I do.  Stay Tuned.

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2023 Year End Wrap Up

Posted on January 4, 2024 by Just Chuck

It’s time for a 2023 Resolution Wrap up. Time to review what nonsense I came up with in January to try and fulfill, improve and better my life.  

So here we go.

Resolution #1 – I’m going to journal this year

PASSED.  I continue to journal, if not every day, at least every other day. I have not gone more than 2 days without journaling.  Journaling has become a habit.  Put a check mark by this resolution as completed.

Resolution #2 – I need to slow down and don’t give a f%ck

FAILED.  My personality is all about worry and anxiety, whether it’s work or personal.  The last month of the year, as retirement got closer to being a realization, I started to not give a shit at work.  My mood began to mellow, EXCEPT for the drive to and from work.  Those still put me in a sour mood.  So this resolution was a failure.  Perhaps now that I am retired things will change.  I no longer have to make that drive and deal with some very stupid people at work.

Resolution #3 – I gotta lose weight

PASSED.  Put a check mark by this one.  Me and the wife have cut out as much carbs and sugar as we can and I have been staying within a calorie count that insures a 1-2 lbs loss each week.  We cut out potatoes, rice, beans and anything high in carbs.  We eat meat, cheese, eggs and we’ve found low/zero carb bread.  Thanks to Hero Bread this diet has not been an issue.  We still eat burgers with buns, and brats with buns, and BLT sandwiches with bread.  And Hero makes tortillas so we still have Taco Tuesday or we have steak quesadillas.  Good stuff.  And we found a perfect use of the tortillas – we make thin crust pizza that is really good and has very little carbs and sugar.  So thanks to Hero Bread for giving us the opportunity for a normal diet.  I am down 50 lbs.  I’ve kinda hit a plateau at the moment with Thanksgiving and  Christmas and New Year’s black-eyed pea dinner, but now that those are passed, it’s time to focus again.  I have 20 more lbs to lose as a goal.

Resolution #4 – I need to write (complete) a book or comic book

FAILED.  I did not participate in NaNoWriMo as I had planned.  So after the Camp NaNoWriMo in July I did nothing more on any of my novel or memoir.  Sad, I had such momentum there for awhile.

Resolution #5 – I need to create, record, and release a song into the world

FAILED.  I created a demo and I posted on Soundcloud but I haven’t finished the re-recording of the parts to make it more cohesive and releasable to a streaming service.  I do have a couple of songs that I recorded acoustic scratch tracks to capture the structure and feel.  But no fully complete song released to Spotify.

Resolution #6 I’m going to Blog once per week

PARTIAL FAIL.  I was on a roll and looked to be succeeding until November.  My last Monday post was November 13 so I missed the last 6 Monday’s of the year.  For 2024 I plan to pos once a week but I’m not committing to always Monday.  I did complete all 12 Vinyl of the Months for 2023 and I’ve started 2024 off with a Monday posting and a Vinyl of the Month posting.

In summary, I have 2.5 out of 6 Resolutions PASSED.  That’s a 42% grade, that’s a Failing grade here in the U.S.  Not acceptable.  Look for my next posting to announce my 2024 Resolutions. 

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Holy Sh!t, I’m Unemployed!

Posted on January 2, 2024 by Just Chuck

It’s a bit scary but I am now voluntarily unemployed. That’s slang for retired.  I’m 62 years old and I retired on December 31, 2023 with my last day of work being Friday, December 29, 2023.  

It is a strange feeling.  I keep trying to check my work emails on my phone until I realize I don’t have any of the work apps on my phone anymore.  I keep worrying that this 3-day weekend (New Year’s)  is going by too fast, and then I realize I don’t have to get up and go to work the day after New Years.  I start to worry and then I realize, that problem is no longer my problem.  Someone else is having to deal with it. A great weight of anxiety has dissolved. 

My last day, Friday December 29, was surreal.  I got up, got ready, ate breakfast and drove into work.  It being a Friday before New Year’s, traffic was pretty light.  The drive was quick.  I had my morning coffee, answered a couple of emails, ate my lunch at my desk and waited for the IT manager to come by and confiscate my laptop, badge and office key.  It was strange walking out of the building at 1:15 without my badge and work laptop.  I drove home and spent the afternoon watching YouTube videos and trying to relax.

Tomorrow (day after New Year’s) will be really weird.  I don’t need to get up and get ready.  I don’t need to drive anywhere.  I can be a bum and not shower and just do nothing.  But I’ll probably figure something out.  I’ve already started a YouTube channel.  Go check it out – Retirement Ain’t Easy.  Here is my first video.

This blog will probably see a slant towards what it’s like to be retired and living on your savings, social security, annuity and a pension.  There will be lots of references to my YouTube channel.  It’s something to keep me busy along with making music and photography.  Lots of time and lots to do. 

I hope you will continue to visit here and my YouTube channel to keep track of what I am up to.  Feel free to ask questions about retirement.  I am slowly becoming an expert at buying health insurance, applying for social security, starting annuity payouts and many other tasks to get the income flowing.

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Vinyl of the Month – Powerhouse by American Tears

Posted on January 1, 2024 by Just Chuck

Back in the day… Way back… My best friend and I were always trying to one up each other with our vinyl purchases. We were always trying to find unknown bands that we had not heard of and present the album to each other hoping to impress 

My high school best friend, Bill, introduced me to a number of bands that I am still a fan of. Genesis and Judas Priest are two that stand out. We were always searching for the next great band.

Many times our searches would take us into “cut-out” bins. If you are unfamiliar with the term, a cutout bin is the bin or box where unsold items are sent for clearance as a last stop before the trash bin. You’ll find cut-out bins in comic book stores and book stores but the term cut-out is usually applied to vinyl album (record) stores because the album cover would get a notch cut out of the album cover to designate it was clearance. It pretty much declared the album was headed for the trash and ruining the album cover made it un-collectible.

Anyways. Powerhouse by American Tears was released in 1977. I believe I bought it during 1978. I don’t recall the store in Killeen Texas but I do recall it was in a cutout bin. I took a chance, a big chance, because the band had a keyboard player, and if you knew me back then, you knew I was not a fan of bands with keyboard players (Uriah Heep for example). I was.a straight ahead guitar guy so my bands were KISS and Aerosmith and Black Sabbath. Out of all the albums in the cutout bin, American Tears‘ Powerhouse looked to be the only rock oriented album. I think I bought it for less than a dollar, brand new with just a notch cut into the cover.

I listened to the album before presenting it to Bill and, surprisingly, I enjoyed the music. The songs were melodic and had catchy choruses. The album is still one of my go to albums to listen to on a Sunday morning. Bill didn’t really find it all that appealing. Bill had moved into bands like Budgie. Oh well. I still have the album and I still periodically put it on the turntable.

The band has put out additional albums with the latest being in 2020, but they never caught on. I’ve thought about many of the other bands Bill and I traded off on. always trying to impress each other. I plan to feature more of those albums in future Vinyl of the Month postings. For this month, reminding me of a fun time with a best friend that is no longer with us, I chose Powerhouse by American Tears for Vinyl of the Month.

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Vinyl of the Month – Starz by Starz

Posted on December 1, 2023 by Just Chuck

Ever heard of Starz? Probably not.

Starz is a New Jersey born band. I did not know at the time (until I investigated for this posting) but Starz was formed from three members of the band Looking Glass. remember them? Most don’t, but they are the band that record Brandy (You’re of Fine Girl). That song everyone knows. I think it is actually a Trivial Pursuit question.

Starz debut album was released in February 1976. I can’t remember exactly when I bought it but it had to have been later that year after I got ahold of KISS Destroyer. I bought the album because they were on the same label as KISS and I had seen pics of them in CREEM magazine and they looked cool. The album turned out to be right in the same vein of rock that I liked. Straight ahead guitar oriented songs about being a teenager and all the things that come with that.

I have a couple of favorite songs off this album, (She’s Just a) Fallen Angel and Pull the Plug. I can remember there being some issue with the song Pull the Plug as it was about a girl on life support and her boyfriend wanted to pull the plug and let her die in peace. Nothing like a little uproar from the general population to sell records to teenagers.

I listened to this album a lot when I first bought it and I still pull out the vinyl and have a listen. It stills holds up. The band is still kinda around. They have a website and Facebook page. Occasionally you will hear that they played a bar in New Jersey. The second album, Violation, came out and I bought it too. They released two more albums after that before calling it quits in mid 1979. A three year life.

I chose Starz by Starz for Vinyl of the Month because of the memories it invokes of that time when I was in high school and life was simple.

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Let’s Catch Up

Posted on November 13, 2023 by Just Chuck

I feel like I should catch up on a number recent life happenings.

First off, no one likes it but it’s a necessary evil, a Colonoscopy.  If you are over 50 and have not had one, I strongly suggest you do so very soon.  Do it for your kids or grandkids or, hell, your Mom.  I had my second one last Monday.  My first was at age 52 and since there were no issues at the time, I was put on the 10 year plan, meaning I didn’t need another Colonoscopy for 10 years.  This time, however, there were polyps found and removed.  I have not received the results from the lab yet, but I am now on the 3 year plan.  So in 3 years I’ll be going through the Colonoscopy protocol again and taking the 30 minute nap.  Not so bad.  Yes the preparation sucks but the actual procedure is nothing.

grandson
Mom

Second item to discuss – NaNoWriMo.  I know I had said I was going to participate this November in the National Novel Writing Month but I didn’t.  I moved on to my new hobby, Photography.  Writing has been shuffled to the back burner and photography has moved to front and center.  I’ve invested in studio lighting and my Mom (I love her) bought me a new camera.  A professional grade, a Canon R6 Mk II.  I have been playing around with it and studio lighting in my house (see samples of grandson and Mom) and I am seriously considering starting my own photography business when I retire.  Nothing big, just a side thing.  Senior portraits, engagement photo sessions, simple stuff that doesn’t require stress (no wedding photography).

That brings up item #3, Retirement.  As of today I have 7 weeks and only 28 more working days to go.  Looking forward to it. I have plans to keep busy with photography and music stuff.  Maybe do some side gigs like substitute teaching or maybe the crossing guard at the elementary school in our neighborhood.  

Finally, the last item to note is that my youngest, of three sons, got married the weekend before the Colonoscopy.  So happy for him.  My new daughter-in-law (who we’ve known for years) is a wonderful young woman.  She is a teacher with a marketing degree.  They have a bright future ahead of them.  They have already bought a house and celebrated one year in it.  They both have great jobs and are smart Kids.

I think that brings this blog up to date with all the recent events in my life.

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No Post Today

Posted on November 6, 2023 by Just Chuck

Sorry no witty post today. I have been in colonoscopy protocols for the last day and a half and had the procedure today. Maybe later this week I’ll catch up.

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Vinyl of the Month – Van Halen by Van Halen

Posted on November 1, 2023 by Just Chuck

Van Halen by Van Halen was released on February 10, 1978. At that time I was just getting back into playing guitar, having learned basic chords in a summer school class in 1973. I met my buddy Dennis in Spring 1977 in the back of a Geometry class in high school and he was new to guitar and we both learned how to play barre chords and basic songs that first year. We both bought our electric guitars from the local pawn shop and started jamming together and with others that we found at a local Music Center. The Music Center was a place where you could rent gear and practice in sound proof booths. We spent every weekend we could at the Music Center playing with all kinds of people.

So in 1978 when Van Halen released their debut album, we were not following them. There was no internet or decent guitar magazines or anything along those lines. We were into Montrose and Robin Trower and Frank Marino and Led Zeppelin. A new band like Van Halen held no interest to us.

But word spread and when we first heard Eruption it was like seeing an alien. We couldn’t figure out what the hell this guy was doing. And we had never heard anyone use the whammy bar to dive bomb like this and then the actual lead…. what the hell? How was he doing that? Who was this? It was Eddie Van Halen, a new guitar hero soon to be Guitar God.

Besides Eddie’s Eruption solo, the songs were pretty damn good. We gravitated to the Kink’s remake of You Really Got Me as it was pretty easy to play the rhythm to. Every song on this album is good. My favorite is Runnin’ with the Devil with Jamie’s Cryin’ a close second. The image of David Lee Roth, with the leather pants and shirt open, to me was the epitome of a rock singer. The band just had this overall dangerous image to go along with the music.

Sadly I never saw Van Halen in concert and now with Eddie gone…. I do like the Sammy Hagar era of Van Halen as well but that is a completely different image than what they started with. We all wanted to be Eddie Van Halen or David Lee Roth.

For introducing great music and reviving the art of guitar playing I present Van Halen by Van Halen as the Vinyl of the Month.

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Happy Halloween Eve

Posted on October 30, 2023 by Just Chuck

I love Halloween.  Always have.  It’s my favorite holiday of the four celebrations that have made the 4th quarter my favorite. 

The first celebration is of course my birthday.  That was on the 10th of October.  As a kid my birthday party always had a Halloween theme.  Every year my mother would pull out the small plastic pumpkin cups to go with the orange colored frosting on the cupcakes.  Every child received a trick or treat bag full of candy as a thanks for attending.  I was a happy kid and I had a happy childhood.  Thanks Mom.

The second celebration of the quarter is Halloween.  The holiday would arrive just about the time the high from my birthday party would be winding down.  It would ramp the excitement back up.  Halloween meant wearing your costume to school and excitedly comparing them while planning the evenings neighborhood trick or treat attack plan with friends.  6:00 could not come soon enough. 

At 6:00 we were off.  No parents shadowing us around the neighborhood.  No checking of candy for drugs or razor blades.  This was a time when people were people and even though we practiced duck and cover drills in school (those evil Russians), you could trust your fellow American to be kind and caring to each other.  I recall one year going trick or treating as a baseball player, hitting all the houses in the neighborhood, and then returning home and changing into a football uniform with helmet and hitting the neighborhood a second time.  That was the best haul ever.  Let’s face it, we didn’t get candy except on birthdays and halloween, so you had to make the best of it.

The third celebration comes one month later, Thanksgiving.  I can recall always gathering as a family and eating Turkey and dressing made by Mom.  She would start the cooking the night before and then get up early the morning of Thanksgiving and complete the ensemble in time for us to eat around noon. Then it was time for football.  As a kid we would watch the first half of a football game and then all the kids would go out and play touch football in the backyard.  That tradition has altered somewhat.  Now we all loosen our belts, sit in front of the TV to watch the annual football game and fall asleep by half time. 

The fourth celebration is of course is Christmas.  Christmas excitement really started with the Sears Wishbook catalog.  That trigger would arrive sometime in October and add to the excitement (or maybe it was the Halloween sugar high) that made this time of year my favorite.   The time leading up to Christmas entailed making lists for Mom and occasionally sneaking into the parent’s closet looking for any new bags or packages.  The Christmas tree usually went up the weekend after Thanksgiving and every day we would check for any new gifts under the tree. 

A family tradition, I’m not sure why, was for us to open our gifts on Christmas Eve.  As long as I can remember this has always been the case.  I’ve never really asked why.  For my own family of boys and grandson, we open gifts that are given by family members on Christmas Eve and save the ones from Santa Claus for Christmas Morning.  That is the family tradition my wife and I follow.  By noon Christmas Day the excitement is over and by the following week the toys are either worn out or have become boring.  Such is life and we learn this early.

So Happy Halloween Eve!  Don’t be a Scrooge, hand out candy.  May your own candy bucket be overflowing.

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Countdown to Retirement

Posted on October 23, 2023 by Just Chuck

10 more weeks, 69 more days, 42 work days left to go until I step out of the rat race and start working for myself and enjoying my hobbies.  I turned 62 two weeks ago, social security eligible, and I’ve run the numbers in spreadsheets many times and even bought a subscription with a really good retirement tool – New Retirement – that gives me additional piece of mind.  I recommend this tool to anyone planning to retire soon or really anyone who just wants to track their future monies and see when they could retire.  It’s all online.

Over the next two months I will be signing up for social security payments to start in January and Annuity payments to start in January. Did you know that your social security payout date is based on your birth date?  I did not until I started looking into the process.  Since my birthday is on the 10th I fall into the 2nd Wednesday of the month.  Dates 1-10 get paid on the 2nd Wednesday of the month, 11-20 the 3rd and 21-31  the 4th Wednesday of the month.   This is good to know if you are expecting that money to pay your rent or mortgage.  Crucial information for anyone on a budget.  I had to adjust my budget planning.

So what will I be doing on Tuesday,  January 2, 2024, the first workday of 2024?  Nothing.  I won’t be worrying about having to drive at least 30 minutes across the Dallas Metroplex so I can sit in a dark yellow office  I won’t be worrying about a work task that needs to get done or face the disapproval of  a boss.  My anxiety and stress should drop to level 1 (where Level 5 is wanting to crawl in a hole and disappear).  

I will be doing one of my hobbies – photography or recording music or perhaps just reading a book.  I’ve got no plans at this point.  I must admit, after doing it for 39 years, it will be weird to not get up and drive into an office.   My doctor did recommend the I start an exercise regiment in the morning, stretching and walking, to keep my weight and health in good shape.  So the plan is to have somewhat of a schedule for the days.  I don’t want to end up sitting in front of a TV.

Regardless I’m looking forward to relaxing and starting a new phase of life.

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