Thanks, Wendi. I hope you do follow through with your idea. Books had such an impact on me growing up.

I'm really going to. I just need to research where to start. LOL, I'll get there, though.
Wendi :)

Thanks, Elaine.

Thanks

No problem.

Yeah, I did the same thing. I majored in Psych thinking it would be a natural fit for me to use my interest in the crazy side of life.

Have you used your psych degree in your career? I am an occupational therapist, and my favorite areas of practice were psychiatry and chemical dependency.

Ya think we have to be a little crazy ourselves to enjoy the crazy side of life??

Yes, I used to develop phycology internship programs for 5 colleges. It was not my long-term career, but it was my favorite. It was cool to teach kids to go out and apply what they were learning and watch them learn whether their career choice a good fit or not. My work life is actually a pretty odd mix of conflicting fields.
It's fun to have no plan, but it can be odd.
Imagine going from owning a little Jewelry shop to being a tile setter, then on to General Manager of a window manufacturing company. Haha, I can't help but laugh now.
Yeah, my life is a study in crazy, but fun for certain.
That's an interesting career you chose, so many different applications and possibilities I imagine.

My, you really have had a varied career path! Guess we could call you a "Paul of all trades".

I've had several different types of jobs over the years as well. I babysat, pressed shirts in a dry cleaning establishment, worked as a maid in a motel, did a short stint at an A&W drive in, was cashier at a roller skating rink, assistant to physics professor in the work study program, did transcription in a law firm, and worked in a one-girl office at a ready mix concrete plant....all prior to graduating from college.

I can see how it would be fun and exciting to see the kids utilizing what they've learned and watching them grow and develop during their psych internships. I had some of the same experience when I was supervising OT students during their internships, but the one time that I had to fail a student was heart rending for me.

Yes, my career was very interesting and satisfying. My favorite was working in a private pediatric psych hospital on their detox unit. It was so exciting to see the real kids emerge from the symptoms as they dried out and were clean. That was back in the 80s, and most of them were alcoholics, with some pot and glue/gasoline sniffing mixed in. Nothing like what's on the streets nowdays!

I had always wanted to work with kids, but most of my career was with adults. I did not plan on retiring when I was only 51, but my neck had other ideas.

An old cervical spine injury from a car accident in 72 resulted in post traumatic arthritis, which eventually led to a ruptured disc and inability to lift my patients. I was working in geriatrics at that time, as I would have had to commute too far for a job in psych when I moved to the mountains of NC.

Life certainly has its unexpected twists and turns, doesn't it? Now, after convoluted pathways, we find ourselves on the threshold of financial independence, doing what we love...playing with words!

Have a great week, Paul.

Carol

Yes, life does indeed twist and turn. That's one more thing we have in common then. I had car accident 94 that slowed my working life down and required a complete change from the physical work I was doing at the time to creating a job with the internship programs. A young lady hit the gas instead of the brakes at a stop sign and T-boned my truck. L 4-5 and C 4-5 disk damage. It's arthritic now but it could be worse. I've been lucky I kept most of my range of motion, just lost some strength and it can be thrown out so easily.
Had to stop playing basketball with my sons.
I like the sound of 'the threshold of financial independence.'
It's been great talking to you, Carol. Have a great day.

It's often the soft tissue damage that ends up giving you trouble down the road. I was driving a 1964.5 Mustang and a driver in a large station wagon ran a stop sign and T-boned me in the driver's door. I was in the left lane, and she hit me so hard, I bounced off the curb and back into the middle of the road again. Totaled my Mustang and had cervical strain and lateral whiplash. So glad that little pony had been ordered with seat belts and I was wearing it! Probably would have been hurt a lot worse otherwise. Had hemilaminectomy and discectomy at C7-T1 several years later.

I've enjoyed talking to you as well.

Carol

Oh, what a shame for many reasons. My father in law had a 64.5 with what was it?,, oh the generator instead of an alternator. It used to be a running joke at our get-togethers about how many people we ran into that didn't believe there was a 64.5 model.
Sorry for talking your ears off. I just had to add this.
I got off light compared to you it seems. A punctured lung and a collapsed one. Four broken ribs. Then the spine damage.
It's so odd that you were T-boned by a stop sign runner also.

No harm, no foul, Paul. I enjoyed our conversation. I don't think I was hurt as badly as you were...I didn't have anything except cervical strain initially. You had a punctured and collapsed lung and broken ribs. At any rate, I think we were both lucky to escape with our lives.

When you asked "what was it"? I thought you were going to say a 289 with 4 on the floor!

No, I couldn't remember that much about it. Was a great car though. I have always been a Chevy guy. 67,68, and 69 Camero and one 69 Corvette were my toys of choice. But that old Mustang my father in law had was sure. nice.

Other than the Mustang and my LaBaron convertible, which was a really fun car, I haven't really had a favorite. I wrote a post about my cars in April. It's titled "Do You Name Your Cars?" I tried to find the link, but couldn't make my list go down far enough...technoidiot that I am!

That brings back some memories. My mother named her cars. Do you remember the Toronado? Yeah, she was named Terry of course. There was Bessie the Beast Buick. I don't remember the make, but it was rounded top and a huge car from the 40's so it was old to us even at the time (the early 60's). I had a girlfriend from Iowa once when I was in the Air Force.
I think I should go read all your posts, just because.

My grandpa had a little robin egg blue Nash that we called The Bathtub. Then after that he got a Rambler in the same color.

Help yourself...there are 39 of them. Meanwhile, guess I'll have to read 35 of yours!

You're pretty cool Carol. I feel like I found a friend.

Thanks, Paul. So do I. It's fun meeting people with similar interests and getting to know them better this way. I enjoy it a lot. Don't get much work done, but do have fun!

Absolutely, but I'm one that has the time. I'm sitting here 12 hours a day on average I'd guess. As each outside activity became a little too hard to do or just not worth it anymore for various reasons I'm here more and more.
I love to write and love to learn about all of this. I tried so hard back in the 90's, but I didn't understand the tech well enough.
I'm so very happy I found this place now that I have the time. What brought you to WA?

I had been scammed a couple times, but was still looking for something legitimate to help me supplement my income. Since I had to quit working when I was only 51, I had to use my retirement to survive on til I got my disability. I had professional disability, but they wouldn't pay til SS did. Now all the income I have is from my SS, and it's tough living on a fixed income.

Yes, that must be tough. More like broken income right? I went through the scammers also. but fortunately, I never had the money to invest in some of the more costly scams. I have that shiny object issue and I guess I fall for the idea that there is a shortcut to money. or a better way to do it.
I'm over that now. Now the programs that seem to be easier to understand attract me. I'm not that patient in some ways.

I lost a good portion of my back pay when I got talked into taking a class on building a website. It had a lot of built in help, but the kicker was that when your 12 weeks were up, that was all the help you got. Due to my perfectionism, I wasn't making any money yet when they dumped me. Sadder, but wiser!

Oh, that stinks. It sounds like many of the programs I've heard of these days.

Yeah. It was my own stupidity that made me vulnerable to their pitch, though.

Oh, I wouldn't beat yourself up over it. Those people are so well trained to use emotional manipulation in their methods that most of us get fooled. The seven pillars of persuasion get so many people hooked.

Yeah, those buggers!

It always amazes me that I still fall for it. I still get distracted by pins on Pinterest that make big claims. I'm hopeless

I don't know how to use Pinterest yet. It's OK to get distracted as long as you don't get sucked in!

Thank you, Sandy.

Thank you, Sandy.

Thank you so much, Di.

Ah, thanks so much! I appreciate the encouragement. I'll have the new site listed in the only place we are supposed to on my profile soon. I hope you do like my stories.

thank you!

Thank you!