SO WHAT DO I DO ALL DAY?

[stusegal]

Since I sort of retired, at a relatively young age 7 years ago, this is a question I’ve been asked many times and . . .funny thing . . . it’s hard to answer.  I’m seem busy, but what do I do?

Sometimes people ask me this question at a time, or in a way, that makes the question accusatory.  For instance, if I'm dealing with a specific issue, the asking may imply that I have too much time on my hands – and that it must be my “spare time” that’s really the issue.

Truth is, I’ve been asked so many times that I started to wonder if in fact I do have too much time on my hands . . . which made me decide to get to the bottom of this . . . . 

For a 2 week period in February (dead of winter - quiet, no motorcycling, no juggling) I decided to log everything I did.  So here’s what 2 weeks in February looked like:

(And let me just mention that during the 2 wks I came down with a rotten cold which slowed me down for about 4 days, and there was a snowstorm that kept me housebound 2 days).

• Things I attended:
• Westminster Kennel Club Show at Madison Square Garden – had to see the Bullmastiffs, Neopolitans, Great Danes, etc.
• My young cousin Sarahs’ wedding in New York City
• Wicked Faire in Edison NJ – a 2 day Con I attended with Stephen
• Cocktail party for the unveiling of the $72K Desmosedici motorcycle at Cross Country Ducati.

• Things I witnessed:
• Total lunar eclipse on a seriously cold February night  -  but worth every freezing minute
• Launch of space shuttle Atlantis (watched live on internet)

• Literature / Film
• Submitted my Hugo Nominations Ballot
• Read “Rainbow’s End” by Verner Vinge
• Watched the following 8 DVDs  -  “Moolaade”,  “Europa, Europa”, “Castaway”, “The Lost Room” (6 hrs!), “In The Shadow Of The Moon”, “The Shootist”, “On Any Sunday”, “The Luhzin Defense”

• Internet
• Bought a limited edition Harley chess set on EBay, then dis-assembled and scavenged for parts for my own set
• Listed 9 items for sale on EBay
• Posted 1 entry to my WebLog

• And the normal stuff:
• One short 15 mi ride on a motorcycle (hey, it’s February)
• Exercised every day except when sick
• Took Big Vito for an afternoon walk around the lake at least 10 of the 14 days
• Watched 10 episodes of Jeopardy
• Attended a Board Meeting of the Metro Group (my partners in the Honda store)
• Went to 2 Doctor appointments
• Watched Primary Election returns one Tuesday night
• Paid bills
• Sold Rashmika’s Buell  -  and bought a Honda scooter instead

This was a relatively normal 2 week period – except that I caught a cold (which is probably what lead to watching so many DVDs), and except my young cousin’s wedding. 

So I think I should stick with the same answer  -  “I don’t know what I do, but I seem really busy”.