I have reached my first milestone in blogging – the 100th post.  My goal is to post something every day. having starting this project on January 1, 2017.  I’m now in my 151st day of retirement, and 51 posts short of my goal!   Here I am in retirement, setting the same lofty standards that I did in the workplace and analyzing my accomplishments!  Relax, man!

Before I get too tough on myself, I did post 40 of these in the month of May, despite a heavy travel schedule.  26 were in April and only 34 in January and February combined, even with a head start late in 2016.  It looks like I’ve finally got my production up to where I would like it to be – averaging about 30 posts a month.  Sometime in September I should reach that 200 milestone.  I still have hundreds of poems to share, and will continue to write new ones.

I just called a former co-worker, now living in Cincinnati, to check on his progress.  He likes his new job and the broadcast company.  His only objection is that they want to know where he is and what he’s doing, things that I no longer have to worry about.  I also just set up a Happy Hour with a former boss and client.  They are involved in the marketing of porta-potties.  Another shitty job!

The Osso Buco that I prepared yesterday turned out fabulous, but it’s still sitting in my stomach.  Between the taste-testing and dining, I overdid my intake just a bit.  Unfortunately, my stomach can easily handle it after the stretching it received with the volume of food consumed on the river cruise.  I’m paying the price on the scales!

I will temporarily come out of retirement to attend the Rose Festival VIP Party with my wife. These were command performances when I was working, and now only for my wife.  I will once again have to wear a tie (see post #83 Wit-Tie), and will start practicing on how to tie it this afternoon.   It will be my first reintegration into the media world since retirement came a calling.

I logged on to the Marriott Vacation Club website for the first time.  The bills are starting to come in, so it’s time to plan the next adventure.  With the benefit of booking 13 months in advance, we may start looking at some of those Far East destinations on the bucket list. We’ve already scheduled a Viking Ocean Cruise for March of 2018 from Venice to Athens and a tentative plan to go to Huatulco/Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in mid-June for a wedding.  Maybe I’ll just never unpack!

I wrote a post about “Mystic River” (Mystic Memory #94) a few days ago.  The book that the movie was based on is written by Dennis Lehane.  He also wrote “Shutter Island” and “Gone Baby Gone,” two other great books that have become movies.  His latest book, “Since We Fell,” is also movie-worthy.  I just finished it, so I can join my friends for a book signing he’s doing here in Portland at Powell’s next week.  We saw him speak just after he released “World Gone By,” so we’re looking to this evening event.  It will interfere with “Cooking Day,” so I will have to make some adjustments on my “busy” retirement calendar next week.

It will be June soon, and I’m thinking that just like holidays, weekdays, birthdays, and vacations, I won’t need months of the year any more.  The days are separated by sleep, but the months and years will all start to run together.  2017 will be remembered as the year that I first retired.  I hope they don’t pass too quickly, as there’s still a lot to do!