42

No Not Jackie Robinson's number, although I was thinking of Jackie yesterday as I looked  at the excellent photo collection on display on Lower Level four ( History) in the building I work in.  Central is not "My" building, I just work there.  My responsibility- at least for the moment- is the 72 branches of the Los Angeles Public Library.

No, it was 42 years ago today that a wide-eyed eighteen year old me started work in the Pacoima Library.  I couldn't believe my luck.  Here was a JOB in the library, great pay, vacations, holidays and sick pay.  I was making the princely sum of $3.33 an hour!  To put in on perspective, most of my friends were making around $1.85 and working with grease fryers.  Not that those were bad jobs, but man was I lucky!

I loved that job.

I am looking at working for two years, two and a half months more.   I don't know.  Lately work has been not as satisfying as it once was and I often feel like I am working in a war zone instead of an office.  My friend Pauline, who will probably read this will tell me AGAIN, that I should retire and how wonderful retirement is.  I know, Pauline, I just have always had it in my head to make 40 years.  There's an opening at the Department of Cannabis- yeah it's a real thing- I wonder if that might not be better.  I don't know.

I am hoping that once my knees are replaced and getting around is not so hard, I might have a new perspective or my old pep back. I have graduated to the walker.  It is a wonderful walker but I HATE having to use it.  It's "for now' not "forever", right?

 Sorry to be Debbie Downer.  Some days are like that and getting it out of my head and onto the virtual paper of this blog has helped me think.  My therapist ( yes, I have someone I talk to who listens and guides me to make choices to improve things) says writing it down might be the best way for me to deal with things.  After all, although I am not a published writer ( unless you count the poem I wrote that went in the newspaper when I was seven) Writing is my "art"

I have about 830 calendar days util the day I THINK will put me at 40.  I need to log on to the City Retirement calculator and see what it tells me.  I have a few legal issues that need to be cleared up.  All parties have agreed, it's just the paperwork and the lawyers fees at this point. Once THAT is done, I can seriously look at what retirement will look like for me.

Funny, this started out as a celebration of achieving 42 years with the City of LA.  I never really know where these blogs will go.  They are, mostly, an unplanned and unvarnished look at what is going on in my brain after the first jolt of coffee hits it.  ALMOST  like Victorian "automatic writing, but not quite  ( I do try to go back and edit for some sort of clarity)

Thanks for riding with me.