July 1, 2026 was my last day of work. I have finally retired! I’ve been off for about a month now and it’s finally sinking in. For the first month, I just felt like I was being a big slacker. I went on a week-long trip to Michigan with my family and then a week-long road trip in the southeast US with my niece. Now I’m home and starting to do some projects for me. There are lots of things to do on my house, which I haven’t started. Instead I’m making a small nightstand for a spare room at my Mom’s house. She wanted something that “didn’t have to be nice”. That’s about my skillset, so I’m trying to make something out of all the old wood in my basement. And it’s not that nice, but I think it will be ok. Hopefully, my skills will improve as I do more woodworking.

I also have lots of things to do outside at home. But it’s been really hot and I have had little desire to work in the heat. So I’m still being a bit lazy. My main goal is to get some exercise in and start eating a bit more healthy. We’ll see how things go.