I have a big one coming up. In ten days I shall be starting a new job, escaping from one that just didn't work for me. Truth be told, I'll be leaving a position that was stressful and 50 miles from home. The only good thing about it (besides the paycheck) was the car-train-bike commute three days a week when the sun was staying up long enough. Those of you who read the 50+ already know that I recently turned 65, and great positions for (ahem) senior, a.k.a. C&V, engineers don't come around too often. I had been yearning for retirement, but if all goes well I just may enjoy working again.

The new position will be only 12 miles from home by direct roads. It will be mostly, and perhaps all, bikeable, much of it on bike paths. Or I may choose to take a commuter train for 2 stops and avoid the parts that google-maps street view shows as problematic. I should be able to skip using a car completely on most days.

To that end I may (under coercion from my sweetie) be putting fenders on the old faithful UO8, a pair of white Bleumels I've owned for decades and which I've gone through a love/hate relationship with.

Soon the weather will be breaking and we'll all be out riding again. What with my job stress and the weather my sweetie and I have done no x-c skiing this year, when normally we'd finish a season with as many as 500km logged. So the warmer weather and the exercise will be welcome! And the change in stress level will be a real blessing. A new Moto to check out, another to restore. Lots of miles to run on the tandem. And a car-free bike commute. Things are looking up.

Congrats on your new job. My life improved greatly when my job changed for the better and my commute was cut in half. Starting a new job always takes a little extra effort, but in your case once you have the swing of it your commute savings should more than offset. Hoping it all works out as you anticipate so you can post more pics on the where'd you ride today thread (which I, of course, waste time at work reading).

Sounds like a can't miss.

My dad stayed at a job he hated for 36 years.

I swore I would never do that.

I switched job locations two years ago and I have never been happier.

Nice! Congratulations. I need to get a new job too. I've promised myself I'll quit before summer.

[chanting] "U-O-8! U-O-8! U-O-8!"

Hope the new job is better.

Congrats on the new job, Jim! A short commute is great of the soul. I'm envious. My office is moving in a couple months. Not far, but will add about an hour to my overall commute and will require biking through heavily trafficked and glass-strewn roads.

Sounds great Jim! Good luck with the change.

What's going on with the Moto? Is it ready to roll? Did you mount sew ups?

Thanks you all for the nice thoughts.

I have not mounted the tires yet. That's all that's left to do besides fitting adjustments and checking all the bolts' tightness. I didn't want to start working with anything containing hexane in a closed-up house, in the basement with the furnace. Couldn't ride it anywhere anyway!

Here's hoping your new gig brings you pleasure and satisfaction, Jim. Congrats!

I'm going to be the contrarian and suggest you look further into retirement. You really can't beat the hours, the complete lack of stress, and the challenges associated with being in control of all of your time.

Says it all - BRAVO!...

Jim! Fantastic news! And to be so close to home.

Hopefully this will allow for more time for music making, wrench turning, pedal pushing, and ski sliding.

Glad to hear the news Jim. Best of luck. I'm just coming to the end of a very drawn out transition with a similar result to yours.

Congratulations on this new chapter in life. Almost twenty years ago, I moved from the big city to the small town in order to cut down on my commute time. My wife said she noticed an immediate change in my attitude when coming home. My job has enough stress without adding an hour commute through city traffic each way. I would like to be able to bike to work, but the traffic volume, narrow roads, and really deep ditches make it too risky.

Congratulations, Jim. Sometimes changes like this are the breath of fresh air our minds need to make things feel all new again. I'm jealous of all those that can commute by bike daily - enjoy.

A crappy job is why I retired when I did! I had been doing something I looked forward to every day but that division was eliminated and I was transferred to a job I didn't like. I had planned on retiring in three years but I talked it over with my wife and we both agreed that the extra pension dollars wouldn't be worth three years of stress and being an a$$ to her. If you enjoy the new job... fantastic, a job you love really isn't work. But at our stage in life don't do crappy work if you don't need too; retirement is great.

I wish you the best.

Congrats! Best wishes to you and your sweetie during this transition

I just did the opposite. Almost six months ago I traded my local 15 mile commute in for a lower stress level job that has a 60ish mile commute. I'm doing pretty well despite all of the driving!

I'm a licensed land surveyor with many engineer friends in various disciplines. Jobs are hard to find, you are truly blessed.

Best of luck with your new job, Jim. I'm excited to be starting commuting again tomorrow too (grad school is starting).