Stuff I Want to Do

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Stuff I Want to Do - Some people, like my family people and friends, make fun of me when they learn that I have b-i-g plans - plans that cover things in the present day and in future time. "Gus, you must be some kind of nut to want a job and to go to college at your age." As I remember, that is just about what they said to me when I went job-hunting back in Year-2001, when I hit the old age of 70 years. "What's wrong with you, Gus? Haven't you had enough already?" What was interesting was that my new boss-to-be at the hospital was put into a tough position by my application for a job assignment in her department.Fairly obviously she had been instructed by her own bosses to "get rid of that old guy who is looking for a job as quickly as you can - but don't tell him that your lack of desire to hire him is due to his age." So she asked me when was the last time that I had worked as an X-ray technologist in a hospital. I told her the truth - "1965." At that answer - going back 35 years from the present date, her eyes got kind of big and she waited for more information from me so as to hit that long time difference way high in importance. There was her way out, for certain. "But that is the kind of work I have been doing mostly since then, however as a mobile tech, rather than as a hospital tech." So, she was virtually forced to hire me. As she put things, "We'll see how you do for 90 days and take things from there. Do you think you can relearn lots of stuff? Things are not the same as they used to be back in 1965. How does that go with you? Think you can get through those 90 days OK?" At the end of 90 days I was still there. My boss then called me into her office to talk about things. "Gus, when I first hired you, my bosses and my techs laughed at me for putting you to work here. Today, however, I have bragging rights. So, thank you, Gus. Just thought you might like to know." Anyway, so that you, my Mill Otter (MyLotter) buddies understand how things are with an old man wanting to go back to work instead of just sitting around in a rocking chair telling stories to the kiddies and eating raisin cookies, that is how it is. A person should do what they like to do for as long as they can actually do it. I like to work. And, believe it or not, it is also a good deal of fun to get paid for doing what a person likes to do. Image: Gus and the Maxitron-250 X-ray Generator - USAF Photo 1953