Likewise with Mountain biking for me Joost, except this fall I caved and bought a SUP, now I haven't been on my bike since September but I'm almost at 40 surf sessions!

Interesting, this thread prompted me to cut out of a crazy busy day of work yesterday when Cook (briefly) looked good. I managed to contact a lawyer and re-schedule a call for later, decided nothing else was going to go to hell in the next 2 hours, and went for it. It ended up tanking and I didn't sail, but I had a brief chat with two kiters who were packing up, and a longer talk with Voodman who had also shown up hoping for wind. I went back to the office and nothing much had happened. I ended up working at the office till 7:30 then did work shopping till 9:30; and felt good about the whole thing: I got a nice break with some fresh air and was really focused on work right through the evening. Would have been even better to sail, but I wasn't frustrated.

So I call that a win-win! Got to make the time more often. Thanks for the example, Marcus!

Now you just need to take it to the next level and not go back to the office!

Well, it's Spring and Winter Storm season is winding down.....and so is the ski season But hey, the last swells/powder clouds are still arriving and some certain spots may have a glory day or two left in them

How'd everyone do Any changes? Are we getting somewhere Anybody got some new tips Are you still leaving the office and NOT going back, Morley Yes, I know, planning for retirement

Retirement, now there's an interesting topic Isn't that the time when your knees and hips finally totally give out so even though you have all the time and sufficient funds, those new skis you have been wishing for won't actually get used? Or maybe, like some unfortunate people I know (knew) their retirement funds weren't really necessary ....for them anyways

Summer sailing/kiting season is coming, where are YOU going to be playing?
SEIZE THE DAY Don't Wait!!! JUST DO IT!!

Yeh !!! Hey Kus I like Campbell's mushroom soup for those 70 flashback meals

I'm not getting rich, and I have to work two more years until retirement now thanks to Omni-douche and those wretched boomers! But on the upside, despite not scoring as much wind as I'd like my SUP-surf session count since mid-September is over 40 now, even with competing priorities; work, mountain bikes, snowboarding, beer, hangovers and I'm forgetting something....hmmm... oh right, my wife.

Hey,

Been pretty much absent from this forum all winter. Teton Gravity is my new forum for the winter season.

Yesterday there was 2ft of fresh snow with clearing skies at Mt Baker (probably the best day of the season and it was April 1). I skiied my 40th day of the season. One of the best ski seasons ever.

Now thinking about sailing again.......hoping for some early Nitinat trips in May/June to shake the sailing rust off.

nanmoo - just do a house renovation......you will go broke but your wife is so happy you can ski every day you have off.

K

KC7777 wrote:nanmoo - just do a house renovation......you will go broke but your wife is so happy you can ski every day you have off.

Been there, done that, never again!

Well, as per message board, appreciate everyone (usually unless born with a silver spoon up the butt) has to put in their share of work to build the nest or a cushion. I recall being locked into my cubicle for 11 years and hating every day, 3 weeks vacation, booked in January and cancelled when management intervention was required....which happened a couple of times.....no flexibility but I needed to support my home, family, kids and still do to a certain degree, not many options.

Just saying, there are ways to increase your flexibility and position to pursue what you want...it may mean curtailing your ladder climb or take less pay and eat more Kraft dinner or pissing off your boss....all within reason. Whatever. Life is about choices....make a choice....live by it. The issue is this: No regrets!

Sorry to hear about your brother Fluffy! Way way too early, he probably never got a chance to take advantage of any options available to him, these 25-40's are your productive years....this issue of jumping ship at least partly typically comes in your late 40-50's when you can either cut out or keep at it. They usually get you when they let you sniff the larger pension over getting part time or quitting and enjoying life a little more. Beware, it's not all about the $$

The whole thing gets even sweeter when you take advantage of the options AND you love your job like MF4

Fluffy: I lost my brother last week to complications of diabetes ..... He was 43! I am overjoyed to be on the water when ever I can. Semi retirement is working for me, and role on real retirement! - Wednesday June 27, 6:12PM
Jl: Kus is all over it. He posts after his day of recreation. - Wednesday June 27, 5:01PM
Vik: Best thing I ever did was go to Baja for Y2K. Been back for 1-4 months every year since except one and that was a BAD year! - Wednesday June 27, 4:30PM
Juandesooka: Conversing on this forum means we're sitting in front of a computer NOT being athletic! ;-) And probably also avoiding the productivity we're being paid for...ouch. Yes, addicts. - Wednesday June 27, 4:17PM
Thankgodiatepastafobreaky: yes Baja is the ultimate way to appreciate life if you can do it.... before pushing up daisies. the fact that we are conversing on this forum shows that we are already in the right 'athletic' mind set.... or we are just addicts. - Wednesday June 27, 3:27PM
Nimpkish-Bill: I'm with Arturo, play hard now but maybe back off on the booze and take a few Yoga classes to keep the old body nimble and quick. - Wednesday June 27, 3:17PM
Abetanzo: I'm signing up for deffered pay! F'ya - Wednesday June 27, 3:12PM
Arturo: I am with you all the way Markus .I shoulda jumped from the Gerbil wheel 15 years ago and thank yooouuu Martin for showing me the light.Three buddies my age are pushing up daisies and we only get one kick at the cat before we are spouting off with shoulda,s and coulda,s from the wheel chair . Now or never boys! - Wednesday June 27, 2:46PM
Kc7777: ESE this week? Might get some at Tribune Bay, Hornby Isl Thurs - Fri? - Wednesday June 27, 2:37PM
Gwind: Oh ! The dole. - Wednesday June 27, 2:21PM
Thelaw: I guess we could cut our chains Kus and take up bank robbing to support our families. We can't all have a job that allows us to not work for a year and still get paid. Give us all a break dude and enjoy your freedom! - Wednesday June 27, 2:14PM

KUS wrote:Just saying, there are ways to increase your flexibility and position to pursue what you want...it may mean curtailing your ladder climb or take less pay and eat more Kraft dinner or pissing off your boss....all within reason. Whatever. Life is about choices....make a choice....live by it. The issue is this: No regrets!

Kusman,

I barely know you....but feel I do from reading your logs. Keep them up. They are perfect.

Nice blend of: Kus attitude / good sailing info / WTF?

Wise words above too. I teach at a university for a living simply because, 1) I like it, and 2) time off. There are many other things I could with my business degrees to make more money but feel lucky that I like my job, it pays the bills and gives me time off. I see lots of my MBA/CA buddies making big bucks but most are not happy.....biggest difference I can see is that they drive nicer cars (choice), live in more expensive neighbourhoods (choice), and buy useless crap for their houses or go on five star trips that cost a ton (choice).

And they all have really crappy ski and windsurfing gear!

And buying a house in Chilliwack vs Coquitlam (where some of my buddies bought) saved me $400,000 in after tax earnings just on the house cost differential....meaning I can earn approx. $600,000 less pre-tax over the next 15 years and still be in the same position as them mortgage-wise.....now there are issues living in the 'Wack (like no winter sailing ever!) but it is close to Baker. And it allows me to afford buying 1 new year old gear and always have a sweet windsurfing and ski quiver in the garage.

I know my sailing exploits are not great (15 - 25 days on flat water), but I do ski 40+ days per year. Most people think I do a lot.....but they don't realize the effort it takes, or the choices I make to be able to do it.

So well done. Keep repeating this message. Don't listen to anyone who says you are rubbing it in, at least we know someone is getting some.

Keith

Good one KC. I too don't know Kus all that well, but appreciate his ethos and his willingness to keep hammering it home.
(though having met Marcus once now, was quite disappointed to realize that the zappa-esque 'stache is in fact a photoshop joke....dude, you've got to grow one, it defines your online persona!)

I stepped off the treadmill to work for the university right off the bat, and left Vancouver in search of a simpler life and cheaper real estate. Work from home, be able to have my wife stay with the kids, see the kids grow up in person, and be able to surf, fish, kite at least 1-2 days per week.

I know I could be a lot richer, but suspect I wouldn't be much happier.

Now the choice is whether to cut it back even further, unpaid time off for more play time. Play a little more in my 40s, maybe at the cost of having to work a little more in my 60s? Seems a good tradeoff at the moment.

University? I went from high school to Government (B.C. Ferries) 10 days (8hrs @ 18 was nothing) on 5 days off. Starting in 86' that was 5 days @ Nitwit lake from Mar.- Sept. .Time off in big chunks, 6 months in college to pick up a mate's ticket & from 91' I supported a family of (eventually) 4 (2kids/2 adults). Now @ 52+ off on med. leave - retirement @ 55. Lost 1 sibling recently & another in the last stages of cancer hell. Get out & play folks time is accelerating. & for those of you who don't know Markus he walks like Frankenstein, it doesn't slow him down a bit Get out & play. If you think YOUR employer can't function without you give your head a shake. You spend a lot of time under the ground

I can't help but think my BB comment about being chained to my office chair next week (hence no coast for me) was the seed crystal that caused the precipitate of comment above to form.

I recently took on a work challenge that I knew would cost me days on the water. I did it because it was a challenge and I thought that I could make a difference and leave a mark in the process. I love windsurfing and a lot of the life choices I have made, were made to help me get more TOW (i.e. buying a place on the "Eastside"). But it's not the single over-riding purpose of my life. I'm not going to quit work and sail every day because I love the challenges that my work provides. I meet a lot of cool people who surf, fish, mountain bike, play hockey, drink beer and they all have some passion that they balance with their work. Some are trying to cure sick people (we are working with the guy, Tim Kiefer, who was on the front page of the Sun today that is using stem cells to "cure" Diabetes) and some are trying to make computers go faster. Whatever.

If want you want to do is sail every day. Great. Have fun. I want to get out as much as I can but I am not going to blow off responsibilities and people who depend on me at work whenever the wind blows. That probably means I don't have an acute form of the disease. Oh well.

And I DID get 38 days on my snowboard at Whistler this winter .. and 2 more at Big White. The snow was stupendous this year. Unlike the wind weather!

Hoping for a few days at the lake week after next when the dust has settled.

Thanks for all the perspectives everyone. And rock on KUS!

... and have fun in Oregon everyone. I DO wish I could have come down this time around. Gotta work the levers for a few more weeks ...