32 minutes ago, Artie said:

At the tender age of 63, I am finding out that all this stuff is starting to happen (?) to me. It’s only been the last 2-3 years that I’ve ever started to feel old. When I say feel old, I mean realizing that I can NOT any longer do the things I used to do, as easily as I could. I’m also not accepting it too well. I wish I had some funny way of looking at it, but right now it’s seeming like an unsolvable puzzle. At least now I see I’m not the only one with the issues. You should see all the extra gear I keep in the back of the car, so I can still change my own flat tires.

Artie give it another 13 years and see how much has broken down and all the stuff you can easily do now is just not possible anymore. Life is tough on us old guys but we have got to just keep plugging away.

2 minutes ago, Gerald said:

Artie give it another 13 years and see how much has broken down and all the stuff you can easily do now is just not possible anymore. Life is tough on us old guys but we have got to just keep plugging away.

That’s what is hitting me so hard, I NEED to be able to do most of what I do, for at least another 5 years.

On 9/27/2023 at 5:07 AM, Gene Howe said:

Do you ever forget what you're doing

My forgetfulness is tied to the hereafter.  I'll walk into the kitchen, and then stop and think "Now what was I here after?"

Welcome, my brothers, to my world.  It turns out I'm autistic / on spectrum / neurodiverse (pick one, I guess).  I was told at age 18 to NOT become an engineer because my aptitude tests showed a lack of "visualization skills" (they didn't have "autism" on the menu back then).  Not knowing what that meant, I went into engineering anyway, but really struggled with it for years, including flunking out of University and joining the Army (in '67, loss of student deferment was significant).  Sometime during my Army experience I found two things:  (1) I am not the military type;  (2) how to figure things out anyway (went from C+ student to straight A's after the Army). 

     I have trouble seeing "The Whole", relating a current activity with overall progress (IOW "visualization":  they got it right).  [Recent diagnosis of family members shows a thread of the spectrum, severe in some cases.]  The planning system I now employ to keep focused involves writing down, in great detail, the steps in a project; then I come back a day later to review and revise.  I also use a cutlist program for making the pieces.  The written project plan allows time to review and revise.  It works.

     As others have noted, the condition increases with age, but the offsets do work:  I retired in 2011, but am still employed as a forensic expert (nice boost to Social Security).  I do notice I work more slowly.

 

OTOH, I get to charge by the hour.  In all things:  balance.

16 hours ago, Artie said:

At the tender age of 63, I am finding out that all this stuff is starting to happen (?) to me. It’s only been the last 2-3 years that I’ve ever started to feel old. When I say feel old, I mean realizing that I can NOT any longer do the things I used to do, as easily as I could. I’m also not accepting it too well. I wish I had some funny way of looking at it, but right now it’s seeming like an unsolvable puzzle. At least now I see I’m not the only one with the issues. You should see all the extra gear I keep in the back of the car, so I can still change my own flat tires.

 

 Hey  Artie, we all have to slow down at some point. I worked as a welder until I was 71. l figured it was time to enjoy some free time. That was when I got into woodworking.  No, I'm no pro like others here but it was a change that gave me a challenge to do something else that I could enjoy doing. Whatever works for you, do it. Life is always changing. Hey, in my younger days working in construction I could pick up a bag of cement on my shoulder to carry it. Today I can't lift that same bag off the ground. 

 

 

Edited September 29, 20232 yr by Al B

As long as I can still see the tops of the grass in the morning when I wake up....I'm good to go for that day....Retired when I hit 62, got tired of working for someone else, and barely making do.....I make more now as a Retired Old Phart, than I ever made as a "working stiff"....and it took all of.....10 minutes to get used to it...

 

Dad used to say:  "The only things you get after the age of 40.....Aches..Pains..and Pills"

 

Biggest reason I use the Infamous Single Brain Cell Sketch Up?     Just keeps the mind sharp....then I can keep me hands busy, too...

9 hours ago, PeteM said:

Welcome, my brothers, to my world.  It turns out I'm autistic / on spectrum / neurodiverse (pick one, I guess).  I was told at age 18 to NOT become an engineer because my aptitude tests showed a lack of "visualization skills" (they didn't have "autism" on the menu back then).  Not knowing what that meant, I went into engineering anyway, but really struggled with it for years, including flunking out of University and joining the Army (in '67, loss of student deferment was significant).  Sometime during my Army experience I found two things:  (1) I am not the military type;  (2) how to figure things out anyway (went from C+ student to straight A's after the Army). 

     I have trouble seeing "The Whole", relating a current activity with overall progress (IOW "visualization":  they got it right).  [Recent diagnosis of family members shows a thread of the spectrum, severe in some cases.]  The planning system I now employ to keep focused involves writing down, in great detail, the steps in a project; then I come back a day later to review and revise.  I also use a cutlist program for making the pieces.  The written project plan allows time to review and revise.  It works.

     As others have noted, the condition increases with age, but the offsets do work:  I retired in 2011, but am still employed as a forensic expert (nice boost to Social Security).  I do notice I work more slowly.

 

OTOH, I get to charge by the hour.  In all things:  balance.

SURVIVOR!

20 hours ago, PeteM said:

Welcome, my brothers, to my world.  It turns out I'm autistic

Pete, thanks for sharing that with us.  While there is no shame attached to that, many people are reluctant to share that about themselves.  As Artie said, you are a survivor, and I salute that.  There is a song, I think it is C/W, with the line "I'm not as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was."  And no, I'm not a C/W fan.  My tastes in music go towards classic rock.  However, that sentiment probably describes many of us.  I know it does me.

1 hour ago, PostalTom said:

, many people are reluctant to share that about themselves

When you hook into the right perspective, you realize we're all "on spectrum", somewhere.  Training, experiences (which is "training by making mistakes) and decrepitude (usually, age) move us along the scale.  No one gets out alive, so might as well relax and enjoy the journey.

22 hours ago, PeteM said:

but am still employed as a forensic expert

Wow Pete, that is cool, what area of expertise do you work in? Chemistry, anthropology, criminal, toxicology or?

1 hour ago, John Morris said:

Wow Pete, that is cool, what area of expertise do you work in? Chemistry, anthropology, criminal, toxicology or?

Mechanical engineering is my license.  Air conditioning, plumbing, water systems, some electrical are the specific topics.  For example, maintenance guy got his leg cut off by a speeding refrigerant pipe.  We found a high likelihood that the refrigerant exploded (cases do exist of this happening; university studies confirm) causing the pipe to whip around and....lawsuit.  Another:  buncha buildings tied into the same cooling/heating/plumbing systems suffered repeated failures of piping (reputed cost to fix:  $25 mil); main thing we found:  1/2" copper pipe used on heating/plumbing water recirculation systems had 4x expected flow, and this was stripping the copper off the elbows (aka "erosion-corrosion").  When the system dumped a few hundred gallons on the College Dean's desk, game over.

 

One thing I learned: Life is a lot more fun discovering the errors of others.  Pays better, too.  But I still ain't buying no Saw Stop.

I'm sixty six, and recently retired from teaching furniture design. The daily project challenges exercised my creative problem solving ability.  I find that it isn't a shortage of projects to do, but rather that worry that once done with all of them I'll have nothing left to keep me busy.  So I intentionally start a project and look into getting all the needed material and hardware on hand.  But during the 2 day or week long wait for parts to arrive I've already started on another project idea. Rinse and repeat.   

 

I generally don't have a problem focusing on a single...hey look, a squirrel!  Now where's my coffee?

Next Project?

"Ve haft verk to do"

 

(Almost looks like something out of "Dad's Army"? )

7 hours ago, steven newman said:

Next Project?

"Ve haft verk to do"

 

(Almost looks like something out of "Dad's Army"? )

A dedicated horizontal boring machine.  Got a couple Shopsmiths that do that.

On 9/29/2023 at 10:47 AM, PeteM said:

Welcome, my brothers, to my world.  It turns out I'm autistic / on spectrum / neurodiverse (pick one, I guess).  I was told at age 18 to NOT become an engineer because my aptitude tests showed a lack of "visualization skills" (they didn't have "autism" on the menu back then).  Not knowing what that meant, I went into engineering anyway, but really struggled with it for years, including flunking out of University and joining the Army (in '67, loss of student deferment was significant).  Sometime during my Army experience I found two things:  (1) I am not the military type;  (2) how to figure things out anyway (went from C+ student to straight A's after the Army). 

     I have trouble seeing "The Whole", relating a current activity with overall progress (IOW "visualization":  they got it right).  [Recent diagnosis of family members shows a thread of the spectrum, severe in some cases.]  The planning system I now employ to keep focused involves writing down, in great detail, the steps in a project; then I come back a day later to review and revise.  I also use a cutlist program for making the pieces.  The written project plan allows time to review and revise.  It works.

     As others have noted, the condition increases with age, but the offsets do work:  I retired in 2011, but am still employed as a forensic expert (nice boost to Social Security).  I do notice I work more slowly.

 

OTOH, I get to charge by the hour.  In all things:  balance.

I can relate Pete.

Dropped out of High School due to not being able to keep up. Didn't find out I was Dyslexic until I went for tutoring classes to get my G.E.D. during one of the big layoffs. Tutor recognized the signs of Dyslexia when I was trying to do Algebra problems. She hooked me up with a specialist that taught me ways of dealing with it. Went from C-D grades to acing the Quadradic Equations test during Skilled Trades (Pipefitter) training. Before that I had never heard of Dyslexia. Guess I just see things differently than most folks.

8 hours ago, steven newman said:

Next Project?

"Ve haft verk to do"

 

(Almost looks like something out of "Dad's Army"? )

 

25 minutes ago, Gene Howe said:

A dedicated horizontal boring machine.  Got a couple Shopsmiths that do that.

 

As usual with the machines I find it takes two to make one complete machine. 

Finally have enough parts to complete one. 

 

Might look up Post Drill/Drill Press?

3 hours ago, Larry Buskirk said:

She hooked me up with a specialist 

It amazes me how many new techniques there are for neuro-development.  Makes me wonder how I found my way out of the woods (desert?) in the first place.  Didn't have none of that-there stuff in the 60's.  And I had to walk 10 miles to school.  In the snow.  In Phoenix.

2 hours ago, PeteM said:

It amazes me how many new techniques there are for neuro-development.  Makes me wonder how I found my way out of the woods (desert?) in the first place.  Didn't have none of that-there stuff in the 60's.  And I had to walk 10 miles to school.  In the snow.  In Phoenix.

Don't forget uphill, both ways and while barefoot!