[theoddz]

I'm a Registered Respiratory Therapist and have been so for over 20 years now. Nearly 15 of those years I have spent working in federal civil service, specifically the DoD (Department of Defense, both military and civilian) and the Dept. of Veterans Affairs. I am also "medically retired" from the U.S. Marine Corps, so I receive a nice pension check and full retirement benefits from the VA and military. I'm lucky enough that my health has held out and I've been able to keep working full time for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, but my status as a Disabled Veteran affords me a lot of protections and security that others don't have. I'm thankful for that, because it's leveled the playing field so that I can continue to work and maintain a productive life. I'd go absolutely insane if I couldn't work at something, even if it were to just be volunteer work. I have this silly little fantasy of working as a part time projectionist at a local movie house, just so I could see all of the new movies for free!!!

I do some other things, too, and they're mostly work-related. I'm both a Shift Leader and Clinical Preceptor for the U.S. Air Force's Phase II Cardiopulmonary training program at Nellis Air Force Base. I'm also a Union Steward for our local AFGE Union (American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO), and I have been trained to specialize in representing the GLBTQ workforce in my local VA system. It's something I'm pretty proud of and very happy to do.

The past couple of years have seen me have to have both knees replaced, so I'm starting to feel the effects of having artificial joints, multiple medical problems and just plain ol' getting older. My hope is to finish the next five years as best as I can, then take a 20 year disability retirement from federal civil service. I've purposely avoided going headlong into debt, but I've also had the income, and the good fortune, to not have had to rely on credit in the past years. My only debt now is my mortgage and monthly living expenses, so when the next 5 years are up and I've got a nice financial cushion in the bank, I should be able to survive very, very nicely for the rest of my life.

Now, I am a *severe* Capricorn......a December Cappy, to be specific. I'm tight, tight TIGHT T-I-G-H-T and very, very good with money. Tabs can tell you how I am!!! It's both my worst fault and my finest blessing, so take that as you will. I was raised by Great Depression era parents, so I come honestly by my penny pinching ways and tight nature. Mother drilled into me, "There's no feeling more secure than that of having money in the bank." She should know. She's the Queen of Tightwads......and proud of it!!!! She taught me well, too. I am different from Mother, though, in that there are things that I do spend money on. Spending money on Myron, my pet frog, is one of my guilty pleasures. Before I buy anything, though, I always check myself with "Do I (or does Myron) really REALLY need this??". Many times, I have put whatever it was back on the shelf, remembering how satisfied I am with my financial affairs and the money in my wallet. I buy what I need, mind you, but I always consider how badly I need something.....and if I REALLY need it, because there's a biggo difference between "need" and "want". One of the few points of misery in my life has been that of "buyer's remorse" whenever I've bought something that I could well afford, but then missed the money I paid out for it more.

Gimme a rock.....I'll scratch a living off of it.

I salute every single one of us who is out there pitching and scraping to make a living in whatever we all have chosen to do....or wound up doing.

~Theo~