YRPA's first official alumnus

Wayne and I discussed at the very beginning how YRPA, like every good organization, should have an alumni network. Well, I will be YRPA's first official alumnus (although technically Wayne was an alumnus before me since his Backpacking in a Suit project very much constitutes work!). I was always open to returning to work if and when the right opportunity presented itself, and it did.

As I posted almost a year ago, I took the patent bar, in part to keep my brain flowing and in part to enrich my skill set in preparation for just this kind of opportunity. I wasn't searching very hard for a job, which only makes me more certain it was meant to be. I am now with a small firm in downtown Palo Alto, Kokka & Backus, PC, that not only does very interesting Intellectual Property work, but also is run by some very nice, very smart people. Most importantly to me, it seems like an environment where I can thrive professionally as well as maintain my hobbies.

I am sad in a way to give up my active member status in YRPA, but very grateful for this awesome opportunity. Thanks for all of the support these past two years! I will keep in touch, and be back again at the end of this new career adventure.

Breaking out of the mold

I wanted to share an article that I ran across through my Facebook feed that talks about the idea of breaking out of the box and finding out what you really want to do with yourself. Too many people get stuck in on a path towards acceptability because the fear they have of "failure" is strong - strong because of the people around them, because of the society around them, because of their own inherent insecurities. This article is a good call to arms.

What are you going to do with that?

What may be more interesting actually is to read the comments below the article. So many of these comments reflect what is now wrong with our society, one where the desire for material comfort is so ingrained, and the perspective of "going hungry" is so warped that people who have the time to read "the Chronicle of Higher Education" and comment online feel that they can legitimately talk about what it feels like to go hungry. Please folks, let's cover what we know. And what we can tell from these comments (and the article itself) is that: people derive comfort and legitimacy from having people make the same choices they make. One of my crazy-scientist-philosopher teachers at university once said that academia is nothing more than an insular self-aggrandizing, self-legitimizing place that buried all things different while pretending to strive for intellectual curiosity. That's why people have to write papers the same way, have to reference who came before, have to publish to get ahead.

What I believe is this. If you have the privilege and luxury to go to school and if you have the opportunity to broaden your horizons and pursue something you love, then it is irresponsible to not do so. Figure out what your passions are, away from the pressures of society, and then pursue them. Passion generates passion, and success is attracted to passion. Follow your passion with determination and drive, and I have faith that success will follow you.

Fun February

Here are some of the things at least one retired person has had the time to do this year, and the reason why retirement suits me: (1) visit a museum on a free Tuesday, (2) spend multiple days cooking one dish, albeit a very delicious one, and (3) blogging about it.

I've been talking to various former colleagues about returning to work, possibly in a different field of law given my recent registration to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, but I keep coming back to the reality that any form of full time work just would not suit the lifestyle to which I have become accustomed. ;)

Checking in for the New Year

I suppose one of the dangers of sharing a blog space with other retirees is that as young, busy retirees we have places to go, people to see, things to do, other than write for this blog. I recall mentioning this to Wayne when we first conceived the idea - that either we would find nothing about our lives worth writing about or would simply drop the ball, relying on the other person(s) to provide content.

Well, it's the new year, 2010, and I'm recommitting myself. I'm still unsure I have much of value to share, but I'll share it regardless. This is my status check:

I am still a young retired person. I see young retirement, maybe more so than later retirement, as an opportunity to accumulate credentials, whether to better position ourselves for if/when we decide to come out of retirement, or merely for enrichment. Heck, maybe even just to confirm that we still indeed are as smart as we were when we left the work force. In this spirit, I recently took the patent bar and applied for admission to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. For the most part it was for the first reason. Not so much for the second reason, since I already knew most of the material from six years of practice as a patent litigation attorney with a penchant for the patent and scientific aspect of it (as opposed to the litigation aspect). But I'll admit the third reason applied, if only a little. I'm generally confident in my abilities, and have a fairly realistic view of my intelligence level and other abilities, but even so, I craved some reassurance.

What's in store for this year? Maybe a teaching credential, too, or maybe I'll get started on that first novel. Unlike Wayne, who already has the first third of his 2010 planned, and an exciting one at that, my 2010 is wide open. Either way, it's a beautiful thing, this being a young retiree. I wish the rest of you young retirees the same excitement and opportunity. Happy New Year!

Get your travel on, in style

Okay, this may be taking the "sharing free stuff" a bit too far, but I thought people might be interested in this. KLM is offering free luggage tags that you can personalize with your own photos. Sort of neat. I just ordered two, and will share with everyone how it turns out, but in the meantime, if you're interested, you can sign up for your own here: KLM free tags.

Just as a precaution, I did not share my real birthday with them. In fact, I try to always not share my real birthday when possible. :)

Free Central Park walking tours

In the spirit of finding and sharing free activities, I just wanted to share a link to free walking tours of Central Park. I stumbled upon it in researching my NYC trip. I'm a big fan of free walking tours, and they offer a number of different ones (something for everyone!) focusing on different aspects and parts of Central Park. So if you're planning a trip to NYC, consider taking advantage!

The Referendum

Another rather interesting article shared with me by another friend who is semi-retired. Not going to comment much on it - will leave it instead for you all to read and comment on it yourselves, but I think it encompasses a number of peripheral issues that YRPAs might deal with!

"Recently an editor asked me for an essay about arrested adolescence, joking: “Of course, I thought of you.”

It is worth mentioning that this editor is an old college friend; we’ve driven across the country, been pantsless in several nonsexual contexts, and accidentally hospitalized each other in good fun. He is now a respectable homeowner and family man; I am not. So I couldn’t help but wonder: is there something condescending about this assignment? Does he consider me some sort of amusing and feckless manchild instead of a respected cartoonist whose work is beloved by hundreds and has made me a thousandaire, who’s been in a committed relationship for 15 years with the same cat?

My weird touchiness on this issue — taking offense at someone offering to pay me money for my work — is symptomatic of a more widespread syndrome I call “The Referendum.” "

More from "The Referendum": http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/the-referendum/