I did have a life before London so technically the blog should read London and Beyond and Before, but it doesn’t. I battled for the retention of Defined Benefit Retirement Plans – the kind that I have with the death benefit and all. (hahahaha). Well I got news that there was a major win in that battle of old. This is taken from a factual web site, one that does scientific studies. Here is what it said, describing what happened to the Town of Palm Beach who switched their retirement plan. .
“The new “combined” retirement plans offered dramatically lower DB pension benefits and new individual 401(k)-style defined contribution (DC) retirement accounts. Shortly thereafter, the town experienced a high rate of retirements and unprecedented early departures of experienced police officers and firefighters to neighboring towns that offered better pensions. Now understaffed, the town faced increased costs to pay overtime hours and train replacements for more than 100 public safety workers who departed during a four-year period after the pension changes. Specifically: 1) Dismantling the DB pension benefit caused a mass exodus of public safety officers.2) The shift away from DB pension increased costs in other areas 3) The DC switch proved a failed experiment in Palm Beach, Florida.
In plain speak the town was dumb and it cost a fortune to switch back. The town bowed to public pressure, the public being misinformed and not having Alexis’ information. If you want to read the entire report go to the National Institute on Retirement Security, the report and research is by Diane Oakley, an amazing woman.
So I do have a defined benefit retirement pension which is very comfortable. I got it because: 1) I worked my whole life until retirement. 2) I did not have children, taking away good years of income.3) I went to law school at night while working full time. 4) I had husbands sign prenuptial agreements which kept their hands off my retirement. Women are jealous of me but this I say to them. You should have lived the first eighteen years of my life AND I worked, saved and sacrificed for the life I now lead. So There! So There! So There! . .
I was describing to a far away man my encounter with the wonderful doctor of yesterday.
Me: The doctor is most competent and he has seen the inner me – the CAT scan of course shows me in all of my glory. I peaked over his shoulder. I do indeed have a brain and it does not look like it is too messed up. Appearances can be deceiving. hahahahaha. I definitely am going to blog those last lines.
He: (Well what he said was quite vulgar, too vulgar for even this blog, but I will share the response I sent him.
Me: Now I am absolutely dying laughing. My goodness it was our first date – I am not that slutty! And we were in his office for goodness sake! I have so much fun with you!
The far away man often sends me jokes. Here is one from an email of yesterday.
He: A Jewish joke ( told by a jew so tis pc)
Mabel comes home unexpectedly to find her husband in bed with her best friend.
Rebecca, she shouts, Me, I have to But you?
I email another man who is close at hand. I decide that I will have an new nickname, and I sign my emails to him The Shit. THE SHIT (Sexy) H (Humour) I (Intelligent) T (Talented). But now I sign The Shits as I did add another S (Stubborn). The close by guy is so sweet and i tell him that I was put on earth to cheer him up. Sometimes he needs cheering up. Don’t we all?!?! When I spelled out SHIT for him he replied:
He: O M G!!! you are THE funniest….THE SHIT OMG STOP!!
Me: You are SO sweet!
This has been one of the serious blogs – well the beginning anyway. So the picture attached is the poster I made for my comic debut. It lined the shop windows on King’s Cross, London because I asked shopkeepers if I could put it in their windows. I am so driven. That was the scene that cousin Gail encountered when she came to visit and then we went onto Scotland. Of course, the poor woman was forced to attend the comic debut. It is not easy being my relative. Hahahahaha.
