What you do in real life?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Greetings,
Mr. MM. OK. Just for you. Hint:


iu
Looks like a blow job to me. :D
 
Mostly I’m a businessman. I have a nitch business specializing in high capacity electrical switchgear at the wholesale level. We are a federal contractor and have supplied most agencies, including the US whitehouse, many Embassys, Area 51, Yellowstone national park, Ellis island. When you walk through any of the Smithsonian museums my gear turns on the lights. The list goes on and on.

I still work part time at our local power company as a Power Grid Operator as well. They treat me well, and it is a great way to wrap up a long career and keep my medical insurance. I’m young at 58 and will be ending my time at the power company once this covid thing is over.

Over the past 38 years I’ve worked as a hands on SCADA engineer, Substation engineer, Protective Relay engineer, network engineer, submarine fiber systems tech, microwave communications tech, and I started my career building and commissioning the first F-15 and Harrier jet flight simulator systems way back when.
 
Last edited:
American one or the real one? :D

American. AV8B. The simulator was for the Marine Corps. I built and commissioned the Operational Flight Trainer, and a Co worker built the Weapons Tactical Trainer.

My first job. Little company called Evans and Sutherland out of Salt Lake City. This was back in the early 80’s. The pay was not so great but the experience was Fantastic!

Remember the movie Tron? A buddy built the graphics system for the movie.

It was intimidating to say the least, talking to the head of the USAF F-15 program as a 22 year old electronics nerd.

The system I specialized in was the CT5, which was a image generation system that was one of the first to be able to draw a high resolution curve using a raster-scan display. We coupled that to a DEC computer system to provide the terrain database for flight training.

Now days you probably get better graphics on you IPAD but it was a big deal back then

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evans_&_Sutherland
 
Last edited:
Before retiring I worked as a Barrister. I told my family I played piano in a gay brothel.
 
Retired about 20 years. Only seems like a few years. Several trades, mostly related to shipyards and engines, but was licensed in ships and tugs. A long time ago I had a dairy, raised 1/4 horses, got a divorce. Made sure I didn't do that again.
 
Critical Care and Emergency nurse, owned and operated an ambulance service for 20 years. Fire department captain. Many years of teaching nurses and EMTs. Marine biology instructor. Naturalist guide in the Galápagos Islands.

Grew up around small sailboats and outboard skiffs on the bays and inlets of the Jersey shore and the Florida panhandle. Coastal cruising with my dad and uncles in sloops and schooners. Later, in the Pacific Northwest, crewed on friends' racing boats, skippered a Yankee 38 for the Girl Scouts. Had a bluewater sailing boat, a Bristol Channel Cutter, that I lived aboard in the pre-kid years.

Bought this old ex-commercial crabber/seiner on Vancouver Island three years ago and have been enjoying working on it and spending time introducing the missus to boating in the San Juan and Gulf Islands. I sometimes think I should have named her "Mental Health."
 
Last edited:
Management Consultant for a boutique/niche consultancy specializing in IT Strategy for G2000 clients. Before that, a full time delivery skipper out of San Francisco.
 
I telework for the Govt now. But normally I am a Combat Systems Engineer for the Navy here in Virginia.
 
Naval Aviator , Airline Pilot , indoor work, no heavy lifting.
 
Before retiring I worked as a Barrister. I told my family I played piano in a gay brothel.


Very funny Bruce ! I see that I still need to improve my English indeed I was not aware that a member of the Bar was as well called "a Barrister" :):) .

Also you did paraphrase Jacques Seguela very timely from his famous book he wrote in 1992 "Ne dites pas à ma mère que je suis dans la publicité... elle me croit pianiste dans un bordel".

A former pharmacist, Paris Match reporter and driver of the first round-the-world trip in a French car (2 CV Citroen), Jacques Séguéla is now one of France’s leading advertising prodigies of all time.

I like his quote : It is important to ask your client, "What does the snow become when it melts?” Their answer will be "water", but not for a creative. For a creative guy, when snow melts it becomes "Spring". When it comes to a brand, it is our job to find that spring and create an "eternal spring".
 
Interesting thread. I'm an optical networking engineer. I mostly troubleshoot issues on long haul/high capacity DWDM fiber optic networks and have been doing so for the last 24 years. Prior to that I worked in R&D on hybrid fiber-coax CATV systems, and prior to that I worked on microwave digital radio pretty much right out of high school (trade school).


I don't have a fancy, new boat, and I do all my own maintenance and repair so boating is not a huge expense. That said, I'm not afraid to spend money on my boat either...
 
In the real world, I'm an IT guy. The last few years I've been supporting the R&D group at a company that builds blood analyzers.

As far as boat costs, etc. go, I'm pretty much in the same situation as Mischief Manged. not a super expensive boat, pretty much everything is DIY to keep costs down.
 
My career has been mostly finance related. Started out as an equity analyst, then portfolio manager, then investment banking (m&a), then commercial banking. Then CFO for a couple of companies. Now I'm just a lowly landlord, cleaning stopped up drains. :facepalm: But will turn the apartments over to a property manager before we (hopefully with Covid) leave on the LOOP this fall.
 
EX-owner of plastic injection molding company...retired at 51.
 
Real life. Not even sure what that is right now. Most of life was businessman and wifey B was an educator.

Last year, I would have told you retired businessman and owners of business plus consulting for a school for wife's side. Working maybe 25 days a year.

Now, working full 40 hours from home with executives of our businesses and in contact with director of schools. Working harder than ever looking for solutions to insure we can continue to pay employees who aren't working and to have a plan for opening back up, whenever that might be. Just hoping to find ways, investigating new approaches daily.

Blessed with the most incredible team. We've quarantined together at our home, no one in or out 24/7 for three weeks now. Communicating with other employees and rerouting shipments in. Talking to landlords. And have over 3000 manufacturing employees making gowns and masks instead of women's fashions. Worrying about their health.

Boating far from focus. Only boating right now is online. One thing I've always known is that people can generally deal with anything, even bad news, better than uncertainty. Now find myself dealing with tremendous uncertainty and things out of my control. If it wasn't for my wife and our extended family which our company management is and the ability to talk to family in SC on webcams and to kids in NC orphanage on webcams. We've even gone to watching Kimmel and Fallon at home shows.

One final thought. I know if I was alone right now as I was until I turned 30, I might not be able to handle this, but I'm not. There are others here and we're supporting each other. That's what the world faces. We can't get through this alone, we're going to need all those throughout our countries and outside them. We'll have to toss contracts away and figure out common solutions. We'll have to find a way to do what is right.

Don't know when anything will open up or what it will be like when it does. However, do know we're lucky compared to so many. Daily see reports from employees of friends and relatives lost to Covid 19. Sending notes to them seems so helpless. Our co-CEO's family is in Spain, we have an engineer whose family is in Italy, and must of our fashion group was relocated from NY and many of them touched by deaths of family and friends.

Now, I must get to work to review with others more possible solutions to more possible scenarios. At least doing that, planning even if those plans may never happen, I feel a little productive.
 
Wow. Very interesting thread. A lot of folks here with impressive life experiences and resumes. Me---not so much. Started working, full time, at a gas station at 14 to supplement my family’s public assistance allotment. 3 months out of HS and greetings from Uncle Sam. Survived, back home and turning wrenches at dealerships and building street rods and race engines on the side. Went to work for a municipal equipment maintenance shop working on police and fire equipment. Moved into heavy equipment shop working on trucks, transit buses, heavy equipment (loaders-dozers etc.) while continuing to build street rods in home shop. Retired but still building/restoring cars.
 
Broadcast and live producer of corporate events of every size.
 
As a kid, I used to take old cars apart just to see what made them tick. After 2 years of trying to fight my way through college I met a girl, quit school and took a job in the construction industry and ended up in the shop wrenching on heavy on/off road chassis and diesel. I Realized I was extremely happy coming home smelling like diesel fuel every night but wanted a little more. Worked hard, kissed asses and fast forward to 30 years ago when I was offered a "position" by a civil/environmental engineer that wanted to start a company doing foundation design and environmental remediation work. He was the brains and I knew equipment. We ponied up what we could and then found a local business guy that gave us some money because the banks wouldn't. I became vice president, and oversaw operations in the equipment shop, but over the years it evolved into more of running the drilling operations for Geotech soil test drilling and installation of environmental monitoring wells. I semi-retired 4 years ago so the girl I met in college and I could take our boat around the great loop before we got too old, and never went back to work.
 
Last edited:
Before retiring I worked as a Barrister. I told my family I played piano in a gay brothel.

Ha. When we lived in Dallas in the early 80's (investment banking days) we were working a deal with Lazards out of their London office. They sent a young partner/attorney to Dallas (we became good friends - have stayed at his house in the Cotswolds) to work on the merger deal. He arrived in our office asking "can you do that here??" We said "do what". He said "that sign on the glass door downstairs "No Solicitors". It hit us then - in England, and I assume Australia, defense and corporate attorneys are called Barristers, and Trial lawyers are called Solicitors. I took him to an office supply store and he bought up a dozen of those signs to take back to fellow Barristers in London. No insult meant for any trial lawyers on this forum.
 
It hit us then - in England, and I assume Australia, defense and corporate attorneys are called Barristers, and Trial lawyers are called Solicitors. I


Thought it was the other way around?

-Chris
 
Thought it was the other way around?

-Chris

I could be entirely wrong - but I think Solicitors actually do work outside of the courts and Barristers mainly defend in the courts. In any case my friend wanted the signs.
 
Solicitors are usually who you would hire. Some of them do court work but if you case goes to trial they would most likely engage a barrister to litigate on your behalf. Barristers do most of the court work - especially on important cases. Most of those who end up on the bench were previously barristers.

BTW, we used to call them silly sodders!
 
I spent most of my working life in the Fire Service. Surprise! Most of my time was with a large career department where I worked in various roles: firefighter, fire investigator, company officer, training officer (instructing and program development for officer training, safety officer training, chief officer training, technical rescue, and special rescue), and finally as Deputy Fire Chief Operations.
When I "retired" from there, I went to work for a private company and oversaw their emergency response to hazardous materials division (for Western Canada). We looked after hazard mitigation and clean up of various land based spills, often working in partnership with another company on marine spills as well. Our best customers were railroads (Lou), trucking firms, and chemical manufacturers. I never knew there were so many spills and accidents of this type until I worked in this role.
For a while, I worked instructing in the area of the transportation of dangerous goods, but that was really "part time", which did give me more time for boating.
Then, I received an unsolicited job offer to become the Fire Chief of a smaller composite fire department (some career but mostly volunteer firefighters). I was really brought in to be the "change agent" during a bit of a troubling time. My wife convinced me that it might be fun, and she turned out to be correct (again).
I am now totally retired.
Boating started with a 37 foot sailboat that we loved and owned for about 12 years. Had to sell her due to a medical (foot issue) with my wife. Selling her was not a happy day. Now we own a Nordic Tug and are very happy with her, although we do sometimes miss the admittedly few days when sailing would be great! I do 90+% of the maintenance/repairs myself to reduce costs but mostly I enjoy it. Previously I built one of our houses where I did about 70% of the work myself. I probably enjoy the learning / research part as much as the hands on part.
Due to Covid, we are (like so many others) hunkered down at home. I do occasionally go down to the dock (where I am not in contact with anyone) to work on boat things (that is a technical term). Cruising plans are on hold until???
There certainly are many interesting people on this forum with many different and well rounded backgrounds. I enjoy getting to interact with you, and appreciate your opinions and knowledge.
Stay safe everyone.
Tom
 
I've had a lot of professions, jobs, businesses and side hustles in my life. Being DINKs (double income - no kids) allowed my wife and I to live a semi slacker life.

Store detective for the Bon Marche department store chain in the PNW while attending college. Police officer for 2 1/2 years, returned to the Bon as a security manager. Left Bon and managed a west coast private investigation firm for a year.

Obtained a license and sold real estate for 6 months until the interest rate jumped to 18% and killed sales.

Returned to the Bon as the corporate Loss Prevention Manager. I had negotiated for my original hire date, retirement and profit sharing when rehired so retired after 5 years.

Opened a video rental store in the early 80's and added stores as that industry exploded. My wife was a human resources executive at the Bon, retired two years after me and joined me to run the stores. Built a store for one of our video locations.

Started selling nautical software and marine electronics at the Des Moines, WA store.

Saw Blockbuster and Hollywood Video devouring small ma and pop video stores like ours around the country so decided to sell when the selling was still good in 1992. We were fortunate that instead of leasing, we had purchased the land and buildings where our stores were located and retired.

I had started a part time mobile DJ business in 1974 entertaining at weddings, corporate and private parties so I could buy all the latest, greatest audio equipment and records without my wife complaining. Did this concurrently while at other jobs. Started doing more gigs in the 90's.

Got bored and started a retail consulting business coaching banks and other businesses to improve their sales and customer service. Added mystery shopping to assess improvement. Conducted corporate espionage for the mattress industry.

My wife went to work for another consulting company part time to set up their Human Resources dept.

Operated a firework stand in the parking lot of one of our stores or Safeways for 15 years.

Attended a Maritime Academy in Seattle for 6 months. Obtained a 25 ton CG Masters license, eventually upgraded to 100 ton.

Worked for a marine transport company as a 1099, ferrying people to ships coming into Puget Sound ports. Worked there 2 days/week for 2 months until they required me to be on call and carry a pager.

Worked for Elliot Bay Yacht Center in Seattle as a checkout skipper and instructor two days/week. EBYC was an yacht time share company with around 180 boats and also ran an yacht school, captain for hire, charters and consulting. Worked there part time until they went out of business

Started a boat handling instruction business that developed into a captain for hire and eventually as a boat buyers consultant. Became a Nobeltec dealer and an IBM Computer Reseller, selling older people their first computer so they could use Nobeltec. Trained the clients on operating a computer and Nobeltec and added on the water Nobeltec training.

Became a dealer for Vacu-Flush, Lehman Parts, Webasto, Ronco plastic tanks, generators, Coastal Explorer, marine electronics etc selling to DIY boaters. Offered design and installation assistance. Conducted seminars.

Was an on call, back up skipper on a 90' fast pointy Italian boat with three engines for about 3 years! Hated that boat!

Bought leased and sold commercial RE for self. Tore down former video store building and converted it into an airport parking lot and leased it to an operator.

Started buying and selling new and used marine equipment on eBay and CL.

Retired the mystery shopping business around 2002, retail consulting businesses was retired around 2008, turned in my license and retired from the boat captain business around 2015, retired from the Mobile DJ business (my favorite job of all time!) in 2017 after 43 part time years! My wife retired in 2001.

Yikes! I'm finally slowing down.

I am still a dealer for numerous marine manufacturers and still buy and sell new and used marine equipment on eBay, Craig's List and the occasional marine swap meet.

As for boating, learned to sail on a neighbors C-Lark when I was about 12. Built an El Torro in Junior High shop class and a Trumbley 14' sloop at the Ft Lewis boatbuilding shop. Assisted a boat builder on a wood boat. Got away from boats at 16 when I got my license. Auto crossed and eventually road raced until the oil embargoes killed motorsports in the 70's.

Restored a wood Star and Lightning daysailors. Got into Hobies, Lasers and other small fast sailboats. Got into salmon fishing in the late 70's and had a 17' outboard. Bought a 34' 1981 Mainship in 1985 from Connecticut sight unseen, flew there, cruised around Long Island for a week, dismantled the boat and had it trucked to Washington State.

Bought the current boat; a Bluewater 40 Pilothouse Trawler in 2000 from Port Townsend, WA when we weren't shopping for a boat.

Whew! That's all folks.
 
Last edited:
A claim to fame of mine is that by the age of 32 I had never worked anywhere longer than a year, had never quit a job, and was never fired.

Had one real job at a local sawmill out of high school, but me and 100 other guys got laid off just before Christmas. Took the savings, bought a 4X5 camera outfit, and went hiking.

Worked seasonal contract jobs in the bush and a welding shop after that, went to college for a year, art schools for two years, and photography school for another year.

Spent the rest of the time going on hiking trips in BC's Coast Mountains, rock climbing, and sea kayaking trips...basically all the things you'd want to do in retirement but did it when the body was in prime condition, there was no mortgage, and no kids.

I call it my early retirement phase :D

(See avatar: taken with the 4X5 on a six month sea kayak trip along BC's coast. Canoona Falls in full throated winter flood conditions a day or two before the hurricane force storm hit).

Then I got a job as a letter carrier and "settled down".

Shared the journey with my girl friend (common-law wife) for 35 years and counting.
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom