# Why it takes retired people so long to build a layout



## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

My wife emailed the following to me: 


As I read it I realized that it explains why it takes me so long to accomplish anything with my layout - I clearly have AAADD. 


AAADD 

KNOW THE SYMPTOMS..... 

Thank goodness there's a name for this disorder. 

Somehow I feel better even though I have it!! 

Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. 


This is how it manifests: 

I decide to water my garden. 

As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing. 


As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier. 

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. 

I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full. 

So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first. 

But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first. 

I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Pepsi I'd been drinking. 

I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Pepsi aside so that I don't ccidentally knock it over. 

The Pepsi is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold. 

As I head toward the kitchen with the Pepsi, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye-- they need water. 

I put the Pepsi on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning. 

I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. 

I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table. 

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers. 

I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. 

So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill. 

Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do. 

At the end of the day: 

the car isn't washed 

the bills aren't paid 

there is a warm can of Pepsi sitting on the counter the flowers don't have enough water, there is still only 1 check in my check book, I can't find the remote, I can't find my glasses, and I don't remember what I did with the car keys. 

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all damn day, and I'm really tired. 

I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.... 

Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!!


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

I live in a motel room. I have a bed, a nightstand, a little refrigerator with a tv on top, a dresser and a tiny bathroom. 

I haven't seen the remote since Sunday Night.


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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

LOL! Some days I feel like this


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

Jerry, 

Nice!! What happens when that is already happening? 

Mark


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## George Adams (Jan 2, 2008)

Mark, 
At least you have an excuse, a small baby will distract you from whatever you try to do. Now me, I have to worry. I feel that way and I don't have kids. Just a pair of dogs. Thats it, the dogs distracted me. 


George


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

When your memory goes, everyday is new!


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## Guest (Jun 10, 2008)

i think it is ok, if being distracted prolongates the process of layout building. 
the building itself seems much more interesting to me, than the result. 
a completely finished layout must be something boring, i fear.


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## Trains (Jan 2, 2008)

Boy I've been going about it all wrong.


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## sheepdog (Jan 2, 2008)

Jerry - What a great....... ummm _lost my train of thought _........ _ or did I lose my train_.....



Anyway, thanks for posting the pictures of your..... pond?.. I think... 

Craig


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

Today is now for all (maintenance) purposes over. 

Over the course of today I have accomplished: 

1. recurved one piece of factory curved track to fit a siding. 

2. realized the track was too long to fit. 

3. uncurved the (single) track to get the distance between the mainline and buildings correct. 

4. recurved the track to "get it right" 

5. cut the curve to fit the siding to the mainline 

6. buffed the rough edged off the cut ends 

7. added two 2' pieces of track 

8. added two 6" pieces of track 

9. removed one 6" piece of track to screw power connector to it 

10. reinstalled the 6" piece of track with the connector 

11. removed one mainline curve 

12. added power connector to mainline curve 

13. reinstalled mainline curve 

14. screwed some dangling pieces of overhead fiberglass sheeting back to rafters above. 


GRAND TOTAL FOR THE DAY: 

1. added six feet of track to my layout! 

2. screwed in about a dozen deck screws to hold the fiberglass sheeting up. 


I was so tired (and sweat soaked) from the above that I watched two VHS movies to recover. 

This was a "GOOD" day. Some days I never get past a movie or two. 

The major complication of the day was whether to use the two old #2 wire terminals or to drill them out to fit the screws of Split Jaw clamps. This was resolved when I remembered that I had used #2 ring terminals before to attach to the bottom of the old brass Aristo track and that I could use the same #2 ring terminals with the new Aristo stainless track. 

Today has been a MAJOR success. It has taken me well over a year just to get around to replacing this siding's brass track with stainless track. 

I will probably have to take it easy tomorrow to recover from today. 

Jerry


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Jerry, all the above apply, except for another wrinkle--spendinitous. Me and the missus go off the get something we really need, say, at home depot. But while we're there I figure this would be a good time to check on tools, or hardware, or lumber. Next thing you know, you're overreving your Visa card. Today, we bought plants, two new dress shirts for me (the guy gave us 20% off) and another 2 gig CF card for my camera (they were $20 off). Oh, and a few bottles of our favorite Italian wine, 'cause it's hard to find, so might as well buy it up. Now what was I saying?


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## CCSII (Jan 3, 2008)

Jerry, I built my own house, not contracted or supervised, built as in hammers nails etc. 

I used to have what I called three board days which were those days which ended up plus three boards on the total structure. They came along often enough to keep me humble.


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## W3NZL (Jan 2, 2008)

I wouldn't worry about it Jerry, at least U have a layout, an U do get 
work done on it from time to time... Just think of how much further 
ahead U R than all the "Bench Racers" we have in this hobby... Ur 
miles ahead of them... 
Paul R...


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## wchasr (Jan 2, 2008)

Paul, 
I'd love to have evena bench to race on! LOL! 

Let's see Monday was a "three board day" of sorts. Had a few projects in the evening planned. Get the darned pool uncovered and set up the pump and filter and get the crud cleaned out of the pool and start getting chemicals in it. Since it's been oppresively hot for the last week here it's well past time to get the darn thing open. So I stopped at the pool store and stood inline with all the rest of the hot sweaty folks waiting to buy chemincals. Stopped to get the girls from daycare and then head home. Change clothes and go out to work on what's left of the winter cover. Get that taken off to see that things are not as bad as feared in the pool. Stop for dinner. Wife and kids head out to run errands. Get the filter from the basement (can't let that freeze by storing it in the garage or shed for the winter) Get the pump from the shed. Look for the leaf trap that is in line before the pump. Can't find it. Give up and hook up all the hoses deciding to rely on the trap in the skimmer for now. Run extension cord from Garage and plug in pump. It hums but won't turn over. Unplug before I trip breaker in basement or GFCI in garage. Walk to garage grabbing pliers and WD40 can to free up shaft and lube bearings. Get the shaft loosened up and lubed and re-plug in pump which is pumping backwards now. Get soaked from fountain out of skimmer. Switch hoses on the pump getting wetter. Plug pump back in which starts but then because it is wet now trips GFCI. Walk to garage and reset GFCI. Walk to basement to reset the breaker on that circuit. Go back out and re-plug in motor which again trips breaker without spinning at all. Repeat several times. Give up and have a beer while playing a game on the computer because it is cooler & less humid in basment where the computer is than outside. Try again a few times. Have another beer. Neighbor notices frustration and offers his old Pump and filter. We go to hook it up but it uses different size hoses. Look for larger hose clamps. Get the new pump and filter set up (Earth filter instead of sand) and running after only two trips in and out to reset things. Wife and kids come home about this time. Have another beer and start putting chemicals in the pool. At this point the mosquitoes are so voracious that I can no longer work outside. Pick up my tools for the night and go to bed. Almost 5 hours to get that far. 
Tuesday. Get up in morning to head for work and check the pump. It's still pumping but at a very reduced flow. Open the valve and run the handle to clean the "fins" which does get the flow back at a good level. Add in more chemicals trying to get PH higher. Come home at lunchtime to find filter running reduced again. Repeat mornings process and add in the maintenance chemicals. After work forget to check the pump and realize halfway thru the evneing at an awards ceremony that I didn't get hoem at almost 11pm and wake up late this morning hoping that the pump and filter are still working when I get home from work today. (sigh) 

Chas


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

Just out of curiousity... 

Am I the only guy (male or female) here who is reading this and is still trying to figure out if the original was written by a man or a woman? 

It's perfect for garden railroading - where else would a guy admit that he was watering his garden, watered his vase of flowers, decided his car needed washing, took the garbage out etc. 

Just when I think it must be a guy I start thinking it must be a woman and then I wonder how many woman would admit to saying "I was busy all damn day?"  

Jerry


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

It's written by a man. Everything is sequential. A woman is more multi-task capable. 

Just remember, when you are retired, "everyday is Monday" 

Bob


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By xo18thfa on 06/11/2008 6:24 PM
It's written by a man. Everything is sequential. A woman is more multi-task capable. 
Just remember, when you are retired, "everyday is Monday" 
Bob




Oh no it ain't... "everyday is SATURDAY"... sleep late, goof off all day, stay up late.


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Retirement is not a day of the week, it is a holiday forever as you get paid to not go to work!!!!!


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## SteveF (Jan 2, 2008)

Being retired, I start the day off slow, then taper off. /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/tongue.gif


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## wchasr (Jan 2, 2008)

Let's see. Being 42 I've got 30 years before the gov't say's I can retire and 10 before the company I work for will lay me and off (eliminate my position) and hire some young guy for half what they pay me now. At elast that seems to be the norm OP around here. I'll then go to work as a greeter at Walmart or pushing fries at the Golden M or Burger Duke. Mosing lawns could be good therapy? That's what my fatehr does when the bank "eliminated" his position. Of course they hired some young kid at less than a third of his salary as a VP to do the same duties with a different title. I've seen it happen dozens of times locally. 

Chas


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

Hi Chas, 

I suspect that for many retirees garden railroading is a way to lower their retirement expenses. 

Every day spent at home is a day that does not involve spending money on far more expensive entertainment. 

Cheers, 

Jerry 

Posted By wchasr on 06/12/2008 1:31 PM 
I've seen it happen dozens of times locally. Chas


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