How did retirement lead to fixing cars??!!

On January 1 of this year I became what's sometimes called a "gentleman of leisure." I was looking forward to retirement so I'd be more available to my friends and of course have more family time. Collecting sea shells and playing shuffleboard were not on my to-do list. I need to stay busy.

A few weeks ago, I had stopped by Tampa Hybrids to see my friend, Todd, who owns the place. And he up and offered me a part time job!! I wasn't looking for work or for money, but it seemed like an answer to prayer in that I get to help a friend and still have most of the week for other things.

We worked out the details and I started on March 1 as a shop assistant working two days a week. What a great group of people to work with. It's amazing how welcome they have made me feel even though I''m probably twice as old as anyone in the shop.

It's going to take a while to get the 68-year old body toughened back up so I tend to be a little achey after a day of crawling around in cars installing carpets, seats, trim, etc. (Cat shield installation provides a nice little upper body workout, btw.) But I'm having a blast and learning a ton of new things. The mechanics there really know their stuff and they've been super about filling in my huge and numerous knowledge gaps. It's the kind of atmosphere that makes you want to excel.

I did not see this coming, but I'm glad it did.

 

Well, I did sign a non-disclosure agreement, so there are limits to that sort of stuff.

I'm already telling them probably more stories than they want to hear. Nothin' like a fresh audience for stories and one-liners.

It's really sumpthin' ain't it?

Actually, I worked three days this week because they were short handed. Thursday I got to change out a combo meter on an '04. I'd done a couple on our own cars, but I was a little rusty. One of the guys gave me tips so I didn't need to go find that Youtube video I keep linking to here on PC. The guy I'm working with is fairly new and hadn't done one before, so he helped. I found out just how brittle those air vent pieces can get. One of them crumbled like sugar candy when I touched it! Owner was very understanding.

Come on down! Check the website first to see if we have what you're looking for.

 

Thanks for asking. I was a little concerned before the first day, but it's not bad. The knee does get pretty stiff if I forget to stretch it. I don't seem to do any more miles at work than at home, but I also don't get to sit down as much at work. So I ice it as soon as I get home. (I also normally ice after my morning 2-mile walk on the other days.)

Kneeling on it is out of the question, of course, and so is squatting. But I can get down on the floor and back up pretty well. Kneeling on the other knee works fine. I have to be careful when crawling around inside cars installing carpets and seats and stuff.

So, other than having to be careful to not accidentally kneel on it and to remember to stretch it every couple hours, it does fine and is ready to go again the next day. The guys know what's up with it and are really accommodating. And everyone needs a little breather now and then anyway.

I suspect he does, although most stuff is common knowledge.