So what do you do?

[harleybob87]

Lets see I started my work life bucking hay when I was 13. At the early age of 16 found out I could make a lot of money selling drugs and did that till I was 18 when I got the choice to go to prison or go to the army. Spent five years in the army got out and started in the bakery business, became a bakery manager and then moved to eddy's bread joined their management team until May 31st 2003. Tried to get a new job in management with 27 years experience not dice so I went to work for sears credit cards as a customer service rep taking phone calls, got promoted to supervisor and took excalations all day long. Left them for a job as a customer service rep at Tmobile where I am currently working. Looking to retire in about 12 years or so. Spend 10 hours a day on the phone listening to people with problems with god knows what half the time. Have a small business selling fly's and custom rods.

[Gringo]

Hey Harleybob - glad you turned the corner there... this current job must get pretty stressful?

[Uncle Barry]

Good evening.
Who am I.
Well some people think I have no respect for the experts in this life and none for the so called 'experts' in this funny fly fishing thing.

Come to think of it I have no respect for most things that most people think as important.

BECAUSE
when your told, you have a couple of days to be here or gone, then your World changes, within minutes.
The things that you didn't think about that didn't matter, then they are what matters, are the important items in this life.
The dumb things that you thought were important, are now not important.

Well, that just about sums my life up now.

Before all the change and after it.

I was an electrican, a draftsmen, then a self employed electrical contract for about 30years or so,

then a bit sick

then a change had to happen as I couldn't no longer be an electrican.
with this came a big change.

I thought, I like girls
I like girls in lingerie !
why not be a lingerie importer ?
you get to meet nice...nice girls in lingerie, sounds ok to me.
so I become a lingerie importer and meet some nice girls.
And made a few and a few more dollars.

decided I still like flyfishing, ...and girls.
so why not try and give a bit back to fly fishing, after all my years of taking the enjoyment from f/f'ing
so now I own a fly fishing business/company
from there it was to understand, design and have built fly fishing rods, in Doubles and single handers.
and try my hardest to give back to fly fishing a little drop of all the years of enjoyment that I have enjoyed.

and during all this time I have been an investor where I try and make your money mine and keep adding to mine, your money ..which seems ok to me and has feed the family, given my kids cars and junk, given me more rods than 99.9% of people to cast (reads to enjoy).

Now I am told by the big boss here at home, you must stop this, you must do nothing except go fishing and hunting, you must enjoy your remaing years.... just stop this work stuff, you have enough.

BUT
I go fishing almost every night or day of the year, something in excess of 350days a year and all except thunder storm days/evenings and I live within 30 feet of the water....... I am enjoying my life.

THEREFORE
work does not matter as it fills in time and makes a few more, and a few more dollars till 4pm when I go fishing again.

I have caught most fish and now as odd as it seems enjoy, just love helping someone trick and catch a fish, yes a guide, you might say, that doesn't charge a cent, as the reward is all mine, somewhere in my clouded mind.

Kindest regards,
UB
PS, I am 65 in a couple of months, and have been fly fishing for close to 50years now,.heck, I am that old !

[harleybob87]

Naw the job is not stressfull although some would make it that way. I just resolve peoples problems and stay mellow doing it. I am blessed with a set of "pipes". I have had offers of 150,000 a year to start doing voice overs for commercials and such. Just can't see moving to another state with lots of people and crime. Had offers from women that were very embarassing, if I would just talk to them while we were doing what they were talking about. Had to turn them all down. It is a good job as far as jobs go though.

[shortcaster]

Sound's like you "made the grade." ATTABOY!!
I've done some 'things' & now that I'm 60+ & a cancer survivor it's time to enjoy it a little.

When ya get up in the morning & put your feet on the floor make the devil say "Hell, he's awake!"

[Radioflyer]

Great thread...I also am sorry I've missed it all these years. And Marco, we just had an opening for a Matador and I was going to IM you. Glad you told me first.

I'm a radio station Production Director, meaning I write, voice and produce all those horrible radio commercials for a five-station group. Also have a digital studio on my own and do voice-over work for agencies in the mid-west. Was a morning dj for twenty-five years and glad to be done with that...never liked being on-air.

Wife and I have a lake cabin south of here where I can fish a few weekends a year and lots of rivers nearby full of smallmouth that I wade for.

rf

[OttoDita]

Well. I started my own business when I was 23 breeding reptiles. Up till then, I did pretty much nothing, jobs here and there, enough to make it by. Last year I had to sell my animals because my knees are shot and cause me to fall down the stairs and play ping pong with my head. When it nearly killed me, I decided to give up my other love, my animals. So I've been working at a hog farm for a bit now. But, a friend in the reptile business recently offered me a deal on some animals. Since losing all the weight I have and not having much knee problems since, I'm going to get back into reptiles. Cause they're awesome, and it brings in quite a bit more than the hog farm does. Well, my wages anyways lol.

I also breed dogs, that's what supports my FF at the present time.

Great thread!!
Shane

[FlyFlopper]

I manage a retail Department Store which doesn't leave much time to fish. But I do the best I can to get out when I can and I really enjoy every moment on a quiet stream. Catching or not I still enjoy.

[Gringo]

Harleybob you rock mate.

Uncle Barry - hi there stranger.

I thought I had replied to this thread but apparently not....

I am a paramedic and currently work in an emergency communications center. I have also been in writing/advertising and still do a bit of fishing writing and advertising work. Mostly I just like to do stuff all if I can! I have a farm and animals and all that gear, a great family and try to fish as much as I can because I believe that all the money I make will only go to somebody else, because one day I will wake up dead.

If I'm on my death bed one day with some tubes stuck in me I'd rather be thinking back on beautiful streams and great fishing mates than all the work I did.

On a brighter note I have been travelling a lot to fish lately because of the drought here in Australia, so it has forced me to take regular trips to Tasmania and New Zealand where there is water - and loving it too.

Great thread guys, well done. It seems all of us are hard wotkers, average people, and most with a story or two to tell..... Shame we are all so far apart.