One of those "what do you do" threads...

[Atl Cobalt]

I am a geologist and manage an environmental engineering group in Atlanta. Most of the time when people ask me what I do, I tell them I babysit grown men. My wife doesn't like that and hits me every time, but I do get a lot of knowing head nods when I say it. We do a lot of work with real estate attorneys and developers taking contaminated properties and cleaning them up so they can be redeveloped and put back into circulation.

[MnLakeBum]

I recently retired after a 30 year career in sales, the last couple decades with 3M. My wife has always worked in Human Resources and somehow let me retire after she took a position with a new company in Minneapolis 6 months ago. We have always planned on spending summers in the lake country of N. Minnesota and winters in Naples Florida where it will allow us to boat 12 months a year. Now we just need to get our 3rd child through high school to make that dream come true! In the mean time we are making the most of our boating season by logging about 80 hours per month combined on our R5 and Marker One.

[Callen841]

Congrats on the recent retirement. That set up you have there is killer!

[Tuscany]

I recently retired after a 30 year career in sales, the last couple decades with 3M. My wife has always worked in Human Resources and somehow let me retire after she took a position with a new company in Minneapolis 6 months ago. We have always planned on spending summers in the lake country of N. Minnesota and winters in Naples Florida where it will allow us to boat 12 months a year. Now we just need to get our 3rd child through high school to make that dream come true! In the mean time we are making the most of our boating season by logging about 80 hours per month combined on our R5 and Marker One.

Congrats on the retirement.
Naples... I personally loce that area. We bought a place near family in Bonita Springs in 2016 as a Winter getaway place. Just a dreamland when it’s freezing here.

[jasonm]

I enjoyed reading up on everyone's occupations. cool stuff.

I started off working as a general dentist with the US Army. While I was in the Army I was assigned with the 4ID. That was a "fun" 3 years of my time with the Army. It wasnt all fun, but it was exciting and allowed me to experience a lot more the Army had to offer than being stuck in a dental office all day. I did that for about 9.5 years. It political and to the point where I was miserable going to work. I so left the Army and I am now an Endodontist in the private sector.

A7, were you flying tankers during the first Gulf War? Reason I ask, is that I lived in Riyadh at the time. I lived near the airbase in the center of town and when the air campaign started the tankers would come screaming over our house so low you could almost count the rivets in the belly. Made me wonder. Love the picture of the A-10 too. In HS I had my senator recommendation letter to go the Air Force Academy. I really wanted to fly A-10s. During the Gulf War I heard a story that an A-10 had got pretty shot up and lost part of a wing and engine and the pilot wanted to get to friendly air space before bailing, but the plane made it all the way back to base! Then maybe 6months ago I ran into a person who used to work on A10s. She told me that yes there was one that came home with over 110 holes in (one of which was the size of a 55gal drum) and only one functioning engine. Bad ass aircraft. But alas my eye sight need correction and so dentistry was my fall back option.

I was stationed at Fort Hood 7 of my 9.5 years. I wish I knew back when I got there that they had blackhawk simulators that I could have gotten my license to using that.

[Cobalt262]

I'm an investment analyst in Boston. In September 2008 when I worked for Lehman Brothers, I started negotiating with a local Cobalt dealer to buy a brand new 220. It was beautiful. We finally agreed on a price, but the day I was to put down a big deposit, Lehman announced it was filing for bankruptcy. The dealer lost the sale and I lost the boat and my job. The 10 year anniversary is in 2 weeks.

[Callen841]

As a new member, this was a fun thread to read through. Very cool to see people from all different backgrounds, interests, etc join together over a common passion. As for me, I put people to sleep for a living- I'm an Anesthesiologist in a private practice hospital setting.

[Big Block Power]

As a new member, this was a fun thread to read through. Very cool to see people from all different backgrounds, interests, etc join together over a common passion. As for me, I put people to sleep for a living- I'm an Anesthesiologist in a private practice hospital setting.

I like you already.

[Bamabonners]

I work for Dell EMC as a technical account manager to federal government customer. My wife is a procurement compliance director for a major government contractor/integrator. I’m also horribly addicted golf and my son just made the high school golf team. We don’t boat as much as we should, but we enjoy the time together as a family. One day, we hope to sell the boat and get a class A rv and travel.

[estoglow]

I work for a Canadian enterprise software company as a director in product management. My team looks after a portfolio of software products and is globally dispersed, so I get to work from home quite a bit and usually travel is not too onerous.

@Bamabonners - my company bought your enterprise content division (Documentum, etc.) last year for $1.6B USD, so you probably know who I work for.

Currently, I have 4 out of my 5 kids in university right now (Commerce, Law School(pending), Med. School, & Biology) - so no retirement for a bit.

However, boating on the weekends helps us to unwind and immediately takes us away from our everyday life - I feel very fortunate.

[AsLan7]

I enjoyed reading up on everyone's occupations. cool stuff.

I started off working as a general dentist with the US Army. While I was in the Army I was assigned with the 4ID. That was a "fun" 3 years of my time with the Army. It wasnt all fun, but it was exciting and allowed me to experience a lot more the Army had to offer than being stuck in a dental office all day. I did that for about 9.5 years. It political and to the point where I was miserable going to work. I so left the Army and I am now an Endodontist in the private sector.

A7, were you flying tankers during the first Gulf War? Reason I ask, is that I lived in Riyadh at the time. I lived near the airbase in the center of town and when the air campaign started the tankers would come screaming over our house so low you could almost count the rivets in the belly. Made me wonder. Love the picture of the A-10 too. In HS I had my senator recommendation letter to go the Air Force Academy. I really wanted to fly A-10s. During the Gulf War I heard a story that an A-10 had got pretty shot up and lost part of a wing and engine and the pilot wanted to get to friendly air space before bailing, but the plane made it all the way back to base! Then maybe 6months ago I ran into a person who used to work on A10s. She told me that yes there was one that came home with over 110 holes in (one of which was the size of a 55gal drum) and only one functioning engine. Bad ass aircraft. But alas my eye sight need correction and so dentistry was my fall back option.

I was stationed at Fort Hood 7 of my 9.5 years. I wish I knew back when I got there that they had blackhawk simulators that I could have gotten my license to using that.

.
Hey JM. That's a pretty cool background you have! Sounds like you had a great career too.

To answer your question, I was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant right when the Gulf War kicked off. My parents thought I was crazy. We must have just missed each other.

Ah, Fort Hood. Did an ORI there. Nothing like a tank proving ground outside your barracks. Don't need to see anything else there. One time is enough. Cool about the simulators though.

....and yes, everything you say about the A-10 is true. Remarkable aircraft. We would refuel them over Iraq & Afghanistan. They'd go on their strafing runs....return to our tanker for gas...then repeat. Some great stories. Since the plane collects the shells, I would meet up with the other pilots afterward for some "souvenirs". Was able to give my kids some 50 cal Gatling gun shells for Christmas that were used against ISIS.

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[Bfun220]

If your 50 call. Souvenirs are from the a10, they are 30mm souvenirs. The a10 was General Electric GAU-8/A Avenger is a 30 mm hydraulically driven seven-barrel Gatling-style autocannon. B52's used the same but in 20mm.

[Ytmsn]

Ah well... 50 cal or 30 cal.. I doubt the bad guys are measuring when they get lit up!

20180906_113521.png

[AsLan7]

If your 50 call. Souvenirs are from the a10, they are 30mm souvenirs. The a10 was General Electric GAU-8/A Avenger is a 30 mm hydraulically driven seven-barrel Gatling-style autocannon. B52's used the same but in 20mm.

You're right! I stand corrected Bf220. I'm already starting to forget things in retirement! TY (Maybe the 50 number came from how many rounds it can fire in the first second. ) In any event, I'm losing it. My wife would put that in the past tense.

.....and that's awesome YT!

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[Bfun220]

Just some more info.
The 30mm shells on the a10 are high Explosive Incindiary (HEI) rounds, or incorporate a depleted uranium penetrating core. I would not want to get hit by either the 50 cal. Or the 30mm. But the 30mm will leave smaller pieces.