Coming up to Retirement

[didache]

Hi all
I officially retire at the end of January. At the moment I am pretty well up to my eyes in work (I am clergy and Christmas is obviously pretty busy) so I don't have much time to think about it or plan for it. But once the holiday is over I will be engaged in packing up boxes and saying goodbye to a neighbourhood I have lived in for nearly 22 years. I will be moving to Bristol which is in the west of England - my wife is a Bristolian and we have a house there which she inherited when her mother died.
I want to mark the occasion with a couple of little treats to myself.
One, the pipe treat, is to buy a Dunhill. Oh I know all the arguments for and against the modern Dunhill, but if I do not get one now I probably never will. At least I have the advantage of being able to buy it from the Dunhill shop where I can handle all the merchandise! No other brand will do I think - although there MAY be better pipes for the money, there are few which are more iconic.
The other treat is *ahem* a tattoo! I have never had one and, as with the pipe, if I don't do it now I never will. I am thinking here of a wild goose (Celtic symbol of Christianity to mark my Irish origins) with the dates of ministry underneath.
What do you think?
Anything else I should consider, based on the experience of other people who have been in this position?
Mike

 

[jvnshr]

Mike, congratulations on the retirement. I've never retired before so I have nothing to add. Just enjoy it, sir!

 

[mikethompson]

Congrats on your upcoming retirement! I don't think anyone needs an excuse to get another pipe.
You have to celebrate in whatever way reflects your life.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Due to my family's longevity, that's a day I'll never see. Were I in your shoes, however, I would plan a trip to somewhere I always wanted to go, but never got the chance to.

 

[johnbarleycorn]

Congratulations. And I think your two ideas are splendid. I say go for it.

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

Congrats on the upcoming retirement. I would advise you not to buy a 'white spot' pipe (new Dunhill). I've owned 4 of them and none of the pipes were engineered properly. My primary beef with them all was that there was a significant gap between stem and shank in the mortise. Additionally, the most expensive of the 4 pipes developed a soft spot right out of the gate (and I baby my pipes). Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to something worthy of such a monumental occasion. If you want a Dunhill, shop around for something lightly smoked (or unsmoked) from an earlier era. Otherwise, I can't encourage you enough to commission a pipe with a carver that would be able to make a pipe exacting to your standards. I use Michail Kyriazanos. He can make you a pipe that's as good, and in most cases, better than any Dunhill you could find. I can't recommend him enough. Good luck and congrats again.

 

[jvnshr]

I would plan a trip to somewhere I always wanted to go, but never got the chance to.

I would have gone to Cuba

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Congrats!! Have you considered a nose ring? Ha ha!

I am so glad that I have never gotten a tattoo, because I have changed so many times over the years. If gotten when I was younger, I would be stuck something like a Grateful Dead tattoo, or a dragon, or my fraternity, or something else that I would be regretting with impunity now. But, maybe in ten more years I would consider getting a pipe or pipe tobacco logo tattoo. Hmmmm.... maybe, maybe not. I would hate to get stuck with a Dunhill logo tattoo at a time when Dunhill seems to have a reckless disregard for the pipe industry that made the name famous, in lieu of selling more cologne, wallets, and belts.
On the pipe, sure, you should get what you want. But, the company doesn't want you to call them Dunhills anymore, or so it seems, with changing the name to Alfred's White Spots. It doesn't exactly roll off of the tongue. However, if I were you, I would rather have one of the older Dunhills, from a few years ago (or older), from when the company didn't seem to be trying to shake the pipe community like a bad cold.

 

[cortezattic]

I can understand the pipe. The tat is a curious mix of symbolism and vanity, IMO, and I'm not so sure about that.

 

[warren]

I always sobered up just as we reached the tattoo parlor. So, no tattoo and no regrets.
I left my part of the country for two weeks when I retired. I wanted to avoid the angst of waking up every day ready for work with no work to go to. I think the total change of "scenery" helped to make the adjustment.
Yup, get yourself a fine pipe. You've earned it!

 

[danish]

Sounds like a good idea about a Dunhill for retirement, to check the hype.... I have smoked pipe for 30+ years and only this year was fortunate to become the owner of two Dunhills. I was indeed not disappointed with my two estates in good condition, so I can only support looking for estates as well. You can always sell them again, if you do not like them. Re tattoos, I think younger people should think more than twice...Hope you enjoy your retirement and Dunhill
Danish

 

[bluesmoke]

Congratulations, Mike. I'm about two years behind you for retirement, but I'll probably do something like you've planned when I do. If it's a Dunhill you want, search for the one you like, old or new, and smoke it with a satisfied mind. And your tattoo seems to suggest something important to your identity and heritage, both important to keep and carry on, in retirement form.
Jeff

 

[dochudson]

The gentleman has earn the right to buy the pipe he wants. Since he will be buying from Dunhill and handling the pipes I can't believe thay engineering would be a problem. As for the tattoo have you run that idea past the wife?
It might be worth contacting Bruce about Dunhills

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/50-good-dunhills-for-sale

 

[puffy]

Congratulations on your retirement...I have 2 Dunhills they smoke great.I also have a tattoo.I was over 70 when I got it.I'm not sorry I got it,but getting it hurt like crazy.

 

[ray47]

Good luck on your upcoming retirement. One bit of advice, STAY ACTIVE. I retired 9 yrs ago and there are days I wish I had not.

 

[jpmcwjr]

You might consider getting a temporary- or fake- tattoo to see how it "fits".
And a birth year Dunny!
Congrats!
Hope all's in ship shape and Bristol fashion!
Link to foggymountatins thread.

 

[papipeguy]

I'll add my congratulations on your retirement. I retired 10 years ago at age 55 and never missed the daily grind. If you find yourself still getting up early do what I do. I go outside to get my newspaper and wave to everyone going to work and wish them a nice day.

Re the pipe; I'm in full agreement about finding a birth year piece. Good luck with that search. The tattoo, well not so much but that is a private decision.

All I can say is pack as much fun into your life while you can.

 

[derfatdutchman]

Congratulations on your up coming retirement.

 

[cigrmaster]

I am with the guys who say birth year Dunhill. I would look at all of our sponsors and Marty Pulvers who sell estate pipes and see if you can find something. You will get a better pipe in my opinion than buying something new. I owned 2 brand new Dunhills in 2000 and both were average smokers.
As far as a tattoo, I got my first one a couple of years ago when my oldest daughter graduated college and wanted to get a father daughter tattoo. We got the Celtic symbol for father daughter on the inside of our left forearms. I then got another tattoo which was the Roger Dean album cover of Close to The Edge by Yes on the inside of my right forearm. I turn 60 in 11 days so you can never be too old to get a tattoo.

 

[mso489]

Both the pipe, either a birth year or your personal selection of the current crop, and the tattoo sound like good rites of passage. I seriously considered a tattoo when I was in the Navy, before they became as universal as they are now. I was never sure I wanted to look at a particular piece of art work for the rest of my life, or have it excised later. So you might go less conspicuous for a first inking, and see how it goes over time. Luckily, I had several jobs that contributed to the same retirement program, so I was able to retire a little before my 65th, and could have earlier for a lower monthly check. As I was making decisions, I had a friend or two who couldn't seem to take the leap. It is a good thing, especially while you are young enough to be in shape to use the time. My friend didn't even like the work place, but perhaps he enjoyed being the resident rebel. I know the senior staff longed to see him go, or I suspected that. The most surprising aspect of retirement for me was how the pace of life picked up tremendously! I thought I was going to be deciding whether to read a book or take a walk. Instead, designing each day, plus household chores, plus some health issues my wife had, plus some volunteer activity -- it was not vacation-like. More like a steeplechase. But I'm all for it, highly recommend it. Enjoy every day. The ancestral house sounds inviting.