I'm a musician. I never thought I'd retire. But the covid pandemic closed my business for too long, and most of my students, in their 60s and 70s, weren't willing or able to come back to my studio when I finally was able to reopen in 2022. By then, all of my former bandmates abandoned me as well. My guitar/zouki friend (for more than 20 years), Jim, abandoned me to play with someone else. He never calls or writes or checks in online. It's so weird. You think you know someone, then they disappear out of your life and leave a memory. At least it's a good memory.
I've been struggling, attempting to replace my lost income here and there. I got a job as a part time administrative assistant for Oxbow Design Build in Easthampton. That was a pretty decent job. I was alone most of the time, though. They kept making promises about a new area for my office, new lighting (it was dark like a closet), a better phone system (they used an iPhone for customer calls and messages!). There were promises of making it to Member Owner if I attended the meetings (I attended the first one, but the others were held during my music lessons and since they were unpaid, I couldn't miss a lesson to attend them. Anyway, they were just a bunch of young hippies sitting around a table and shooting the shit. I didn't fit in and wasn't comfortable with them). It's a wonder I held onto that job as long as I did (6 months). When let go, the Administrator was baffled as to the reason why. She said I was doing a "great job". Fat lot of good that did for me. I should have claimed unemployment benefits, but I was so angry at them, I didn't want anything to do with them.
I do have 3.5 students a week, but it's not regular. There are frequent cancellations, and my students don't pay me if they cancel.
So last week, my wife suggested I contact Social Security and retire early. The retirement age in Massachusetts for full benefits is 67. I'm 62. I would be getting 3/4 of my benefits, which is not bad, but I really should find a way to wait until then. Of course, I might be dead by then, who knows? My older brother died in 2008. Of course he was an alcoholic and drug user (Clonapin) and lived an unhealthy life style. He had clinical depression and was in and out of treatment for years before his death.
I finally called them today. Not sure why. I suppose it has something to do with my tenant not paying me on time. She's late. She was supposed to pay rent on the first of the month, but she didn't. She said she got a new job and would pay me on 11/27, that's today. I called and left a message that I'd like to come by and pick up the check this afternoon, but she didn't call back.
So I called our lawyer to see what my options are to force her to pay. She has enough money to pay for a new car, but can't pay rent? I don't want to wait six months before evicting her if it comes to that. It's a shame because she seemed like such a nice person when we first interviewed her, and all of her references were glowing. Anyway, our lawyer wasn't there. I spoke with Beth, his assistant. She said they haven't done real-estate law since 2019, ironically the last time I needed help with a tenant. She gave me the name of another lawyer in Amherst. I emailed him, but don't expect to hear back until after Thanksgiving. I'll give her until Saturday to pay up and then I'll send her an official notice by mail according to the rules set out in the rental agreement. I think I have 30 days to evict her. I have to get it done now before it's too cold because something will kick in about the winter or whatever. Evicting her will be a major hassle.
So I spoke with someone at the Holyoke SS office. She set up a phone interview appointment with me for the 16th of December. I suppose that person will go over everything I have to do to start receiving payments. The amount will be around $1,300 a month. I'm thinking with that amount, another $1,300 a month from teaching music, I could get a divorce and live somewhere cheap by myself, not worry about all these extra things. Not that they are a big problem to be honest, but I do have a lot of anxiety over everything.
I figure I have about 10 years left to live, 15 if I'm lucky. I've written here about my diseases: I have Klinefelter's Syndrome, and with that comes type 2 diabetes, hypothyroidism and a bunch of other ailments including high cholesterol, heart disease and tooth decay. I have 3 teeth on the left side of my mouth that I can chew with. I lost all the bottom teeth on the right side over the years, another side effect of KS. Poor bone structure (I take calcium) and possible osteoporosis are things I've been warned about. So I'm 62 now, lucky if I live to be 72. Better to take the $1,300 a month now while I am still alive and do something with it. If I stick with the marriage (we've been separated since 2015, but living under the same roof), I can invest the extra money and give my investments to my children, or put them in my will anyway. I have no need of the money.
Meanwhile, I will start selling off the stuff I don't need. Here's a list:
- Mando Mo mandolins - I have 4 of them, 3 F style and 1 A style
- a Silver Lady tenor banjo - needs a new head
- a Kay acoustic guitar
- a Mando Mo mandocello
- 2 hora instruments: a mandolin and a mandola. I might hold onto the mandola for a while because I still use it occasionally
- an Erhu traded to me by a fiddle student years ago
- 3 unfinished violins
- 2 unstrung used violins
- lots of bows
- lots of strings: violin, mandolin, guitar, bouzouki, octave mandolin
- lots of little green rosins and a few other rosins
- books, but people don't buy books any more
- electronics - 3 used WD hard drives and a few computers. people don't buy used electronics