Woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head

OK. It's a bright new day, a brave new world. I woke this morning to the bright sunshine of freedom, a world without limits and full of potential.

I decided to ignore all of that.

Instead, I woke around the usual time and checked my e-mail. Now that I have completely entered the realm of the business world's seriously unimportant, I got what I expected - squadoosh. Nonetheless, I am beginning to think that breaking this habit of checking e-mail all the time is going to be harder than trying to simultaneously stop drinking, eliminate carbs and fats from my diet and exercise an hour each morning.

Oh hell, those three things are what I'm doing tomorrow when I plan to launch a Bailout Program for my bloated body which analysts fear is bordering on the edge of collapse. My sensible side insists it is necessary to avert the total collapse of the system and restore confidence, but the other half of me says it's not right to bail out a body that got that way through its own excesses and greed. The vote will be close.

You can probably tell that I have lots more time on my hands. I haven't got past telling you that I woke up and checked email and this post is already longer than Sarah Palin's resume.

OK, so after checking email and reading the news sites, I walked downstairs on my first day as an unemployed old guy. I cleaned the kitchen. I made coffee. I went back upstairs and emptied the waste baskets. I cleaned out one of the desk drawers that contained, among other things, boarding passes from an airline that went out of business seven years ago. I went to the hardware store and bought insect spray to get rid of aphids on our plants. I bought under-bed storage boxes for all the clothes I am removing from the closet. Linda and I filled them and stashed them under the bed. I had lunch. And now I am writing this blog and it's only 12.30.

And they said retirement would be boring!

And then just like that - boom! As I finished writing that last sentence, Patty Griffin's "Oh Heavenly Day" played on the iPod. I stopped what I was doing, closed my eyes and listened to what may be one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded, realized I was sitting in my shorts and T on a sunny workday Wednesday in Sydney listening to great music and writing about it for my family and friends. And in a few hours Linda and I will be going to a party with people who have meant the world to me. Oh heavenly day, indeed. Maybe this gig will be as much fun as I have been hoping.