The Return of Tomser

Why write a Blog? Why would I think that anything I would put out there would have any interest to anyone at all, including me? How could I possibly fool myself into believing that I have anything to say that has not been said a million times before, and has been said so much better than I ever could? And why this idiotic, sophomoric reference to Tomser? What possibly could be going through my warped, little mind? So many questions, so few good answers. 

Well, whether the answers to these questions are good or not, there is a method to this madness. As most likely anyone who reads this will know (and I certainly hope someone will read it), I recently retired. It is, without a doubt, the biggest mental leap that I have taken since I got married. But in many ways that was an easier leap. I was quite comfortable that I was making the right decision then. I had a fairly good idea what I was getting into, had no doubts about my partner on that journey (yes, I am talking about you dear), and, though I could not foresee all the twists and turns, felt comfortable that I could take on the responsibilities that came with that decision. (I know, silly me).  

This is a different animal. While everyone tells me how great all of this free time is, it is a challenge. I feels like I have to reinvent myself. For the last 38 years I have had structure, and whether I liked it or not, I settled very neatly into that structure. In fact, one of the things that I learned quickly working from home in COVID times was that I needed a routine. I don’t do well with an open schedule, and yet that is exactly what I have. 

I know that there are some habits I don’t want to fall into. Retirement has to be something more than an opportunity to binge watch all the new Netflix movies (by the way, have you seen Kissing Booth 2 yet? It’s a can’t miss), or even all of the great films on the Criterion Channel (a daily dose of Kurosawa?). I have to fill my time in a somewhat meaningful way, or at least in a way that does not make me feel like a leach on society. But what do I want to do?   

Of course, being who I am the first thing I did was look for books to help guide me. There are a million books out there on financial planning for retirement, but few on what to do with your time. The best I could find carried the not too promising title of “How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free”. While it was often trite and simplistic, it did have a lot of good insights. And one of the best pieces of advice it offered was to find a creative outlet.  

That made sense to me, and it was reinforced by a friend who took up sculpture when he retired (check out the Evan Eisner Instagram page). However, my options are limited. I certainly can’t draw, unless you count stick figures. Anyone who has ever been subjected to my sousaphone playing knows that I have no musical talent (RIP Mr. Copenhaver). And if shop class taught me anything it taught me that I have no aptitude (or patience) for carpentry or anything of that sort. That leaves writing.  

Writing is a big reason why I became a lawyer. I always liked to write. I have always felt, sad as it may seem to non-lawyers, a real satisfaction in crafting a well-argued brief or piece of advice. I tried to make sure that it was not only legally sound, but was clearly and concisely written. I wanted not only to convey information, I wanted to convey it well. 

For all the satisfaction it gave me, I have no interest in doing legal writing now that I have retired, even if there was some legal writing to do. Let’s face it, no matter how you dress it up, legal writing is just not very interesting. The topics are generally dry as dust, and stylistically it leaves no room for humor or flights of fancy.  

To find a spark of the kind of writing I want to do, I had to go back to my college days, and the publication of The Motley Corner.  Hence, Return of Tomser, my nom de plume for that venerable underground tuba newspaper. (I know that’s French. Don’t worry, this blog will be in English). I would no doubt cringe to read now what I wrote then, but it was uninhibited and it was liberating. That is what I want to recapture. 

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My plan to use this space to write about whatever comes into comes into my head as worth exploring. I read a lot, so my guess is that most of the ideas will come from there. However, I already have topics lined up on sports, movies, TV and other assorted subjects, so I will look for inspiration from all over. I will, for the most part, stay away from politics. Not that politics doesn’t interest me, but I really don’t think I have anything original to say about it. Plus, I want to keep my blood pressure under control.  

So there you have it. For better or worse I am off and running. We will see where this leads. I am optimistic that I can convey some ideas, spark some thought, and have some fun. But then again, I am optimistic about most things. Heaven knows why.