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I was on "the 5-year program" at UICC from 1976 till 1986 - kept stopping classes to work and vice versa.
The CPD picked me up in 1982, second class off the list of 1980 or '81, I am seriously thinking of retiring sooner rather than at the bitter end 63 yoa). I've worked patrol, the squadrol, tactical, lock-up, desk, review. For 8-1/2 years I was "attached" to the court where I did summonses and warrants from my own office, steady days/weekends off; now I'm back on the police desk at Belmont/Western where there are no more courthouses, and do any "normal" work hours start at 0500? So tired!
I'm #2 in seniority in the entire City's worth of like 10,000 blueshirts, I won't be getting promoted, and the #1 person came on before me and is younger - so if HE stays to the end I will STILL never reach #1. Time to go!
Co-leader to my daughter's various level Girl Scout troops, now all her interest is dormant ;-( -- but she's thinking of becoming an EPIDEMIOLOGIST.
For 15 years I studied tai chi chu'an, shaolin, and weapons.
I've volunteered as a Master Gardener and am still OpenLands' TreeKeeper #467.
Because it had been so long since I'd been in school, I had to take an exam before Dominican would let me in to work on a Master's in Library/Information Sciences - I was nervous but scored well enough to join Mensa, surprising the b'jeebers out of my twin brothers (LTHS Class of 1981). A couple years ago I gave a presentation at Mensa Chicago's annual meeting about the many wrongs of outdoor cats.
I was the night nurse as my mother declined and died in August 2011.
Two days after that I gritted my teeth and returned to Dominican, and got my Master's the following year.
I've had many letters to editors printed, especially in the Chicago Tribune,and more recently articles in ChiMe, the magazine of Chicago Area Mensa, and American Mensa' The Bulletin; a piece of fiction is coming in Mensa's literary journal Calliope.