Carl Falletta:
CLASS OF 1973
Elmira Free AcademyClass of 1973
Elmira, NY
Carl's Story
Somehow(?) my last membership ended up in "The Twilight Zone", so let's try this again.
After a lot of thought & research I decided to leave good ol' Elmira in July of 1977. Of course those c-c-c-COLD winters played a major part in my decision!
By the tender age of 21 my 'final' plan was to live in Las Vegas, become a casino dealer, make lots of $$$$ & marry a showgirl...good plan, huh??!
Wellllll, once I got to Vegas I started off at yet another newspaper for about 6 mos (before I left Elmira, I was the Circulation Mgr for "The E-Z Shopper"), I then spent about 7 years at the local phone company as a service rep, where I met my wife-to-be at a Halloween party (she was dressed in a toga, I came as myself!) & we got married in 1981.
In 1984, I went to work at the USPS & carried mail for about 14 years (yes, I have the flat feet & a dog bite to prove it, too!). I was then promoted to Management in 1999 & finally retired on July 31st, 2009.
During that whole time, we got divorced in May 2000 & are still good friends to this day; she has since re-married, I have not.
Over the last few years I decided to do a truly MAJOR 'scale down & simplify' by selling off most of my 'stuff', including my '67 Imperial, a rental property that was absolutely KILLING me & the 4br/2story 2,400 sq ft "aircraft hangar" (aka: my dream house) my dog Sheila & I were living in. Little did I ever suspect what a GREAT move it would eventually be as it put me in the unique position where I actually COULD retire comfortably VS having that big house, etc, etc own ME, as it most certainly did...lock, stock & barrel! "We" now rent an 1,100 s/f 2br/2ba condo in Summerlin (Las Vegas) & are SO enjoying life!
Believe it or not, now that I'm 'settled in' I'm STILL scaling down; selling, donating or just getting rid of all that 'stuff' I just don't want or need anymore. Who knows? My/our next move COULD very well be a MAJOR move; perhaps out of town? Out of country?
BTW, Sheila's an Australian Cattle Dog (aka "Blue Heeler") 15, going deaf & is definitely "Daddy's girl"! Now that I'm retired we're inse...Expand for more
perable. When I worked on classic cars, she would often crawl underneath the car to be with me & "help" me by licking my face...what a sight! Of course she's always a real hit with the neighbors, esp their small children.
Will I go back to work? I may, as it's entirely possible that I'll find SOME sort of mischief to get myself into! Right now, my ongoing "Major Life Do-Over" is being made up as I go. The most important thing for now is that I'm anything but bored!
Since my retirement July 31st 2009, I've made a road trip back East in August to drive a friend/former co-worker & her daughter to the Buffalo area (Holland, NY) as they decided to leave Vegas & move in with a close friend of mine who now works at the USPS in Buffalo...we all worked together at the USPS in Vegas.
Before I flew home from that trip, I made a VERY brief visit to Niagara-On-The-Lake, Canada to meet my friends from Toronto for lunch & drinks, then off to Elmira to see my Mom for just a few days. I would have gladly spent more time, however I had to be back for an important job interview. I expect to hear the outcome from it any day, now. BTW, my Mom will be 90 next Valentine's Day (2010). She still drives, gets around quite well (with a walker) & is still sharp as a tack...God love her!! My Dad died in February 1999; he would have been 84 the following March.
Then in September 2009, I flew to Miami & back (and boy, are my arms tired! *rim shot*) to take a Carnival Cruise from Miami to Key West, on to Cozumel MX & back. What a great time!
I'm now seriously considering travelling either to Europe OR South America (Uruguay & Belize) as I have close friends in both places. ALSO, I discovered the classic car ('67 Imperial) I sold in August 2007 was eventually sold & shipped to a buyer in Holland (not NY), so if I decide on Europe I just may stop there to see 'my baby' again. The buyer & I stay in touch, as he had a lot of questions about the car before he decided to buy it.
Beyond that there's not much else to tell (yet!).
Drop me a line if you're so inclined. ALSO, look for me on Facebook. See ya'!
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