It’s here, finally—my last day at work! I’ll be officially retired starting tomorrow, February 1, 2025. During summers, I started baling hay and worked a little for Fulton County Parks and Recreation. My first job, job, was for Richway1 and then, North Fulton Medical Center, as a receiving clerk.
I went to Total Technical Institute to study computers and got a job for Management Science America/Dun & Bradstreet Software as a Computer Project Manager. After 17 years there, they laid me off and I opened a record store, Circle Sky Records2. The business struggled for 8 years before I closed it.
Twenty (plus) years ago, I began working at Stacy’s Compounding Pharmacy, as a Pharmacy Technician3. So after over, 50 years and 8 months, or more than 18, 500 days, I am retirng. During this time I’ve filled many capsules, made a multitude of suspensions, and mixed tons of ointments and creams.
They do traditional compounding, the preparation of medications to meet the prescriber’s exact specifications and to be dispensed directly to the patient, under a valid prescription for that patient. Pharmaceutical compounding is performed, or supervised, by a pharmacist licensed by a state board of pharmacy.
These are both human and animal medications. I have made well over 16,000 suspensions, filled over 30,000 transdermal gel syringes4, and made over 40, 000 sets of capsules. These sets typically range from 30 to 300 capsules, so if you take a conservative average, that is nearly half a million individual caps.
I have even composed a guide, on my blog, on making capsules, that the pharmacy uses for training purposes. I trained hundreds of Pharmacy students on how to make these capsules and other compounds. I’ve answered, or made, over a quarter million phone calls, and waited on 100,000, or so, customers in person.
I maintained a pretty good average of 99.97%, of being on time, save for 3 or 4 days that I had car trouble or overslept. I would always leave early, because of traffic, and take a nap in the car while waiting for the pharmacist to arrive.
When I first started I came in the afternoon and just prepared all the shipping packages for UPS. As time passed they needed more help, so I started working full days, compounding and driving all over the place, making deliveries. A little later they started shipping more and using a delivery service so I was in the pharmacy for 8-11 hours a day.
At some point, the owner got wise and changed me over to “full-time” and paid me a salary. At least then I would head home (or back to the record Store), after 8 hours. Stacy’s doesn’t have a website, so I offered to build them one, but luckily they turned me down. I do have a blog site, Stacy’s Pet Photos, where I post pictures submitted by Stacy’s customers.
Every time I tell people I’m retiring, there is always someone who either went back to work, after being bored or knows someone who did. I can guarantee this will not be me. I have a multitude of projects to accomplish around the house, not even including watching movies (including my collection of VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray), television shows, attending to my record and comics collection,
reading some books, my photography hobby, building and flying my model rockets, and playing video games again. Most of these, I’m just too tired to accomplish, now that I’m older, after barely having time to do some necessary household chores, when I’m home from work. I won’t miss the 45 to 60-minute drive into, and home from work either.
Footnotes
- Richway was a discount department store chain in the United States, established in 1968 as a division of Rich’s, a prominent Atlanta-based department store. Known for offering a wide variety of products at affordable prices, including clothing, electronics, home goods, and groceries, Richway operated primarily in the southeastern U.S. It was a precursor to modern big-box retailers like Target and Walmart. The chain gained popularity for its low-cost offerings and distinctive red logo but struggled to compete as retail dynamics shifted. In the late 1980s, Richway stores were sold to Target Corporation, leading to their rebranding or closure. ↩︎
- Circle Sky Records opened in October of 2002 on Chamblee-Tucker Road in Atlanta, Georgia. The store’s name came from The Monkees, Michael Nesmith penned song, “Circle Sky”. They carried used and new LPs, 45s, 78s, 8-tracks, cassettes, VHS, DVDs, music magazines and books, buttons, patches, new and used CDs, Rock posters and T-shirts, and more. Circle Sky hosted local bands that performed inside and outside the store. Unfortunately, Circle Sky closed its door in 2010. ↩︎
- A Pharmacy Technician is a healthcare professional who assists pharmacists in dispensing medications and managing pharmacy operations. Their responsibilities include preparing and labeling prescriptions, managing inventory, processing insurance claims, and providing customer service. Pharmacy Technicians work in various settings, such as retail pharmacies, compounding pharmacies, hospitals, and long-term care facilities, ensuring that patients receive the correct medications promptly and safely. They typically undergo formal training programs or certifications, depending on regional regulations, to ensure they meet industry standards. Their role is vital in supporting pharmacists and improving healthcare efficiency. ↩︎
- Veterinary transdermal gel syringes are specialized tools used to administer medication through the skin of animals. These syringes deliver drugs in a gel form that is absorbed transdermally, bypassing the need for oral or injectable routes, which can be stressful for animals or challenging for owners to manage. Commonly used for conditions like pain management, anxiety, or hyperthyroidism in cats, these gels are applied to areas with minimal fur, such as the inner ear flap. The precision of the syringes ensures accurate dosing, making them a popular choice in veterinary medicine. ↩︎
Further Reading
Sources
- AVMA https://www.avma.org/
- APhA “Frequently Asked Questions About Pharmaceutical Compounding”https://www.pharmacist.com/Practice/Patient-Care-Services/Compounding/Compounding-FAQs
- Doyle’s Space https://doyletatum.com/
Congratulations on your retirement! Please keep up your website as I really enjoy your comments about movies and all of the other activities you do.
I retired about six years ago and moved with my wife down to Florida. I’m about thirty minutes from St. Pete Beach and Sarasota. My wife gets to work remotely while I run the errands. We enjoy Smooth Jazz concerts in Clearwater and Panama City Beach. When my wife finally retires later on this year we plan to explore Florida fun spots.
Again, good luck and enjoy your retirement.