Conference turris::womannotes-v2

    I'll start off...
    
    I'd take half the money and pay off 6 months or so of my mortguage,
    rent out the house to a good friend, basically to watch the place,
    and go sailing!
    
    
    I'd take off from the cape, and head my leisurely way down to florida.
    Course, if I passed some other WN'ers who needed a spot of no hassel,
    no trouble, no stress (other than are we going to stop at 5 pm or 4 pm
    for our traditional end of day drinks?), I'd gladly welcome them
    aboard.  The only problem would be, I'd eventually have to come back.
    
    That is, if I couldn't have my ideal job re-located down to key west.
    (or the bahamma's.  I'd even be willing to settle for the Bahamma's.)
    
    mary

Depending on how much free cash I had available at the time...

Travel!!!
Or go to school....

Or (gawd!) maybe just try my hand at beach-bumming, and see how I like it.
(figuratively, as I am not much of a beach person.)

D1

    I'd probably hang out a bit, stash the money somewhere high-yield
    (always the practical one ;).....and then spend the summer somewhere on
    the coast of Maine, in some shore-front cottage.  I'd bring things to
    do, maybe invite all my friends/family to come *down* for various
    lengths of time (see - I've even got the lingo down!).....
    
    Then maybe I'd take a trip to Alaska.....or Greece - I've always wanted
    to see Greece -  always bringing the people I enjoy and sharing my glee
    with them.  I don't think I could stay away from work for a year - I'd
    get restless.....I'd probably want to get back to work in the fall...
    
    Maybe I'd spend the time thinking up my dream-house.......
    
    -Jody
    

    (If the package was being offered to secretaries, and if I had another
    job waiting for me, hopefully better than this one...)
   
    First, I would buy an *inexpensive* new car (a subcompact, don't
    want to waste a lot of money there, status cars don't interest me)
    
    Second, I would take a trip to Europe, to tour England, Scotland,
    and France, primarily.  (and maybe Greece)
    
    Third, I would buy a new dining room set (antique reproduction-cherry
    or mahogany) with a big hutch and a new set of Royal Doulton China
    to go in it.
    
    If I had any money left after that, I would buy a new living room
    set, and if I had any money left after that I would take my daughter
    on a clothes shopping spree. (for both of us)
    
    Now, I have to be satisfied with walking down the hall for a pepsi
    before I start work.
    
    Lorna
    
    Third, 

Wait a minute, this sounds like "what I would do if I won the lottery".  Maybe
I am not clear how "the package " works.  I thought they paid you your salary
for up to however many weeks you get (40+) or until you got a job, whichever
came first.  Do they give you the 40 weeks salary all at once?  Well *that*
would be a different story - if I had the option I would only take 3 or 4 months
of, rather than the whole 40 weeks, and travel and live in the luxery the whole
time!  :-)

D!

    RE:.5:  I think it's the "golden handshake" because it's a good-bye
    package.  A "golden parachute" is usually refered to in the context of
    executives and has much bigger bennies like stock options.
    
    ed

    
    I'm assuming that you get the 40 weeks whether or not you have another
    job.
    
    What would I do? (Okay, this is really pushing the imagination,
    everyone KNOWS that Lauren Foster cannot save money!)
    
    I would start my new job immediately. Hopefully somewhere close by, or
    with some perfect relocation package. And I would bankroll the old
    check for two years, with maximum interest (in a CD or blue-chip stock
    or Maytag or something with decent dividends). And then:
    
    	* buy a condo in a dream location, and have it decorated
          professionally... with cat proof material, no less.
          Estimated cost: $27,000
    
    	* take a month's vacation to Europe with my mother, or Bonnie
          or some other close friend. Estimated cost: $7,000     
    
    	* plan a second vacation in Africa, try to do some root tracing,
          and get a firmer hold on my identity... with the companion of
          my choice AND my mother and sister, who would kill me if I didn't
          let them come.  Estimated cost: $8,000
    
    If I had $5000 left, I'd be very happy. 

Either go back to college, do a PhD, and teach for a while
or just get another job in high-tech (perhaps in a smaller
company doing work I feel is important, such as handicap aids
such as DecTalk).

Tempting either way.

On the other hand, if I hit the lottery (tough when you don't play it)
and had *serious* money coming in, I'd just volunteer full-time at
the Computer Museum to preserve some of the history of the last
30 years.

Martin.

    Move to western-central Vermont, a small place on Lake Bomoseen
    maybe, a boat, a 4x4 and that's the last you'll hear from *this*
    little brown duck :-)

re:   <<< Note 1041.9 by SA1794::CHARBONND "if you just open _all_ the doors" >>>

>>           -< maybe the occasional trip to Rutland - for culture ! >-

Rutland and culture in the same sentence? Surely you jest..... :-)

Jenna

    re .10 >Rutland and culture in the same sentence?
    
    That's what happens after too many nights in Poultney :-)

    
    charter one of those windjammer cruises for myself and about half a
    dozen close friends
    
    ~robin

    
    I'd go to massage therapy school and volunteer to edit the Mass. Assoc.
    of Massage Therapist's newsletter.  Then I'd spend a month on a beah
    somewhere.  Do some crafty-type thing while I'm there, bird-watch,
    bike-ride and read a lot of good books. (And maybe see if I could
    establish myself as an MT.)  See if could write a book.
    
    CQ