I'm 55 (not for long) and have worked as an inspector, clerk, asst. superintendent, and superintendent on construction projects, process chemist in a pulp mill, lead operator of one of the most advanced paper machines in the world, and consultant to pulp and paper mills (especially in boiler operation, steam systems, and power generation and distribution). When I grew sick of traveling (literally and figuratively), I took a job as a network administrator of a very large ophthalmic practice, and after helping out in the lab a bit, I got inspired to take the ABO test and was certified as an optician. When medical problems with perfumes in the workplace got too tough, I switched to the auction business and took a firearms/militaria division doing maybe $4M a year gross to over $15M gross in less than 4 years. I'm currently unemployed due to this disability - it's tough for me to be out in public because so many people wear perfumes, scented cosmetics, fabric softeners, etc.
Since HS, I have sung and played in bands and worked off much of my college bills that way, playing frat parties, etc. Once I stopped consulting, I was able to devote more time to music, and ran open-mike blues jams for a few years, and played a lot of biker bashes and some company BBQs, as well, until the perfume issues got so bad (asthma, arthritis flare-ups, migraines) that I even had to give that up.
I've done a lot of observational astronomy and astrophotography (paper-machine shift-work puts one into odd hours/sleep patterns), and am currently wrapping up a 2-year study of M51-type galaxy associations with a collaborator in NY and another in Finland. We expect to re-submit the paper in a week or so, and I will link to the preprint when it is accepted for publication. A referee suggested additional analysis that improved the quality of the paper greatly, and we are grateful for that guidance. There will be follow-up papers as well.
Along with music, I have an abiding interest in photography, which is abetted by digital photography because it eliminates the costs of film and processing. I enjoy gardening, and as some of you know, I'm a big fan of very hot chilies, though I like to fill our chest freezers with excess produce all summer and make pickles and other preserves, too. I have backed off on one hobby because of the cost, but hope to resume as things stabilize. I have a very high-quality faceting machine (like a tiny machine-shop), and have painstakingly faceted gem-stones of all types (except diamonds). Every one of my female relatives has gotten at least one of my stones. I facet and polish these stones much more accurately than the stuff that you see in the jewelry stores, to maximize their color and shine. Several local jewelers have bought up almost everything I have offered them, and one (owner of a large old, respected jewelry store) once urged me to increase my prices. One jeweler (who specialized in custom pieces) offered my stones to his best customers as upgrades to commercially-available stones because they were not only visibly better, but they featured girdles that were substantial enough to hold up under hard use without chipping from prong pressure.
Did I mention that I love really hot chilies?
Good day (Night) to you all! You've been a member in this Forum and yet, I believe that you still don't know the other members here in this forum. 
... and I believe that there are also newbie here. Let's have a "Get-To-Know-Each-Other" .. ^___^.. Who wants to start?
long story). Right after I graduated I took off about 9 years to be a stay-home mom. Loved it! But I forgot a lot of my physics 
, which is why I started hanging out here. I've been here about 6 months. It's a great resource. Plus the people in GD are whackos. 
(Now that I know he doesn't want to be called MJ...after I also finally figured out that he is a he and not a she...Jeans made me think of the female name Jean 
.) 
