Posted in another thread but thought it might deserve it's own topic.



Stark County is dealing with double-digit unemployment. 10.4% and rising.

Sorry messed up link in quote. http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.a ... yid=108823

Isn't the average 8.1% now? Not surprising. I just had to find a job after we moved out of state and it wasn't too tough, but my wife had a lot of trouble finding the right job with benefits and a salary that matched her last one. There is no doubt that things are really tough. The last law firm I worked with (550+ employees) cut out 100 in a matter of months. That's 20% of the work force almost. Shit is tough right now no matter if you're a janitor or an attorney.

Those people losing their jobs should just attend Orme's seminar on how to make your life perfect.

One of the best displays of data I've seen on the current statistics: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009 ... DT.html?hp

Wow, I didn't realize you even bring me up in threads I haven't popped in. I'm flattered, but wish you weren't so sarcastic.

I would recommend those people at least check out Clark Howard for some general advice:http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/personal/03/12/clark.howard.unemployment/index.html
In general, lots of good tips in that article.

I guess what I'm waiting for and still haven't seen is what is your situation that makes you so bitter about all this? If there is anything I could do to help, let me know. Maybe post your situation and we can give some tips.

I'll post my situation. I've been bumming off my dad and brother for 5 years, I get a check for 100 bucks a month from my tribe, of which I never spend, all I do is play WoW and watch history/travel/food/discovery channel, and sometimes a really bad action movie. Times are rough, I just ate a cup of cereal for dinner, and there's economy size creamer in my coffee. I haven't showered in three days.

My situation is actually rather nice. =) I own my home, have lived a mostly frugal, cash lifestyle and so the economic downturn hasn't really affected me at all. Though I probably have too many pets!

Locally, unemployment may have risen but there are still a ton of places hiring and new construction going on all the time. I think the unemployment rate is just indicative of how freaking lazy some of the locals are. They'd rather get a check from the state than actually work.

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Well, I dunno about you but I think that's pretty good. Beats being a drunk fat alcoholic. At least you're hooked on coffee, and not Old English 800 40s.

If true, that's fantastic! In reality, I believe WoW is one of the best ways to live cheap. I know at least 2 people I helped get into WoW who said they have more money now than they know what to do with.

Why? Because instead of spending $50-$200 over the weekend, they order a $10 pizza and play WoW all night

I'm going to assume you're not kidding. If you are, haha you fooled me.

If you haven't showered in 3 days, and there's not a known medical reason for it, and you qualify for tribal benefits that cover medical, I'd suggest seeing a doctor. It can be symptomatic of clinical depression (which today can be well treated with a variety of relatively cheap medications for most people, and does not require long term treatment for many).

What I'm going to say is controversial, I don't give a shit, take it for what it's worth. Most mental health professionals are handing out prozac and the like, like M&Ms for people hitting serious situational bumps. They're not doing this wrongly. While I tend to be ultra conservative when it comes to such medications, it makes a huge difference.

I had some extremely bad things happen in my life in 2006. One of the first things I did was visit my doctor, not for anti-depressants (because I take a lower than theraputic for psychotropic purposes one already for nerve dmg, and I can't really take ANOTHER on top of it, and in my specific case it's not safe to increase it because of side effects which are short term but problematic...anyhoo) I went because I had fucking stress insomnia and quite frankly the way things were for me, I'd have no problems describing a period as a 'nervous breakdown', though I was never non-functional.

I saw my doctor, told them what the fuck was going on, laid out my background in psychology and demanded benzodiazepines. I laid out my background because quite frankly it's really dangerous to prescribe anything in the benzodiazepine family to someone going through that type of stress situation (they're HIGHLY addictive). I laid out my background because I had to explain I understood that, as well as other medications available, and why a benzodiazepine was *exactly* what I needed both for severe insomnia *and* stress relief.

I didn't abuse it, I didn't refill it. I took it for 2 days to get some fucking sleep then I took them only when my stress reached a fucking breaking point AND I couldn't sleep. I didn't even take them all ultimately.

And I couldn't have gotten through it without it. There were other factors obviously that got me through it, friends, family, blah blah blah...but it was a HUGE factor.

There's a ton of shit that exists out there as tools for people undergoing serious problems: Friends, family, church, school, counselors, doctors. I wouldn't underestimate any one of those factors if it's a potentially positive thing for you. Obviously 'church' isn't a factor for me as an atheist and as a non-church member. But there were other groups I had that I turned to for similar support.

Hope that helps. And if you're uninsured, there's health programs people can qualify for. There's a great essay out there by a guy who became homeless with his wife for just under a year (both were highly educated people). They lost their insurance, and through local health programs both went on anti-depressants immediately...and he believes it made the difference in getting through it. I'll find the essay if you'd like to read it, but there's many more like it out there. It just prevented them from hitting the bottom of the well of despair, it didn't prevent them from drinking deeply from it. It doesn't stop you from feeling shitty, your life isn't magically perfect...it just can keep you from bottoming out, and/or not functioning on a level that fucks your situation even more.

Speaking of which, I'm on another insomnia bend. Ugh, just working too much, and can't sleep, so pardon any rambling.

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There are a lot of reasons a person wouldn't shower. Clinical depression was not one of my first guesses.

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In the context of that post, uh not really. Not giving a shit about your personal hygiene (even if you're not going anywhere or seeing anyone) is a pretty classic indicator. Most people start offending themselves the 2nd day in. And I'd have assumed with as much detail, if it was a 'bathroom is broken' or 'water shut off' it'd be mentioned.

There's def. other reasons, but I'm looking at it in the context of both the thread and everything else he said. I could also obviously be wrong, but that's why it's always good to see an actual medical professional (which is what I suggested ).

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I don't feel anything as dramatic as drowning in a well of despair. I think entertaining myself with media and games is a much funner life than working day after day. There's just more important things to do (to me) than hop in the shower and throw some soap and shampoo on when I get up, and I usually sleep when I'm dead tired, not on a schedule or anything. Of course I'll shower when there's company or if I go somewhere. Otherwise it just seems like a bothersome chore. Strangely enough, I wash my hands religiously, brush/floss daily, and keep my nails trimmed.

I will also admit there's some weird satisfaction I get from visually seeing dead skin/dirt in the tub after I shower, and it feels like I hardly did anything if there isn't anything after.

Blech.

I had a roommate once who did that. Big guy, over 300 lbs. Rarely showered, and when he did he left a ton of dead skin and such in the tub. GROSS AS FUCK.

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Jeka, I thought you were kidding.

Are you happy?

I am blown away by Jeka's candor. Jesus fucking CHRIST.

lol

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"Creating Havoc and Pie Since 2001!"
My Website: http://www.anthonyhays.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cakvala

I'm pretty happy for the most part. Nothing makes me happier than not having to do anything.

Jeka's situation sounds spookily like what I was going through from 2001-2003, massive depression and generally nothing to do.

Worst thing about that kind of depression, it doesn't manifest itself as a sadness or downness...just a satisfaction with having/doing very little. Bemused apathy, heh.

Are you crippled? Are you kidding? If the answer to both of those is no, how the hell can you live with yourself being that big of a fucking loser for five years?

I can't help but think that living off your relatives while cashing in a check that you didn't earn is a form of stealing.

That's the one thing I miss about EQ.

One of my close group of personal friends whom I consider family (and who doesn't post here) feels the same way as you. He has to work, but during periods of unemployment (never of his own accord mind you, company downsizes, etc) he'd wish he could simply live that way.

I can't fathom it, no offense. When I've been extremely ill, one of THE most frustrating aspects of it was my inability to work, or to do much of anything outside the home.

Prior to my marriage, I worked two jobs. I'd get to one job around 6am, and I'd leave my other job around 9-10pm at night. Some people thought I had debt I had to pay down or whatever, but nope. I just LIKED worked that much. This was prior to online gaming, and if I wasn't working 'til that late at night, I was just going out and spending money...so why NOT work those hours? I'd also work 6 days a week...but sometimes do Sunday too.

I'm back now to working two jobs, this time due to need rather than personal joy. I couldn't make enough at my one new job to cover the wage loss gap, the 2nd job is filling in the slack so far (yay). And while I kvetch about it, and I'm tired, and I haven't played WoW seriously in months...I'm not really that unhappy. Neither job is a 'career' job...though I suppose it may become that. Neither job is exactly personally fulfilling in a 'AAAH this is where I want to be' way, by any stretch of the imagination.

But work, provided I don't have to deal with assholes in management (and in what I'm doing now, I don't...I lurve my boss she rocks) has always fulfilled me in a way nothing else could. And I'm surprised at how...fulfilled...one part of me is when I'm under tremendous work stress. A part of me THRIVES on it.

I get that's not everyone. But most people *need* work to feel fulfilled as human beings, and gaming can artificially fill that need, but not completely. And what's worse, people don't even see that it's not really filling it.

EQ and WoW when I've been sick simply kept me from going completely batshit insane, because it has artificial 'accomplishments' that create similar feelings to the accomplishments one does in the real world. Advancement in instances is similar to accomplishing various work goals, etc.

But reality is better, the rewards are more tangible. They are also more universal, in that everyone can see money OR real goals (IE: teaching kids to read, building something, etc.) as accomplishments, versus telling people what boss you killed and what loot dropped only translates to a very small number of people, statistically. And the stuff in reality is more usable in a variety of mediums, versus stuff that's only stored on a company's servers.

Essentially what I'm saying here is masturbation is fun, and it fulfills certain needs, but it's fucking lonely. You've got a Real Doll. And sure, she doesn't nag you...but she can't love you either.

One of the saddest and most fucked up people I know measures his worth by what he does in a game. It's no one on these forums (thank bog). It's a guy who burst into TEARS because he wasn't there for an encounter. He ranted and raved that he KNEW he shouldn't have logged off! I couldn't believe he wasn't kidding. He works only a minimal amount of weeks at a very moronic job (shitty to say but it's true) to keep the lights on, fast food in his belly, and then he games.

Dude won't live to 50 either, his health is shit.

And honestly, I'd be like ''Kay...whatever floats your boat" like I do with furries. I don't respect it, but I tolerate it, and if it makes someone happy, without harm...fine, fuck your plushies.

Except while he often says he's happy with this lifestyle, I hear him piss and moan all the time too. He seems very fucking unhappy. But he's also absolutely unwilling to change, primarily from laziness.

I'm not trying to judge you or anything. If you ARE truly happy...cool beans. I know what makes ME happy doesn't work for everyone.

But I've seen a lot of people settle. We probably all do on some things. But don't 'settle' on the big things in life. Life is far too fucking short, and this is probably your only shot at it.

Take it for what it's worth, and also for what it's worth, I do care. So do a lot of people around here.

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And here we thought it was all the extra sleep you got in POH...

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"Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." -Henry Louis Mencken
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VEGETARIAN -Noun (vej-i-tair-ee-uhn): Ancient tribal slang for the village idiot who can't hunt, fish or ride.

I think it stopped being extra when I had to get up three or four hours later.

BAT ALARM!

News just reported the employment rate is at 8.4%

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"Creating Havoc and Pie Since 2001!"
My Website: http://www.anthonyhays.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cakvala

In Elkhart, a 30 minute drive from my tiny little town, the unemployment rate went over 20%.

Well, first off, I'd wager that the overwhelming majority of people do not have jobs where they get to see accomplishments like building something significant. I'm sure most people don't really get a lot of deep accomplishment out of doing their TPS reports. =D

Second, not everyone (like you said) feels that way. I, for instance, loathe the idea of piddling away hours, days, weeks, months, years of my life for someone else's benefit - which is essentially what work usually is.

Third, I get a much larger feeling of accomplishment out of doing things for my life and my family. I feel 1000x better about digging up that pesky Chinese Tallow than I do about getting all my projects done at work.

And finally...gaming is a hobby. It's not uncommon for hobbies of EVERY sort to become a significant portion of someone's life. Gaming isn't the only hobby that causes couples to break up, parents to neglect their kids, lose their jobs, etc.

I find it sad that computer/internet gaming has been around for so long now but people still treat it as though it's some abomination. No one calls the overweight guy working on a motorcycle in his garage a loser, but put that same guy in front of a keyboard and suddenly he's a triple-cheeseburger-eating, basement-dwelling, sunlight-forsaking social pariah.

That's why I specifically said money OR real goals.



Yeah there's a few people who truly, TRULY deeply loathe it. A lot of people dislike aspects of their work (for various reasons, many times very legitimate) but *overall* they're happier working than not working...for various reasons. In my personal experience I've only met an extremely small handful of people who truly loathe the idea of work period. And if they could, would simply do nothing the rest of their life. (Whereas most people if they won a huge jackpot might quit their job...but they would do some type of 'work' in their life anyway).



Didn't address that as it wasn't really apropos to what I was saying. However I agree with you, and yet *most people* sacrifice family life for work life. I know most 2 income families that could be 1 income families, but they like their lifestyle. They may hide behind 'can't afford its' but in reality...they could if they downscaled tremendously. It's just seen as almost 'wrong' for women not to want to be a stay at home mom...and most women I know who work, DO NOT WANT TO BE. They love their family and their kids, but work fulfills them in a way that their family cannot.

Which is not to say work > family (though it does for some). Just that it's also essential to people.

And I'm also willing to bet when you introduce yourself, you don't say 'Hi I'm Bob the dad.' Or 'Hi, I'm Bob, and I did X, Y and Z home improvement'. Yet men constantly identify with their employment when introducing themselves to new people. Odd bit of psychology, but it also goes a long way in explaining why sudden loss of it can be devistating to the ego not just the wallet.



I dislike the stereotypes as well. But you're comparing it to the WRONG HOBBY. If you build shit...you HAVE THAT SHIT. If you work on a motorcycle, hey hey you have an item of physical existence, and value! While one can play the semantics of 'but my characters are worth something, my gold is worth something' it's not even close.

The better analogy is...a bowling night with buddies. And those hobbies while tolerated by people, aren't quite as 'respected', unless people are interested in that sport or that competition. People who don't golf don't give a shit about your golf habit or how much money you throw down that hole.

Why WOULD it be any different with gaming? Those who can relate and have interest...will. Otherwise it's just your stupid ass bowling league and no, the trophy doesn't mean shit to most people.

That doesn't mean it doesn't have value to the person, or it's not worthwhile, or that we should all be out there taking lessons in Chinese with that time instead. Down time is down time, and we NEED these outlets.

But such things can become a gestalt for 'real life' and it shouldn't. Even if the Dude does abide.

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Gaming isn't a hobby, it is entertainment.

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No, I could see some people calling it a hobby the same way they call 'bowling' a hobby. But there are people who call bowling entertainment.

Hell, some people consider it a 'sport'. I think that's a bit of a stretch for most people who just fuck around with it for fun.

The only thing I'd change in my post though is while people don't give a shit about your bowling if they're not into it (it's stupid to people who don't care I mean, really)...it IS more socially acceptable than gaming. There are people who may think your golf or bowling hobby/habit/whatever is silly, but legit. Spend the same effort on gaming, and they think you're a fucking freak with no life.

Despite the fact that I'd argue WoW is FAR more a social activity to someone raiding w/ a guild than golf, or bowling.

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Are you kidding? Go read the dictionary.

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Kuwen Furyblades
Hunter of Memento Reejeryn
Champion of Faydark

How is gaming not a hobby?

defintion: "1. an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation: Her hobbies include stamp-collecting and woodcarving."

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Hope is the new black.

Wut

Yeah, I've actually brought that up many times...why people introduce themselves with their job title, even in purely social situations. "Hi, I'm Bob, I'm a mechanic."

Huh?

I guess when I'm done with work, I'm done. Always been that way. I don't go out and say, "I'm a Librarian." (Though it never fails that people ask, "What do you do?" as their first question when I meet someone. Always irritates me, because if I wanted to get to know someone, the first thing I would ask would certainly not be what their job is. What's that got to do with anything?)

I dunno...I guess to me work has always been a means to an end that I tolerate because I have to right now. It's not who I am, and the work itself is not the goal. That's not to say that I don't want to do ANYTHING, I would just rather be doing things with my home and family and hobbies rather than dicking away hour after hour at some job.

That's not to say I want to sleep on my couch 24/7 or something. It's just that a "job" isn't fulfilling at all. Never has been. It's just work, something I have to do in order to eat and pay the bills.



Hey look, living proof of my previous post!

I definitely associate myself with my job, but that's because I'm one of the rare people that genuinely enjoys his job, almost all the time. I identify myself with my job because so much of my job entails exactly who I think of myself as being. Hell, on days off I sometimes go in to work anyway, not because I have to, but because I WANT to.


I don't know if I should call it "work."

Hobbies are interactive. Entertainment typically isn't.

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Me, too. We're not supposed to like our lives though, Fribur. More apathy and comments about how the human race sucks.

I don't understand how that's what you got from my post.

It's not about your post, Bov. More about the cynical, self-pitying tone that half the people on the board take regarding life in general. You're not one of them.

Oh, okee. I was about to say, part of the reasoning behind my feelings is that I enjoy the rest of my life too much to spend 1/3rd of it working for someone else. =D

Guess I touched a nerve with the nerd crowd.

I guess stuffing my face with totinos pizza rolls and watching mythbusters is a hobby too.

Whoda thunk it.

Guess that guy that spent a shit-ton of money playing Pac-Man was just a hobby enthusiast, not an obsessed loser.

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Enjoy your victory brah.

Yeah, you sure got us, Draagun. Way to declare a victory!

Someone posting on a internet message board community whose common bond is a years-dead server for an MMO that started in the 1990s doesn't really have any footing to call out others as nerds.

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Hope is the new black.

Hey maaaan, I'm a lot kewler since I stopped playing EQ. You guys should consider yourselves lucky I still come around here.

But bros, he doesn't play EQ, he gets the bots to do shit for him so we can't lump him into the loser category. He sure made fools out of us huh.

Botting is a hobby.

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Hlep I need a job!

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"Creating Havoc and Pie Since 2001!"
My Website: http://www.anthonyhays.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cakvala

Thread update: The part of xskycrasherx will be played by DraagunSoulstealer

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Hey im unemployed anyone want to hire me? :p

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"Creating Havoc and Pie Since 2001!"
My Website: http://www.anthonyhays.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cakvala

Besides sucking cock, what marketable skills do you posses?

Yay! I made the map!