Lounge Fat blond

Change?

What change?

The Wiz is still waving his tin cup, but instead of coins from the munchkins he wants a press pass to G2E.

 

What if he doesn't?

Folks here seem to think it's HIM. HEEEE pulls the strings and makes the monkeys dance. It ain't like that at all.

As I've said several times, yes, I appreciate all he's done for the world of gaming because it was HIS site that gave me the knowledge I needed to succeed. That's it. And I have met and had one on one dinner with him, and he was pleasant as can be. I've even said I enjoyed it, and I did, and I don't enjoy social interaction at all.

But that's neither here nor there. I dig the membership. There are people who piss me off, sure, but I've found immense value in being a part of that group. From financial advice during my divorce to algebra help when fiddling with my race car suspension,... you ever have a querie you have no idea who to ask? Or where to even begin the trail of info to find your answer? Lol, found help every time. I dig it. I dig THEM.

If Mike doesn't agree with a single thing I do or say, not that I think that's the case, it's immaterial to me. He could be the best, worst, or disappear entirely and I'd likely still be there because I dig the people. With no way to pay back the immeasurable value I've received, it's at least an attempt to make a place they enjoy better.

There's always been an open door. I have come to Wiz with advice on how I felt a certain situation should be handled, and he followed through with that solution (not that I can say he didn't already hold that view). Occasionally, he will come to us with a request for advice or opinion. And we three lesser mods have done the same with each other. I will admit it's more rare than not; as I've said before we are all largely autonomous and don't interfere with "another mod's issue". But it's never been dissauded.

See response to Kewlj.

It's not a ton of work. I pop in anyways out of desire. I like to read, see what's up. I don't have TV so it's sorta how I get my news. And it's fun to argue about stances on issues, or just have a good debate. So if in my normal course of reading I see something out of line, it's as simple as typing a paragraph.

It really is that simple, which is why I don't understand what y'all are on about.

 

OK fACE

YOU KNOW I have to ask
is no TV a taste or a financial necessity.

I know there are very bright kids that grow up with no TV. But once you are an adult, an occasional movie or sports event or self help tv show cant really fry your brain.

So do tell....whats the basis,for that decision.
asked in a non judgemental way

 

I was wondering why he didn't have a TV as well, but come to think of it I rarely ever watch TV. Anything can be found online.

 

I have a dedicated home theater.

Helluva way to watch football.

 

I'm sure a lot have, every thing you say in that post, can be achieved by just being a member with zero obligation. As for owing success, I am assuming it is not gambling related you are referring to!!

I'm real curious after this so called three year handover stint, will / would manBoy still run WoV as he does now FOR FREE? Not a cats chance in hell he would.

The WoV used to be a busy site back in the day, he couldn't have run it without by himself, seeing how anal he is about rules. One tight-fisted, self centered, minge bag, wouldn't even give a paltry $1000 as a nice thank you gift for all their diligence. But I reckon (JB wasn't it) pulled the short straw, as everything on both sites was due to his coding and design. He'll use, then shit on people when he no longer feels he has a need for them.

It appears manBoy has a knack of spotting the right type which to appoint as moderators, he knows where and how to find them, tubby being a prime example.

I bet manBoy also has one, but none of the mods (if you get my drift).

 

I bet you have loads of TV's, all hooked up to CCTV camera's, so you can spy on the neighborhood and dob people in, you really seem the type.

 

What a way for manboy to put it. Is he so self absorbed, so out of touch that he doesn't realize that there are better ways to get a pass than to beg for one? He knows that the first tin cup episode rubbed people the wrong way. And why shouldn't it...him traveling the world searching for prostitutes, kids in private school, site about to be sold. And these are good posters who were rubbed the wrong way...people who would never complain. When they express their disgust you'd think he would listen.

Not manboy. Oh no. He goes on his merry way, thinking only of himself, embarrassing himself and his family and losing more of the little respect he has left. Let's hope his kids never have to follow in daddy's footsteps and become beggars.

 

Happy to share, though I warn you; it's gonna be a real long ME ME ME post =p

The short answer is it was a financial necessity that turned into a lifestyle change. The long answer is, well, long.

Divorce is a motherfucker. Though it looked reasonable through my inexperienced eye, my then-wife and I lived beyond our means. We weren't spendthrifts, not by a long walk, but we left ourselves vulnerable. It looked good on paper because we did the work to be as smart as possible. Things like waiting to buy stuff until a real peach of an APR offer came through, and then focusing on it so we weren't nailed when it ran out. When it did run out, we'd look for another peach of a credit card and transfer the debt right back into a no or very low APR situation. And we even did so with a cushion for emergency, and in a way that sort of planned for mild disaster. I could be unemployed for a year, for example, and there was no worry about default. We were pretty keen, and it got us stuff we likely shouldn't have been able to afford.

The divorce fucked it all up. The plan was great if seen through full term, but it was fucking devastating when it all fell apart. Debt that WAS an insignificant, interest free payment of $X0 that would see us sitting pretty upon its end was now a debt of $9,500 at 24 fucking percent APR, where the minimum payment resulted in an INCREASE of the principle by $X0. And though our divorce was probably the easiest in the history of marriage, whereby we argued about almost nothing and went through a mediator as opposed to a lengthy and costly court battle, my 11+ years with her left me with little more than my truck, my guns, and $30,000+ of debt with suicide inducing interest rates.

What choice did I have? Fuck me if I ever go on the dole or declare bankruptcy, so I went to work. Everything in my life went under the microscope. I had to evaluate every single thing I did. I had to rank and prioritize ever cent of spend, and it changed my life. So many places I was just pissing money away because it was "nice" to have it, or "convenient" to have it. Some things, like hockey, I now appreciate more. It is such a tremendous value for spend that I've come to really and sincerely appreciate it. But other things, like TV? What the fuck am I spending $80 or more a month on? To sit and watch poor programming? Is it that important to me to keep up with the fucking Housewives of Orange County? Or is my time and my money better spent somewhere else?

I do still enjoy that media, but as for true enjoyment and not just "bored so might as well", there is strikingly few. It basically boils down to Game of Thrones, Top Gear, and playoff hockey. Those are the only things I TRULY enjoy, that inspire me, or deeply entertain me. GoT? Is it worth $80 a month to be "IN", to be able to partake in water cooler talk about the latest episode? Fuck no. I enjoy it just as much a year later on a borrowed DVD. Top Gear? Same thing. Hockey? I stream it. Sure, it's stuttery and inconvenient to locate, and when I finally do, it's in 360p with a worse picture than rabbit ears. Doesn't phase me, because the alternative just isn't worth the cost.

And the real kicker, what has made me stay with it and likely continue it for the rest of my life, is what happened to me because of it. With no moving picture box to soothe my boredom, I had to find other ways. I reignited my passion for fishing, and hooked my son as well. Now THAT'S fucking quality programming. I learned skills and trades, things which not only keep my money in my pocket because I can do for myself, but add more because I can now do for others. All the way up until my 30's, something even as simple as a brake job was something I had to call Pops to help with, if not pay to have done. At 33 and sans TV, I built an entire race car completely by myself. Rebuilt the motor by myself. Wired and plumbed the whole fucking thing by myself. Welded doors and roll cage, painted, tuned, promoted, all by myself. Yes, it's just a shit-box, $700 Honda I pulled out of a field where I race some amateur track and will never amount to anything. But it's been a lifelong dream of mine to do just that, and with no help, no charity, no skill, no contacts, I up and made it fucking happen. That fills a man. Makes him feel worth something. And I've no plans to stop now.

I suppose it's the same as those who quit smoking. They always say "I had no idea how bad I felt" or "no idea how much money I spent". Same thing. I had no idea how much time, money, and OPPORTUNITY I sat and pissed away under the allure of that glowing box. Never again =)

Precisely gambling related =)

I was the dark side. Surveillance, to be exact, and later moved on to gaming investigator. Credit where it's due, my organization did a tip top job of training us for the task of operating, documenting, etc. But there really wasn't fuck-all when it came to what gaming really was. Wiz gave me that. Previous to my employment, I had never stepped foot in a casino. I knew in BJ you wanted 21, craps was played with dice, and that was IT. With Wiz's site, I was able to see precisely how games work, understand the math behind them, watch new games being born. If I had a question, there was a plethora of folks in the biz who had my exact answer. And while I likely would have been a model employee without them, their input and effort blew the doors off my potential. I succeed and exceeded so much because of it, and it took me places I'd never thought I'd be. 3 times I was sent to Vegas, for free, with per diem, and GOT PAID FOR IT. Previous to that, I'd never been west of Sandusky, OH, never been on a plane. Now I'm being swept across the country to deal with names like Shackelford, Jacobson, Zender. Poo-poo all you want; I'm a low class hick that pisses his pants when I can afford a new Ugly Stik and thanks the gods when I scrounge up $150 for a hockey season. Stuff like this was beyond my ken. And it was in large part thanks to guys like Wiz AND "his munchkins".

And sure, I could effect some change by being a regular ol' blue. I just wanted more. I cared for the place, you know? I wanted the authority to take it in the direction I thought it should go, I wanted the stewardship. I WANTED to invest myself in it.

Some seem to think monetary compensation is all there is or matters. I found value in even more places than I've already listed. You know folks offered me charity when I was struggling? Straight cash, just give them somewhere to send it. When you're in the pickle I was, that's straight mana from heaven. I didn't take it, but the gesture alone carried me when I couldn't carry myself.

And I gotta say, yes, I flat out enjoy it. This media is new to the world. Chat rooms, message boards, I was 12 or so when these started. It's an entirely new frontier. How do you manage that? What if you and I worked together and you called me a cunt, got in my face spouting hate? You'd likely be fired. Do it in court, you'd go to jail. Do it at your favorite eatery, you'd be trespassed. And anytime done in person, you'd risk a punch in the mouth. What of here? What here dissaudes you from calling me a cunt and directing hate my way? What force do I have to prevent that, to shut it down, to shut you down?

Words. That's it. Words and ideas are my only weapon, my only salve, my only action I can take. When someone loses it and comes unhinged, how do you fix that? Written word is already disastrously thin when it comes to communication, yet using ONLY that, I have to figure out who this person is, what their values are, what their problem is, and then use the same weak form of communicating to fix it. I LIKE that. It's a supreme challenge to do it effectively and it feels really good when I manage to do so. When you boil moderating right down, all that's left is managing people. And, sometimes and somehow, I find a way to do that effectively using only my words and my ideas. Maybe I'm alone in this regard, but I think that's really something. And I do think it's a skill, a talent, that requires honing. The things I learn by doing it in this difficult albeit mostly safe environment are skills I can use in real life where shit matters. Maybe it's dealing with a boss, a lover, my child, areas that are very important to me. And here I have a place to sort of spar and try new things with little to no consequence. In my opinion, this "stupid little mod gig" is anything but. It, to me, is REAL opportunity. Something to appreciate and be thankful for.

I dunno, man. I can sort of see how one can ask "How can you?" Hopefully I've given you a bit of understanding when I say "How could I not?" =)

 

Such a positive great post in a negative thread.

 

tHAT DIDNT ANSWER THE QUESTION AT ALL.
ok kidding...thanks

And I appreciate an answer that didnt make yourself a pompous asshole. You know one where you tell me how miserable most other people are who watch TV, and how happy you care compared to those losers. ME ME ME is much better than the pompous asshole alternative.

Just an addition. You dont have to pay 80 dollars a month. In my NV home I dont have cable. I just have a 30 dollar digital decoder box from walmart...and I get around 7 channels and 2 spanish chanels......I get ABC, CBS, NBC a movie channel(with commercials of course), an old tv show sitcom channel...and a couple others. It does have hockey playoffs on saturday afternoons and nba games sat nights...and more importantly local news...which keeps me connected with whats going on locally in the community. The picture quality is as good as any cable picture. because its digital ....I use an antennae though.

 

Just gotta say that Face's response above illustrates why he has always been one of my favorite people on the various boards. He's always willing to share his experiences (no matter how personal) and I find him to be a true gentleman.


Class -- you either have it or you don't.

Face does.

 

Consider moving to Florida, my mate is there, he owed a big sum of money to credit card companies, they sent him a letter saying pay this XXXXX.xx, he wrote back and said I am unemployed and can pay the .xx, never heard from them thereafter, that was years ago. Don't sweat credit card debits, banks are the biggest crooks out there.

Oh yeah, you post way too much personal information on the web, you need to wise up. .

Oh shucks, what have you spotted on your CCTV today a__hole? Anything worth reporting? Anything to bitch about? Discover and new sock-pupperty on WoV that is making you absolutely sick. See, now we're back on track....

 

Yeah back in the old days,if people got into credit card debt, they would get a second job at night or on weekends or a third job, and make good on their obligations. Thats how I was raised.
Now people get into debt and instead of paying off their obligations they make excuses like "fuck it, why where they stupid enough to lend me the money" or "fuck it the interest rates are real high because of people like me who wont pay" or "fuck it, I lost my job so I have a good excuse never to pay,,,I am off the hook", "or fuckit....let someone else pay for it..I got what I wanted..thats what counts"

the "fuck it" attitude is reflected in the prices of merchandise and in the interest rates to purchase said merchandise. Hell someone has to pay for it.

My parents had a business in a real poor neighborhood many many years ago, and extended credit . The interest rate was incredibly high....why??? because they didnt get a mix of doctors lawyers, along with poor people. They got all poor people....and with that a higher percent of default.
So that default was reflected in the price of goods, and in the interest rates . Poor people paid for other poor peoples poor behavior.

The people more adversely affected by the "fuck it" attitude.....are the middle class and the poor. Everyone else can afford to pay off credit cards monthly. We dont have to worry about 25 percent interest rates.

 

You got it wrong.

It isn't "fuck it," it is "fuck you, I'm filing chapter 7 bankruptcy."

 

Thanks Axel and Jeffers for the kind words. Feels good =)

Thanks. I am vaguely aware of something similar (CouchTV, I think it's called?) My buddy has it. Sounds a little more robust than what you described, but amounts to the same - TV for cheap. Either way, I'll pass. At least for the time being, I prefer being forced to fill that down time. It's just too easy to fall back into old habits, and I prefer this version of me better =)

Oof. I hate Florida with a passion lol. I don't do well in the heat, doubly so when it's humid. Last time I went (August) I couldn't even leave the airport terminal =p But no worries; the plan hatched back in Jan '12 when I got divorced matured just a few months ago. I am 100% completely and utterly debt free =D

Yeah... I don't know. I know there's risk, I know through nothing more than posting about my adventures someone culled my entire real name. A good guy, fortunately, but... I just have a problem when it comes to "freedom", which, if you've read me at all on WoV or DT (especially any political topics) you know I'm a bit extremist about (OK, totally batshit crazy extremist about =p). Posting is a freedom. It's something I enjoy. I like helping folks, whether directly or by sharing a situation that may inspire or assist them. I could be smarter about it, maybe even SHOULD be smarter about it, but changing what I do out of fear is an attack on my personal freedom. Smart or no, I'm not likely to bend to that.

Shit happens. I hope it doesn't happen to me. I'll work to ensure it doesn't. But at the expense of my freedom? That's a tough pill to swallow =/

Right there with ya. Actually, I was sorta raised not to incur debt in the first place. Old school, like 40's thinking, where even having a debt was living above your means, never mind if you could pay it. I like that way, I aspire to be that way. It's all but impossible in today's world; the world has moved on since then. By I'd like to try to be close.

 

Something I agree with 100%. Personal responsibility is long gone. I'll go a step further and blame it on liberals with the "your a victim" mentality. It's always the banks fault. Liberals seem to think people are too stupid to read or understand the terms. The mortgage crisis is the perfect example. Banks gave money to people who should have understood the terms, but just had the "I want it, I deserve it" mentality. While this is not a 1 size fits all answer, it is the majority. As Larry said, instead of getting a 2nd job, we made it easier to walk away. A sad commentary on America today.

And I will add in again, Face showed why he is one of the Great guys.

 

Every now and then, you come across a guy that NOBODY EVER SAYS ANYTHING BAD ABOUT THEM.

Face is one of those guys.

 

Call it what it is. Its stealing. If you take something from a retail store without paying for it...its stealing. If you buy something from a retail store with a promise to pay in the future....and dont pay.....its stealing. And the cost of stolen goods is included in the price we pay for goods and services every day of our lives. Someone eventually pays, and its society in general.

 

Boz, I just got home today and I'm over in the bar getting drunk with my friends. But I have a quote for you out of the novel Ghosts of Manhattan about the financial meltdown in 2008. Its the best I ever heard. I'll put it up when I sober up.