walkingdork

generalfrevious said:

walkingdork said:

generalfrevious said:

walkingdork said:

generalfrevious said:

walkingdork said:

generalfrevious said:

I have no friends, no money, no future, and no help.

 

Dr. Dork is here. ;)

You're being overly dramatic but I'm guessing you believe all that is true. I work at a halfway house and one of the things we do is help clients develop a support group (family, friends, coworkers, etc).

Wanna know what the easy/fastest way is to make a friend? It's not a bar or a church. It's volunteering. Volunteer somewhere where there will be other volunteers. You won't be coworkers, just two people with kind hearts and at least one thing in common (the place you volunteer).

Volunteering also helps you feel better about yourself because you are helping others even when you yourself feel you are the one needing help. We all need help sometimes.

Volunteering is also HUGE on a resume even if it's the only thing on that resume. If you don't have a job or can't find one then volunteer somewhere. You'll be busy, have a reference for a future job, feel better about yourself and life, and most of all...meet new people.

No joke. If you're hurting, find someone who is hurting more and help them.

Really, that is all you can say, is volunteer for something? What the hell should I volunteer for? I have no clue what to do.

Volunteer for Loaves & Fishes or at a soup kitchen. It's easy, it's only a couple hours once a week and you can volunteer weekly or monthly just let them know in advance when you are available.

Everyone should do something like this at least once. It will be a very humbling experience and it'll give you some perspective as to just how horrible your life isn't.

Any other options? (btw I have done volunteer work before as a kid)

other options besides volunteering?

Do you have a job? If not, get one (even if it's the food, service, or retail industry). A lot of places hire on more people for the holidays. Go to your local job center. There tons of resources there including volunteer opportunities.

Have a job, but need a friend? You could join a club or some organization. I have friends that I made solely through hanging out at bars but we only seem to hang out when drinking is involved. You could go to church (I don't recommend it). Even Atheists have meetings.

No job, no friends? Go to college. Even if you have no money you would be surprised home much state and federal loans cover. Also student loans have low interest rates and you can defer payments until you get a job. Even if it's community college or vocational school. You'll steer your life in the right direction, meet lots of new people, schools have counselors, and you'll a future to look forward to.

 

I have a job, and I went to college (BS degree). But it was in a major that although it wasn't a joke degree (chemistry), it was something I didn't really want to do for the rest of my life, and it was too late to switch majors. So I blew that oppurtunity. Plus I get absolutely no emotional support from my family, yet I am stuck under my parents roof and have done little but go to work for low pay for the past four years.

Find a roommate, find 2 if you have to, but you need to get out of you folks' house man. Look online for a roommate if you have to.

generalfrevious said:

walkingdork said:

generalfrevious said:

walkingdork said:

generalfrevious said:

I have no friends, no money, no future, and no help.

 

Dr. Dork is here. ;)

You're being overly dramatic but I'm guessing you believe all that is true. I work at a halfway house and one of the things we do is help clients develop a support group (family, friends, coworkers, etc).

Wanna know what the easy/fastest way is to make a friend? It's not a bar or a church. It's volunteering. Volunteer somewhere where there will be other volunteers. You won't be coworkers, just two people with kind hearts and at least one thing in common (the place you volunteer).

Volunteering also helps you feel better about yourself because you are helping others even when you yourself feel you are the one needing help. We all need help sometimes.

Volunteering is also HUGE on a resume even if it's the only thing on that resume. If you don't have a job or can't find one then volunteer somewhere. You'll be busy, have a reference for a future job, feel better about yourself and life, and most of all...meet new people.

No joke. If you're hurting, find someone who is hurting more and help them.

Really, that is all you can say, is volunteer for something? What the hell should I volunteer for? I have no clue what to do.

Volunteer for Loaves & Fishes or at a soup kitchen. It's easy, it's only a couple hours once a week and you can volunteer weekly or monthly just let them know in advance when you are available.

Everyone should do something like this at least once. It will be a very humbling experience and it'll give you some perspective as to just how horrible your life isn't.

Any other options? (btw I have done volunteer work before as a kid)

other options besides volunteering?

Do you have a job? If not, get one (even if it's the food, service, or retail industry). A lot of places hire on more people for the holidays. Go to your local job center. There tons of resources there including volunteer opportunities.

Have a job, but need a friend? You could join a club or some organization. I have friends that I made solely through hanging out at bars but we only seem to hang out when drinking is involved. You could go to church (I don't recommend it). Even Atheists have meetings.

No job, no friends? Go to college. Even if you have no money you would be surprised home much state and federal loans cover. Also student loans have low interest rates and you can defer payments until you get a job. Even if it's community college or vocational school. You'll steer your life in the right direction, meet lots of new people, schools have counselors, and you'll a future to look forward to.

generalfrevious said:

walkingdork said:

generalfrevious said:

I have no friends, no money, no future, and no help.

 

Dr. Dork is here. ;)

You're being overly dramatic but I'm guessing you believe all that is true. I work at a halfway house and one of the things we do is help clients develop a support group (family, friends, coworkers, etc).

Wanna know what the easy/fastest way is to make a friend? It's not a bar or a church. It's volunteering. Volunteer somewhere where there will be other volunteers. You won't be coworkers, just two people with kind hearts and at least one thing in common (the place you volunteer).

Volunteering also helps you feel better about yourself because you are helping others even when you yourself feel you are the one needing help. We all need help sometimes.

Volunteering is also HUGE on a resume even if it's the only thing on that resume. If you don't have a job or can't find one then volunteer somewhere. You'll be busy, have a reference for a future job, feel better about yourself and life, and most of all...meet new people.

No joke. If you're hurting, find someone who is hurting more and help them.

Really, that is all you can say, is volunteer for something? What the hell should I volunteer for? I have no clue what to do.

Volunteer for Loaves & Fishes or at a soup kitchen. It's easy, it's only a couple hours once a week and you can volunteer weekly or monthly just let them know in advance when you are available.

Everyone should do something like this at least once. It will be a very humbling experience and it'll give you some perspective as to just how horrible your life isn't.

TV's Frink said:

Gaffer Tape said:

I don't drink.  I've never smoked... anything.  I've never taken any mind-altering substances.  Well, except for when my wisdom teeth were taken out when I was 16.  That was fun!

Except for the fact that I have an occasional beer or glass of wine, this post might as well have been written by me.  Even the wisdom teeth at 16 thing!

I would recommend experimenting with your consciousness at least once, not because it's cool or fun, but just because it is a unique experience. When people say it expands the mind they aren't joking...except for when they are.

generalfrevious said:

I have no friends, no money, no future, and no help.

 

Dr. Dork is here. ;)

You're being overly dramatic but I'm guessing you believe all that is true. I work at a halfway house and one of the things we do is help clients develop a support group (family, friends, coworkers, etc).

Wanna know what the easy/fastest way is to make a friend? It's not a bar or a church. It's volunteering. Volunteer somewhere where there will be other volunteers. You won't be coworkers, just two people with kind hearts and at least one thing in common (the place you volunteer).

Volunteering also helps you feel better about yourself because you are helping others even when you yourself feel you are the one needing help. We all need help sometimes.

Volunteering is also HUGE on a resume even if it's the only thing on that resume. If you don't have a job or can't find one then volunteer somewhere. You'll be busy, have a reference for a future job, feel better about yourself and life, and most of all...meet new people.

No joke. If you're hurting, find someone who is hurting more and help them.

bkev said:

 

walkingdork said:
As for long term effects I think addiction and the risk of death make alcohol way more dangerous than weed could ever be. The only long term effects from weed you really have to worry about is lung cancer and that can be greatly reduced by using a vaporizer (or even a bong). Eating it of course eliminates that risk all together but who can afford to do that regularly?

Believe me, I have a family history. My mother's liver essentially does not function. I'm very aware of how it can go wrong, I've watched it happen, so I'll know if it does.

Agreed mildly on the "other world" comment regarding shrooms. Damn, now I DO want to write about my experience. I'll get back to you on that one, but I'll probably just link it to a post from my blog. Because it's definitely gonna be tl;dr for this thread.

edit: oh @Leo: YES. That's another part of why I quit, I put on 20 pounds last summer and I can attribute at least 15 of them to the munchies.

 

It was like 4 grams of shrooms. The friend I mentioned has done 10g several times a used to tell everyone it is a religious experience. Unlike weed where smoking more and more does not add to your high, tripping will get crazy weird the more you mushrooms you eat.

If you write it, I'll read it.

The trick to handling the munchies is drinking a lot of water and putting good food in front of you. Eating stuff like almonds will give you that chewing on food nonstop sensation, but yeah, thinking you are going to make a pizza and only eat part of it is a mistake. So is going to a grocery store high. Nothing says "I'm high" than checking out with chocolate milk, fruit candy, and a pumpkin pie.

Speaking of drinking I need to bitch about something.

In our town of 50,000 people we have one main street where most bars are located. This isn't NYC or anything so if you want a cab you need to call for one and wait for them to show up. Recently the police (not city council) have designated two spots on Main St where you can get a cab. Cabs are no longer allowed to pick you up in front of the bar you called from.

That is absolute bullshit. It's silly to make drunk people walk a few blocks to a designated spot to wait in line for a cab. As the winter comes it will be below freezing most of the time, people are not going to do this. People are already not doing this. Most people I've talked to in bars have said, "fuck that, I'll drive home."

It's already hard to convince some people they need a cab, I think this new rule just creates crimes that are completely unnecessary. There will surely be an increase of drunk driving and if people are walking down the street wasted I'm sure there will be an increase in public intoxication, fighting, and other crimes. We already live in a state that is known for drinking (more bars in the Milwaukee area than in all of Minnesota) and drunk driving isn't looked down on as much as I assume it is in most states, why create more incentive to drive drunk???

Bar owners hate this rule because they lose business if people leave early because they would rather drive sober than walk, wait in line, and pay to get home. Also since it used to take 20-minutes for a cab to show up that's one more drink they are going to serve. Cab drivers hate this because instead of picking people up as needed they are driving into these high traffic areas with impatient drunks who are arguing over who gets the next cab.

Dumb

bkev said:

Shrooms just made me very bubbly and laughy and then they went downhill when I realized I actually had things to do in the morning. It's something I could probably describe in detail in person, but would end up tl;dr in text and/or might get lost in translation (actually I should get back into writing. Maybe that would be a good place to start.)

I remember someone getting me mushrooms in high school and I insisted that it was enough for 2-3 people. He told me to trust him and eat all of it. He was someone I trusted very much and he just got high so he could watch me and make sure I didn't do something stupid. It never left the chair.

It was like being in another dimension or another consciousness. I was completely unaware of my surroundings. So hard to explain but when I go into details about it some people say that it I should try DMT which is apparently out of this world.

After a while (not sure how long) I was tripping, but able to move around and interact in the normal fun way (crazy visuals, geeking out about anything, etc.).

As for weed, I started fucking up my grades so I wanted to cut it out. But then I tried again recently, and all I said to myself was "well, this is nice, but I don't really need it." And I was very proud of myself for it.

yeah, it's nice to be able to walk away from it on a whim. I was able to keep my grades up in college by being able to set it aside when I needed to for projects, exams, finals, etc.

I still drink, but pretty much on weekends only. The long-term effects seem less crippling than those of marijuana (unless I end up with a problem, which - trust me - isn't happening) so I mostly prefer that.

I drink as well and more so now that I have not been able to smoke. Probably get drunk once a week but I will say that hangovers are a huge reason I'd rather be high.

As for long term effects I think addiction and the risk of death make alcohol way more dangerous than weed could ever be. The only long term effects from weed you really have to worry about is lung cancer and that can be greatly reduced by using a vaporizer (or even a bong). Eating it of course eliminates that risk all together but who can afford to do that regularly?

The Front - starring and directed by Woody Allen

Good movie about red scare blacklisting in Hollywood. Some people don't like Woody Allen. I am not one of those people.

Videodrome - starring James Woods

Pretty sure everyone has seen this movie. First time I saw it start to finish (I had seen the ending several times unfortunately). If you haven't seen it, you should but beware there is some graphic parts and the kissing sound effects are pretty gross.

bkev said:

Did someone say weed? I AM from Southern California...


loljk I got bored of that stuff

I haven't actually smoked for a few months now. I just had my second interview for an IT position in a hospital. They are definitely going to piss test me (they fuckin better!) so I had to take a break.

I've taken breaks in the past, it's just nice to clear your mind especially if you are smoking regularly like I tend to do in 1 month spurts. It definitely gets boring if it's all you do or if you are with people who insist on smoking before doing ANYTHING else.

I would like to try mushrooms once in my adult life since I haven't done it since high school and it's a interesting experience. Unfortunately I don't have the drug connections I had in high school so it's unlikely.

darth_ender said:

Alright, I'm smiling as I say this, and after only a short time.  I can't keep up the joke any longer, partly because I worry about folks who already think I'm too snippy or sensitive, and also because I worry about making other folks feel bad.  Surprisingly, Frink really did ignore me when I teased him, so I wrote him to make sure he wasn't offended.  He told me, "Of course not!" but then suggested we start some drama.  I'm sorry ol' boy, but I just couldn't keep the drama going.  I'm too self conscious of my Christ-like image ;)  Thanks everyone for your concern.

BTW, I have a feeling that someone will continue to play, but I no longer can.

so....wanna smoke weed?

darth_ender said:

So I've decided TV's Frink is a jerk!  He pokes fun at everyone, then ignores me for making fun of his age!  What a hypocritical dirtbag!

Now, now, if you want represent Christ, represent Christ...or come to the dark side, we get to say fuck and smoke weed without the shame afterwards. ;)

darth_ender said:

Actually, you'd be pleased to know that I recently unignored you, since you don't have Miss Erica's head and shoulders in your profile pic :) 

Wait what? Did you ignore him because of Erica Campbell's bare shoulder??

But since Frink is the topic of my whining, I will just say that a year and a half of looking at his idiotic one-liners and hotlinking has finally hit a nerve...the guy can sure dish it, but he can't take it! >:(

To be honest, I like Frink's one-liners. Without them (and funny comments from others) this forum would be too serious (especially the politics thread that gets way too tense). Maybe I haven't been around often enough or I'm not reading the right threads but I haven't seen him not be able to take it. I will say everyone should be able to take it whether they dish it or not...it's the internet, get over it or get off (not directed at anyone).

TV's Frink said:

Meh, it's not a big deal.  I just don't like giant walls of text, or people who can't deal with it.

I agree on the walls of text. If you can't make your point in a paragraph or two then I wonder if you 1) are bullshiting and think writing more will make people think you know what you are talking about or 2) like hearing yourself talk or think what you have to say is just so damn important (again, not directed at anyone).

EDIT: okay, it's directed at everyone in the politics thread (I'm sure I'm guilty as well)

generalfrevious said:

walkingdork said:

@GF

So you are depressed and will never be whole inside because of a movie you've never even seen before? I can't imagine how you'll react when they change the character on the box of your favorite breakfast cereal. Tucan Sam! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Everyone here bitches endlessly about the treatment SW and Indiana Jones gets on blu-ray, so why can't I talk about children of paradise. Go to criterionforum.org to get a more detailed explanation of the video quality.

you're right everyone does bitch about SW's treatment, but none with as much drama as you (sometimes).

Mrebo said:

walkingdork said:

Mrebo said:

If we are to talk of philosophical consistency, what of pro-choice people who believe foremost in the autonomy of the woman and her domain over her own body but think abortion should generally prohibited at later gestational stages?

The process of late term abortion is pretty morbid. I'm in favor of laws against it as a compromise with pro-lifers and an incentive for people to get their abortions before the fetus is fully formed.

I'm sure it's not compromise for the sake of compromise. The incentive part makes sense as policy, though I don't know how many women it would hurry along in their decision. I think it's pretty clear that you just recognize the terribleness of the act and that unless it is truly necessary to save the woman's life or something at that late stage, it's not necessary.

I think even the most liberal pro-choice folks would be against late term abortion. I had the process explained to me at length and was just horrified. I also think that everyone can agree that a baby at that stage can probably have some conscious thoughts and can certainly feel pain.

Should women be able to choose to have a late term abortion? Probably, but I am seriously against it since at that point the brain is the same as it will be the day it is born.

It's a good illustration how a moral philosophy - autonomy of the woman in this case - can give way to reality without voiding its validity. It's disturbing to kill a fetus with a near-complete brain, formed fingers and toes, a beating heart. It can seem more palatable to cut the development short at an earlier stage. That it is more gruesome for us to consider means we can 'control a woman's body'? I think we all know it's more complicated. I think it's unfortunate so many reject the pro-life side out of fear that all abortion will become illegal.

I agree that it is more complicated than a woman's right to choose, but at the end of the day the woman should be able to make that decision.

darth_ender said:

Or the inconsistency of those who favor letting a child who was born alive in a failed abortion to simply die?

My grandpa always said you can fix anything with a hammer...

My grandfather also reportedly held that view.

first and only time I ever heard my great grandfather swear was when he asked my dad if he needed a "BFG" to fix his car that was giving him trouble. He then laughed and said "a big fucking hammer will fix anything." My grandpa (his son) also says something similar when electronics give him trouble.

Mrebo said:

If we are to talk of philosophical consistency, what of pro-choice people who believe foremost in the autonomy of the woman and her domain over her own body but think abortion should generally prohibited at later gestational stages?

The process of late term abortion is pretty morbid. I'm in favor of laws against it as a compromise with pro-lifers and an incentive for people to get their abortions before the fetus is fully formed.

Should women be able to choose to have a late term abortion? Probably, but I am seriously against it since at that point the brain is the same as it will be the day it is born.

darth_ender said:

Or the inconsistency of those who favor letting a child who was born alive in a failed abortion to simply die?

My grandpa always said you can fix anything with a hammer...

@GF

So you are depressed and will never be whole inside because of a movie you've never even seen before? I can't imagine how you'll react when they change the character on the box of your favorite breakfast cereal. Tucan Sam! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Warbler said:

walkingdork said:

But if the pregnant mother of my potential child was in mortal danger I'd want to have an abortion...and I would not consider it murder.

of course the life of the mother has to be considered.   Even if I believe that the fetus is human life with the same rights as you or I,  the mother has just as much right to live. 

But a mother dying because of complications is more natural than abortion wouldn't you agree? So you would "murder" an unborn child to save a woman from a tragic but natural death?

And don't give me the "but a child cannot live without its mother" response that Darth_Ender likes to use. Nowadays a child absolutely CAN live without it's mother. If a child is born and the mother dies during labor the nurse doesn't just set the child on its mother's corpse and hope for the best. They find acceptable people to adopt and care for that child.

Unfortunately there are very few good scifi movies that have come out in the last 3 years so I was happy to at least a scifi thriller with a budget.

Bingowings said:

Or maybe he is puffing his chest up at pride over his purchase of a double-ended fisting dildo.

Jesus Christ, I cried I was laughing so hard.

I'm 30 and still can't grow a decent beard (which is completely fine for shaving purposes). I haven't let it grow beyond a week because I have to take my kids to school and don't want to look like garbage while doing so.

bicycle

CP3S said:

darth_ender said:

You clearly see that there are certain inescapable morals built into us genetically, even if you don't believe in a Supreme Being who governs right and wrong.

I say this because I don't believe you'd have access to this site from prison ;)

I don't believe we have morals built into us genetically. In fact, I think the very idea is rather silly. I am a firm believer that morals are developed culturally. Nor do I think they are inescapable. You can look at other cultures and at history and see that not every person, or even every culture, or society ascribed to these inescapable, innate, supposedly God imprinted morals.

 

Word.

DuracellEnergizer said:

I've had the urge to watch the Evil Dead films - the first two, anyway - for over a week now, but can't because I don't own any of the films and they're not being shown on TV >=(

There's another way....

I think we can all agree that this election is not coming soon enough. Let's do this already so we can go back to having conversations with each other that don't involve a certain two people. Wouldn't mind not getting peppered with advertisements related to national and local elections either. Shit is Cray-Zay!

darth_ender said:

walkingdork said:

I think abortion is generally a bad idea and if you can avoid it you should. But no part of me thinks it's murder or that an incomplete zygote has any rights. That's how I can come to the conclusion that if you are raped or incest is involved you should be allowed to have an abortion.

In response to the underlined sentence, since a zygote lasts for 4 days (not sure what an incomplete zygote is, but a complete one), is abortion not permitted afterwards?  I understand, I'm playing a bit with semantics here, and I suspect you are referring more to a "bunch of cells," not a formed creature with all the emotions and sensations of a more developed person. 

Yeah, whatever, fetus, fine. They are incomplete people.

But still, it's worth considering.  At what point do we consider a genetically distinct human worth having human rights? 

Birth!

I would prefer to err on the side of caution as much as possible.  BTW, I appreciate your first sentence in this paragraph very much (italicized).  Even if the country never came round to my way of thinking, I'd be so happy if it at least came around to yours.  But the sad truth is that abortions today are simply another form of contraception to far too many.

and I don't think people should use abortion as a wily nily form of abortion either, but I'm not about to tell how to make that choice. I'm definitely against any law that makes that decision for women.

If I believed that abortion was, without a doubt, murder then there would be no excuse for it. After all, I would never let my children be killed so that I could live. But if the pregnant mother of my potential child was in mortal danger I'd want to have an abortion...and I would not consider it murder.

 This is a good point.  And I admit I don't liken it exactly to murder.  However, I suppose this is more because I don't think most feel they are committing murder, so I'd see them as ignorant killers rather than murderers.  But again comparing to my conjoined twins comparison above, sometimes a choice must be made.  I'd side with the mother for various reasons: 1) if she dies, the child will die anyway in most cases, unless we're getting later down the road; 2) the needs of other family members are in consideration here as well, considering the death of the mother will probably be much harder on the family than the death of the child; 3) many who say they'd take a bullet for their kids might actually be unable to do so when the time came--and I wouldn't necessarily fault them for it--they may have not had the willpower, but that doesn't mean they didn't love their child unconditionally; 4) the suffering of the mother will be far more than that of the child, and for that reason, when choosing between two lives, I'd choose the one with the more peaceful death.

I think you and I have probably talked about this to death so I won't comment further. My statement was address to warbler because I don't think I've heard his response that my thinking (although I believe several have brought it up already).

I wouldn't consider it murder either.  I'd consider it the right choice in difficult circumstances.  But I don't consider killing born humans always the wrong choice either--there are appropriate times when someone must die.  If a killer entered my house with the intent to kill, when it comes down to him or me living, I choose me (sorry Bingo :P).  I hope I never have to take another life in any circumstance, but if I have to do it, I'd hope I again make the right choice under difficult circumstances.

Self defense is one thing but what is your feeling about people after the fact? What if you aren't home when someone comes into your house and kills a member of your family? when they convict him/her 6 months later with live in prison without parole would you demand he be put to death?

I probably would I don't have a big problem with capital punishment for 1st degree murder (when there is ZERO chance he is innocent). Although when I hear cases of the victim's family demanding that capital punishment not be used I think they should have the right to be heard.

Thank you for the very thoughtful post expressing the opposite POV. :)

Up yours pal. ;)