So, are you going to be kind of scarce for awhile?
Yes. At the moment, I live in Ellensburg, on a couch, in a friend's apartment. It is not the worst couch ever, though it is not going to win any attention from Better Homes & Gardens. OK, so it is pretty bad for sitting, but it is all right for sleeping, which is what I am doing on it, because I am technically homeless, because: Driving from where I am at while writing this (my ancestral childhood family home) is neither desirable or feasible, assuming I want to have money to spend on anything other than gasoline. Also, I am lazy, way way lazy, and sort of did not want to live on campus again anyway, so it was easy to not sign up for a dorm.
Anyway, a side effect of this is that my internet access is now primarily at the mercy of others, and while largely benevolent, they have their own needs.
On the crazy off chance anyone wanted to get in contact with you, how could they go about doing so?
Well, they can't, really, not directly. I have no e-mail of my own. Messages sent to my Official Address as linked to on the Flare main page will get to me, eventually, but do not expect a quick reply. All my personal networks not powered by food or gasoline are going to be very dim for the near future.
In a way it is oddly liberating. I have no phone, no address, physical or otherwise, or indeed any other contact information that currently can connect someone to me directly. I have not brought my computer. (Before anyone begins to think I am now living a life of monklike quiet, it should be known that, four feet from my fold-out couch home is a Playstation 2, Nintendo GameCube, DVD player, and even a Super Nintendo, all connected to a television larger than any I've ever had exclusive access to. This can be somewhat detrimental to prompt appointment keeping, incidently.
How long can this go on?
I don't know. My plan is to get a hefty check from the federal government, eager as it is to further the goals of sad-eyed philosophy students such as myself, and soon, after which point I will go out and rent a place all my own, hopefully one that comes with basic amenities like hot water, electricity, and broadband. Why this city, and every other one on the planet, is not flooded with free wi-fi connected to heroically large data pipes is beyond me. This is surely a public good of the first order.
It would help if I had another job, too.
Did you go see Neal Stephenson at his book reading in Seattle?
And how! He seems friendly and smart and relaxed, and he signed my copy of Quicksilver. Plus I bought several other books with money probably better spent on textbooks, alas. I also had some odd personal reactions to wandering around the University of Washington campus and surrounding areas. Cities are scary and disorienting places. How does anyone live in them?
That's about it. I'm supposed to be learning how to program this quarter, with Java as my guide. And now it seems I've said everything here and have nothing left for my weblog. I am spread too thin these days.
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
*sigh* Having to say this is becoming all too common around here:
...the fuck? Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
So, why are you seemingly on, however nonresponsively, ICQ?
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
I am not sure how I can explain things to you more clearly, short of slicing off the tops of both our skulls and directly ladling my brain into yours. Flow charts? Powerpoint?
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Tim's dreaded typing skillz trip me up yet again.
But, re: that:
quote: where I am at while writing this (my ancestral childhood family home)
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
I understood, it's just...odd and random.
Hence the fuck.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
I am unconvinced the topic deviates significantly from the Lounge mean.
Posted by Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
I am concerned that this may mean I will have too much time left to my own devices, which will invariably result in my messing things up with The Girl in History.
The result of a daring bout of recon, I now know her name.
But, Simon is on the way up.
Posted by Cartman (Member # 256) on :
Watch out, civilization!
So, Simon, being the unperson that you currently are, how do you intend to leave your grand mark on society? I am curious, you see, as my own situation somewhat mirrors yours (except for the homeless part), and would like to be in the Loop of Things.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Step 1: Live the college student high life while a) finishing my philosophy degree and b) starting a computer science degree.
Step 2: Publish.
Step 3: Bask in fame and wealth.
Like, say, I've got this interest in going Way Up North, so perhaps Trendy Magazine might want to give me a laptop and a satellite modem and pay me to visit various beautiful arctic lands.
Though probably in the immediate post-college future I'll look for a job sort of like the one I have now, only better, which is to say, some sort of copyediting. Or I will discover that I really do have a knack for science, and I will have to balance my arctic adventures with attending Nobel ceremonies.
There's still a program at MIT that I'd like to enroll in, but, I don't know. MIT! It is not the easiest place to go. I guess I should probably start thinking about applying for next year.
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
You're a philosophy student?
Then this will be good practice for when you really are homeless. Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
Sure, he should be an aspiring librarian. Then he won't be homeless, he'll just have to live with his parents for a decade after he graduates.
I shaved my head last night.
Posted by Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
Perfidious Simon, I am sort of saddened that there is no mention of any step 1.5 or step 2.5, involving, in perhaps no particular order: Canadian Next Best Thing, Terrifica.
Step 3 would be like, given.
Also, computer science is like, they don't need any more of them, I am sure.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
So you have no phone, e-mail or residence? *Cut to scene of Sol System hitching down the road while the piano music from The Incredible Hulk plays sorrowfully in the bakjground.* Beware of reporters named "McGee". Posted by Saltah'na (Member # 33) on :
quote:Originally posted by First of Two: You're a philosophy student?
Then this will be good practice for when you really are homeless.
I guess I will sum it up like this (as mentioned in a comic in U-of-T's Philosophy Department): "Final Exam: What will you do with a degree in Philosophy?"
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
quote:Originally posted by Malnurtured Snay: I shaved my head last night.
Good, now it will be completely indistinguishable from your ass.
And FYI, Benson, at least I had a job for the entirety of the FIVE years I lived at home.
Posted by Tora Regina (Member # 53) on :
"Final Exam: What will you do with a degree in Philosophy?"
I get asked that a lot, since I'm graduating in December. But I do have an answer: anything I want! Writing is a versatile skill to have. Your college degree is not the rest of your life, after all. If you can't stand engineering, an engineering degree would be worthless to you. What about money, you say? Do what you love, and either a)money will follow or b)you won't care.
Posted by Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
Chances are someone who hates Engineering would not have an Engineering Degree. And if they did, well, they are dumb.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Not really. I have a Graphic Design and Visual Communications degree (that means "Commercial Art") but found that I HATED the ad world. Still, with any degree, you can find several uses other than a specific niche.
Philosiphy could be expanded on to include anthropology or even the study of aincent greek law. It could even be stretched to include cross cultural negotiations between foreign governments or corperations. Tora could get really corrupt and become the President some day. Then, of course, she's crush you like an ant. Posted by Grokca (Member # 722) on :
quote:And FYI, Benson, at least I had a job for the entirety of the FIVE years I lived at home.
Parents kicked you out at 5, understandable.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
quote:Good, now it will be completely indistinguishable from your ass.
I didn't shave my ass, I shaved my head.
quote:And FYI, Benson, at least I had a job for the entirety of the FIVE years I lived at home.
You're right Rob - I lived at home for sixteen years without a job. Then do you know what happened? I turned 16 and got a job. I've been working pretty much full-time since then: Subway, Blockbuster, Sam Goody's, Domino's, Papa John's, Pizza Connection, Villa Pizza, Chi-Chi's, Bertucci's Brick Oven Pizza, Towson U's Writing Lab ...
I was able to move out on my own a few months before my 21st birthday, and for much of last year I was working 60+ hours a week at three different jobs, plus going to school full-time. This semester I'm slacking - 50 hours a week, one full time job, one part time job, and 15 credits.
The point is, those people who are too lazy to get jobs so they can afford their own places, and mooch off mom & dad, have no business making fun of philosophy majors for being 'homeless.'
Posted by Mucus (Member # 24) on :
Man, I can just feel the love in this room.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Love? This is Flare man. While it has wonders to sate desires both subtle and gross, it's not for the timid. Posted by Tora Regina (Member # 53) on :
Jason: I'm an English (creative writing) major, not quite philosophy, but there are similarities.
You'd be surprised how many people (engineers, doctors included) got their "useful" degree and then realized it was what their parents wanted, what society wanted, and not what they wanted. So they end up going back to school or getting a job that has nothing to do with their degree. But in my opinion those are still smarter choices than staying in the job you hate and waiting for retirement. Better late than never.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
quote:I'm an English (creative writing) major
Me too!
Posted by Fleet-Admiral Michael T. Colorge (Member # 144) on :
Thank god I have a Political Science major...
I can either become an anal lawyer or a oral politician.
Posted by Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
Ba-doom-chh.
Thank you, good night, tip your waitresses.
ONE NIGHT ONLY!
The Hilton-Mirage-Plaza-Hilton.
Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
I work and sleep in a van four nights a week....
I get three nights in an actual house, which feels kind of odd after the van and the jets at Midway...
Speaking of which, are their any Flarites in the Chicago area???
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
quote:Originally posted by Malnurtured Snay: You're right Rob - I lived at home for sixteen years without a job. Then do you know what happened? I turned 16 and got a job. I've been working pretty much full-time since then: Subway, Blockbuster, Sam Goody's, Domino's, Papa John's, Pizza Connection, Villa Pizza, Chi-Chi's, Bertucci's Brick Oven Pizza, Towson U's Writing Lab ...
I was able to move out on my own a few months before my 21st birthday, and for much of last year I was working 60+ hours a week at three different jobs, plus going to school full-time. This semester I'm slacking - 50 hours a week, one full time job, one part time job, and 15 credits.
The point is, those people who are too lazy to get jobs so they can afford their own places, and mooch off mom & dad, have no business making fun of philosophy majors for being 'homeless.'
Cry me the Potomac.
The whole "Philosophy majors are not employable/stoned/loony" thing is a joke that dates back to the 60's, if not earlier. The character of Charlotte, in "Lost in Translation."
Linda Emery: "A philosophy major? Now, what can you do with a philosophy major?" Bruce Lee: "You can think deep thoughts about being unemployed."
"As a member of the Department of Philosophy, I speak from experience here. Almost every parent of a philosophy major initially thinks: "Oh my God! What are they doing? How are they going to pay the rent?"
I can imagine the discussion now: It'll take place at the kitchen or dining room table, maybe during Thanksgiving break. "Hey, Dad and Mom," your son or daughter will say nonchalantly, "I've decided that biochemistry/computer science -- whatever -- just isn't me, and so I've switched my major to . . . " -- and at this point he or she puts a spoonful of mashed potatoes in his or her mouth to muffle the sound -- "philosophy." And, quickly, images of your child handing out burgers at the local fast-food restaurant enter your mind." -- Provost John Etchemendy, Stanford
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
There are far better degrees to use if you want to play the "You'll end up unemployed" joke card. Communications. Media Studies. Klingon. And so forth.
Simon: No chance you fancy moving to Liverpool for a year? It would really, really help me out with rent. And, er, living somewhere. Which I don't have at the moment. I sleep on friend's couches. WE ARE THE SAME!!!
Jeff: Why?
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
Rob,
And since you were an English major, a major known as "poverty", ("What are you majoring in?" "Poverty ... I mean, English"), one would think that your own situation would rear its ugly head before you deride Simon.
Liam,
Why ... what?
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
My English major was merely the first step towards getting my Library Science degree.
You are right in thinking that English Major is not the most employable field.
On the other hand, when coupled with anything else, such as Education (which I also took many classes in)... Well, are there more English teachers and professors (and thusly, more job opportunities), or more Philosophy?
(The answer, BTW, is that there are far more English teachers and professors. If my own college experience is any indication, English profs outnumber Philosophy profs about 8 to 1.)
But what it boils down to is: Your skin is too fucking thin. AND, Simon doesn't need YOU "defending" him. He's a bright boy, and will probably have a successful career, even for a Philosophy major.
I was making a joke. Everybody knows it. Your obsessive, pathological Rob-hatred has made you react irrationally. Seek therapy, quickly.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
Whatever Rob. You're a conservative who moans and bitches about welfare-queens, but doesn't see the irony in being too lazy to get a second or a third job or whatever it took to move out on your own, instead choosing to blame your employers for your low pay. You're the one with the thin skin, and on instances like this when you're pegged so squarely, all you can do is fume and rage and bemoan your sad existence. Y'know, you're sort of like a mouse stuck in a mouse-trap saying "Hey, why you gotta be a playa'-hata'?" But, see, in the same manner as the mouse in question is mistaking the attention as directed entirely at him alone, so are you mistaking a hatred for hipocitical conservatives as some sort of agenda directed again you alone. Whatever, Rob, frankly, you're just not that memorable.
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
You're stuck in some bizarre kind a time warp, Jeffy. Probably because you have no connection to reality. I've never, EVER used the phrase "welfare queen," I haven't said word one about my salary in almost TWO YEARS (except to note its dramatic increase when I got a NEW JOB.) And in any case, YOU'RE the one moaning about his existence in this thread. I didn't say a thing about it until you brought it up.
Whatever. I do believe that you've finally convinced me that you're COMPLETELY insane.
Posted by CaptainMike20X6 (Member # 709) on :
the flameboard is starting to leak.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
Rob,
Oh, but Rob, I do know that. I know that after moaning about your low salary you finally got off your lazy ass and got a better paying job - wasn't that about when you moved out on your own? I mean, I'm the kind of guy who would've gotten a second or a third job to support myself, rather then be a financial burden to my parents. I guess it's the liberal in me, seeking to pay my own way.
Posted by Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
I think I am as liberal as they come, but I don't really care much, but back when I was in college, I let my parents pay for me.
Of course, this was when tuition cost less than water.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Surely you are in college now, being only 20?
Jeff: Why...the shaved head? Are you trying to look dangerous?
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
quote:Originally posted by Malnurtured Snay: DROOL...
Given that I paid for everything from the food I ate to the electricity I used, and that I provided a free source of physical labor (keeping 73 acres of forest and field fit and trim isn't exactly cake for people in their fifties, you know - try resurfacing a red-dog road on a hill after a thunderstorm washes it out sometime)*, the idea that I was a "financial burden" to my parents when I had a job and lived at home is... well, we're back to your being insane again. My parents never paid a cent for my upkeep after I got that job. The ONLY thing I saved money on was rent. And since my parents OWN their home, they paid the same in taxes whether I lived there or not.
*And they returned the favor by acting as cheap labor when I renovated my apartment before I moved in.
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
quote:Originally posted by PsyLiam: Surely you are in college now, being only 20?
Jeff: Why...the shaved head? Are you trying to look dangerous?
I assumed it was for the surgery.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
I'd respond to Rob, but really, there's only so much whining I can deal with.
Liam: it's the sexy!
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
quote:Originally posted by Malnurtured Snay: I'd respond to Rob, but really, there's only so much whining I can deal with.
Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you, since you've done nothing BUT whine since this thread started.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
Whatever Rob. Face it - you made a comment about Simon's "homeless" lifestyle, and when I made a similar comment about your own situation, you flew off the handle. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
I could just feel the love in this thread as soon as I clicked in. . .
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
It's a very lovely thread.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"Whatever Rob."
I'd say that pretty well sums up the mindset being applied to this... what do you call it? Arguement? Debate? Childish bickering?
I think the general sentiment of "you suck/no, you suck" has been adequately expressed. Why don't you just move in together so you can do this all day, and we don't have to know about it?
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)