The "What's on your mind?" thread

[Markgway]

Originally Posted by Batman1980

I wouldn't be able to live like that - I use my phone for music, a pedometer and to keep myself from going crazy during breaks at work.

Is that to measure pedos?

[Cevolution]

Originally Posted by Markgway

Is that to measure pedos?

If it were, it would read positive for half the weird socially challenged individuals on here.

[dgoswald]

Originally Posted by Groot

I haven't touched my cellphone all day. It's kinda weird to suddenly break the habit of immediate texting and checking emails. I've got much more done lately not being phone-centric tho. I was thinking earlier how some stuff that should be of a concern aren't anymore. I'm super content.

I switched off my tablet for good at the beginning of August, and I returned a smartphone I bought a few weeks ago in exchange for a standard Nokia. I realised over the course of the past few years how much time I was letting go to waste due to falling into the habit of "browsing" stuff I don't need to see. It's tough at first, but I find my time management has improved, and my sleeping patterns are also better. Granted, I wasn't one of the hardcore types who had their nose stuck to their screen all day, but it was starting to become an issue for me, so I nipped it in the bud.

Originally Posted by Markgway

Is that to measure pedos?

When there's one nearby, the device emits the smell of hammers.

Originally Posted by dallywhitty

It's 4.22am and I'm listening to Sonny and Cher. What is my life?

Please don't tell me you've got "I've Got You Babe" stuck in a loop.

[Groot]

Originally Posted by dgoswald

I switched off my tablet for good at the beginning of August, and I returned a smartphone I bought a few weeks ago in exchange for a standard Nokia. I realised over the course of the past few years how much time I was letting go to waste due to falling into the habit of "browsing" stuff I don't need to see. It's tough at first, but I find my time management has improved, and my sleeping patterns are also better. Granted, I wasn't one of the hardcore types who had their nose stuck to their screen all day, but it was starting to become an issue for me, so I nipped it in the bud.

I didn't realize how much a negative influence it was being. I was ignoring things around me for micro knowledge of stuff I shouldn't have been concerned with anyway. Kinda tapping into a digital world all the time kinda skewed my thinking and after basically putting it to a side for a little bit has been refreshing. I haven't been on my iPad much in the last few months and since this new revelation I have only used it to pay bills or used it to pull up some recipes. It's nice just not knowing everything going on for once.

[Will.]

Originally Posted by Cevolution

If it were, it would read positive for half the weird socially challenged individuals on here.

Aaaaaand....suspended

[RageATL]

Originally Posted by Groot

I didn't realize how much a negative influence it was being. I was ignoring things around me for micro knowledge of stuff I shouldn't have been concerned with anyway. Kinda tapping into a digital world all the time kinda skewed my thinking and after basically putting it to a side for a little bit has been refreshing. I haven't been on my iPad much in the last few months and since this new revelation I have only used it to pay bills or used it to pull up some recipes. It's nice just not knowing everything going on for once.

I've done the same...I have made a conscious effort to do so in the past year or so and life is so much better for it. I started by getting off of Facebook for good a while back (one of the best things I've ever done and I didn't even use it that much) and that kinda started my rethinking of the whole device thing. Not sure if you're a fan of Louis CK, but even if you're not, it's a GREAT video/message that folks like us should watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HbYScltf1c

[Groot]

Originally Posted by RageATL

I've done the same...I have made a conscious effort to do so in the past year or so and life is so much better for it. I started by getting off of Facebook for good a while back (one of the best things I've ever done and I didn't even use it that much) and that kinda started my rethinking of the whole device thing. Not sure if you're a fan of Louis CK, but even if you're not, it's a GREAT video/message that folks like us should watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HbYScltf1c

I adore Louis CK, thanks for sharing!

He summed it up with the "not wanting to be alone" part, if you are constantly texting/tweeting/reddit commenting/etc you always feel connected and part of a group. I don't want that anymore. It took a big event recently and my own parents to sit me down and were like...what are you doing all the time looking at a phone? Stop. They didn't want me like everyone else who is just blindly going out staring at a device and not the world. I saw their point after I reflected on it and really accounted for all the time spent without real human interaction, just digital blips.

It's crazy how much and how fast it can get out of hand without realizing it. I work on a computer so I'm still at my desk a bit, but my iPad is tucked away and my phone isn't within arms reach. It's been a good change, I've even slept better as I don't have the bright lights of my devices messing up my sleep schedule.

[dallywhitty]

Originally Posted by Will.

Aaaaaand....suspended

He got suspended just for that?

[Will.]

Originally Posted by dallywhitty

He got suspended just for that?

I have no idea. But I do think it was mean.

[Batman1980]

I only got to 6.76 miles in my hour long treadmill session tonight, disappointed because I was expecting at least 6.80 after hitting 6.71 on Tuesday. Definitely going to crank it up a notch during my Sunday morning run to try to boost my output next week!

[Gamma_Winstead]

Originally Posted by dallywhitty

He got suspended just for that?

Yup.

[Markgway]

Getting suspended should be like a badge of honour.

Like if you say something really outrageous and everyone's like "that dude's got balls, man".

But here it's too easy. Where's the challenge?

[quirkmanly]

Originally Posted by Gamma_Winstead

Yup.

Wrong.

[Gamma_Winstead]

Originally Posted by quirkmanly

Wrong.

Alright.

[C. Anton]

Did Dalek get banned again, or is he still banned from the last time he was banned, after being suspended?

[master gandhi]

Originally Posted by rdodolak

Maybe work on talking yourself into a state by listing all of the pros of the state being considered over California.

The real trouble is not about deciding where to move. It's about sticking with that decision long enough for it to someday become a reality. I find all kinds of reasons to move to a city/state and get all psyched for it, and then I find out certain bad things that make me think twice. Ultimately, those new things I learn leave a bad taste in my mouth and I end up not wanting to move there anymore for a while, until maybe I talk myself back into it, and the cycle continues. heh

I've thought about:
- Henderson, NV (you can get a brand new house for a decent price, plus Vegas is close, not that I'd go there much, and there isn't much else drawing me to it)
- Temecula, CA (not far from San Diego, and it has a dog park we like, but it gets hot and I'm not sure it offers much)
- Concord, CA (because it's close to my parents, but we could only afford crappy older condos there)
- Bend, OR (because we saw it on HGTV and it looked nice, but then I read that after the market crash it's been kind of downhill with poverty and crime; who knows)
- Flagstaff, AZ (because my cousin wants to move there, and it does seem like an ideal place to live weather-wise if you are living in AZ, which they are now, just not Flagstaff yet, because the rest of AZ is just really hot)
- San Antonio, TX (because Austin isn't too far, and it seems like the next best place to live in TX, but TX might not be for us because of floods and tornados and heat)
- Vancouver, WA (this is a new one; someone said people live there because there's no income tax, and then they cross over into OR to shop because there's no sales tax there, plus WA seems woodsy, which is appealing, but I guess cold)

There have been others that I've entertained, but these ones still float around in my head.

I grew up in Northern California and now I've been in Southern California for ten years. My wife graduated from Fresno State in Central California, so we've pretty much seen California. We'd like to move someplace that doesn't bring up memories, not that our lives have been terrible. It's just that we want to start anew somewhere. Kind of like a second life. Blaze our own trail, so to speak. I admire my two cousins that have left CA.

It's not easy to leave CA, because once you leave, it's nearly impossible to afford to return. CA is pretty great weather-wise and has a lot to offer beyond that, but it's so crowded and over-priced, it seems like we could live a better life elsewhere.

I'm not a career-minded person. I went to school for film and pursued it for a few years before pretty much calling it quits. My wife asked me the other day, if I could go back and do it all over again, what would I do? I said I'd put all my college money into buying a house. She was like, that's it? You'd just buy a house? I basically said I don't know what I'd do differently. My hindsight is as unclear as my future. That's why it's so difficult to find out where to move. I'm not basing it on what career I'd have there. I'm basing it purely on quality of life for us and our dogs, and access to amenities and such. My mind pretty much works like a retired person, not a person who still needs to work another thirty years. Ugh.

I could write a book about these dilemmas. That's how much I dwell on them. A lot of good it does me. I just daydream about a little house somewhere with a decent backyard for the dogs and a guest bedroom for my parents. I don't think I'm asking too much. I just don't feel qualified to make this decision. I have a hard enough time choosing between 3D and 4K Blu-rays. heh

We just end up hoping we'll win the lottery. Funny thing is, we don't play the lottery...

[Groot]

I'm in the same boat Master Gandhi. I've got a list of places I want to move to and have a different type of life. I just always have something come up or I find an excuse as to why it's wrong. Oregon or Nevada are my choices as well. I have a few businesses in both states (tax breaks are awesome) and I enjoy visiting both places. Henderson, NV is really close to the main Las Vegas and real estate won't kill you. I've looked into just having a fake grass lawn so I never have to worry about a place to enjoy the outdoors. Like you, if I had it to do over again I wouldn't have bought a house when I did and would have pooled more of my money and moved years ago.

[Member-275053]

Originally Posted by master gandhi

I went to school for film and pursued it for a few years before pretty much calling it quits.

If you don't mind, could you tell us more about your film career?

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by dallywhitty

He got suspended just for that?

Why do members do that? I mean, look at recent posts and try to figure out why someone got suspended. The first thing we do is take the problematic posts offline. He bypassed the language filter to post the "F" on multiple occasions. He also called members he disagrees with the F word again...

[master gandhi]

Originally Posted by JWFORD

If you don't mind, could you tell us more about your film career?

I didn't do it long enough to call it a career IMO, but I was an apprentice editor, assistant editor and trailer editor on documentaries. Also a trailer editor on short films. Lastly, a casting production assistant on reality shows, among other little odd jobs here and there. Nothing glamorous. I have four IMDb credits I think. Nothing big.

I don't regret leaving it behind. I'm only frustrated that I don't know what to do next.