My backyard

[CarmieJo]

Here is what I am seeing in my backyard these days:
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f198/CarmieJo/DSC_0781.jpg
I used to see only corn fields and trees but now there are houses and construction equipment. However, the construction equipment means that they are getting ready to pave the dirt road! Yeah, no more dust!

[Stevej72]

That sucks, sorry Carmie

[V]

yeah thats the face of development! its happening everywhere!
what those things in the left of shot, looks to be big ass mobile dog kennels.

heres a shot for ya, grease up the foot steps on the rigs for the early morning laugh!
http://www.alexander-oberg.de/smileys/azdevil.gif muhahahaha! merry christmas fat boyshttp://www.alexander-oberg.de/smileys/devil-desann.gif

"V-out"

[fat walrus]

Ask the construction guys to dig your hole for the Koi pond or the Tidal pool while they have the equipment there! :rolleyes:

[Pinecone_Jeff]

LOL, at first, I thought you were gonna say the construction guys were there to start on your big fish room! :) You can see where my mind is at. :P

[wildeone]

Us humans are like a bad disease that just uses up stuff and moves on, ruining everything in our path. And I am not even an environmentalist!

[V]

yeah we need abit of alien intervention, im free on friday guys:D

[CarmieJo]

yeah thats the face of development! its happening everywhere!
what those things in the left of shot, looks to be big ass mobile dog kennels.

"V-out"
They are kennels and the poor dogs are tied out all the time. I can't stand it.


Ask the construction guys to dig your hole for the Koi pond or the Tidal pool while they have the equipment there! :rolleyes: It rained so much on Friday the the equipment is sinking so I may have a swimming pool size hole!


LOL, at first, I thought you were gonna say the construction guys were there to start on your big fish room! :) You can see where my mind is at. :P

I wish.

[JustDavidP]

I've been gainfully employed since I was 13. Back then, I used to pick corn and squash and such at a place in Waltham, MA, called Pizzi Farm. I drove by there just this past weekend and the fields where I used to pick, are now condominium developments :(

D

[Pinecone_Jeff]

Us humans are like a bad disease that just uses up stuff and moves on, ruining everything in our path. And I am not even an environmentalist!That sounded just like Agent Smith from The Matrix. :D

[CarmieJo]

I've been gainfully employed since I was 13. Back then, I used to pick corn and squash and such at a place in Waltham, MA, called Pizzi Farm. I drove by there just this past weekend and the fields where I used to pick, are now condominium developments :(

D

Me too, except it was picking strawberries and now there is an allotment there.

[Stevej72]

My father was a carpenter (before he destroyed his neck). From the time I was ten till eighteen I worked weekends and summers for him. I am still in construction.

[wildeone]

That sounded just like Agent Smith from The Matrix. :D

Actually, now that you mention it, it sure does. MAn I am repeating movie lines and not even knowing it!


Bumper Sticker I saw a year or so ago. "Have a nice day, Kill a developer" I chuckled.

[Pinecone_Jeff]

Bumper Sticker I saw a year or so ago. "Have a nice day, Kill a developer" I chuckled.Gak! I'm a video game designer and we refer to ourselves in the industry as developers! I hope you mean real estate developers. :rotfl: ;)

[CarmieJo]

Jeff,

Well, after hearing for years, "just a few more minutes Mom" because my son was playing some game I'm not sure which developer hat might mean. We wouldn't let our son take the "good" computer to college because of WOW!

[fat walrus]

Jeff,

Well, after hearing for years, "just a few more minutes Mom" because my son was playing some game I'm not sure which developer hat might mean. We wouldn't let our son take the "good" computer to college because of WOW!
Make sure that the computer he takes is not capable of playing those new games.

[CarmieJo]

That is exactly what we did. He tells me that he absolutely believes the research that says that these type of games become addictive. He played WOW a lot in the summer and said you almost feel depressed when you can't play.

[Pinecone_Jeff]

I'm a reefgeek, Star Trek/Wars nerd, and a total WoW addict! I can't imagine how I ever ended up married! :rotfl:

Actually, I love video games (hence my profession) but truthfully, WoW was designed to be addictive. There's always one more thing you need to get. But like everything, it's all about moderation. I have to pick and choose which addiction I can indulge during the week and most of my friends who also play WoW need to do the same. Luckily, I'm in a guild thats made up of mostly professionals and family folks so there are no hardcore requirements for raid attendance. Once a week for me.

Anyhoo... enough of about non-reef related addictions. :P

I can't wait to get my new tank up and running!!!! :D

[CarmieJo]

I think that the guild Dominic was in was mostly made of late teens and twenty somethings most of whom have no job or other life. He ended up getting kicked out before the summer ended because we refused to allow him to play 24/7.

[Pinecone_Jeff]

I think that the guild Dominic was in was mostly made of late teens and twenty somethings most of whom have no job or other life. He ended up getting kicked out before the summer ended because we refused to allow him to play 24/7.Well, you see... that's the thing parents need to do! Good parents, like you, will put a limit on how much their child plays anything, let alone WoW. So many times I've heard stories of people's kids playing games near 24/7. Well, just take the game away from them between such 'n such hours. Wow has parental controls where the game can be locked out by the parents and can only be unlocked by the parents AND prevents them from logging on at a friend's house.

[CarmieJo]

Well, you see... that's the thing parents need to do! Good parents, like you, will put a limit on how much their child plays anything, let alone WoW. So many times I've heard stories of people's kids playing games near 24/7. Well, just take the game away from them between such 'n such hours. Wow has parental controls where the game can be locked out by the parents and can only be unlocked by the parents AND prevents them from logging on at a friend's house.

I wonder how many parents even pay enough attention to know how much their child is playing? I will tell you that our son is 18 and a sophomore in college. He loves anything to do with computers and especially games. Knowing this we forced him to keep his game time to a manageable level all through high school. We have this philosophy that goes "You aren't an adult until you are paying your own bills. And as long as you live in our house and we are sending you to college we have a good deal of say so in your life." We told him that as long as he keeps his GPA up this semester we will let him have a gaming computer at school. But, if the grades fall...

He has a 19 year old friend that has dropped out of life and is living in the game. Dom has told his friend's parents to make him quit playing and get a job or go back to school. Unfortunately they just let him keep playing.

[wildeone]

Gak! I'm a video game designer and we refer to ourselves in the industry as developers! I hope you mean real estate developers. :rotfl: ;)

I think it was meant for real estate types!

With regard to the video games topic, I love to play video games. I can really get into it, even at 36 years old. I have been playing for years and it has not ruined my life or made me want to kill anyone. That said, I am sure some personality types can become overly consumed (I can sit and play for 8 hours without thinking about it) but I think it is the parents problem if they allow it to consume their child. Too many times it is a babysitting tool. Hell, I have a network setup, my 10 year olds PC is fater than mine and we game against each other all the time! But here is my little trick....

We have strict rules about chores. There is a list of chores you are assigned to do each week. Simple chores (make bed, set table, etc.) and some hard "bonus" chores (weed garden, dust the whole first floor) and each chore is given a value in poker chips. I don't tell them to do the chores, if they don't do them , they don't get paid on Friday.

The chips allow them to have some "pleasures", and as in life, pleasures cost money (or chips). So 1 hour of gaming is 6 chips, 1 hour of TV (junk tube like cartoons) is 6 chips, $50 trip to the mall, 500 chips, etc.

They learned real quick how boring life can be when you don't do your chores and run out of chips. They have the potential of 60 to 70 chips a week. Thats like 10 or 11 hours of TV and gaming, more than enough. My daughter even becaume very inventive, she saved her chips by waiting on her brother to pay for TV time, then she hitchikes (as we call it) and watches for free. She has collected her 500+ chips and I will taking her to the mall this weekend to spend her $50.

This is a great system. Now If I can just get my with to buy into the whole "Fixit for Frags" idea I have.....

[CarmieJo]

Duane,

That is a great strategy for teaching responsibility.

[Raggamuffin]

<--- Former WOW addict... and EVE, and everquest. My tank takes priority now but it's easy to find me on the weekends! Or when my RO/DI is running and I have nothing better to do.

[CarmieJo]

You know what's funny, I won't even sit down and play WOW because I know that I would like it! But I just don't have enough time the way it is. I'd have to quit work or quit sleeping to have enough time.

[Seahorsedreams]

We have strict rules about chores. There is a list of chores you are assigned to do each week. Simple chores (make bed, set table, etc.) and some hard "bonus" chores (weed garden, dust the whole first floor) and each chore is given a value in poker chips. I don't tell them to do the chores, if they don't do them , they don't get paid on Friday.

The chips allow them to have some "pleasures", and as in life, pleasures cost money (or chips). So 1 hour of gaming is 6 chips, 1 hour of TV (junk tube like cartoons) is 6 chips, $50 trip to the mall, 500 chips, etc.

They learned real quick how boring life can be when you don't do your chores and run out of chips. They have the potential of 60 to 70 chips a week. Thats like 10 or 11 hours of TV and gaming, more than enough. My daughter even becaume very inventive, she saved her chips by waiting on her brother to pay for TV time, then she hitchikes (as we call it) and watches for free. She has collected her 500+ chips and I will taking her to the mall this weekend to spend her $50.

*Writes down every single word. *

I think that is a great idea. It's a little harder for Greg and I because we get them only every other weekend. They are great kids but someone needs to snatch the silver spoon from their mouths... step mom's don't get to be that person.