Disconnected/ outa touch

[Fiddle]

You can come sit on the group W bench with me. I feel ya.

Love the Alice's Restaurant reference.

Of course everyone's favorite topic to talk about is themselves! When people ask me about my hobbies, or what I do for a living ~ they really just want me to ask about them and their hobbies.
So I say something at a high level and immediately ask them about themselves.

 

[bobzilla]

Never said hate. For most people lawn is not a hobby if it is I accept the wasted time and resources. For MOST it is a matter of social acceptance and or keeping up with the Jones.

And also to make matters worse…… some will complain about declining pollinator numbers…… or “global warming” just to kill off pollinators and burn fossil fuels maintaining said lawn.

I've been mowing since I was 9. That means I've now been mowing for 38 seasons. I'm done with it. If it's green, I cut it. Keep it short so the bugs don't bug me and the dogs aren't finnicky about pooping. Past that make it look like someone actually lived there and thats the extent. It takes me almost 2 hours every week to mow for about 30 weeks a year. 60 hours that I won't get back sitting on a loud, rough, vibratey mower.

 

[wtburnette]

Last night having dinner with my mom, the subject of professional sports came up. Mom thinks I should at least follow the home team and be aware of their standings.

I detest this kind of thinking. Why would I waste my time on something like this if it holds no interest for me? For social points? Pffft, no thanks...

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Last night having dinner with my mom, the subject of professional sports came up. Mom thinks I should at least follow the home team and be aware of their standings.

My F-I-L and his wife were concerned about being able to watch the Michigan/ Ohio game cuz we were going to be there that weekend.

They don't like coming to our home because we don't have "live" TV., therfore no sports and "gasp" no 24 hour news!

Unless you're playing Trivial Pursuit (I know) or on Jeopardy! I can't imagine sports knowledge being useful.

My uncle was gravely disappointed when he and my aunt visited many years back and learned our television was really just a big monitor for the video game systems.

 

[indyblue]

Socially awkward and an introvert, but I've learned to mostly hide both. Can't work IT support and be a shy, socially awkward introvert and actually flourish in that career. Have to learn to fake it and be more like everyone else. Doing so is exhausting and one of the reasons I don't leave the house most days.

LOL
I’m not much of a people person either. Probably why I still hang out with the same group of friends 45 years later.

Way back when, I started out in IT doing desktop support the and only negative comment in my annual review was my lack of “desk side manner“. I would come to your office and fly through menus and config files to get your system fixed pronto. The complaint was the engineers couldn’t follow what I was doing to their systems. I was just being expedient to get them up and running ASAP.

I am an impatient sort, and probably why I like IT and auto mechanics (as well as shooting) for the instant gratification. I’ll know right away if what I did worked and like the satisfaction of knowing I did it myself.

I only keep my lawn looking “good enough“ so I don’t **** off my neighbors since I live in an upscale-ish neighborhood.

I used to enjoy pro sports but since I am forced to pay for it through taxes and all the BS that pro players are about these days I just don’t care for it much anymore. most of the players are just over paid brats that I am forced to “support“. I prefer to see good live music of just about every type from classic rock to jazz to the symphony. I do, however, despise the music copyright system. Once the artist is dead I don’t think the business entitie’s and families of those artists should keep getting paid in perpetuity. Most of us must continue to work and produce our product to get paid just like a surgeon has to keep doing surgery to get paid, musicians should be paid mainly when they’re on stage .

 

[gregkl]

Unless you're playing Trivial Pursuit (I know) or on Jeopardy! I can't imagine sports knowledge being useful.

My uncle was gravely disappointed when he and my aunt visited many years back and learned our television was really just a big monitor for the video game systems.

To my mom's defense, at 94 she knows that keeping her mind active is keeping her alive. Being blind and deaf, she has had to rely on the little hearing she has and to sharpen her other senses. By being eternally curious to learn "stuff", she is keeping her mind, at least, sharp.

She is always learning and she regularly asks Alexa random questions to learn something.

So I guess you could say, she is playing the ultimate Trivial Pursuit; the one that she will eventually lose, but not without a fight.

There may come a day when I am old, broke and unable to do the things that occupy my time now and I will look for low cost entertainment, like watching TV. It's just not the season for me...yet.

 

[ghuns]

...no one can fathom. 002 of and inch and how missing a dimension by that can scrap the project...

...I'm a tool and die maker...

I can.

Hell, I've scrapped parts over .0002".

I'm a mold maker.

 

[oze]

I've been mowing since I was 9. That means I've now been mowing for 38 seasons. I'm done with it. If it's green, I cut it. Keep it short so the bugs don't bug me and the dogs aren't finnicky about pooping. Past that make it look like someone actually lived there and thats the extent. It takes me almost 2 hours every week to mow for about 30 weeks a year. 60 hours that I won't get back sitting on a loud, rough, vibratey mower.

That's a lot of yard! I mow, trim and edge mine in about 90 minutes with my walk-behind Honda; 30 times last season. Even though I'm gettin' old, I still enjoy putting on the tunes and walking, unless it's hot, then I mow half of the yard and take a long break. I have a striper attachment, so getting creative with patterns makes my feel like an artist. I cut to 3" most of the year (4" in July and August) and leave the clippings.

My fun retirement job is seasonal maintenance at a city golf course, mowing, and it's a blast!

 

[bobzilla]

That's a lot of yard! I mow, trim and edge mine in about 90 minutes with my walk-behind Honda; 30 times last season. Even though I'm gettin' old, I still enjoy putting on the tunes and walking, unless it's hot, then I mow half of the yard and take a long break. I have a striper attachment, so getting creative with patterns makes my feel like an artist. I cut to 3" most of the year (4" in July and August) and leave the clippings.

My fun retirement job is seasonal maintenance at a city golf course, mowing, and it's a blast!

2 acres. 50” Dixie we’ve had since 2008. The first 4 years in this house was 2 46” craftsman riders. That took a minimum of 3 hours to cut, 4 when the grass got tall.

As a kid we mowed 2 houses (3/4 acre at one, 2 acres at the other) and a cemetery. That’s how I got started so early. I’m way way way over it. All spring/summer/fall was spent on a mower or behind a weed eater and winter behind a chainsaw. By the time you got done you had to start all over. I looked forward to droughts.

 

[gregkl]

As far as the lawn thing, I used to be fussy when I had less than 1/4 acre lot to maintain. Factor in the house, driveway, sidewalks and landscaping and there was not much to cut/maintain.

So I kept it nice.

Now I have closer to a 1/2 acre of grass and when I bought the house, it was mostly wild violet. Still is but I do work on it. We have zero landscaping as I ripped out all the overgrown stuff 7 years ago when we bought the place and have yet to plant anything.

I can see me getting into landscaping and being fussy about a small lawn in my retirement years. It will give me something to do an hour or so per day and won't cost much. I think if I would put in 6-7 hours per week on outside maintenance, I will have a more than adequate yard.

I am still several years away from retirement and I won't completely retire(don't have the funds to do that), but I am starting now to shift my thinking to that day. For me, it will better prepare me for a change in lifestyle I will have to live by.

Which is why in years past, I bought and sold quite a few guns so I could end up with what I have now. I am no longer actively buying guns and my modest stock will serve me fine in my twilight years.

 

[Jaybird1980]

I can.

Hell, I've scrapped parts over .0002".

I'm a mold maker.

As a Millwright I also understand.

Aligning machines to .001 or less. Thankfully lasers came along and made it easier

 

[ghuns]

As a Millwright I also understand.

Aligning machines to .001 or less. Thankfully lasers came along and made it easier

Wow. Not many of you around anymore.

Even less than me or the OP.

 

[WebSnyper]

I don't give a what other people do or don't like, but don't treat me different because I don't share those values. I try to keep my lawn neat, but that's about it. I also occasionally enjoy watching a hockey or lacrosse game, but ostracizing someone because they don't like bball or football is pretty lame. Yes it happens. You may not have ever done it, but believe me when I say it happens. Again, you do you, but the problem we're griping about is other people acting like we're the odd ones because we don't have the same level of appreciation for the "accepted" things.

I think the interesting aspect of this whole convo is that the OP kind of came across as actually ostracizing those who do like bball or football, etc while at the same time not wanting the same treatment himself.

I agree with the premise of don't tread on me and it cuts both ways. To each their own as long as they don't force it on me.

Several in this thread clearly get that from their posts.

It's no more right to think poorly of someone because they like football or landscaping or racing, etc.

If someone is going to be an ******* then they are likely to be an ******* no matter what they like or don't. I do tend to think many of us will give someone we consider borderline ******* a bit of a pass if they tend to like some of the same things we do or we find some of what they are knowledgeable in something that interests us, while someone who has nothing in common with us and comes across as an ******* we write off. Which I can understand as well. I'm not interested in hanging out with folks who I don't believe make me better in some way. How many times has someone said, man that guy is an ******* but he sure knows his **** about "x".

 

[Jaybird1980]

Wow. Not many of you around anymore.

Even less than me or the OP.

The numbers get less every year. Quite a few travel around following the work nowadays.

It hurts to see these trades drying up.

 

[Creedmoor]

The one hobby I enjoyed the most was as an adult is racing sail boats, it can be all like size class boats in a race or there is a handicap formula to race unlike sizes against each other. Just you against the wind.

I get it.

 

[Cameramonkey]

I think the interesting aspect of this whole convo is that the OP kind of came across as actually ostracizing those who do like bball or football, etc while at the same time not wanting the same treatment himself.

I didnt take it that way. But I see where he is coming from. Quite a few times I've gotten the "what the?!?!? how can you not like sports? you are weird. That's not normal for a man. " usually just the look, since most people are typically not rude enough to actually say it out loud.

 

[ghuns]

...Quite a few times I've gotten the "what the?!?!? how can you not like sports?...

Just tell them there are only three sports, bull fighting, mountaineering, and auto racing. The rest are just games. That'll shut 'em up.

 

[printcraft]

I can.

Hell, I've scrapped parts over .0002".

I'm a mold maker.

You sound like a fungi.

 

[gregkl]

I didnt take it that way. But I see where he is coming from. Quite a few times I've gotten the "what the?!?!? how can you not like sports? you are weird. That's not normal for a man. " usually just the look, since most people are typically not rude enough to actually say it out loud.

I have been on the receiving end of this. A couple weeks ago, one of my coworkers(female) asked me if I was going to "watch the game". I said, "what game?"

Apparently the IU girls basketball team is pretty good and there was a big game that night. I had no idea and I live within earshot of Assembly Hall. She was shocked.

Yeah, I have been given **** about not being into watching sports. But the thing I do that draws the most indignation and personal attacks is my strength training.

I'm almost 63 and have been "hitting the gym" since college and since then I have heard it all.

But you know what? About the time I hit my 40's, the chatter started to subside some. Then a little more when I turned 50. Now I occasionally hear people say that's great that I go to the gym, but of course follow it up with "but I'd never go".

People used to say about getting fat, wait until your 20's, then it was wait until your 30's. Then it was wait until your 40's. Then it was wait until your 50's. Guess what? I have fluctuated in weigh over the last 40 years from a low of 165 to a high of 175. 90% of that time I have been between 166-168.

My family is not saying anything any more. They won't even comment about the condition I am in. My wife claims it's because they were such negative pundits over the years, they are now having to eat their words when they see me so they won't say anything to admit they were wrong.

 

[Cameramonkey]

You sound like a fungi.

Thats why we call him Gus.