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>> As for life... well, a couple of street traders conned us out of about
>> £60 with their impossible skittles game. It looks easy, but it's
>> actually impossible. But they keep ranking up the prizes (and costs). We
>> quit that one fairly fast though, so only £60 lost between us.
>
> You do realise that in games of chance - gambling of pretty much any kind
> - the odds are rigged so that the house isn't going to lose?
>
> It's *always* supposed to look easy to win, that's how you sucker people
> into playing.
Yeah, well, when you see two random guys in jeans standing on the curb
wanting you to play a little game for a few quid, you don't think too
much of it.
Clearly these guys are good. ;-)
--
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
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Jim Henderson wrote:
> None of us gets an instruction manual on how to be a parent. All kids
> are different, so there isn't a "this way works best for everyone". If
> you do the best you can, that's all anyone can ask (about anything, not
> just parenting) - those that do, well, they can go f--- themselves.
Yeah, but surely you end up playing that old game of "well if I'd done X
instead of Y then Z wouldn't have happened and then..."
> Does that mean I don't worry about him? No. That's part of the job of
> being a parent: being concerned for your child's well-being. Being
> there for them to support them when things aren't going so well.
How about this: When I was about 3 years old, I walked to the local
nursry by myself one day. Just found a chair, opened the front door and
toddled over there. It's about 1 mile and involves crossing a small road.
When I got home, my mother was hyperventilating. My mumbled responce of
"I walked to nursry but it was shut but then a nice man gave me a
sweety" didn't seem to calm her down.
>> Like I said, a stressful and thankless task. :-(
>
> Not at all. Ken turns 21 in a few weeks; he still lives at home (he's at
> the local university when school's in session), and when I'm working from
> home, he frequently comes by and gives me a hug for no reason; he still
> comes in and kisses us goodnight before going to bed.
Heh. I guess because *my* parents were always quite distant I forget
what it's like to be a normal family...
--
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
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On Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:01:14 +0100, Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> Jim Henderson wrote:
>
>> None of us gets an instruction manual on how to be a parent. All kids
>> are different, so there isn't a "this way works best for everyone". If
>> you do the best you can, that's all anyone can ask (about anything, not
>> just parenting) - those that do, well, they can go f--- themselves.
>
> Yeah, but surely you end up playing that old game of "well if I'd done X
> instead of Y then Z wouldn't have happened and then..."
I've found that "woulda/coulda/shoulda" games are useful only to a
certain extent. That extent is passed when raising kids when a thing has
been done and you've seen the results.
Yeah, we *coulda* previewed the South Park movie before taking him to see
it when he was 10. <shrug> We didn't know much about it then. Turned
out to be one of life's little lessons, but it also didn't permanently
damage him, so no real harm done.
>> Does that mean I don't worry about him? No. That's part of the job of
>> being a parent: being concerned for your child's well-being. Being
>> there for them to support them when things aren't going so well.
>
> How about this: When I was about 3 years old, I walked to the local
> nursry by myself one day. Just found a chair, opened the front door and
> toddled over there. It's about 1 mile and involves crossing a small
> road.
>
> When I got home, my mother was hyperventilating. My mumbled responce of
> "I walked to nursry but it was shut but then a nice man gave me a
> sweety" didn't seem to calm her down.
Well, like I said, good parents are always concerned for their child's
well-being. If your mother was a good parent (and I've no reason to
believe she wasn't), she learned from that experience and did a better
job keeping an eye on you. You seem perhaps a bit overshy and a bit
unsure of yourself, but other than that, you seem to me to be pretty well-
adjusted.
>>> Like I said, a stressful and thankless task. :-(
>>
>> Not at all. Ken turns 21 in a few weeks; he still lives at home (he's
>> at the local university when school's in session), and when I'm working
>> from home, he frequently comes by and gives me a hug for no reason; he
>> still comes in and kisses us goodnight before going to bed.
>
> Heh. I guess because *my* parents were always quite distant I forget
> what it's like to be a normal family...
There is no such thing as a "normal" family. Especially these days. If
you think *my* family is normal, well, you're pretty far off base
there....
Jim
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On Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:56:12 +0100, Orchid XP v8 wrote:
>>> As for life... well, a couple of street traders conned us out of about
>>> £60 with their impossible skittles game. It looks easy, but it's
>>> actually impossible. But they keep ranking up the prizes (and costs).
>>> We quit that one fairly fast though, so only £60 lost between us.
>>
>> You do realise that in games of chance - gambling of pretty much any
>> kind - the odds are rigged so that the house isn't going to lose?
>>
>> It's *always* supposed to look easy to win, that's how you sucker
>> people into playing.
>
> Yeah, well, when you see two random guys in jeans standing on the curb
> wanting you to play a little game for a few quid, you don't think too
> much of it.
>
> Clearly these guys are good. ;-)
Exactly my point. :-) Their entire purpose is to make it look like you
have a good chance of winning - keeping you off guard is one of the
necessary components of that.
On the flip side, you did interact with total strangers, and while you
lost some money, the world didn't end. :-)
Jim
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On Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:14:37 -0400, Warp wrote:
> St. <dot### [at] dot com> wrote:
>> Mate, you don't know the half of it. To me, you are so lucky, you
>> should
>> be smiling all day long. When I say lucky, I mean that you have the
>> chance to meet a nice, sensible lady, and not some immature bimbo that
>> just wants to notch up another score on her bed post or get into half
>> of your salary. Trust me, when you meet that nice lady, you'll know it.
>
> http://nomarriage.com/
Holy cow, what a misogynistic site....
Jim
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Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:14:37 -0400, Warp wrote:
>
>> St. <dot### [at] dot com> wrote:
>>> Mate, you don't know the half of it. To me, you are so lucky, you
>>> should
>>> be smiling all day long. When I say lucky, I mean that you have the
>>> chance to meet a nice, sensible lady, and not some immature bimbo that
>>> just wants to notch up another score on her bed post or get into half
>>> of your salary. Trust me, when you meet that nice lady, you'll know it.
>> http://nomarriage.com/
>
> Holy cow, what a misogynistic site....
>
> Jim
I think I spot a trend in this sites complaints, and it ain't pretty.
'Sex stops after marriage' and 'American women talk about how they cheat'
Yup, obviously it's the woman's fault that the sex stops, because they
are so done with sex that they just want more of it. I can see the logic
there; there it goes, dancing it's way away from that argument. The rest
of the site continues the same way, contradicting each argument it
makes. It's like Time Cube for misogynists.
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On Tue, 12 Aug 2008 22:30:05 -0400, Sabrina Kilian wrote:
> I think I spot a trend in this sites complaints, and it ain't pretty.
>
> 'Sex stops after marriage' and 'American women talk about how they
> cheat'
>
> Yup, obviously it's the woman's fault that the sex stops, because they
> are so done with sex that they just want more of it. I can see the logic
> there; there it goes, dancing it's way away from that argument. The rest
> of the site continues the same way, contradicting each argument it
> makes. It's like Time Cube for misogynists.
Oh, good, it wasn't just me who saw that pattern.
In some ways, that site is one of the most revolting things I've ever
seen on the 'net. And I read Slashdot. ;-)
Jim
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Jim Henderson wrote:
> Oh, good, it wasn't just me who saw that pattern.
>
> In some ways, that site is one of the most revolting things I've ever
> seen on the 'net. And I read Slashdot. ;-)
>
> Jim
Slashdot? Sure, there are trolls there. But Fark, the chans, any MMOs
'uber raiding guild' forums all take the cake. At least on Fark, the
trolls try really hard to make you think they are holding their end of
an intelligent discussion, when they lead you on.
I'm wondering how this site would feel to be quoted as 'reasons not to
marry an american man' but I'm not sure if they would get the irony. I'm
afraid it would go right by them, but I'm not sure if that would make it
even funnier.
Oops, now you've got me thinking of ways to troll them.
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And lo on Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:01:14 +0100, Orchid XP v8 <voi### [at] dev null>
did spake, saying:
> Jim Henderson wrote:
>
>> None of us gets an instruction manual on how to be a parent.
Though that's only a matter of time, with fines if you don't do things
correctly.
> How about this: When I was about 3 years old, I walked to the local
> nursry by myself one day. Just found a chair, opened the front door and
> toddled over there. It's about 1 mile and involves crossing a small road.
>
> When I got home, my mother was hyperventilating. My mumbled responce of
> "I walked to nursry but it was shut but then a nice man gave me a
> sweety" didn't seem to calm her down.
When I was younger (so much younger than today) I took our neighbour's
kid, his younger sister and her pushchair up to the local store; like you
about a mile away, but crossing about four minor roads. We were discovered
loading up the chair with items by the shop assistants who contacted our
parents, an advantage of doing things locally, heh see I've always liked
shopping :-)
>>> Like I said, a stressful and thankless task. :-(
>> Not at all. Ken turns 21 in a few weeks; he still lives at home (he's
>> at the local university when school's in session), and when I'm working
>> from home, he frequently comes by and gives me a hug for no reason; he
>> still comes in and kisses us goodnight before going to bed.
>
> Heh. I guess because *my* parents were always quite distant I forget
> what it's like to be a normal family...
I gotta say what with you having a sister I'm surprised how you present
yourself; I'm an only child but I was lucky in that a) I had a cousin of
the same age I saw frequently, and b) I was raised in a cul-de-sac next to
a vast expanse of wilderness that attracted a large age-range of kids from
the entire locality.
--
Phil Cook
--
I once tried to be apathetic, but I just couldn't be bothered
http://flipc.blogspot.com
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>>> None of us gets an instruction manual on how to be a parent.
>
> Though that's only a matter of time, with fines if you don't do things
> correctly.
That would by funny - if it wasn't true...
> When I was younger (so much younger than today)
You never needed anybody's help in any way?
>> Heh. I guess because *my* parents were always quite distant I forget
>> what it's like to be a normal family...
>
> I gotta say what with you having a sister I'm surprised how you present
> yourself;
How do you mean?
--
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
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