<p>Why didn't you mention your interests sooner, there is so much you can do! Where did you get the idea college was about intellectual interests? Get a Fiske guide, dude!! Sex therapy is a fast growing profession. Marginal professionals even act as surrogates! Sleep is also huge. Do you know more than 10% of people suffer from apnea and answers to helping people get more sleep will make someone a billionaire? As for eating, one only has to look to Wolfgang Puck to see the opportunities. And if you're any good at video games you'll run out of good ones and have to create the next generation. Life is about taking what you love and making it work for you!</p>
<p>"Why didn't you mention your interests sooner, there is so much you can do! "</p>
<p>You know, try reading the original thread on the old BB. Alot of stuff is covered there.
I mean, come on, I even provided the link!</p>
<p>As much as I hate to kil your bubble of enthusiasm bobby100, I can't forsee myself doing any of those things you mentioned, because, I have to work to get that job. Sorry, but no thanks. </p>
<p>Also, I hereby decree "dude" to be spelled as "dood" from now on. because, I'm too lazy to go from the u key to the d key and back, theres too much space. Two o's are so much more convenient.</p>
<p>Also, Ap Gov sucks. Seriously. Last time I checked, social studies classes=dates, not some idiot talking to himself while I fall asleep. Ughh...</p>
<p>I was searching for info about intelligent people who lived for their hobbies and worked labour jobs (pretty tough to make a good query for that), and I found your old thread. I thought I'd add some of my experience. Not just for your benefit, but what else do I have to do?</p>
<p>BTW, this is long.</p>
<p>Some people here are definitely giving your idea too little credit. Life is about the pursuit of happiness, really. College and professional jobs are one way of doing that, but it really isn't the only way. They are also disadvantaged such that you need to work for years before that path pays off. If you can't get interested in them, then it's potentially a lot of hard work and time for only money. Still, don't discount them too soon.</p>
<p>I'll give you my story, as it's relevant. And everyone likes to talk about themselves. But, I'll make it into a different section so people can skip it.</p>
<hr>
<p>In high-school I was intelligent, but unmotivated. I would do the minimal amount always, unless something peaked interest. For example, in Math 12 geometry and algebra interested me and I got 100% on the test- in Chem 11 100% on organic chem- physics 12, 97% in electronics- etc. Except in Math, English, and Tech where I was advantaged (for long-time exposure to the subjects I think), I had pretty dismal grades.</p>
<p>In my spare time it was computer games and computer stuff. I programmed a bit, read about reverse engineering and such, played in HTML, and so on. My games were mainly Starcraft, Counter-strike, and Diablo. (My tastes include much more than that, but those tended to be my genres.)</p>
<p>With so much time spent with the computer, it was the obvious career choice. I had delusions of computer engineering and computer science. I expected to attend university for at least six years.</p>
<p>Because I didn't have a second language at grade 11 level, and only got a few thousand dollars for the first year, I chose a decent college that offered comp sci. You don't really need a big school for comp sci, because anyone can get computer that has the ability to do amazing things.</p>
<p>The first semester was good. I had covered all the programming on my own, and the english was typical. I missed a bunch of finals by accident (wrong day) and my math grades suffered, but overall it was good. The second semester was bad. I procrastinated terribly. I couldn't study all the material the night before some of my midterms, and dropped three classes.</p>
<p>I spent the summer wasting time mostly. I ended up working for about a month in menial jobs that I hated- tech support and big store janitorial work. I don't like working with so many people. But it paid for rent and a video game system.</p>
<p>I had to take a student loan, because my trust fund wouldn't pay out because I was still first year. The fall semester was language courses- I fancied myself a linguist. I did well for a while (93% in Japanese, upper 80s in intro linguistics, etc), but ran out of steam. I stopped doing assignments, and basically put in the very minimum to just pass (given that I knew my grades and the weight for assignments, I could figure out how much effort was required). I failed all of my finals, and didn't even write the Japanese. But I passed.</p>
<p>Now, it's now. The spring semester is taken up with a light load, but computer science courses again. I don't want to work, so this delays it. If anything, I'll get a diploma. I doubt it.</p>
<p>I can't stand school. I don't care for Excel, VBA, the HP68HC11, or astronomy. I'm not sure if I'll be able to put in the effort to pass this time. I was doing Ok for three weeks, but skipped the fourth/previous.</p>
<p>I know for certain what I want to do. I want to get a night-shift janitorial job, and drop out.</p>
<hr>
<p>I have problems. Video games don't drive me anymore. I procrastinate everything; dishes are put off for days. I spend all my time reading websites- mostly the ones about humour and anecdotes. In the past I watched television for hours and hours. But at the end of the day I think, "What did I do? Nothing. I should have done something." To that end, my TV is unplugged, I've been taking out books from the library to find an interest, and soon I'll probably block port 80 and 8080 to eliminate that distraction. So I'm working on those problems, where necessary.</p>
<p>So all I'm trying to do right now is find a hobby to put my time into, make me happy, and make me feel productive. I don't want to do it professionaly. I just want to feel good. I might be the guy who stocks the bathrooms, and mopes up your mess, but at home solves differential equations, crushes chess players online, or whatever. I haven't decided yet.</p>
<p>If video games can make you TRULY happy, then excellent. (Arcade controls + MAME = fun) "Truly happy" amounts to being satisfied at the end of the day, I think.</p>
<p>But make sure you aren't throwing anything away. I got tired of video games for the most part (I'm actually playing SFIII:3S on my arcade controls and PS2 because that's the genre I was worst at, but it's entertaining for only an hour a day). You have the chance to get a lot of free money. You could go to college for one year, on another persons dollar, and perhaps end up with something to start your life with. Hell, you could start college to get the money, get a place, and drop out (I spent so many hours reading the fine print- I could drop now and still get student loans in the future... or whatever. Just read everything to know what you can do, and what the consequences are.)</p>
<hr>
<p>Here's some stuff on the practical matters.</p>
<p>If you don't like something, don't get a job where it's emphasized. Tech support seems logical for someone apt with computers, but really it's a job about both computer problems and communicating with people. I hate those people.</p>
<p>Night-shift janitorial stuff is hard to find, but it's excellent. It's like the big store janitor job I had, minus the idiots asking me where wierd cheeses are, and idiots pooing on the seat (jesus), and idiots dropping jars of mayo. Construction is Ok- physically tiring- but pretty repetitive. That's pretty much want you want, I'd say: something easy, repetitive, and devoid of people. Get it done, get your money, and go home.</p>
<p>The problem with finding work for this lifestyle is that so many employers want full-time. But at minimum wage, it's hard to live on part-time. I can almost afford it, but I'd need just a hundred or so more. On the plus side, full-time pays more than you need, so you can take a few years off every few years. Or maybe it won't even be so bad, and you'll be able to retire eventually. Consider though, when I worked tech support I had to ride busses and everything- my work day was 11 hours, and when I got home I was so tired. Don't find a job like that.</p>
<p>The aforementioned stuff is pretty personal though. You'll figure that out. </p>
<p>I eat less than $100CAD worth of food monthly. Potatos and rice are cheap and plentiful. Put soy or butter and spices on and it's Ok. Mechanically seperated chicken is the cheapest meat available, and turns into a loaf of meat once cooked. It's actually decent, and when mixed with some potato relatively tasty. Breakfast and lunch is usually bread and tuna and mayo, and a glass or two of milk. Add some cooked veggies (very cheap), and maybe some fruit and you're fairly healthy. If you can cook even a little, it's easy to get cheap stuff. I change it up occasionally if I'm bored. I haven't actually checked by bills in a while, but I'm probably paying as little as $60CAD.</p>
<p>For rent, do what you mentioned. Find bulletin boards. They're at the colleges too, though you might need to be a student for some. Specifically, bulletin boards are at the school's bus terminal, the cafeteria (expensive food sadly), the comp sci building, etc. Also, check the classifieds.</p>
<p>Food, rent, jobs... that's about it.</p>
<hr>
<p>There you have it- a long post. But I think I had some useful things to say. In any case, it doesn't really matter. Just critically evaluate what I have to say, and keep or discard it. I apologize where my writing was lousy or there was wierd grammar. When I'm tired I make odd mistakes, and this was mostly stream of consciousness.</p>
<p>I wish I could say everything worked out for me to reassure you. But I'm still in the transition.</p>
<p>I'll answer any questions methinks.</p>
<p>Have to add the second part in another post as this was TOO long.</p>
<p>This came right before the concluding section.</p>
<p>One more thing. I don't want to get people's hopes up regarding this so I seperated it, but it's something to consider. There is a fortune to be made from online poker (if you're over 18 or 19- whatever it is).</p>
<p>Remember that the casinos take a rake from each pot, but for the most part you are only playing the other players. Online the rake is even smaller and you can multitable.</p>
<p>If you're smart, and you can put time into it, it'll pay off. That's the general consensus. Televised events like the WPT and WSOP are bringing in thousands of people, especially online. These are the people who wield, but not because they wanted to, or the people whose parents pull down millions. They actually probably come from all walks, but a lot just want to have fun. The last WSOP had ~2600 people, each paying $10,000. The winner made $5 million I think. Last year's made $2 million. In the past people were making measely hundred thousands.</p>
<p>The trick to poker is mostly probability and patterns. The downside is that you could play an entire week, 8 hours daily, and suffer a net loss. The other downside is that you could crush the games for a week, and then the rest of the probability will catch up with you (not exactly, but you know how probability is) and teach you that you don't really know what you're doing. The upside is that this is how you actually make your money from people. This is almost certainly hard on every serious player's mind at first, but you get used to it. You lose, but you think- "of course, I'll lose $1x for 8 times out of 9- but on the ninth I'll make $10x back. >0 EV."</p>
<p>It takes a long time to learn and build up your bankroll. In a year you could get from the penny tables (with low investment) to $2/$4 or $3/$6 though. You could be multitabling four tables, and make maybe three times min wage at $3/$6. I guess the great thing is that you could play poker while you work, and eventually you might be able to quit your job.</p>
<p>Depending on the specific game you play, you probably need to study. In limit texas hold'em, you don't get as much information and people's mistakes don't cost them as much. So you need a more technical game, which is better acquired via books I say. In no limit hold'em, reading people is your most important ability. I think people would gain advantage from books in it too, but my friends claim otherwise. Nobody really knows how to play omaha, so a book gives you a leg up.</p>
<p>The resources are 2+2 Publishing, home of arguably the best forum online. Such people as Sklansky, Malmuth, and Miller post and publish there (twoplustwo.com). They are mathematicians and critical thinkers. Some other authors seem to have acquired their game from mostly play, rather than a more academic/logical approach, and as such have some misconceptions. Regarding books, see: The Theory of Poker, by Sklansky, for all games; Internet Texas Hold'em, by Hilger, for beginner limit hold'em; Small Stakes Hold'em, by Miller, Sklansky, and Malmuth, for intermediate limit hold'em; Hold'em For Advanced Players, by Sklansky and Malmuth, for high limits and well, advanced players. I don't know anything about the other games.</p>
<p>Anyway, my bias is for those resources. At least it's a place to start.</p>
<p>Some people will say that gambling is impossible. Those people don't understand a standard deviation. But it isn't easy.</p>
<p>Due to my time-wasting ways, I haven't put in even an hour this semester, and very few in the past. So, the little skill I have is stagnating and my bankroll is tiny. My close friend though, playing no limit, went from borrowing dollars from me, to averaging $200 per night, in a year and a half. His brother is making $1000 a night. As such, his brother turned him onto it which turned me onto it. God, I hope I start putting effort into the game.</p>
<p>I am too lazy to read that but I just thought I'd add something. The truth is this guy isn't taking the easy way out. Going to college and getting a decent paying job is easier. I've read "nickled and Dimed" and the "two income trap" and our economy does not provide opportunities for the unskilled. This guy is going to have to work extremely hard for what little he gets, there will be no benefits
he won't be young and healthy forever especially with that kind of lifestyle. He'll probably end up working more hours scrubbing toilets than if he had gone to college and gotten a job. Don't get me wrong, the poor working class are the backs that our nation is founded upon, I know because my parents are those backs.
Plus what if he gets his <em>buddy pregnant? Or he contracts some disease from her, left untreated it could be very serious (human palinoma virus) and it isn't like he will have any money to cover health care expenses. He overestimates the programs this country provides for the underprivileged (which is clearly the wrong word in his case) this nation is all about money and people will step all over you to get any little bit you've got. This is the kind of guy the conservative right rants about, they don't realize that he is the exception to the rule. Some people deserve welfare and other social programs. This guy gives the poor a bad name, he is going to become a burden upon society. He doesn't realize this economy will chew him up and spit him out. I think the suggestion about going to a third world nation is a good one, at least everyone would be in his boat and he would not put a bad face on social services encouraging greedy republicans to take more money from the poor to give tax benefits to the top 1% or to fund an unjustified war. The truth is, it will be the rest of us who support this guy through taxes and he will take up money that ought to be going to the poor, working class.
actually, I believe this kid cares more than he would like to admit. he did complain about his stats class saying< " missing 2 multiple choice questions equals getting a B on a test is officially classified as "LAME". Lame? why should it matter to you it isn't like you are college bound. it isn't going to mattter when you are sitting in some rathole apartment next year drooling and staring blankly at a video screen or dare I say it under a bridge digging around for something to eat. Do you want to know my guess? I don't think he'll move out at all. I bet he'll be with his parents for at least a decade. Better yet, why don't you enlist now? Go die for oil, that's what the truly underprivileged do. They give up their lives for a lie and corporate interests, do you think they do this because they have nothing better to do? No, because they either truly believe in the cause or they desperately need money. Truth is I don't think he has much of a choice anyway, after emperor george decides to invade Iran this summer he'll issue a draft anyway and they'll pick up your sorry a</em> and brand it with the US flag. It isn't like you were doing anything else important.
So in conclusion, I'd get the hell out of here before you find yourself dying poor and lonely under a bridge or drafted. Don't think that I think he is going to fail miserably just because he won't have a degree. I'm writing this based on his mentality and while his lack of a college degree is going to hurt him, nothing will hurt him as bad as his lazy apathy.
The truth is he is an elitist, on the old thread he posted about how even though he worked hard in high school he won't get into an ivy league and so what is the point? What an a**hole! As if the ivy league is the only education worth anything. People succeed even when they go to community colleges, they aren't elitist snobs who feel they need to spurn society because they think they have something figured out that nobody else has.
Good luck kid, you are going to need it.</p>
<p>Wow, my ancient thread has been bumped up!
Lovely, let the conversation continue...</p>
<p>EdSchurr, we must talk more. Starcraft, MAME, SF3, holy cow--you have my kind of video gaming tastes. Your experiences are very relevant and I want to know more about them, and more about what path you recommend for me. You are quite clearly THE MAN. </p>
<p>As for you catsmeow, you sound terribly offended at my propositions. There's too many things I would like to rebutt that you mentioned, but I'm too tired as of right now. </p>
<p>However, one thing; I am not elitist--far from it. Try reading things in context, or maybe reading them twice or thrice, you might learn something. Also, try reading things with an open mind, that works too.</p>
<p>It's hard to really recommend stuff, considering people are so different from one another, and I probably have a few psychological oddities that make me who I am.</p>
<p>You are going to have to get money some way or another, so you need to consider your options. Here are some generalities pertaining to classes of jobs, with some overlap. I have no doubt I'm missing things.</p>
<hr>
<p>Full-time: it can really suck to spend 11 hours doing work related stuff. You feel exhausted. You make more money, and probably more than you need, but at what cost?</p>
<p>Part-time: they might not pay enough for you to live on (cutting it close in my situation). They're also harder to get. But if they can work out, they're probably decent.</p>
<p>Office: there are occasionally some opportunities to get into an office situation. Sometime the company offers training, but sometimes you have to be slightly trained already. They're almost certainly full-time however. The work is probably repetitive and slightly more difficult than the menial stuff. These include getting bank jobs, accounting jobs, post office jobs, temp jobs, typesetting jobs (which I hear are good), etc.</p>
<p>Trades: you could go to school for a trade, like plumbing or machining or whatever. It's only a year of light school, I suspect. You get paid a lot, but it's quite possibly physically taxing.</p>
<p>Mill/plant: working in a mill pays well, and the work is repetitive and easy. My friend does mill shutdowns- when he gets work, he works for one or two weeks straight, for up to 12 hours a day, getting overtime (as part of a union); it pays well, and then he doesn't have to work for a while. What does he do? Usually sweep, watch chemical levels, or something else monotonous.</p>
<p>Janitor: being a janitor at an office or apartment building sounds like heaven, of all the poorest paying jobs at least. You sweep for hours, and go home.</p>
<p>Professional: this is what you'd do if you went to school. The work is probably more intellectually stimulating, but it's harder too. You get paid a lot more however. If you actually like the work, it's probably great. Then again, it might not be intellectually stimulating. You might be maintaining servers forever, or writing someone else's code.</p>
<p>Academia: if you want to go to school forever....</p>
<p>Poker: if you pull it off, you get pay raises every few months, you work at your own pace, and you start off at a few dozen grand per year. I know people who have so much money, they've wiped their asses with $100s, just to say they did it.</p>
<hr>
<p>The upside to the jobs that offer too many hours is that you end up with a lot of extra money at the end of the year, and can take literally an entire year off.</p>
<p>For them all, I recommend living very cheaply. My friend has gotten into the habit of spending lots of money, and he admits he doesn't need most of the stuff he buys- daily coffees and donuts, fast-food, stereo equipment, extravagant gifts for the girlfriend, tonnes of gasoline, etc... he has cheap rent too. He's just used to that lifestyle.</p>
<p>If you could get some bursaries to pay for school, I'd recommend community college with minimal classes for a year. You'd really find out if you hate it, and you could end up with extra cash. But if you have to pay for yourself, then probably forget it. If you find you like some topic, you can go the way of the professional. Right now, I really hate school. This is my last semester. I can't bother to go to class and listen to poor lectures on topics I don't care about. I can't bother to study. It sucks.</p>
<p>Poker is seriously good. But it requires a lot of planning, and a lot of work, and you have to be smart and patient. That is, it could take five hours (including study time) daily for six to twelve months before you have a solid game and a bankroll. It would require about a $200USD investment for a few books (TOP, ITH, and SSH), and some money online (some sites have micro limits, $.01/$.02 is min. and where you get a feel for the game, then you'd move to $.05/$.1 to start getting real practice, and then $.25/$.5 for real bankroll-building- then you jump limits when you have enough, $.5/$1 to $1/$2 to $2/$4 to $3/$6 to $5/$10 to $10/$20 to $15/$30 and maybe higher). I don't recommend that because it's risky. Then again, it's low investment and you can do it while you do some other job. It's not really a game, but rather yet another job- but one with benefits.</p>
<p>I can't think of anything else to say.</p>
<p>Let me add this.</p>
<p>In poker, you don't just have to win. You can sign up for sites, and get a sign-up bonus which requires you to play so many hands to get the bonus. It's called bonus whoring. Bonus whoring means you can break even after so many hands, and still show a profit. I don't think it lasts that long, since you run out of sites to do it at, but it's a good way to start a bankroll once you have some experience. You do need some money to invest into the sites though, because the bonus is always something like "$100 if you sign-up today with $200 and play 1000 raked hands". You can cash out later.</p>
<p>Poker blogs, see what it's like:</p>
<p><a href="http://guinnessandpoker.blogspot.com/%5B/url%5D">http://guinnessandpoker.blogspot.com/</a> A guy who is doing well. He has a huge blog roll, to almost every other poker blog out there.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/detruncate/%5B/url%5D">http://www.livejournal.com/users/detruncate/</a> A guy who lives on the cheap, and is struggling but slowly improving. He might be burning out, because it looks like he hasn't played as many hands recently as he did before.</p>
<p><a href="http://zbasic.com/pokerblog.html%5B/url%5D">http://zbasic.com/pokerblog.html</a> A Canadian law student who took a semester off to play poker. He made $30,000, but he's enjoying being back at school.</p>
<p>Poker, while inherently slow and psychologically tiring, has a lot of variety. You can start off playing low-limit texas hold'em, or play the Sit'n'GOs, or the tourneys, and then go to no-limit hold'em, or play stud, or omaha, or their varieties, etc...</p>
<p>you obviously feel that society owes you something, you seriously need to look at the real numbers, if it were this easy to live comfortably than the 3.5 million who will be homeless this year would be in crappy apartments playing video games just like you, and no I am not offended by your ideas I am just sorry to see someone who is probably capable of contributing to society go to waste, i am merely warning you that things don't always turn out the way you plan</p>
<p>my god, there are some long posts here. anyways I've wondered that myself.</p>
<p>We work hard in high school in order to go to go to a good college. Once in college you work hard to get the grades to get into a good grad scool. Once in grad school you work hard to get a good job. Once you have a job you slave away so you can get promoted. Once promoted you slave away to save money for when you retire. Once you finally retire, you're 67+ and can now do whatever the hell you want...but you're old and would rather stay home and watch tv. Then you die. </p>
<p>Whenever i start thinking like that, i just have to hope that somewhere along the way i find a purpose for my life. Something worthwhile, that i enjoy doing, that helps people. I just try to shut out all contradictory thoughts and revert to the idealistic little girl i used to be-it works most of the rime for me. Naive logic? yes. but its better than being depressed and unmotivated</p>
<p>you can't live for yourself, you have to live for others here's a bit from my fav poet, (e. Dickinson)
If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain.
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.</p>
<p>Way to go, Starman. Be different. Be lazy. Though in being lazy, you really aren't that different from the dudes I see in class playing on their calculators all day. Go watch Animal House and tell me you don't want to go to college. Or watch Goodburger and prepare yourself for the fast food world. </p>
<p>I do agree though that people can be happy doing anything. Main thing is to be happy.</p>
<p>Er. Well. In regard to Vaish's post, you can have that mentality but it is a bit broad. You don't live day to day like that normally. There are so many other things you do during each stage of your life, it's not all about getting good grades and slaving away. In each stage you have so many new things to experience, the good and the bad; and that's what makes life interesting, and I think that is a purpose for life. </p>
<p>As for catsmeow, I live for myself. I may not completely live for myself, because I have friends and family I care for; but really in the end, you have your own wishes and if you don't live for yourself, you're life isn't your own. </p>
<p>And as for the thread poster, who's name I have forgotten now- do what you like. If you think you can survive and live happily off the life you choice, *** do I care? If you don't choose to take so many of the opportunities out there, why should I waste my time on you? </p>
<p>It'd be different, if you had a more substantial reasoning behind not going to college. I know people who don't go to college because they can't afford it, even community classes. They have to go work and support their family. But instead you just want to sit on your arse. </p>
<p>I think you have an immature mind and I can't say society will sorely miss an ambitious little guy like you. :)</p>
<p>alright alright, when it comes down to it we do live for ourselves, but in a way service is self serving anyway. and I think the purpose of life is best articulated in my favorite novel by vonnegut, "sirens of titan"
the purpose of life is "to love whoever is around to be loved" so there, in loving we serve others and ourselves.... as always the answer lies somewhere in the middle</p>
<p>I like that quote. Is "sirens of the titan" a book worth reading? I need a good book to read.</p>
<p>Starman, I have a couple of kids who could probably spend their lives just enjoying such a list of activities. Their problem is that their parents for some reason will not support that, though they are willing to pay for college, where you can really spend a lot of your time doing those very activities. More time than if you had a job to support those activities, since many parents would not support that lifestyle. You might find a roomshare that is not so expensive, but I think the quality of all of those things are higher at college campuses. I always think of college as a halfway house for you guys with a Disney world amusement park theme. Take a few courses, and you get some respect as well. Maybe even a better pool of companions. Pick a school where you don't have to work so hard. The better the job you get, the more options you'll have in spending time doing the things you enjoy.</p>
<p>Ny husband's cousin would have loved your list. He didn't want anyone telling him what to do, wanted flexibility, wanted free time. Well, he has everything he wants now. And at age 50, it is really a problem. No one wants to talk to him, he has no money and flophouses don't have video games (some colleges have the greatest gaming equipment and for computer games you cannot beat those tech schools, and parents will often buy you a personal computer to play all of those games. He doesn't have many takers in the sex area, as he is not particularly considered a desirable and has no money to court, no quarters for video games, the food at the soup kitches is not so good, and sleeping in his fleatrap is not so re****l. Be careful about your wishes. His came true, and he ended up with nothing that he wanted. I think you will find that most colleges can accomodate you nicely for the cost of about 12 credit hours of work.</p>
<p>Vaish 88- Read the "Rabbit" tetralogy by John Updike. It's a set of good reading, owns Vonegutt for free.</p>
<p>EdShurr, your ideas for a mill/plant or janitor job sound wonderful... any ideas where I should start looking. Also, you posted an extensive amount of information about poker... is it really as good as you say? Gambling is one field I'm wary of, and my AP stats class hasn't really helped much... I should look into this.</p>
<p>Catsmeow, you're quite the Romantic...</p>
<p>Jamimom, you must speak with your husband's cousin. The only question I really want to know is whether he regrets any part of his decision making. He seems like an interesting character to meet...</p>
<p>lol bumping this thread up:</p>
<p>jamimom, your post depressed the hell outta me :(</p>
<p>this is what i would want to do with my life if i wasnt strapped down by my responsibilities:</p>
<ul>
<li>skip college</li>
<li>use the money i was going to use on college on moving to some warm, tropical place</li>
<li>live in a cute little hut that i will decorate and lovingly call home</li>
<li>become friends with the people on the island by amazing them with my skills of knocking coconuts down trees and by charming them with my personality</li>
<li>eventually learn their language and customs</li>
<li>make my own sarongs and swimsuits (my goal by age 30 will to have made over 50 pairs of swimsuits)</li>
<li>as for a job, maybe ill do tours for ppl who speak english since i will be bilingual or sell my coconuts and bananas in the marketplace and/or rip ppl off on ebay with "exotic" items from my island that i actually found lying on the beach or made from leftover coconuts</li>
<li>spend my time at the beach and exploring the island and fishing</li>
<li>find a tall, hot, tan island man and have sex whenever we feel like it</li>
<li>have a son or daughter who will start surfing at the age of 3 and achieve professional level by age 15 and travel the world to compete in surfing competitions and win lots of money which she/he of course will occasionally send some to mama and papa who are laying on the beach, tanning everyday (if they dont want to surf, thats ok too, they can still live in the hut)</li>
<li>spend the rest of my life in that paradise, eventually die, get cremated and sprinkled over a cliff where the wind will move me over the ocean</li>
</ul>
<p>ah..sounds much better than what i will probably be doing: finding myself in front of a computer screen everyday doing whatever information tech ppl do and die from getting hit by a tractor trailer skidding on ice on the road (from a snowstorm).</p>
<p>--
starman, you seem like a likeable guy, i'm sure you'll get by life fine. go to college, dont go to college, live in a nearby hut, whatever you do, i hope you have fun and dont lose your sense of humor :)</p>
<p>bumping this thread</p>