Lifestyles of the Flashaholics...

[Coop]

Ritalin is very dangerous and ADHD is a made up disease for the benefit of BIG DRUG COMPANIES!!

off topic rant mode on

Oh please, dont go generalizing like that because you had a bad experience with Ritalin. It is a well known fact that different people respond differently to meds. Especially when it comes to ADD/ADHD. For me Ritalin works, but I know people who have had no benefit of it at all. They did better with Adderal or Dex or other medications or treatments. Yes, Ritalin might not be the healthiest thing there is, but as long as the pros outweigh the cons, I have no trouble using it.
Saying that ADD/ADHD is made up is the biggest load of crap I ever heard. Did you know that ADD/ADHD is a physical defect? A physical defect in the brain that causes series of symptoms. These symptoms can vary from person to person, some people get hyper and get the extra H, some people don't. And there are quite a few different symptoms, hence the different drugs working for different people.
I was diagnosed with ADD as an adult, I took the steps to get examined myself because I know I have a problem, I have a series of symptoms which quite closely match to the thing they call ADD, the meds that were prescribed to me help me to function better. Proof enough for me that this is something real and not part of some conspiracy theory...

To say ADD doesn't exist is like saying cancer doesn't exist. So I'm just imagining things, because I'm brainwashed by the drug companies, and my mother in law is not going to die from her terminal cancer, right?


off topic rant mode off

 

[DonShock]

43 year old, Single, 300# couch potato. I own my home, 1200 SF 2BR 2BA on a corner lot in a nice unorganized subdivision. The homeowners association died due to lack of participation several years ago, so I don't have that headache. And the city stopped about 200 feet short of annexing this area so we're still technically rural with little burdensome regulations on how we live. I only have one vehicle, a '98 F150 pickup, but have been thinking of getting a second one so I can try doing some vehicle maintenance without worrying about how to get to work while I have everything torn apart.

My job is pretty much my life. I've been an operator at a water treatment plant for the last 9+ years. My work hours change so often and with so little notice that I rarely make any social plans. I started into the flashlight hobby a little over two years ago and is probably the most consistent non-work activity I've done in a long time. For about six years, I used to spend lots of time doing maintenance on my parent's rental homes while my stepfather was away from home in the Army. But now that he has retired it's his headache and good riddance, although I'm still his backup whenever my mother has the need to call me in.

No wife, no kids, no girlfriend. Just an indoor cat and an outdoor cat that can fend for themselves when I have to stay late at work or rush in early. My only other responsibility is to care for the elderly lady across the street. I take her mail over and check on her daily and occasionally do some shopping for her. It's sad that her son lives in the next town over and stops by about once a year. Her granddaughter stops by every couple weeks when she comes up short and needs grandma to pay a bill for her. I'm not sure which is worse, not having kids to take care of you in your old age like I will in the future, or to have your kids mostly ignore you.

Other than flashlights, I only have few other interests. I like scuba diving but don't do it for years at a time because of a lack of a buddy to hit the local lakes with and a lack of time/money/desire for a fancy trip to a really good dive site. I also like bowling but can't join a league due to the unpredictability of my work schedule. Besides TV, most of my free time is spent reading. Either online news and politics or Sci-Fi books for enjoyment.

 

[shakeylegs]

Lifestlyle - SSSSSSSlllllllllllloooooooooowwwwwwwwwww.
My wife and I operate our own retail business without employees. We are there 7 days by 363. Haven't had a vacation in 10 years. On the plus side, our commute is a 5 block stroll, we call the shots, and we live in a beautiful small town.

Our daughter is third year UC system, and has served notice that we're not through with her yet. After graduation she wants to move home, work, and attend grad school. We haven't told her but we look forward to it. She's a great young woman.

Love to hike/bike the local terrain. Two block walk takes me into the vinyards. 6 blocks to the mountains. Bothe State Park is just up the road with camping and some nice mountain trails for night hiking. Mt St Helena is 30 minutes north. The summit provides views stretching north to Mt. Shasta, west to the Pacific and the Farallon Islands, east to the Sierra. Low on the mountain, in a glade beside a quiet stream, is an old homestead of Robert Louis Stevenson - perhaps the most idyllic picnic spot in the Napa Valley.

Wild life consists of deer sightings, an occasional mountain lion, and officer Darling lighting up the patrons lingering outside Anna's Cantina. The local sport consists of drunken drivers running down visiting bicyclists who for some strange reason, wear large orange trianular targets on their backs as they navigate the narrow vineyard roads. Our "business district" is one block long. There are several world class restaurants and wineries in and around town, one movie theater and an Italian American heritage for savoring life. Given the wealth of locally grown produce, meats, wines, etc my cooking skills have grown tremendously. We entertain our SF Bay Area friends more now than when we lived there.

All though we work almost every day, we can close the door any time, go for lunch, a walk, chat with friends. We meet interesting people from around the world. Our customers are celebs, farm workers, rich, poor, and assorted ne'er-do-wells.

Between work and play, my wife and I spend ALOT of time together but it's made me a much more patient and understanding annoyance. Oh, did I mention I really enjoy those long night walks, alone.

Other than food and wine, there are very few ways to spend money here. I can't remember the last time I bought clothes. I put less than 10k miles on the car each year. PTL for Lighthound, and Fenix-store, Kai, DX, and ebay.

The Sierra's are beginning their annual call, my where-abouts from 11 pm to 8 am are unaccounted for, "I've had that flashlight for over a year honey", and I dream of opening a school for unwed mothers to get them started off right.:devil: