Non-CPFers just don't understand....

I'm tired of my family and friends saying, "You bought another light!!"

What is up with that, they buy more guns, knives, cook books, crafts, purses, jewelry, arrow heads, maps, DVD's, CPu equipment, I don't say a word. My mom buys more lighthouse sh*t, my brother bought another golf club, again, not a peep from me. Flashlights are my thing (besides Police Scanners), its what I like, back up off me.

I like light, I love flashlights. I gaurantee when your with me when the power goes out you wont say a cotton pickin thing about my lights any more!!!

What should I say to keep 'em off my back?

I'm gonna buy what I want, I just don't want to hear the Biatchin'!

-PSM

PoliceScannerMan said:

What should I say to keep 'em off my back?

I'm gonna buy what I want, I just don't want to hear the Biatchin'!

Click to expand...

I feel your frustration :shakehead

What I do instead of fighting the opposition I try to bring them over to the dark side ( ) with me. If I can get my mom heavily involded in the joys of NASCAR and get my "frugal" coworker to buy 3 10MCP spotlights for no real reason...I guess the saying is true.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. :buddies:

Of course this usually involved me making the first move. Like a dealer spreading his drug, sometimes a free sample is necessary to get the taste.

-DF

Tell them it's an interesting hobby that you get great satisfaction from and then remind them all, somewhat bluntly, that there are many, many, worse things to spend one's money on than a harmless flashlight.

They just might see the light when you put it in that perspective.

Good point guys, thanks for your input. It is true, at least I'm not buying crack!!!

-PSM

If they keep moaning about your hobby just tell 'em your going to start collecting wild skunks, fire ants, and killer bees. :devil:

I was talking to my sister over the phone the other day, when she brings up Christmas, and what I wanted. It went something like this...

"Oh, I don't know, whatever.... as long as it emits light."

[I didn't have to even be in the same room, but you could just feel her rolling her eyes..]

"What else? What clothing-wise?"

"I told you already. You know what I mean!"

"I'm not buying you a flashlight for Christmas!"

"Why not? What's wrong with buying a person a flashlight? If you think that it might be 'too cheap' of a gift, there are plenty of pricey lights out there that you can max your Visa card on.."

"Do you need a new jacket? A store downtown has Columbia's on sale...."



[A long pause ensued as I stood there holding the phone thinking of something non-flashoholic related that she could pick out. ]


My non-flashoholic relatives are really starting to get on my nerves!

Shoot down her arguement by telling her flashlights are one size fits all items.

You could strap them to a chair, point all your lights at them fired up and say "where were you on the night of the 15th?". Then when they don't answer leave them there for an hour or until the yell "uncle". When you release them be sure to hand them a nice light to find the door since their eyes will still be light adapted and thank them for their participation. :devil:

-LT

Schuey2002 said:

"What else? What clothing-wise?"......


"Do you need a new jacket? A store downtown has Columbia's on sale...."

Click to expand...

Make your point by telling her you'd like this coat.

Word!

LumenHound said:

Shoot down her arguement by telling her flashlights are one size fits all items.

Click to expand...

It won't fly. The gift would be "flashlight-related", and that alone is enough right there to make her buy me something else. Anything else. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a pair of shoes, which really I could use. But, it's not what I wished that she would've gotten me. Oh, well, whatever it ends up being, I'll thank her for the gift and be grateful for it..

(Of course, after I open it, I'll probably end up pointing to the light that I'm giving to her son as a gift and go, *ahem* *cough cough*.. )

I generally respond that at least my flashlight hobby is practical and useful. Also it is a cheap hobby compared to other hobbies(golf, antique cars, jewelry, SHOES, lead crystal, etc...) Usually, if they have a piece of s#@t light that they use or have laying around, I ask them to turn it on(if it even works) then I turn on mine (usually a SF 9P, sometimes with HOLA) and ask them which one they would rather use or bet their life on. Their reaction to my lights compared to theirs is gratifying enough for me.

I get a little TOed too, people find it OK to collect porcelin bowls (example) and they find that collecting lights is weird just because they have never heard of it.

-David

It's kind of a learning cure type of thing, I went through the same thing with radios, once you get by the initial purchasing phase and get into the buy and swap and sell phase, there are enough lights coming and going that it totally gets disregarded. The key is volume, whats one more light when you have 40 or 50, before I found this site I alreday had well over 30 so there has been no grief whatsoever, remember, buy as many as you can as quickly as you can then it just gets easier!!! :buddies:

I've seen people collect all kinds of things that are less useful than flashlights. I get the "Why do you have so many flashlights?" question from some friends, others think it's cool until they hear the price. I figure it supports the flashaholics are born, not made theory. I've always liked lights and glow in the dark stuff. It was just after I found CPF and other places where the knowledge is concetrated that hobby fully bloomed.

Dr. Pepper bottle caps, Doylies (Did I spell that right?), Beanie Babies, they may all be worth something. But when a hurricane or black out or something arrives, what are you gonna do with them then? That's my story, and I'm sticking to it...

PoliceScannerMan said:

Good point guys, thanks for your input. It is true, at least I'm not buying crack!!!

-PSM

Click to expand...

I was thinking along those lines too. Or to bring it closer to something they would understand, next time you buy a flashlight make a point of telling them how many fifths of whiskey you could have bought instead.

I know people who say why did you pay that much for a little Torch.
I just reply and say why did you pay that much for a little Cellphone

Gotta admit though, once you have one that puts out a lot of light,
and one that puts out a little light, you've pretty much covered the
essentials. Only thing left is how, how big, and what color.

LumenHound said:

Make your point by telling her you'd like this coat.

Click to expand...

Hahahaha!! Knowing her like I do, her answer would still be "No!"..

Collecting flashlights is nuthin compared to the explaining I do over my satellite dish farm. I even make the things out of wood. Don't get me started on that hobby! And yes I go to a forum or 3 for that too Lol.

Personally I think these harmless hobbies are very benificial in that they give us a purpose in life. We could do a lot worse.