What is the point...

[Pooka]

...Of being a 24/7, 365 days a year grocery store if you're not open on Decmber 24th after 7PM, and not at all on December 25th?!?!?!?!?!?!

Some of us have to work both of those nights and need food while we're at work. Some of us have to bike to work so hauling food across a couple miles of town is wasteful when we have a convenient supermarket that's open 24/7, 365 days a year within 5 minutes walking of our work!

Now that my source for food at work is closed, I'm foodless for the next two days, add to this the fact that I'm effectively homeless and sleeping on a friend's couch and you have one unhappy telephone operator/CSR.

Grrr.

[Carmaris]

Umm...ever think about shopping ahead a bit?

[Pooka]

Oh believe me, I'd love to.

When it's desperately important, I even can manage to from time to time. The problem is I can't even pay rent on my current wage, nevermind scrape together cash to eat regularly. Living day-to-day means avoiding any expenses you can put off till the next paycheck. This, combined with my backpack's very low capacity and inability to store food at work 'cause it'll be stolen makes for a very, very limited ability to do much ahead of time.

[Looseleaf]

uh... pardon me for pointing out the obvious, but if you can't afford to pay rent, the WTF are you playing EQ for????

Have a nice day

Looseleaf

[claver]

Looseleaf, {removed}.

$13 dollars a month will not put a dent in someones rent or grocery bill for that matter. That's roughly 24 cents per day, think about it before making such "obvious" statements.

Have a nice day!



{Not an insult, but worthy of inciting emotional response. removed - Ngreth}

[Psychosis]

Just remember he lives in CA. I am making good money in TX but would be considered barley making it out there.

I used to live in CA and its not cheep at all.

[Cubwynn]

food for thought: When I was looking for a one room studio apartment in the San Francisco bay area, the cheapest rent I could find was $900.00/month... for a crackhouse (no, seriously... a crackhouse - surrounded by lots of other crackhouses).

Moved back home to San Diego and the costs of living is better, but not by much... California's a wonderful place to live if you can afford it. If you're not making at least 36-40K a year, you're going to be living hand to mouth, and at the whims of the economy.

[Cigarskunk]

I guess I should count myself lucky out in PA - the Wawas out here never close, although I did get screwed by Wendy's when the sign said they were open till 8pm xmas eve but the @#$%s closed at 6pm - ****ed employee even kept here back to me as she swept up so she wouldn't have to explain why she was bailing early.

[Pooka]

A valid point...

Looseleaf - As someone said, it's very inexpensive to play EQ. Granted, I'd still feel morally obligated to put that $13/mo into my debts/rent if it weren't for some basic math I ran.


Because I work graveyard shift (9PM-6AM, 5 days a week, come hell or high water.) I have to keep those hours on my 2 days off. (I'm actually working on my day off today against my better judgement, but monday I'll have to take off... pesky state laws.) Normally entertainment is free for me, I hang out with my friends. But they're normal human beings and thus sleep during the night, a luxury I don't get to enjoy. This means I need something for those silent hours to keep me sane.

A new video game every month(that's about the maximum replayability of these dime-a-dozen games comming out now.) costs around $30-50/month.

A rental movie each of my days off (which would only entertain me for 2 of the 6 hours I'm up and no one else is.) would cost me about $24/month.


What it boils down to is simple cost effectiveness. EQ is cheaper, per month, than other entertainment options. I can get hooked, obsess about tradeskills, lose track of time, sleep when the sun comes up, and spend the least amount of money.

Sign me up.

I hate this state, I hate my job, I hate being in debt. I also hate EQ. (It's compelling, but it's also addictive as hell and sucks my life/time away.) Why do I play? For the same reason I drink coffee at work, to cope.

When I finish my 1,000 hour certification in massage therapy I'm moving back to New England where grocery stores aren't prohibitively expensive, neither is eating out, and while rent is higher than other places, it's nothing compared to the "relatively cheap" $790/month /STUDIO/ apartments in San Luis. I hate college towns.

EQ - My anti-psycho-killing-spree.

[Lilosh]

Re: A valid point...

EQ - My anti-psycho-killing-spree.

You mean we have to CHOOSE ? Only one or the other?


/em looks guilty.



-Lilosh

[Cigarskunk]

When I finish my 1,000 hour certification in massage therapy I'm moving back to New England where grocery stores aren't prohibitively expensive, neither is eating out, and while rent is higher than other places, it's nothing compared to the "relatively cheap" $790/month /STUDIO/ apartments in San Luis. I hate college towns.

If you're going to move, come on down to south east PA or northern DE - the weather is rather sane (one really cold month, one hot one and the rest of the year average), there aren't TOO many screwy laws (except DE going no smoking, but being in CA I'm sure you're used to that), crime is nearly non-existant in the suburbs and the cost of living is wonderful.

[delirium]

One other real life vignette

Couple of things to add... I spent a lot of time without family intervention in university... Ie, that meant (for me) very very very very poor. I still can't look at peanut butter without getting slightly nauseous since I literally spent a WEEK with nothing else to eat at one point. No bread, nothing but one jar of peanut butter.. I marked off the label in daily rations. Anyhow... I tend not to tell people how to spend their money, though it was graciously explained... Asking 'what are you doing playing EQ is rather like walking past a homeless person and snarling 'get a job' :/

I did eventually graduate, happily...

Second... I will never understand the semi-mystical effects that the internet and EQ specifically can have on one's life... I met my real life husband on EQ (he still tells people irl that we met in South Karana when they ask; inevitably they ask if it's in England)
A LOT of us have less than perfect lives. A LOT of us are lonely sad or somewhat disoriented and disaffected with our jobs our homes our lives in general... EQ is a nice release and (I fear) one of the only refuges a lot of shy and lonely people have. It's possible to reach out, maybe even especially because of the anonymity of the internet.
I was an _extremely_ shy person in real life... and I can't help but think without the internet and EQ specifically I never would have met my husband.
*coughs* sorry.. getting a little choked up here... Just try to be kind... There are real people out there behind the screens... maybe a lot of jerks... but there are wonderful people... just try to be kind to the people you meet...

*hugs*

Anniepannie Bananafofannie High elf cleric smith (247) on Kane Bayle
Rumpa Boller Oggie Shaman smith (211) Antonius Bayle
Lyttle Hobbit tailor (226) Druid Antonius Bayle
Little Hobbit potter (250) Kane Bayle
Pusen Vah Shir tailor (146 *whee* 94 Wis, feel my pain) Innoruuk
Jinjin Vah shir Brewer (150) Innoruuk

[Lilosh]

Re: One other real life vignette

A LOT of us have less than perfect lives. A LOT of us are lonely sad or somewhat disoriented and disaffected with our jobs our homes our lives in general... EQ is a nice release and (I fear) one of the only refuges a lot of shy and lonely people have.

[Serenya]

Re: One other real life vignette

EQ is a nice release and (I fear) one of the only refuges a lot of shy and lonely people have. It's possible to reach out, maybe even especially because of the anonymity of the internet.
I was an _extremely_ shy person in real life... and I can't help but think without the internet and EQ specifically I never would have met my husband.
Anniepannie Bananafofannie High elf cleric smith (247) on Kane Bayle

I also met my husband in EQ, and we are both shy and introverted. I know for a fact that we would never have met any other way, and if by some strange twist of fate we had, we would not have gotten to know each other well enough to fall in love.

[Quinner Sparrowhawk]

Why I play and other comments

I can understand spending the $13/month to play. I play because I am bored. I come home from teaching middle school and have no interest in watching television...so I play EQ. As a teacher, I don't have the money for a gym or to be serious about golf; Tennis is so hard to play solo, and walking the dogs/jogging is only good for about an hour. EQ is my intellectual entertainment. Take it away and I would be bored out of my skull.

As far as college towns go, Tallahassee and Gainseville are relatively cheap in which to work and jobs are not too hard to find. Do a quick job search and you will see what I mean. Apartments can be found for as little as $350/month and food prices are much lower than CA. Good luck to ya Pooka and if you ever happen to be in Quellious, pst.