Useless Conversation

[bhodi]

All my devices auto-adjust. I wouldn't have known if not for the internet.

[ghost]

All my devices auto-adjust. I wouldn't have known if not for the internet.

Yes.  I spent an hour searching the internet to figure out why my device was reading an hour earlier than it should have.  That's what happens when your kids wake up at 5:00 on a Sunday AM.   

[MuffinMan]

Anyone have any experience driving west across Texas from San Antonio? Lantyssa, ghost, Minivan? Taking a road trip to Big Bend tomorrow and trying to decide if I should take US-90 or I-10. Looking for differences in amount of civilization, scenery and speed limit.

[ghost]

Anyone have any experience driving west across Texas from San Antonio? Lantyssa, ghost, Minivan? Taking a road trip to Big Bend tomorrow and trying to decide if I should take US-90 or I-10. Looking for differences in amount of civilization, scenery and speed limit.

Take I-10 or you'll want to shoot yourself in the head.  It's a long fucking drive and there's a lot of decent scenery on the way.  Also be careful about gas. 

[Minvaren]

Never driven further west than Austin/San Antonio - no advice here other than make sure you keep an eye on the "no fill-ups for XXX miles" signs.

[MuffinMan]

Take I-10 or you'll want to shoot yourself in the head.  It's a long fucking drive and there's a lot of decent scenery on the way.  Also be careful about gas.  

I'm somewhat afraid I'll end up shooting myself in the head with either route we take. I'll probably freeze to death at night anyways camping in the mid-30's.

[Evildrider]

Take I-10 or you'll want to shoot yourself in the head.  It's a long fucking drive and there's a lot of decent scenery on the way.  Also be careful about gas.  

I'm somewhat afraid I'll end up shooting myself in the head with either route we take. I'll probably freeze to death at night anyways camping in the mid-30's.

That's all there is... scenery.

[Lantyssa]

I-10 is probably your best bet as it's still a long drive and 90 is a two lane road once your outside of San Antonio (unless they've widened it, which I doubt).  After Kerrville the exits with gas are about every 30-40 miles, so just don't let your tank get too low and you'll do fine.

The I-10 to 90 drive down 83 I find really pretty, but a driver won't be able to enjoy it much.  There a rest stop overlooking Garner State Park on the route which has a great view.

If you want a "short" but pretty detour, I really like the drive on 27.  (Parallels I-10 starting in Kerrville.)  Most of it is 30-45 mph though.

[ghost]

As you drive, and in particular as it gets towards dusk, if you see a gas station and your tank is less than half full it is probably a good idea to fill up. 

[Selby]

After Kerrville the exits with gas are about every 30-40 miles, so just don't let your tank get too low and you'll do fine.

I drove my mom's RX8 back to California via I-10 after San Antonio and the biggest problem here is that not all stations will be open or have gas.  It's closer to every 50-75 miles you have guaranteed gas.  When the car only has a 275 mile range... that sucks.

I-10 is going to make you want to shoot yourself any way you slice it, but as far as I am concerned, the faster you can go on the freeway of choice, the quicker it will be done.  You may get more scenery on the highways, but when you have to do 45 vs. 80MPH, that's some seriously different times in driving.

[MuffinMan]

The Mirthmobile gets 40mpg but a smallish tank so I'll definitely make sure we don't get down to half.

[Selby]

One other thing, be careful down in Big Bend.  Get bitten by something or fall down and break a leg?  The nearest hospital is Alpine and it's over 80 miles away.  Study Butte is pretty basic as far as services go...

[ghost]

Well, another one of my 15 year old patients is pregnant.  That makes 3 in the past 6 months.  What the fuck is wrong with people?  Contraception is cheap.  Babies are not. 

[Sky]

Most of the teens we see pregnant here can't pronounce 'contraception' and think an IUD is something that blows up troops in Iraq.

[ghost]

Unfortunately, neither can their parents.  There should be a license involved to become a parent.  And eugenics is a reasonable thing. 

[Ironwood]

Well, another one of my 15 year old patients is pregnant.  That makes 3 in the past 6 months.  What the fuck is wrong with people?  Contraception is cheap.  Babies are not. 

Was it the same dude ?

[MuffinMan]

You know, ghost, there are contraceptives you can use too.

[ghost]

Yeah.  Sorry, it's not something that I feel particularly jokey about, Muffin.  I really like a lot of these kids and it is so irritating that bad things like this happen to them. 

[Ironwood]

You're assuming it's bad.

Which is fairly judgemental.  Who knows.  Maybe it's saved them from a short, violent or addicted life.

[ghost]

I suppose that may be true.  But I doubt it.  

[Sand]

Maybe they are all hoping to be on the new season of Teen Mom on MTV.
Leave it to MTV to make teenage pregnancy cool.

[Engels]

You're assuming it's bad.

Which is fairly judgemental.  Who knows.  Maybe it's saved them from a short, violent or addicted life.

Wait, what? Not to toss this into politics, but since when has having a kid been a good solution to your own fucked up life?

[ghost]

You're assuming it's bad.

Which is fairly judgemental.  Who knows.  Maybe it's saved them from a short, violent or addicted life.

Wait, what? Not to toss this into politics, but since when has having a kid been a good solution to your own fucked up life?

I'm pretty sure he's just ribbing me. 

[Ironwood]

You're assuming it's bad.

Which is fairly judgemental.  Who knows.  Maybe it's saved them from a short, violent or addicted life.

Wait, what? Not to toss this into politics, but since when has having a kid been a good solution to your own fucked up life?

While not hugely serious, the automatic assumption that all teen pregnancies are horrible, horrid things that will ruin lives that would otherwise be full of granduer and achievement is....not for my optimistic self to accept.

[Engels]

Well, then say that, not that they would otherwise be drug-riddled societal lepers :P

[ghost]

You're assuming it's bad.

Which is fairly judgemental.  Who knows.  Maybe it's saved them from a short, violent or addicted life.

Wait, what? Not to toss this into politics, but since when has having a kid been a good solution to your own fucked up life?

While not hugely serious, the automatic assumption that all teen pregnancies are horrible, horrid things that will ruin lives that would otherwise be full of granduer and achievement is....not for my optimistic self to accept.

I would love to be optimistic, but it just never seems to work out that way.  And I from my job I see it a lot. 

[Paelos]

I hear you can get $60k for a baby on the street these days. Seems like a good business decision to me.

[Ironwood]

I don't fucking have to.  Having come from a mother and father that had the 'teen pregnancy' thing with my older sister from a life of penury and misery and went on to be the most succesful and happy people I know, the assumption the other way is just as fucking offensive to me.  What really got them through it was understanding and support and not eye-rolling and judgemental fucking pity.

Other hand, I've seen a fair few privileged teens UTTERLY FUCK THEIR LIVES UP just by being cunts.  No child neccesary.  It's not about what you do, it's about how you do it.

Here's a hint :  A baby shouldn't be considered a 'bad thing' without any form of context.  Sure, Ghost gets to have an opinion.  The rest of the pile on ?  Not so much.

[ghost]

I don't fucking have to.  Having come from a mother and father that had the 'teen pregnancy' thing with my older sister from a life of penury and misery and went on to be the most succesful and happy people I know, the assumption the other way is just as fucking offensive to me.  What really got them through it was understanding and support and not eye-rolling and judgemental fucking pity.

Other hand, I've seen a fair few privileged teens UTTERLY FUCK THEIR LIVES UP just by being cunts.  No child neccesary.  It's not about what you do, it's about how you do it.

Here's a hint :  A baby shouldn't be considered a 'bad thing' without any form of context.  Sure, Ghost gets to have an opinion.  The rest of the pile on ?  Not so much.

If you're going to get hostile about it why not take it over to politics.  It's a bad situation for the kids.  I deal with this every day and it shouldn't be like that for them.  All it would take is a little more parenting.  I think your point is well taken in that most of these kids come from shitty backgrounds to start with.  Having a baby to deal with certainly isn't going to help them into a situation like your parents had.  Here's a hint-  that's not the norm. 

[Sand]

You're assuming it's bad.

Which is fairly judgemental.  Who knows.  Maybe it's saved them from a short, violent or addicted life.

Wait, what? Not to toss this into politics, but since when has having a kid been a good solution to your own fucked up life?

While not hugely serious, the automatic assumption that all teen pregnancies are horrible, horrid things that will ruin lives that would otherwise be full of granduer and achievement is....not for my optimistic self to accept.

I would love to be optimistic, but it just never seems to work out that way.  And I from my job I see it a lot. 

Huh? You're a dentist? Why are you seeing all the teen pregnancy's? Im not trolling Im genuinely curious.
Did you corner the dental market on teen mothers in your town or something? Just cant understand why you "see it a lot".

[ghost]

You're assuming it's bad.

Which is fairly judgemental.  Who knows.  Maybe it's saved them from a short, violent or addicted life.

Wait, what? Not to toss this into politics, but since when has having a kid been a good solution to your own fucked up life?

While not hugely serious, the automatic assumption that all teen pregnancies are horrible, horrid things that will ruin lives that would otherwise be full of granduer and achievement is....not for my optimistic self to accept.

I would love to be optimistic, but it just never seems to work out that way.  And I from my job I see it a lot. 

Huh? You're a dentist? Why are you seeing all the teen pregnancy's? Im not trolling Im genuinely curious.
Did you corner the dental market on teen mothers in your town or something? Just cant understand why you "see it a lot".

I'm an orthodontist.  75% plus of my patients are aged 12-20.

[Evildrider]

I'm an orthodontist. 

 

[ghost]

I'm an orthodontist. 

 

 

It wasn't me. 

[Evildrider]

I think I had the worst Orthodontist ever when I got my braces in my teens.

[Sand]

Okay and of that 75% how many are teen mothers?


Your posts make it sound like your a social worker in a ghetto and half your clients are knocked up. Just saying.