I became a prostitute.

My family still begs for favors.

I live in the south

My uncle (who farking programs airline computer reservation systems for a living): "So, I was wondering, how can I make my own website?"
Me: "Uhh... the thing about that is... kinda complicated... uhh...."
Don't you hate it when someone asks you a question that broad?

on a different subject, fark was farked up there for a second, hit back from a forum and my screen showed the fark page from december 29th???

my father-in-law is a veterinarian. he's saved us so much dough over the years.

for lawyers, a more accurate headline would be "your relatives will argue with you forever." if i had a wooden nickel for everytime i've been asked about the coffee-spilling lawsuit, i could build graceland with the raquetball court. now i just tell them, in graphic detail, about the 3rd degree burns that the lady received to her, um, lap area. that usually shuts 'em up.

Don't ever work at the same place as your parents either, I used to work at the same place as my dad (with 15,000 other people too) and he bugs me all the time about how I shouldn't have quit, gossip about people I don't even remember, etc..

Someday I'll snap and tell him I make twice as much now and way more than him after his 25+ years.

Hey, I'm just glad the holidays are over...
"You can work a computer...can you: hook up my new dvd/tell me how this digital camera works/put together the furniture from IKEA/make stuffing/etc etc."

But Doctechnical is correct, I got enough sick support (7 Up, Vaporub, cold compresses, etc) from Mom to justify about anything.

In fact when she needs tech support I only put her on hold for five minutes before helping out.

another reason not to become a gynecologist. No mom, I don't want to see it.

the one with all the rednecks
(think: y'all couldn't get beer on sundays, till the liberals used the constitution to modificate da law)

Hee hee. I majored in Spanish, and my family is racist as hell, so the chances of their asking me to translate for them is next to nil. Score!

Oh, yeah, and I play the accordion. You can imagine how often that skill gets taken advantage of. Score!

I get some kind of error on my internet every time I try to pull up a website. What do you think is wrong?

What I've found as a CS major in terms of many people asking for help is that you can often politely refer them to a computer geek that lives near them. There are enough computer geeks around that there will be one near them. This just means that you can expect to help out some people who live near you, but it's a far more limited number than you would get otherwise. (However I do make exceptions for really close friends)

01-02-03 03:25:51 PM Etymxris said:

To pick a profession you don't enjoy is a mistake.

Damn right. I have been interested in computer science for my entire life (well at least since the old Commodore 64 days). I got side tracked for 2 years running a restaurant and I can tell you, I want those 2 years back!

As some smart person once remarked, "Find a job you love and add 5 days to your weekend."

Skip

I always like it when people phrase a question too broadly becuase they don't know enough about the subject (computers, the law, etc) to be specific. I usually ask them for more details, and when they can't offer any, I say "Well, if you don't know what you want, I can't help you."

Avoid free computer support: tell them you work with "industrial computer applications."

Same with electrical work. I tell them I work with industrial 3 phase high voltage and know nothing about city codes.

AdamK,

Clear your browser's cache. Happens to me too. Not Fark's fault.

yesterday at 11 am my dad calls me up. 'Help me settle a bet, son. See how fast you can make this flier and email it to me.'

wtf is that about? i would never call his ass up on a holiday and say 'hey dad, my friend says he can close a loan faster than you. whaddya think about that?'

i built my ol' man a li'l TGP awhile ago. he luvs it. every morning he is putting up gallery links and all that other good stuff. my mom aint too keen on him being in the porny biz, but she doesn't complain too much when he gets his cheques in the mail and treats her to a day at the casino. lol - parents are silly.

Become a smoked turkey and your relatives will prey on your for about two days after Thanksgiving.

You play the accordian? Hey I need an accordian player tomorrow night. Why don't you stop by. I could uh, design a sewer system for you, if you need one.

Alto_reed_on_a_tenor_sax
My buddy Joey plays the accordion. Specifically, he plays Nine Inch Nails, Sex Pistols, Metallica, and other cheesebag metal and punk. He does this outside the bar until he has enough money to go drinking. Then he plays after last call until he can buy a pizza.

I get the same crap from my family, which I don't mind too much.

The problem I have is all the people at work, and the owner's brothers and parents, and the board member's family members who need me to come over and fix their damn computers cause one of their brat kids tried to put a pudding pop in the USB port or some such shiat that drives me nuts.

Course, I shouldn't gripe too much, because some of them employ me for their various businesses to maintain their little networks, etc. It'll suck if they ever find out I don't really know what I'm doing.

DoubleGGuy, what's wrong with being an actuary?

*stares at actuary science syllabus across room*

Try working in Construction industry. I'm just the manager of the office and my mom thinks I know allthere is to know about constructing buildings, plumbing, heating, etc. Geesh, I've told her a million times that we sub that stuff out! Oh, and she expects me to get really really good deals on things like carpets and windows.

Now I just feel bad about getting those expired inhalers from my dad for my asthma. =:-P

Since you techies are here ... anyone kow how to reformat windows XP without installing a previouse version of windays and upgrading?
/ducks and covers ... serious question though

/me waves hand infront of your face

There are no typos.

tigger:
My girlfriend has a double major, one of which is Cellular-Molucular-Microbial-Biology. The topic of school comes up at parties, I mention what I'm doing, then what she's doing and the conversation is over. God I love her.

NIInxedLynx - just pop in the Windows XP cd and boot up your computer. Then, when it gets to the part about what partition you want to install Windows on, there should be an option to delete any listed partitions (drive letters). Delete any drives you want, and then select the option to create a new partition. Then, it will make you format the new partition.

Or know anything about computers or cars... or fix a leaky sink and suddendly you're Mr Fixit and wanted by all for free...

I'm a journalist and I get all kinds of free stuff, mostly food (at events) and office supplies. But I can't see that being of any use to relatives, it's not like I get a discount on newspaper subscriptions (although there's plenty for the taking at the office).

I guess the only thing we can hope for then is lawyer family fueds along the line of the Hatfields v. McCoys. This will tie up the time of a big chunk of those blood-sucking lawyers and stop the flow of money for future lawyers, and then we MAY be free to live life without these crackheads ruining everything.

It's not so much the helping of people (family, friends), it's the inopportune times (holiday party), or the fact that I did that for them yesterday.

Or better yet, "Could you come down here and take a look at this?" (Long distance phone call.)

I will bass for food money!

Also, ElwoodCuse, I'm a struggling freelance columnist - can you get me a gig?

Filth:
"Bought them freedom, and asked what they got for him." That's awesome.

Techmaniac:
ummm.....saying that the 'bloodsucking lawyers' ruined 'everything' for money is like blaming 'antisocial programers' for WindowsXp

Tickr
Thank you very much!

If you ever want to know how to create an EMP device, look me up in a year or two, depending on if I graduate and if I am still interested in that field. =:-)

/me hides from government

My girlfriend's brother is just ready to graduate as a mechanic, and I think he has it pretty bad. Evey time he comes home, not only do his parents and friends expect free work, but the more distant relations drive 45 minutes when they probably wouldn't otherwise wouldn't be bothered to see him. They get their oil changed and brakes replaced and everything else under the sun, and figure if they buy him lunch it is compensation for a day of work that he couldve either spent relaxing or could have netted a couple hundred from.

Try working for a software dev company and do php/perl crap on the side. Suddenly I am a bottomless well of knowledge of why my sister lost her internet connection in Florida. (I love in CA). I hate my family.

PhoenixTMW - "Bought them freedom, and asked what they got for him." That's awesome.

You think so? Actually, I thought it sounded kind of sanctimonious...

(No offense to you, Filth, or his friend... I guess I'm just inclined to have more respect for quiet modesty)

Doesn't sound like his parents are moochers, it sounds like they are just assholes.

Get into network marketing. Then you can contact them before they contact you and you can make a buck off of them.

The medical profession is just as bad. I'm an ultrasound tech and I specialize in pediatrics. I get constant requests from the preganant nurses to look at their kids. Or I get the requests "Does this look infected?", that kind of thing. If my parents asked me to do something for them, I'd take care of it. They have done more for me than I'll ever be able to do for them.

I'm a painter, and my family doesn't want shiat from me.
probably because of the less than pleasant subject matter.

I got a question for all you tech people.

Which is better, the internet or that world wide web thing?

I think AOL offers both but I don't want to be connected to the wrong one when I sign my 7 year contract.

01-02-03 03:45:25 PM Crazyeddie

My wife is an actuary.
One of her favorite jokes about the profession is that actuaries have been known to bore accountants.

And something about the surgical removal of a personality...
Hoping she's not on Fark today...

Scarneck: Depends on if that 7 year contract is Sea Org deployment friendly.