Insane in the membrane…help me understand;

[caravaggio]

My bowl of shit is at least paid for...

I have NO debts. NONE>

I have no credit card balances to pay off, no loans, no mortgage..

I am a man with true freedom...

I have a cheapo gen that might be worth $500 at best, and the rest is all just reps. BIG deal.... :shock:

I know I will never make enough money ever, to ever afford myself a Panerai or Audemars or Rolex or WHATEVER....
Not matter how hard I work, how much I sacrifice, these beautiful but not anymore practical watches are just images, things in a display case.

But dont misunderstand my post: I am not envious or bitter about my inability to afford certain luxuries in my life.... No, not at all...If anything, this is teaching me to be more grounded with the world, more humble and true to myself as a human being, father, artist and husband....

Like my wife keeps telling me: it is not how many things you own but how many people have genuine feeling for you and how many people at your funeral....

I just think us men spend way too much time with our cars, computers, pool tables, beer buddies, television, workplace and... watches....

The older my kids and I get the more distanced I get from material things... Yeah a Rolex is expensive, a Breitling is blingy nice and a rep Superocean is super to own but...

a happy healthy family that is together is PRICELESS...

LL

 

[crick]

Re: My bowl of shit is at least paid for...

I just think us men spend way too much time with our cars, computers, pool tables, beer buddies, television, workplace and... watches....



LL

ah HAH!

lesseeeee... i sold my car. i just walk now. No tv, the current television programs on it depresses me. Dumped my beer buddies, they get me into trouble. Ditched the PC and bought a mac so its just for email and work stuff...... now.... if i can only find kindling to burn my office down......

and my watches [smilie=crybaby2.gif] still working on that, dont see it going anytime soon LOL :roll:

all this...

to spend more time ...

with the g/f (soon to be fiancee!!!! shhhhhhh!!! :wink: )

 

[efnstefn]

IMO, the members of gen forums are arrogant pricks who just love to wear a symbol of their net worth on their wrist. IMO, the people on RWI are much more genuine about their love of timepieces and knowledgable about the timepieces themselves.

What about us that participate on BOTH, under different Screen Names of course??? :shock:

Excellent quiry my good man. As I have been accused of being both an arrogant prick (typically my wife uttering those words) and a jovial-good natured-loving-caring-creative-intelligent guy, I fit into both categories......it makes sense that I own reps and gens.

No need for the psychiatrist today. At least this morning, I know who I am. :wink:

OK, I take back about 60% of the gen forum arrogant prick remark.........

 

[efnstefn]

Re: My bowl of shit is at least paid for...

I have NO debts.............

Damn, I almost missed this post.

Paneraifreak, I am almost the exact opposite of you. We are like yin and yang. I'm materialistic and the idea of children would be a drag on my lifestyle. When anyone says "well, you know kids" when explaining some difficult behavior, I say "yes, that's why I don't have kids". That's the kind of cat I am.

However, I believe that I'm a genuine person and have many friends who will miss me when I'm gone (I hate the thought of my own funeral).

Can we be both genuine and utterly materialistic? and, not that I'm going to fly out to see you or anything, but is it possible that we could be friends with such different attitudes on life? I'm really curious.

 

[coop]

Just because you dont have or want kids does not make you a bad person. At least you know who you are, and what you want. I have two boys myself (16yr old and a 27month old) And I would trade them for all the reps and gens in the world. And yes, it is possible for very different people to be friends, I have many friends without kids as well as some gay friends, I also have friends that are swingers! To each his own! Be happy in life, you only have one.

As the almighty Klink would say "Life is good!"

 

[crick]

well i dont know about u guys but i like kids. My g/f doesnt.

"The idea of something the size of a watermelon shooting out between my legs does not appeal to me."

or so she says :lol:

...

sounds painful...

 

[cybee]

Re: My bowl of shit is at least paid for...

I just think us men spend way too much time with our cars, computers, pool tables, beer buddies, television, workplace and... watches....



LL

ah HAH!

lesseeeee... i sold my car. i just walk now. No tv, the current television programs on it depresses me. Dumped my beer buddies, they get me into trouble. Ditched the PC and bought a mac so its just for email and work stuff...... now.... if i can only find kindling to burn my office down......

and my watches [smilie=crybaby2.gif] still working on that, dont see it going anytime soon LOL :roll:





all this...

to spend more time ...

with the g/f (soon to be fiancee!!!! shhhhhhh!!! :wink: )

...fiancee is fancy word for future wife.. [smilie=love8.gif]

 

[crick]

Re: My bowl of shit is at least paid for...

...fiancee is fancy word for future wife.. [smilie=love8.gif]

 

[Niko]

Re: My bowl of shit is at least paid for...

...fiancee is fancy word for future wife.. [smilie=love8.gif]

If you rearrange the letters in Fiancee and exchange an 'n' for a 'e' you get 'Finance'....which in some cases may be a more appropriate word!

 

[cybee]

Re: My bowl of shit is at least paid for...

...fiancee is fancy word for future wife.. [smilie=love8.gif]

If you rearrange the letters in Fiancee and exchange an 'n' for a 'e' you get 'Finance'....which in some cases may be a more appropriate word!

...yep you got that right...my wife (once fiancee) got all my finance :roll:

 

[waterpruf]

Re: holy cow...

I’m Mojua, I’m from Boston, I love PAMs and watches in general. This forum has been a great resource, and I’d love to hear your thoughts…

Thanks!

Hi. Welcome to the forum, and though it may not have been a good start for you, I hope you'll stay.
People in this forum are not as bad as they sound, and are generally a helpful bunch with a sense of
community.

I guess we're all here because we love watches in general, and Panerai's in particular, whether it's
a rep or the genuine thing. There are lots of (valid) reasons for wanting a rep, and I think you know
the common ones out there. :wink:

I believe I speak for everyone here that given the choice of getting a free rep PAM or a free gen PAM, we'd
all choose the gen. So there is no arguing that PAM's are beautful wathces to begin with, and that
we'd all choose the gen over the rep only IF..... and that is one big IF.

As for me, the reason I choose to own a rep PAM is that I can't reconcile the tag price of a gen PAM vis a vis
its common / utilitarian ETA / Unitas movement. I remember years back when PAM's were just a fraction of
the price of a Rolex, and even then I can't see the sense in getting the genuine thing. Now that PAM prices
are approximating a Rolex's price, sometimes even higher than a Rolex, all the more I'm staying away from
the genuine PAM. Put it another way, I can't see why PAM's are that expensive (especially now), and that
I'd rather buy a gen Rolex for the same money than just get a PAM.

USD 10k for a gen Fiddy? I'd rather get a Daytona (at list price), and still have some money left to get some
other gen watch. But that's just me. YMMV.

Cheers.

 

[caravaggio]

I used to be a single man with no kids

And I never new the true value of freedon and free time until I started having kids.

I have learned to be very appreciative of the few free time I have for myself and with my wife. I never knew all the ways one could spend money faster than you can make it until I had kids.

I never knew the true meaning of busy until I had a full time job, a part time job AND the four kids.

I never knew how to apreciate the little simple things in life until I had kids.


Four kids.


Without them, I would quite wealthy.... As a professional cartoonist, money can flow in nicely but of course flows right back out in shoes, clothes, medecine, school supplies, toys, lotsa foods, diapers, five tv's, five VCR's, five DVD players, five beds, seven cressers, five bedroom house, eight bicycles, more shoes, six packsacks, five lunch boxes, eight water bottles, on and on and on....

Watches.... a small detail....

But after all the thousands of dollars I spend every month, the greatest joys, greater than going to a movies with your girlfriend, or hot sex with your hot wife, greater than driving the best sports car...

Is seeing your children lear their first steps, draw you an I LUV YOU picture, see them grow into great human beings, see them play hard at a basketball game, see them graduate hogh school with a stunning dress on , seeing how just beautiful she is and that you created her with your wife in a deep loving manner, seeing them have their own babies, have all your children come to your house for Christmas, and the whole house is filled with human warmth and family....

I have seen too many people not have this, yes have lots of freedom but after the coffee with the friends at Starbucks, the pool game with the boys or a long day at work, they come home alone, watch a little tv alone and go to bed alone. A life like this can feel pretty cold, isolating, lonely or not so warm and loving.

One day my wife convinced me of the only thing that ever matters in life, the only one thing that has meaning, value and true genuine rewards: family.

NOT family as in mom and pop.... FAMILY as in your wife, some kids and yourself.

with a family like that, you are ALWAYS surrounded with love, human warmth, caring, respect, admiration and devotion. More valuable than any hot car, fancy house or expensive watch could ever be...

Luke

 

[Mojua]

right on man, totally right on...I’m 30, happily married, have a nice condo and two dogs...no kids yet...someday for sure...i guess right now we're still too selfish...if that's the right word....I’m more than willing to make the sacrifice when the time's right, i KNOW that having kids will be the thing that will truly define me as a person, and i honestly look forward to that house full of love and warmth...sounds like you’ve got a great thing going, and that it’s gotta be worth the hard work and sacrifice. I’ll get there some day (I hope), just not yet…Cheers!

 

[caravaggio]

You will my friend

right on man, totally right on...I’m 30, happily married, have a nice condo and two dogs...no kids yet...someday for sure...i guess right now we're still too selfish...if that's the right word....I’m more than willing to make the sacrifice when the time's right, i KNOW that having kids will be the thing that will truly define me as a person, and i honestly look forward to that house full of love and warmth...sounds like you’ve got a great thing going, and that it’s gotta be worth the hard work and sacrifice. I’ll get there some day (I hope), just not yet…Cheers!

And whatever kid-less single people tell you, it will a wonderful thing to hold your first born... a wonderful thing..

Good luck and let's enjoy it all, whatever that is...

Luke

 

[Klink]

the technical ter is:

:walking on air..."

You wil never forget

 

[tstanley]

Wow, paneraifreak. You got the water to start in my eyes there. You nailed it !

I too found that having family was like waking up with colour vision one day, but how do you describe the colour orange to someone?

I love mechanical things, owned a great car that was a barn find (356 Speedsteer with roller bearing cams) . Let me tell you, if you really like mechanical things you can't drive that car anywhere! You can't park it except in your garage, the body was hand pounded and if you let that magnificent engine run too long under 3000 rpm you will lob your roller bearings. I could afford it too, lucky computer programmer kid at the right time. Spent months doing little else other than sitting in front of a computer writing code.

Then the phone rang, doctor, noise bleeds and headaches... Brain tumor...

I restored the car and sold it, bought a Beck replica the next month. I had several friends that just couldn't understand it, how I could buy a replica after owning the original, the legend, the myth... I drove the crap out the Beck.

Treatment was killing me literally, but not improving anything, left the car parked at friends next month and bought a one way ticket, didn't find my way back for over a year, traveled the world didn't know it but meet a friend that would introduce me to my future wife years latter. Tumor disappeared... bad diagnosis? treatment finally worked? miracle?

There is a story called the "Velveteen Rabbit" that describes what is real, I won't attempt a summary.

When I go into the basement I am crowded with old bikes, soccer balls, old strollers, and dirty toy trucks. Are there a couple of gen watches worth of toys down there? Of course, give me a rep pam any day!

TS

Trivia: a Millionaire is just about a million times more likely to kill them selves than a beggar in India. Its true!

 

[caravaggio]

thank you for sharing

Wow, paneraifreak. You got the water to start in my eyes there. You nailed it !

I too found that having family was like waking up with colour vision one day, but how do you describe the colour orange to someone?

I love mechanical things, owned a great car that was a barn find (356 Speedsteer with roller bearing cams) . Let me tell you, if you really like mechanical things you can't drive that car any were! You can't park it except in your garage, the body was hand pounded and if you let that magnificent engine run too long under 3000 rpm you will lob your roller bearings. I could afford it too, lucky computer programmer kid at the right time. Spent months doing little else other than sitting in front of a computer writing code.

Then the phone rang, doctor, noise bleeds and headaches... Brain tumor...

I restored the car and sold it, bought a Beck replica the next month. I had several friends that just couldn't understand it, how I could buy a replica after owning the original, the legend, the myth... I drove the crap out the Beck.

Treatment was killing me literally, but not improving anything, left the car parked at friends next month and bought a one way ticket, didn't find my way back for over a year, traveled the world didn't know it but meet a friend that would introduce me to my future wife years latter. Tumor disappeared... bad diagnosis? treatment finally worked? miracle?

There is a story called the "Velveteen Rabbit" that describes what is real, I won't attempt a summary.

When I go into the basement I am crowded with old bikes, soccer balls, old strollers, and dirty toy trucks. Are there a couple of gen watches worth of toys down there? Of course, give me a rep pam any day!

TS

Trivia: a Millionaire is just about a million times more likely to kill them selves than a beggar in India. Its true!

We should put together a "Chicken soup of the Soul: for rep collectors"...

You miss that car, I am sure, must have been a beauty.

 

[tstanley]

You miss that car, I am sure, must have been a beauty.

Yea, it was a beauty, PRS (Porsche racing silver) maybe two coats of paint (weight). I used to run my hands over those impossibly smooth fenders and marveled at the craftsmanship that built it. I am still a little confused with my feelings for it. On one hand it was history incarnate, but on the other they were not that great to drive. You raised and lowered the seats with a wood shim! And the gear box was always a guessing game; I believe one person described it as a broom stick in a bucket of marbles. The Beck on the other had was a rock, the VW engine and tranny were well... 30 years improved, and the chassis and suspension no comparison.

I guess what is funny is that when you drive the real thing people automatically think your driving a replica. Thats actually how I found out about the Beck, and a very similar story to how I found out about rep watches.. but that is another story...

Honestly though, cars are for driving, watches are cool little machines that tell the time. I think the question is how much fun / enjoyment does the object bring you? I have so many great memories with the Beck, I am just bidding my time until I can build one with the boy one day. I am planning to relive a trip to Joshua tree that I did in that car. I know you can never go back, but why let that stop you.

Anyway, so as not be accused of thread jacking. I for one would rather have the replica cobra than the original any day of the week, I have driven both. The old big block cobras cooked your feet with engine heat, and the stock handling and steering was crap, you could fix all those problems... but then you don't have the original anymore!

Cheers
TS

P.S. I am still in contact with the guy that bought the speedster from me. It now has super paint, and I think he has put about 1500 miles on it since he bought it from me 16 years ago. Total millage about 24K and I rebuilt the engine after I bought it (flattened roller bearings). ;o :wink:

 

[bigbadbrad]

Re: I used to be a single man with no kids

NOT family as in mom and pop.... FAMILY as in your wife, some kids and yourself.

with a family like that, you are ALWAYS surrounded with love, human warmth, caring, respect, admiration and devotion. More valuable than any hot car, fancy house or expensive watch could ever be...

Luke

Warning to the reader, what I write below is OT

Mate -this was a cool piece of expression. As we Aussies like to say: good on ya! (no irony)

We - my wife and me - don't have children. But we do have animals - and they are our immediate 'children'. They are loving and funny - but of course, not children. Just different - and we're OK w/ that.

Money sure does not = happiness. It assists happiness, of course, not to be poverty stricken. Great to have a secure roof, warmth, shoes etc.

Having children - for some - is a choice. And it was our choice not to have them. But we have great times w/ my nephews/nieces; I am 2x a Godfather; I have several former students - one for whom I am to be Best Man for this summer (can't wait!) - as regular correspondents... actually, more of a dad for the aforementioned former student than [anon.] actual dad.

So, I guess I'm saying, there's not one model for a family.

Just that it's wonderful to have family that are as you expressed. And you're bang on: mum & dad aren't family, in the wider/richer sense.

Family is what you make of it. It's wonderful that you, me - that we have that.

Cheers, BBB

ps I love my hot car

 

[caravaggio]

Big Brad is a good soul

Thanks for oyur beautiful words.

Sometimes animals are much easier to handle than kids...


My car?

It's dead and i gotta get a salvage man to take it away for me....

I take the bus to work now, with a cheap gen Tag Link on my wrist... no shame in that I guess...




Take care.