You know you're addicted to FIRST when...

[StephLee]

Originally Posted by ALIBI

.... my two teenage sons start calling off team names as the speedometer goes up while driving down the road. My youngest wants to be able to say "WildStang"! Although, most times I prefer the "Beast" or "Hot"! Maybe someday I'll treat the kids to the "WO-BOT"!

I know some people on the team who should NOT see this post...that's just too tempting of an idea.

You know you're addicted to FIRST when you warn your teachers a week in advance that you'll be paying very little attention for the entire week of Championship; you'll be too busy wishing you were there and trying to sneak a peek at the webcast. (Yay for understanding teachers!)

...When it's the day everyone has left to go to Atlanta...you know that a large contingent if not the majority of FIRST'ers are in Atlanta at the Championship event, not checking/posting on Chief Delphi...and you are still checking CD simply because that's what any sane person would do at 5:40am.

Or something like that.

[StephLee]

...you wear buttons/bandanas to school from the teams you're keeping a close eye on in Atlanta.

...you also wear t-shirts from Atlanta, and your sweatshirt from last year.

[ScoutingNerd175]

While studying for a Physics mid-term, you have to tell your friend to hit you if you mention Championships again because you keep talking about robots when you should be talking about rolling without slipping, massless pulleys, and frictionless turn tables. Even though you aren't going to championships.

[ambie_o7]

...you posted on this thread with more than one team number...
...you stay up late making a spreadsheet of each event station with each team and the amount of ringers they hung, their strong and weak points, and if they can score and descore points...
...this is the second time within the last month or so that you've done this...
...you do all of this while knowing that you have 2 chapters worth of calc, 2 chapters of latin, and 4 essays to write because you've missed about 10 days of school this semester...
...you're sick of airports because you've made 3 round trip flights (2 of which are to the mainland) within 4 weeks, from the big island of hawaii...

[Storcky]

...you STILL carry your safety glasses in your coat pocket a month after your last regional
...you beg and plead to all of your teachers to let you watch the webcast
...you have a legit reason for how robotics is related to each class and why we should get to watch it
...all of your teachers would consent if they had the correct technology
...you wear your team shirt and a necklace with all of the buttons of teams that you know that are going to Atlanta to school and end up sounding like windchimes, but really don't care
...you try to make out the speeches of the opening ceremony by lip-reading because the computer that you are watching the webcast on has no sound

[Zyik]

... When your on spring break and all you can think of are robots.
... When you know theres other thingsyou should be doing, but your too focused on robotics to do them
... When you spend all your time wishing you were in Atlanta
... When you keep trying to contact other teams your friends with, even though you know they won't respond.

[JBotAlan]

When you've decided that you are wearing the championships team party armband until due to wear it no longer complies with the FIRST logo guidelines.
When your friends all tune out whenever you mention robotics or anything related to the Segway.
When you see a worm gear pictured in your physics book and notice that you'd better let the mechanical team know--there's no grease on it.
When your boss immediately assumes that when you mention you will not be able to work certain days that you are doing something FIRST related.
When your teachers have given up on trying to get your late work from you; they take it "whenever they get it".

[Storcky]

...you spend all afternoon on Saturday of Championships watching robotics, then spend approximately 5 minutes getting ready to go to a dance afterwards

...you attend the dance wearing a long dressy dress...and the 375 bandanna in your hair to celebrate their National Delphi "Driving Tomorrow's Technology" Award

...you freak out when you find out that your after-prom is called "007 in 07" and wonder if you can invite 007 or at least their robot to come

[BlondeNerd]

...everyone on the same MARTA trains as your team in Atlanta now knows about FIRST

....The pilot of the plane you took home also knows about FIRST

...you are more excited about the fact that Dean Kamen signed your robot than your upcoming birthday

[cooker52]

...When all you can talk about on the way home is about the IRI in July.
...When you talk about making a segway and designing it on the way home (all of our mentors just sighed at us, and looked like that wanted nothing to do with it)
...You hate the fact that your dad is going to kick you off of your only connection to any other robotics teams.

[Dizzy_Lizzy]

... you have loads of work to do but blow off your frees watching the webcast of Atlanta wishing you were there
... you get home and find at least three pairs of safety goggles in your bag
...you plan your team's trip to Atlanta when you're not even going
..you wear the buttons and bandanas of the teams you're supporting at nationals, around your house

[ambie_o7]

your team becomes your "ohana" *giggles* hawaii joke

[vic burg]

....you continue attending championships even though you are sick.
....you cheer during the matches even though you can't talk.
....you are sad that you came back from championships with only one shirt from other teams.
....ChiefDelphi is the only site you want to visit DURING competition. lol
....even though your mom goes to championships with you and you know she doesn't understand 'robot talk', you still talk like she understands you.
....you come back from a competition and 3 days later you are still talking in 'robot code'.
....you make references to real life using terms associated with ther current and past fields and games.
....you understand all of those references.

Edit:
....you are already planning off-season events.
....2 flashdrives at 1 gig each aren't big enough to hold all your robotics pictures. from one year.
....you think of things to put on CD while doing other things then forget once you finally get on CD. ((more of a CD addiction, really))
lol

[raymaniac]

You're suffering from Championship Withdrawal