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

[RogerR]

...while dozing in your english class you have a nightmare about splines

[IBApril180]

.....You feel bad for last year's robot because the new one is getting all the attention.


-April

[Katie Reynolds]

... You skip all of your classes on the ship day to finalize the stuff that didn't get done last night.

... The most excited you've ever been about getting new clothes was when your new robotics appearal came in.

... You see someone has the ohm sign as their avatar, and do a double take because you thought you saw a retaining ring/C-ring!

... You fall asleep at your computer while waiting for the "You know you're addicted to FIRST when ..." there on Chief Delphi to load.

- Katie

[scuba_sm]

-You read this thread several times, and still have more things to add

-Your debate teacher tells you to dress up, so you wear your team shirt

-All your fashion discussions are either about team shirts, or saftey glasses.

-All of your buddies on your AIM buddy list say "Working on Robot", including yours

-You actually stay up late enough to see engineers start imitating muppets

-You start imitating muppets too...

-You reply to this post just to keep from thinking that the robot is really gone

[Vincent Chan]

--To avoid withdrawal, you search and find a new robotics project to start on, no matter how large or small. (Ours is rather small... we have a sumobot to mess with until competition.)

--You go over in your head what needs to be done and/or bought before regionals.

--You often wonder how the robot's doing.

--You can think of something to add, at least once a day.
(x2 if you're a rookie this year.)

[Specialagentjim]

...as you crate up the robot, you start spouting off the list of things left to do now to keep yourself from freaking out that you have nothing to do but maybe like school work (Luckily I've got an animation to start on for next year and an OI to design...)

[Ben Mitchell]

I do strategy for my team.

For MONTHS after every regional, I see team numbers: prices, etc.

I could then remember the number, and recall the team's statistics: from what their fuctions where, to how they operated on the field.


Now THAT is scary.

[rust710]

Originally posted by Ben Mitchell
I do strategy for my team.

For MONTHS after every regional, I see team numbers: prices, etc.

I could then remember the number, and recall the team's statistics: from what their fuctions where, to how they operated on the field.


Now THAT is scary.

I will probably see all that stuff for several more years/decades to come. It has been a year and I still remember vividly everything at all competition I went to.

[Jim Giacchi]

... When you walking down the hallway in school and as you pass the numbered classrooms you think of the teams that correspond.

[Tyler Stevens]

-- When your parents grounded you 2 weeks ago and you havn't seen them since then (gone to school to work on the robot before they wake up and get home after they go to sleep)
-- When you get withdrawl after not working on the robot for 12 hours
-- for thinking sleep is a luxury

[ebmonon36]

-you stay up late because it feels wierd to go to bed early
-you go to a presentation on the F-35 and all you talk about is the robot
-the robot is the most expensive thing you've ever driven
eric

[Daniel Brim]

...When Your band director welds your instrument to fix it and you have a strange urge to file it.

...When you try to drill holes in yourself to lose weight

[DanLevin247]

...you don't think a robot is done till it's full of holes
...you have been know to occasionally outburst and say "I'm a robot!" in the Ralph Wiggum voice
...You know why allowing a 200 pound teammate to dance a jig on a crate is a BAD thing

[Pierson]

When you are on a first name basis with everyone in the accouting office because you have talked to them more often than you have talked with your teachers.

[maclaren]

-If at 10:30 pm you finally have the robot packed up then go to Shari's to celebrate and you chug a jumbo milkshake and your friend tries to eat a whole lemon marang pie and only eats half and doesn't touch the marange.
-If the day after a major work day half the team sleeps and the other half works.
-If every finger on both your hands have been either gashed, smashed, burned or, blister due in some way to the robot.
-If you deburr your finger instead of your work piece(I slipped)
-If every minute you have off during school is spent in the shop on the robot.
-If you you have welded, made, fixed, or designed every part on the entire robot at least twice.
-If you have one person designated to search through the phone book calling every single restaurant and asking for donations of food each and every day.
-If you had to fix and or setup a milling machine, lathe, drill press, and welder so that you can make your robot.
-If you sit down and measure every part of the robot with a scale that is accurate to the 100th of an inch and obsess be cause two parts that are supposed to match are off by 5 100ths.
-If after the robot is shipped your mentor and you can't decide whether to make a cart, ommniwheels, a shift on the fly transmission, or a Continuously variable transmission.

Oh wait I think these things sound familiar...

Nahh!

Good luck to everyone at their regionals!!

[HolyMasamune]

if you program until ur fingers are too numb to type any more code

[tatsak42]

Originally posted by maclaren

-If every finger on both your hands have been either gashed, smashed, burned or, blister due in some way to the robot.
-If you deburr your finger instead of your work piece(I slipped)
-If every minute you have off during school is spent in the shop on the robot.
-If you had to fix and or setup a milling machine, lathe, drill press, and welder so that you can make your robot.

I know what those are like... especially deburring. Too many times. And it doesnt' stop bleeding if you're operating a lathe or a mill and you keep reopening it when you turn the things to make the stuff move..
And i can't weld, but I did the other stuff...

-- When you say I'm going to school see you tomorrow, and your parents understand what you're talking about.
-- When you mourn the death of the 2002 robot, when it has been sacrificed for bracket things. And there's actuallya paper that says "RIP......."
-- When you stay up till 3 in the morning because "that's what's normal."
-- You go into robotics re....sion (it's not regression or recession... I'm too stupid to think of the word... they use it when talking abotu drugs too) after robotics ends.
-- When you really start unintentionally start speaking Yoda-speak, because good syntaxically correct sentences form, you cannot

[rust710]

Originally posted by tatsak42
-- You go into robotics re....sion (it's not regression or recession... I'm too stupid to think of the word... they use it when talking abotu drugs too) after robotics ends.

I think the word you are looking for is remission.

[Stu Bloom]

... when your wife and kids won't say "Robotics" but only refer to it as "the R word".

[Shana]

-You shout "ctrl-z ...ctrl-z" when you broke something(in the real world)

-You get in heated debates with people who believe the segway isnt a good idea.

-You almost cry @ invitationals because people aren't being nice to the robots

-Your previous mentors tell you that there proud of you for starting a team and it means the world to you

-The Mail Boxes Etc. guy knows all about FIRST and the animation and how imp. the package is to you

[Ashley Weed]

... when you begin to have a tear come to year eye as the robot is loaded into the crate, because you won't see him for over 40 days.
... when your American Government teacher lectures the class for being non-coherant, then speaks to you afterwards in hopes that you won't take offense, because he knows you haven't slept in a bed for 7 nights.
... when you enter a silent mode of depression, because you won't see your teammates for almost 45 hours.
... when you only have 2 friends outside of Robotics, and when you walk into the Band Room, they yell at everyone to leave the practice room so you can take a nap.


..... older... but good..... when your teammates discuss you on the way home from a competition.... and they have debates over wether or not you are really human.

[Marc P.]

...when you think in PBasic variables, using PWM outputs for limb motion, switches and sensor values for senses, and if-then statements for judgement.


...when before you open your eyes in the morning you're on ChiefDelphi oggling other team's robot pictures.


... when you feel guilty/pained when you have to drill holes in the robot to reduce weight- then make it up to him by polishing and buffing by hand.


... when you know every team's number, but can't remember your phone number.


... when you can't sleep at night because over the course of 6 weeks, you forgot what sleep was- and find yourself gazing at your shrine to FIRST which occupies an entire wall of your room.

[Vincent Chan]

Originally posted by weedie
... when you enter a silent mode of depression, because you won't see your teammates for almost 45 hours.
... when you only have 2 friends outside of Robotics, and when you walk into the Band Room, they yell at everyone to leave the practice room so you can take a nap.

So is everyone in FIRST in band? I feel left out. (Ah, that might be solved next year...)

I start to feel lonely when I don't see my robotics buds for twelve (waking) hours.

--everyone who attends on your team knows the Rocky Horror soundtrack because you've played it for three days straight-- even the kids who have never seen the movie.

--your mailbox is full of "Reply to post..." emails from the CD forums.

[Rio]

...When you get home day after shipping at three after school and freak out because you forgot to go to robotics.

[Anne George]

......When at a party while playing trivial pursuit you get the card with Dean Kamen as the answer and you srceam out THATS MY GOD!!!!! and you dont get funny looks except for by your teammates cause you just gave away the answer
......you choose to have a party for your FIRST team over the rest of your friends(boyfriend included)
......you choose to go to FIRST instead of a Party cause its almost shipping and your just positive something will break that night
......the first thing you learn about your new b/f is that he used to do FIRST and you then yell at him for not still doing it
......your buddy list not only has your FIRST team on it but it has the surrounding towns FIRST teams on it, and most of the counselers from FIRST camp on it too...and your still waiting for s/n's from campers that you had (like libby kamen) over the summer
......you got a new s/n just so you would have FIRST in your s/n
......you wonder what you missed when your robot is packed up and shipped by 12 instead of 7 like your used too

[EStokely]

...when you realize that you can't explain to non team members what the feeling is like to crate a robot.(not a typo, I meant crate not create)

...when you laugh outloud at your desk reading this thread

...your dog growls at you when you come in at 2 am. And even after sniffing your hand isn't quite sure

...over 75% of the phone numbers on your cell phone are your team or someone elses team

...You realize that Dean IS changing society with FIRST and you love the fact that you are helping

[Katy]

…when you have three robots you assembled in the background and you can not figure out how to run a microwave
…your teachers no longer talk to you in front of the class because they are afraid you will embarrass yourself by talking about “that loser robotics thing” again
…you half expect food to appear on the table in the corner at regular intervals by itself even at home
…you tell time only by knowing the following hours: 9AM 12PM 5PM 10PM and 2AM and only because that is when you are hungry every day
…when you know the staff of at least three fast food places by name and face
…when you figure out if Home Depot has an item faster than the staff person who you asked
…when you think it is perfectly rational for your team to lock you in the crate so you can get the measurements perfectly on the inside braces of the door
…when you can tell types of motors by sound
…when you can tell if something isn’t pure Al by weight


also you know you have been on team 360 too long when

…you are afraid of
1. Mike on caffeine
2. Saint Christopher
3. The lady at Home Depot who mixes paint
4. Anybody who works at Lowes

…you know how to say the following things correctly
1. My spoon is too big (repeat)
2. I am a banana
3. DOYOUUUU!!! YOYOOOUUUU!!!!!
4. Tuesday is coming, did you bring your jacket?
5. I live in a giant bucket
6. Sprockets!
7. Can we use mirrors?
8. Silly smee burning people is wrong
9. TOUCH MY MONKEY
10. I am feeling fat and sassy
11. Do you want to see a movie?
12. Life is good

…you know what the following things/people are
1. A small screwdriver
2. Illhar
3. the magic white smoke
4. Chuckles
5. the autonomous dance
6. a tappa tappa
7. Rejected
8. the special chain company
9. dance of joy
10. the “dog monkey”
11. sanity buddy (bunny)
12. What we don’t tell Paul about

[jzampier]

when you think twice before replying to an Andy Baker post on CD with a correction/suggestion....

[Alfred Thompson]

You're in Reno NV on business. There is a casino and a bunch of places to eat and you are sitting in a free internet area reading Chief Delphi and going to miss breakfast because of it. And you don't care.

[AlbertW]

when you respond to EVERYTHING with

"I'll _____ your _____ yesterday!"



http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2002/20020222l.gif

[Sean_330]

When you refer to anything hard as "Crunch Time"

When you have enough team and crew shirts to last a lifetime without wearing any of them twice.

[Duke 13370]

- you know all off the spotlight quotes on this site without looking at the list
- Robotics withdrawl symptoms are so bad, the patch just isn't enough

[Amanda Aldridge]

--you can talk to a bunch of 8 year olds and their parents (i.e., the kids probably can't multiply!!) and make them explain why you are knocking bins down, why you want them stacked up, and why you want some bins on the other side too. and they actually understand. sort of.
--teachers at school know that for six weeks out of the year you will do nothing even remotely resembling homework, and still give you As. Even though this is your first time in their class...they just heard it through the grapevine. (omg, who's old enough to remember that song??)
--every person that walks into the office that you work at when you're not at FIRST walks out with a deeper knowledge of robots and dean kamen.
--your coworkers at aforementioned office are shocked -- and reward you -- when the phrase "it's not battlebots!! " does not come out of your mouth at least 3 times a day.
--best non-FIRST friend dis-owns you...again, and you don't care, because you have the robot.
--you hug your robot, and nobody laughs at you.
--you tell your friends that someone tried to run you over with the robot, and everyone asks is the robot is okay.

[Pierson]

Originally posted by angel55
--you can talk to a bunch of 8 year olds and their parents (i.e., the kids probably can't multiply!!) and make them explain why you are knocking bins down, why you want them stacked up, and why you want some bins on the other side too. and they actually understand. sort of.

How true this is...
When teachers ask how was your weekend? and you respond by explaining the whole game to them and pulling drawings, sketches, and pictures from your ____ (fill in the blank: pockets, binder, backpack... etc or all of the above.)

And if they still understand, explain to them last years game and what your robot did.

[Dick Linn]

- when you drive around town day and night in the snow the last 5 days and nights before ship day with a bright blue 6 foot tall crate and all the tools in the back of the pickup, ferrying people around and looking for places to work because the school workshop is closed...and your boss asks "What's that in the truck, a porta-potty?"

-when you are still posting on this site after a week like that.

-when your older son goes to college after two years on the team but you also have an 8th-grader who has 4 more years left on the team...

[Simeon]

when you realize the price for real film instead of using your digi cam for robotics pictures would have totalled double the price for your digi cam

when you're the guy uploading robotics photos and can't see the end of the list of the photos being uploaded...

when you realize you have over 800 photos for robotics within 2 months

http://gallery.litespeed.ca/album07

when someone tells you that you look sleepy...
and you reply " Sleep? what's that?"

when you can tell the exact size of a bolt by just smelling it.

when someone calls you a "nut", u wonder what they mean by calling you that.

when things don't fit, the hammer is your best friend

when you can't feel the angle bracket (or nuts,bolts, screws, etc.) you've been sitting on for the last 10 hrs.

realize that the cup of water you have been drinking has a shade of yellow... and then shrug and continue drinking

when you become pleasantly amused when someone says "po tae to"

when you realize your socks are coloured silver from the aluminum shavings

when you start naming the hacksaw

when your backpack for school contains nothing but tools.

when your teacher asks for the answer of a calculus question and you tell him how his desk is missing a bolt.

when the pizza store/donut store no longer charges you tax.

[Lauren Hafford]

...When you write a tribute to last year's robot after you had to cannibalize it for L-brackets.
...When you cry every time you read the tribute.

...When you have a very confused look on you face when someone in math class says, "3/10ths" as an answer, and say out loud, "don't you mean 300 thou???"
...when you think that an oily, ragged, smelly drop cloth is a suitable blanket while briefly napping during an all-nighter when the batteries are charging

...when you burst into the school lunch room screaming "SHE DRIVES!! SHE DRIVES!!! AND SHE IS SOOOOO SEXY!!!" three hours before ship and nobody at your school is surprised.


lauren

[Elyse Holguin]

Originally posted by Simeon

when someone tells you that you look sleepy...
and you reply " Sleep? what's that?"

i hear that!

more:
..when your eye starts twitching involuntarily the saturday after ship from withdrawl

..not only do you hug your robot, you drive the robot around to hug other people with it so that they may feel the love (2001 bot).

..when your addiction rubs off to the 8th graders at your joint middle/high school and they all begin following the game and anticipate being freshmen.

..when one of those eight graders comes to meetings so often you clock him in.

you know you've been on 71 for too long when...

..you start saying chicawgo
..you giggle when you watch mr. bill late night on comedy central
..you know what will happen to you if you touch/ talk/ bother Elyse (me) before she's had her coffee in the mornings
..you giggle when you see a clothespin
..you have a newfound love for the walmart men's department

[Stephanie]

...you take apart your mom's brand new toaster, the day after build, and when it doesn't work again, hit it with a hammer, and use duct tape to fix it

...when your team says, randomly "duct tape, zip ties, and industrial strength velcro!"

...when you go to physics class, and half of the females there understand when you make a karate-chop motion with your arm, while making pneumatics noises, because they are on the team too

...when you look at a team mate who has just announced that they are dating a non-firster and start to explain to them "nonono you don't get it. they'll be lonely during the build. you have to end it now, and find someone who will understand..."

...when you would never even remotely consider dating a non-firster

...when you have to say goodbye to your boyfriend during march and april because he is working as a crew member at at least two other regionals

...when epoxy has become the inhalant of choice on the team, and results in conversations involving much giggling and sexual inuendos

...when wetzel calls on jon's cell to tell him our team mate is in the chat room, while we are at home watching 101 dalmations with my little sister...

[Specialagentjim]

...when you start saying, without even realizing it (and having to have other people point it out) "Zip tape and Duct ties"