Random Obsessions?
8Do you have something that you are obsessed with that you know is probably strange or out of character? I have two:
I have recently started buying replica fashion clothing from China. Think stuff that is either only available for a short time, or prohibitively expensive to begin with. I don’t do it to show off, or to impress people by implying that it’s real, but because I really like some of the items and can’t get them through normal channels either because of the financial hit it would take to do so, or because of the limited availability. I have no shame in telling people my shit is fake.
Though I am not a lawyer (far, far from it), I have a strange fascination with following legal proceedings and critiquing the work of the attorneys involved. Most recently, this would be the case of Paul Guadalupe Gonzales, also known as the “Dine and Dash Dater” (https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/07/us/california-dine-and-dash-additional-charges/index.html). Dude was finding dates on various dating apps, suggesting expensive restaurants, and then ducking out, leaving the women to pick up the check. He’s been charged with 11 counts of extortion and two counts of attempted extortion, and a maximum of 16 years in prison. Now, this is taking place in California, but I find it hard to justify the charge of extortion for the situation. Extortion in California is defined as:
“Threat to cause an unlawful injury to the victim, the victim’s property, or another person
Threat to accuse the victim or the victim’s family member of a crime
Threat to reveal disgraceful information about the victim or impute a crime to the victim
Threat to disclose any secret involving the victim”
Now, while Mr. Gonzales is most certainly a piece of shit, extortion seems like an interesting statute to claim. Defrauding seems like a more appropriate statute, but he’s technically not taking money from the restaurant, because he’s leaving the women there to, presumably, pay. The only way I can see extortion happening is if the courts consider leaving his dates the only choice of either also leaving, thus defrauding the restaurant, or being forced to pay for an expense they did not reasonably expect to be extortion. Interesting stuff.
Anyway, what are your random obsessions?
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I don’t think I have any random obsessions. Maybe I’m boring or something.
@Targaryen So your obsession is not picking up any obsessions?
@therealjrn Might be that.
My obsessions are not random. I keep them neatly filed in folders, in alphabetical order.
@rockblossom What is letter F?
@Targaryen
a. flowers and fungi - taking pics and trying to identify
b. fog - love it (except when driving)
c. fractals - just because
@Woodhouse I need to see photos of this clothing. NEED!
@sammydog01 I don’t like a lot of flashier clothing, but I do like a lot of the Yeezy stuff, as well as some stuff from Saint Laurent.
Examples:
And of course, I picked up some Yeezy 350 v2 in the bred colorway:
@sammydog01 @woodhouse Good find! Will take a month or so to receive from China, but worth it considering the “US” cost.
@PurpleCave @sammydog01 Yup, some people actually said that they got their stuff within 3 days (which seems insane), but shipping is expensive either way. I’m in no hurry!
Wouldn’t that be a threat to the victims property? Money is property?
@RiotDemon I would think the date has a choice of paying up (threat to property) or running as well (impute a crime to the victim). So I think he’s guilty. And I’m glad I’m not on the jury.
@RiotDemon @sammydog01 Was that wrong? Should I not have done that?
@RiotDemon @therealjrn It depends- do you live in California?
@RiotDemon @sammydog01 Whew! I’m in the clear! I know this great steakhouse, want to go out to dinner sometime?
@RiotDemon @sammydog01 @therealjrn
I think he’s definitely guilty of SOMETHING, extortion seems like an odd play, though. I think I have a cursory understanding of why they went that route, but it seems more like personal property could be applicable.
@RiotDemon @therealjrn Sure, meet you in Sacramento.
@sammydog01 @therealjrn if anyone suggested an expensive restaurant for a first date, I’d know it would never work out before it even got started.
Last two places I met a new person from the internet were Dunkin Donuts and an Ale House. The most expensive meal is around $20, I believe.
@RiotDemon @sammydog01 @therealjrn
My girlfriend and I met online. First date was a coffee shop.
It’s mentioned in the various articles about this dude that the women were taken aback by his restaurant suggestions, for what it’s worth.
@RiotDemon @sammydog01 @therealjrn @woodhouse my husband and i went on our first date to a first saturday electronics sale in Dallas back when that was a thing. Ppl would gather in a parking lot under a freeway and sell games, computer equipment, movies, basically just any kind of nerdy electronic stuff. We’re both weird.
@ivannabc my last first date was at the Ale House restaurant I mentioned. Then we went back to the house to watch Return of the King and random YouTube videos.
I’m not sure if it counts as an obsession, but I have a steadily growing collection of knives, and when I see a unique or special knife, I have to struggle not to buy it.
@Cythwulf
/wootstalker https://sellout.woot.com/offers/wartech-buckshot-classic-pocket-knife-5
WarTech Buckshot Classic Pocket Knife
Price: $12.99
Condition: New
@Cythwulf I have the same obsession, might I suggest this for you…https://www.amazon.com/United-Cutlery-UC1183-Knife-Roll/dp/B000GXPP38/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1536765807&sr=8-2&keywords=pocket+knife+collection+case&dpID=51MaEfeVqDL&preST=SY300_QL70&dpSrc=srch
@medz
That’s not a bad looking knife. I might just have to snag one.
@PurpleCave That’s awesome. Thanks!
@Cythwulf
/giphy you’re welcome
@Cythwulf Time to start collecting swords. https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/new-texas-law-allows-open-carry-of-large-knives-swords
@Cythwulf I like collecting knives also.
I’ve bought a couple on Ebay marked as ‘Blem’. I haven’t found any blemish on either knife. It’s mostly Kershaw blem knives there.
@Targaryen “Start?”
Buying RPGs on GOG.com that I probably won’t ever make time to play…
@compunaut Yeah, I think I might have paid seven or eight dollars for every main-line Ultima game and the Underworld games. If I ever play through them, that’s probably about $0.01 per hour of gameplay…
@compunaut Here is a free one that I really enjoyed back in the day. The story reminds me a bit of Glen Cook and his fantasy series. https://www.myabandonware.com/game/myth-the-fallen-lords-3no
Greeting cards, photo frames and mystery boxes. I probably have more but these probably make me sound weird enough.
@mehbee i love cards!!
As someone who regularly rats out shirt.woot design thieves on Amazon and eBay …
/soapbox mode ON
Way to keep the
IP infringersentrepreneurs in business./soapbox mode OFF
@woodhouse Also too bringing the guy to court sets an interesting precedent for cases of others doing similar things (of course to a smaller degree than Gonzales) up on charges.
lemon oreos
@katylava golden oreos and mega-stuf oreos
@katylava @moonhat I love Nabisco Cameo cremes, but they’re pretty hard to find.
/image Nabisco Cameo
I have my main obsessions that I’ll set aside for a moment to mention my most recent summer-fling obsession, which has barged brashly into my life and will eventually merge uneventfully into it, through my revolving door of minor obsessions:
Vinyl.
As in records. LPs.
Can’t get enough. Love them. I’m buying them like they’re going out of style. That is to say, like they went out of style and then came back into style. But there isn’t a figure of speech for that.
Anyway, vinyl.
@shahnm
/image vinyl obsession
They say a picture is worth a thousand words.
@PooltoyWolf nice pack ya got there!
@PooltoyWolf they have names?
@llangley From left to right: Everett, Worgen, Lakota, Fenris, and Harley. Fen and Everett belong to me, Worgen and Lakota to a couple local friends, and Harley is visiting from New York!
@PooltoyWolf Awesome! I’m glad your pack has a pack of buds. I’m old so I didn’t get the references but learned about the tie-in to Marvel, WoW, and, of course the CSX yard (Yep, found that too). If indeed there is any tie-in!
![][1]
This is gum???
[1]:
@llangley Hahaha, that looks like some good gum. Let’s see…Everett is named after the abandoned CSX Everett Subdivision that runs between Kingsland and Richmond Hill, GA. Worgen is indeed named after the WoW character. Lakota is named after the Native American tribe. Fenris is actually named after one of two Norse wolf gods from the book ‘The Sight’ by David Clement-Davies, so the mythology featured in the Marvel comic universe also checks out. Finally, Harley is simply named after the motorcycle.