Well, Guys... I'm going to have to leave.

[bowlerp]

8th GRADE? Shoot, guys, I'm living in my 7th DECADE! You've had plenty of good advice above - best advice? Follow it! You do not have to do it all at once. i can still cross country ski 10-11 miles, weed whack 3 acres, drive well over 100 mph without wrecking or getting arrested, make love to my wife, read a good book, sail a boat, work a train festival, build a layout , chase trains with a camera, etc. and on and on. Point is - follow those interests, keep your feet firmly planted on the ground ( I DON'T mean don't try skydiving or flying), kep consistent values and principles, and follow your passions. Making a living will take care of itself if you follow your passions, and the girls will continue to find you interesting if you DO things instead of watch other people do them as a spectator. School is a great reason to leave - education is the key to success, and whether it be academic or trade, stay the course.....

[daan]

Yep guys, school is important. But what's also important is not forgetting the things you like to do. With or without girlfriend, married or single, one day you'll remember your old hobby and your soulmate should be prepared...
Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Good luck in school this year, guys.

I used to teach high school algebra & physics. I had a hard time with math until I got to college, and it suddenly clicked. Don't know what happened between high school & college to make it click, though.

Just don't ask me to do any proofs from geometry <shudder>

Yes, there are more things to life than trains & computers. Healthy folks make time for these other things. Just don't forget one of the more important things: your friends!

Tony

[Anonymous]

Are you leaving the other forums too? You seem to be on all of them.

pax[C):-)]

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the well wishes guys.

Anyone in this thread, or reading it is free to contact me. I would rarther enjoy talking to some of the 'youngsters' in this thread.

"...Chris, you take care of yourself. And take good care of that h-o-t-t-i-e too!..."

Oh, I will! [:D] ...Shes been to a train show... Although I don't think I should start a conversation about class lights at dinner [;)]

"... My girlfriend said, That if it wasn't for your individuality and your neat train shirts, you woudn't have stood out and she woudn't have noticed me..."

Never heard that one, Nick! if it works for you, great!

Take care guys,
Chris.

[Anonymous]

thanks for the encuragement. got to go back to school tommarow.have to put trains aside last year i didnt and got bad grades........ this year putting trains aside. gotta get good grades so i can snowmobile............ well....... ill drop in every once and a while and stay in touch....... well have to get ready for school............................. remember everyone else education is more inportant than trains. god i wish it wasnt true but it is. lucckly theres more summers coming though.............. well have fun..............

[brianel027]

Hey, a footnote for all you young guys... I did my homework and such and was in the top half of my high school class. Never was too good with algebra or science, but where I was good, I excelled.

BUT, I was never the "girls first pick" kind of guy, I suppose being short and thin. Studies have shown guys like me make up the largest percent of unmarried men. Granted it's what's inside that really counts, but it's what is outside that usually grabs someone's attention. Just like when we train guys go ga-ga over a good looking train engine with a sharp paint scheme - and then get all bummed out when the thing doesn't run on the track even half as good as it looks on the track (there's a metaphor for life!!).

So I never did really abandon the trains in high school. My interest actully grew. I took what I learned in shop class and that's when I started my very first scratchbuilding and kitbashing projects. Even back then, I would look for "beaters" to repaint... of course my skills then were nothing compared to today. I got into the history of not only Lionel, but of the real railroads in my area. As my buddies and I learned to drive, we would take a day trip and check out various railroad yards or areas of railroad historical interest. Back then there was no CTT, so I read the Model Railroader every month, as well as all the very first issues of OGR (wish I still had those! I did at one time).

I guess the old rule of life still applies - all good things in moderation. I'm sure once the school routine settles in, you all will find some time to enjoy the trains. I'm sure all of us "older" guys could tell you there's no figuring out what girls will do next... one minute they like you and the next they're going out with your best friend... I've never had that problem with the trains.

[cnw1995]

Argh! $10! That's hard, Dr. John! We'll miss you, Chris but your priorities are straight. I'm starting school too Tues, but I'm on the other side of the desk...

Spankybird, let me tell you about my '73 Dodge Charger I had when I was 16...bought it for $300 at a silent auction... Well, sir, I got that baby up to .....

[Dr. John]

I've noticed a common pattern with guys as they grow older (notice I didn't say grow up!). We tend to start out with trains as kids. Then girls and cars get center stage as teenagers. Then comes college and/or a job. Then, often, a family. Then we go to a train show, or visit a hobby shop, or find some childhood trains in the attic and then . . .

Well, you know!

Chris and you younger guys, thanks for your contributiions to this and other forums. You add a lot to the conversation. Like Odd-d said, be sure to take care of your future first. You can come and go with any hobby. Just don't do what I did and let your first train set (a Marx) get sold in a yard sale for $10.00.

[Anonymous]

Well guys, you young fellers have plenty of time to mess with trains. Go to school, go on dates , have lots of friends, take up a sport , participate in extracurricular activities and BUILD YOUR FUTURE CAREERS. I didn't do any of that . I let my interest in trains interfere in the starting of my life. I wish I had just put them aside for that period of my life. The trains can wait while you develop a broad range of interests. Go now and do well in school. You can always pop in and let us know how you are doing. A sad story: this spring I heard from two classmates I hadn't seen in forty years since high school graduation. They both asked me if I still had my trains......and I had to admit that I still had them. Then a whistful thought came that I really hadn't progressed much in my life over all those years. Don't let that happen to you. Odd-d

[brianel027]

Chris, Nick, Jerry, 3rr2, adirondackrr...
It's great to see you young guys interested in trains... I didn't know you guys were all so young!

Like Jon and Chief sort of said, enjoy your trains BUT learn everything you can in school! Take advantage of every learning opportunity that comes along. Pay attention. Focus. Excel. Learn and apply what you learn. English is important... know your vocabulary.

The days where a guy could get out of high school in America and find a good paying job that he can stay and grow with are nearly gone.

I've met older guys who got out of high school, and got good paying jobs where they gradually made good money (one income comfortably taking care of a family) and stayed with that job their whole working lives. If they needed more schooling, the company paid for that education.

Today, a high school education doesn't get you much in the way of a good paying job. College, though ridiculously expensive, almost seems essential in today's job market. I wish I could have gotten a degree when I was younger (and though nothing is impossible I suppose) because it gets much harder to go back to school as you get older. Believe me, you guys aren't thinking about the future so much right now. And hopefully the economy will be better when you guys enter the job market.

So enjoy the trains, enjoy the girlfriends, but focus on school!
And a little personal advice...
I've never had a train break my heart! (I wish I could say the same for girls)

[ChiefEagles]

Chris, work hard in school. You may not think it is improtant now but you will be glad later. Now for the pretty girlfriend. better treat her nice or I'll come to NJ and give you a real Rebel stomping. [:D] Please stop in and visit. You'll really be missed. I stored my trains when I left home for college and did not take them back out until 10 years later [when the son got old enough to look at trains]. Good luck and God bless [you have my email address so keep in touch].

[spankybird]

Chris,

Kooljock1 has some great advise.

When I was 19 years old, I also put my trains away for a while, and did some drag racing (A Fuel Nito) and I also had a 69 Roadrunner which was new at the time, which did 13.8 at 105 in the ¼ mile. At the time, that was pretty good. (no nitrous oxide back then). Enjoy the fast cars now, as later it doesn’t mix well with a family. But the trains will.

BWT, this is the weekend for the NEED for SPEED with NHRA summer nationals.



tom

[Kooljock1]

Gentlemen!

Enjoy your time with cars, girls, and school. Then go to college, and when dating, make sure your girl friends know the priorities. Test them. Take them to make out in the P & LE yards like I did. Borrow THEIR car to go to the closest hobby shops, while saving your own car money for TRAINS. And then latch on to one that thinks your abnormal focus is "cute" and marry her! Better yet, marry one with a promissing career!

Chris, you take care of yourself. And take good care of that h-o-t-t-i-e too!

Jon [8D]

[Anonymous]

8th also. sadly i cant say i have a girlfreind................................. hopefully soon though[|)][:(][*^_^*][%-)][%-)][%-)][%-)][sigh][sigh][:-^][:-^][;)][;)][:P][:P][8D]

[Anonymous]

I'm going in to, but i'll still post every day!
I have a girlfreind that I have'nt seen since June that i'll probably never see again.

[Anonymous]

Me too, going into 8th too. I guess this is a post for us younger guys!

[Anonymous]

Hey Ya'll

Chris, I know that importance too. School has started for me to (8th Grade). It may sound weird, but I actually like school so far this year. Trains, though, have not taken a back seat with me. I have a Girl friend and regular friends that are girls and they all love to come over and see the trains. My girlfriend said, That if it wasn't for your individuality and your neat train shirts, you woudn't have stood out and she woudn't have noticed me. She can't wait to help me on my layout. I have decided to build the layout in the CTT Janurary issue. The over and under loop shelf layout. We plan to start soon.

Sorry to see you go. Post here now and then though
Nick

[Anonymous]

School has started, Girlfriend, Cars... Trains have taken the backseat. So has the train forums and computer time. So guys, I'll still be here, watching over you. I will join in from time to time.

Best regards,
Chris.