Do you have a life outside of politics?

[tinfoilinfor2005]

Someone recently told me that spending time on the web was for people who had no friends or no social life. Although I am close to retirement age, I work full time and love to travel and have a full family life. But I am dedicated to leaving a better world to the generations yet to come.

[Us vs Them]

1. All my hobbies, frienships and social life revolve around politics

I am a nerd.

[FreedomAngel82]

2. I do

but not too much. Just school, church, family and I see friends here and there. :) My life isn't very exciting or anything.

[n2mark]

4. I belong to some groups outside of DU

but they are groups where we don't discuss politics. We just enjoy our senior years.

[Mojambo]

3. No

But I really don't have a life inside politics either.

I guess I'm saying that I don't have a life outside Sitcoms...

[n2mark]

5. You really need to have a balance in life

all politics and nothing else can drive you to the edge.

[seabeyond]

6. i am not a huge social animal. never have been,......so

i difinitely see some people that need people around them a lot. all the time. i do not. just different. why is this person assuming having their precieved social life is the only way to be. i have three kids now, generally two, i love being around. a husband i love having around, a couple brothers and a couple good friends, not to mention extended family. that is about all i want

being aware of what is up today is not a bad thing. further, if more people were aware, we wouldnt be in this situation. i think that is a given. so i am a bit pissed at your friend that is so busy being social and not informed that she judges me, without knowing shit and helping to create this really screwed up world for my children

[finecraft]

7. Not anymore

I haven't had a real life since 2000. I really miss it sometimes

[isit2008yet]

8. as opposed to knitting, pottery....what

a straight jacket..its good to protest now than later.

[union_maid]

9. The personal is political :)

Well, it's true. I have a job. I've had lots, but at the moment I'm lucky enough to be working for a legal services agency. If the Bush administration has its way those will be a very endangered species, so I don't know how long that'll last. I have friends. The ones whose company I enjoy the most are on the same page politically. I have lots of close family right in the house. We're post nuclear - four generations. Most of us can't help seeing the most mundane events in political terms. I've been that way since I can remember. Some of us don't have a life beyond politics because all of life is about politics, or at least most of it.

The internet has made it easier, not harder, to participate in many things in person as well as on the web. It just bothers people who don't spend their time on the web because they don't quite get what you're doing. If they think about it, what most people are giving up for the web is television time. Hardly a huge sacrifice.

[solinvictus]

10. Does a beard count as a hobby?

[latteromden]

11. Well, I kind of... work in politics. So it's hard to avoid. ;) But yes, I

do have SOMETHING of a life outside politics. :P

[ClassWarrior]

16. I love your Russ graphic. Do you have a connection to...

...us cheese-eaters, or just a Russ fan? Count me in on the Feingold 2008 Campaign, by the way.

NGU.

[latteromden]

17. Thank ya! Use it if you'd like. You know, I'm actually a

Minnesotan. ;) Funny, rather random story, I visited his DC office about a month ago, and I actually asked his staff at the desk why there wasn't more cheese gear in the office (she said she'd put up a cheese poster for me ;)), and am currently preparing to (whenever I stop being lazy) shoot off a letter to him with an actual cheese poster enclosed.

I think that maybe I should lay off the Wisconsin jokes, at least with senators, but man, it's fun. :P

& great! Sounds like a damn good campaign to me.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

12. Interesting responses. Not what I expected...

[freeplessinseattle]

19. I'm curious, what did you expect?

[tinfoilinfor2005]

26. hmnmm

I guess I expected that the responders would be more on the defensive about having a life outside of the internet/political scene, but most seemed to agree that their lives revolved around it.

[idiosyncratic]

13. I've just taken up Geocaching and it is a HOOT!!

I can actually forget what else is going on in the world while watching that arrow on the GPS unit and seeing the distance to the "prize" tick away.

I found two this afternoon, and didn't find three others . . . but I had fun looking. :)

[ClassWarrior]

14. Yeah, and it keeps getting in the way of what's important!

<LOL>

Seriously, I agree with the poster here who said the personal IS the political. I do the politics thing because I love the people around me.

NGU.

[RealDems]

15. Work in politics...

So it's certainly a very important part of my life.

[proudbluestater]

18. I have a life! I know I left it somewhere!

I've always been a political animal, but never quite so engaged as in the past year, after witnessing the coming demise of the United States of America by the Neocons. It somehow seems more important to me now. I was around for Vietnam. I have *never* seen this country in such a sad state as it's in now. When those who disagree with the regime become "the enemy" we are in a scary place. Forget terrists. I fear Bush, Wolfowitz, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice.

[freeplessinseattle]

20. well, let's see, I have been told that by a couple people, yet

they usually watch 3-6 hours straight of tv at least 4 days a week, and I spend half that amount of time on the computer.

[sandnsea]

21. A little bit

Family, work, couple of friends. I spend alot of time on politics though. If people knew what we knew, they would too.

[orleans]

22. just hardly

i'm so obsessed with this lately it's hard to focus on anything else. i have my own business and, fortunately, i can run it in my sleep (slight exaggeration)

[Vektor]

23. Oh, you betcha.

I'm happily married, a workaholic with two jobs - I work 14 hour days....
I have pets, own a nice home, travel when I have the time...and have great friends.

HOWEVER:

I live in a right-wing neocon hellhole town, and have to listen to Repuke bullshit everyday, in high doses, every time I leave the house.

Sooo....I visit DU to share ideas with other like-minded people, and to let off steam.

It's a nice haven.

[Awsi Dooger]

24. Since late November, absolutely

After November 2, I wanted to look closely at the election results and figure out what went wrong. I also studied the states in dispute until I pretty much determined we lost on the square this time. Followed the Washington governor's race literally update by update in the first recount until Gregoire came up short by something like 242 votes.

At that point I bailed on politics and DU for a much needed break, mostly because I couldn't stand or rationalize the thought of this regime for four more years. Didn't watch the news or read papers or online political accounts for weeks and months. In fact, only an email from Terry McAuliffe provided the smashing news Gregoire had pulled out the final recount.

I bought two new Macs and all the nifty peripherals and have been tinkering with them. More golf, almost daily. Betting on sports here in Las Vegas. Contacted old friends. Attended my alma mater's destruction of Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, plus all the alumni shindigs. Plenty of walking and exercising to get rid of the 26 pounds I gained while sitting at the computer sweating out every aspect of the election cycle last fall. I only drifted back to politics in baby steps when I accidentally heard Bush's approval ratings had plummeted.

Sometime soon I'll get the urge to look at 2006 and beyond. First indication will be when I summon the energy to update my statewide presidential tendency chart. Normally that's finished in early December, so you can see what this Bush-hole has done to me.

[American Tragedy]

25. Sure, but politics remains a major part of my daily life and thoughts

Even when I try, I can't ignore what's happening around me. In a way I envy those who are able to shroud themselves in cool indifference, because I've never been able to master that. Besides, it's a fascinating subject matter.