2011

Speaking of spending less time on the forum, how many are taking a break after the tour restarts? I know I'm strongly considering it at the minute. Only problem is July 28th (my gig) is 5 and a half months after the tour starts which is a heck of a long time. I really don't want the set list spoilt though, so it'd probably be worth it.
 
@ Foro: I go through phases of being here a lot and then taking time off.  I never know when I'll have the time.  I've been pretty quiet over the last two weeks enjoying mine time with family and friends over the holidays.  Anyway, I used to feel this "addiction" when I first joined.  Now I have too many responsibilities to spend as much time here.  Good luck on your other hobbies.

@ Onhell: Sounds like AZ has ridiculously though laws.  When potential employers won't hire you because of DUI, that's a hard obstacle to overcome.  Are they forced by law or is it a matter of a job necessity?

The only major thing I am really looking forward to in 2011 is the birth of my kid, sex unknown until due date in June.  :)
 
Genghis Khan said:
@ Onhell: Sounds like AZ has ridiculously though laws.  When potential employers won't hire you because of DUI, that's a hard obstacle to overcome.  Are they forced by law or is it a matter of a job necessity?
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Well in most cases is just the stigma of being "a drunk," which is BS, but also, as far as the social agencies are considered, it is company policy.
 
Onhell, I don't know how different states treat crimes done in other states in the US and all things associated with that, but if things get desperate is it an option to move to another state?  Besides the obvious disadvantage of changing a large part of your life (family, friends etc.), are there many practical obstacles to it?  Anyway, hope it works out for you.

@Foro: Like Mega said, you haven't been hurting yourself or others with your "addiction", so I wouldn't see it as too negative; but you know best of course. 

Jonszat said:
Speaking of spending less time on the forum, how many are taking a break after the tour restarts? I know I'm strongly considering it at the minute. Only problem is July 28th (my gig) is 5 and a half months after the tour starts which is a heck of a long time. I really don't want the set list spoilt though, so it'd probably be worth it.
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It was worth it when I did it for two months last summer, but I at least wont' be doing it again.  During the past 1.5 years, I've been inactive almost a year in total (military service, and later the summer tour), and I don't really want to do it again. 
 
Onhell, I feel for you and admire your attitude.

In my part of the world (British Columbia, Canada) they've introduced new drinking and driving regulations that in some ways put the law in the hands of the police.
The legal limit is still .08, but they've implemented a policy where they gave the cops hand-held breathalyzers.
If you blow over .10 they'll arrest you and you'll be subject to criminal law.
But if you blow between .05 and .10 you're subject to a new tiered ticketing scheme.
A coworker had three beer over the space of a couple hours at home then went out and got stopped in a random roadblock.
She blew .05. She was immediately fined, her vehicle impounded and her license pulled for three days. Cost her about $750.
Second offence goes to a week, and the third a month, with rapidly escalating financial penalties. Beyond leads to jail time.

This has created two issues: the first is the obvious discretionary power given police officers — bad enough in a philosophical sense, but worse in this case because of the undependability of the cheap breathalyzer, and the many officers who do not completely understand the new law (I've both witnessed this both in media reports and first-hand).
The second, tougher issue for the average Joe is where do you responsibly draw the line — how much is too much?

I certainly would not have previously thought twice about driving after drinking what my co-worker had. Now she is smaller than me, but still she said she absolutely felt fine. She's responsible enough that I believe her. I am not trying to be an apologist for drinking and driving, but I find it difficult to believe she posed the kind of risk that justified the punishment, especially without the benefit of due process.

I find people are reacting in one of two ways: the most responsible are refusing to drink at all; the others are behaving exactly like they did before.
I am at a loss to explain how this is benefitting the public.
Genghis, an early congrats on the new addition. My girls are certainly the best things in my life.

Foro, it's fine line between pleasure and addiction.
I'd define an addiction as something that is taking away from other important things in your life.
If that's the case, then you are probably right to draw back enough to rediscover some balance.
As a 2010 newcomer to this forum, I certainly can appreciate its addictive nature — its good conversation and good people are now a valued part of my daily routine.

Have a great 2011 everyone.
 
Invader said:
Onhell, I don't know how different states treat crimes done in other states in the US and all things associated with that, but if things get desperate is it an option to move to another state?  Besides the obvious disadvantage of changing a large part of your life (family, friends etc.), are there many practical obstacles to it?  Anyway, hope it works out for you.
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I've thought about moving back to Mexico, but I've been living the american way (on credit) for the past... 5 years or so and I still owe about 6,000 on my car and 7,000 in student loans... If it was just my credit getting fucked over I wouldn't think twice about leaving my car in some ditch and saying "fuck you" to the student loans. However, my aunt co-signed on my car and my mom on my loans and they still live here. That is what REALLY pisses me off, this thing hasn't just fucked me over, but my family too. At any rate, I have considered moving to another state, perhaps New Mexico for work or just move to Northern Arizona to do my Master's... I'll decide in a couple of weeks after my trial.

And I agree with mckindog. DUI laws, specially in AZ have gotten ridiculous. Other states are not as aggressive, but AZ takes things to the next level. I should mention my "punishment" is for a first offense...
 
mckindog said:
Genghis, an early congrats on the new addition. My girls are certainly the best things in my life.
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Thanks.  It is exciting.  :)

Onhell said:
I've thought about moving back to Mexico, but I've been living the american way (on credit) for the past... 5 years or so and I still owe about 6,000 on my car and 7,000 in student loans... If it was just my credit getting fucked over I wouldn't think twice about leaving my car in some ditch and saying "fuck you" to the student loans. However, my aunt co-signed on my car and my mom on my loans and they still live here. That is what REALLY pisses me off, this thing hasn't just fucked me over, but my family too. At any rate, I have considered moving to another state, perhaps New Mexico for work or just move to Northern Arizona to do my Master's... I'll decide in a couple of weeks after my trial.

And I agree with mckindog. DUI laws, specially in AZ have gotten ridiculous. Other states are not as aggressive, but AZ takes things to the next level. I should mention my "punishment" is for a first offense...
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That's an insanely unfair punishment for a first offense. 

Since 2009, Ontario, Canada also has immediate suspension of license on first offense, plus installing breathalyzer in car and having to undergo an "educational program".  The blood level is also like that in British Columbia, .05-.08.  But I don't think there is any stigma here socially, to the degree that one's employment is affected.  A friend of mine was charged last year.  I was one of the people helping him get to and from work for a while. 

Maybe car pooling is an option.
 
Well I can drive again. I was riding my bike to my current PT job. I posted that in the "Fat People" thread, how I was riding 12 miles a day hahaha. I actually miss it and as soon as I fix it up I'm doing that again.
 
I think punishment for DUI should be severe. Especially in Israel, alot of young morons drink and drive all the time, it never ends well.

Why did you even drive drunk in the first place Onhell?
 
One of my buddies is an RCMP officer. I've definitely blown over the limit on his breathalyzer when I thought I was 100% fine to drive. I hadn't even touched a drink in 2 hours.

The lesson here is more what mckindog said - I'm a responsible driver. I won't drive if I've had any drinks in the last 8 hours. Onhell probably thought he was under the legal limit when he hopped in the car. He was probably safe to drive, even if legally inebriated. People have different tolerances.

The problem is that the law doesn't. We set the limit at a certain spot for a certain reason, and I'm fine with that. What I'm not fine with is the fallacy that making it easier to punish people who drink legally is going to "fix" the problem.
 
Mega said:
Why did you even drive drunk in the first place Onhell?
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Because I wasn't drunk! Good god, who gets drunk off of three beers besides 13 year old girls? I could walk straight, think straight, wasn't seeing double, I wasn't impaired to a degree that did not allow me to drink, but the state has it's rigid standards and oh well. LC stated it the best.

As for your opinion on DUI laws lets just agree to disagree, because it is because of that severity that unlucky people like me get lumped in with the morons that drink a bottle of tequila then ram their car into a church and nothing could be further from that case.
 
What happened was Onhell made a mistake. It was a bit of a foolish mistake to make, but I think we can all rest assured he'll never, ever do that again.
 
cornfedhick said:
How can he catch drunk drivers while "mounted" on a horse??   :P   
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Oh, some repetitive jokes never end.  ;)
LooseCannon said:
What happened was Onhell made a mistake. It was a bit of a foolish mistake to make, but I think we can all rest assured he'll never, ever do that again.
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I'm sure I would have been "caught" DUI w/ the stiff laws we have.  Guess I've been lucky.  Just like the example you gave above, I can tell if I feel inebriated, but I can't measure by blood alcohol by how I feel and by my senses.  As far as not repeating my mistakes, I've been caught speeding more than once.  I just don't buy all the traffic laws we have.
 
Genghis Khan said:
I've been caught speeding more than once.  I just don't buy all the traffic laws we have.
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Research shows Speedsters are common repeat offenders. TIP: Cruise Control even in the city.
 
Onhell said:
Because I wasn't drunk! Good god, who gets drunk off of three beers besides 13 year old girls? I could walk straight, think straight, wasn't seeing double, I wasn't impaired to a degree that did not allow me to drink, but the state has it's rigid standards and oh well. LC stated it the best.

As for your opinion on DUI laws lets just agree to disagree, because it is because of that severity that unlucky people like me get lumped in with the morons that drink a bottle of tequila then ram their car into a church and nothing could be further from that case.
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Is anyone aware of studies that show how drastically two or three beers can impair an adult driver?
How does it compare to problems potentially caused by having two squabbling toddlers in the backseat? Cans or bottles rolling around the floor? A fight with the spouse percolating on your brain? A good conversation with your passenger? A shitty song or a stupid caller on the radio?
Drunk driving deserves to be smacked down, hard. What I'm concerned with here is our definition of drunk.

During a Christmas party a few years ago, we sent three volunteers down to the police station every hour on the hour for an official cop-administered breath test.
It took about three hours and five or six drinks to push our subjects over .08. The biggest guy was maybe 180 pounds.
Maybe Onhell's a small guy, but that experience sent a very different message than his case does.

LC's right of course, the common sense answer is just don't drive at all after drinking.
I just like a little less guesswork and a little more justice in my laws.
 
My dad gave me a breathalyzer as a birthday gift -- deranged, I know, makes one wonder what he thinks of me!!  Anyway, I keep it in my car and use it.  In my business especially (attorney) it would not be good to be caught DUI.  I am certain that years ago I drove above the legal limit.  Really try not to do it now, but let's face it, every now and again my wife and I split a bottle of wine over dinner, so I want to be sure I'm not breaking the law.  Not sure how much the thing cost, but probably relatively expensive.  A friend used to make a cheap test called Guardian Angel, which had paper strips that reacted to what was in your saliva.  It was calibrated at 0.6, I think, though obviously not painstakingly accurate.  Unfortunately, his company went under -- not sure whether the strips are still available.  Whatever the method, it's a good idea to test yourself if you can, because Onhell's lesson is, you never really know. 
 
.08 sounds a rather liberal limit to me. But then again, I live in what our Swedish neighbours once called the "last Soviet state" ... Here, the rules are as follows:

The legal limit is .02, which in practice means that one bottle of light beer is all you can allow yourself to drink before driving.

Up to .05, the punishment is a fine, up to 1 months pay - so the more you earn, the bigger the fine. You may also lose your license for a limited time, but it's not certain.
From .05 to .10, the fine is 50% bigger, you will inevitably lose your license for at least 12 months, and you'll be given a suspended jail sentence - typically three weeks.
Above .10, the fine is the same, the license goes, but depending on the circumstances the jail sentence may be unconditional and you go to jail.
Above .15 you go to jail anyway, maybe also longer than three weeks, and you lose your license for at least two years.

It has to be said, none of these punishments are based on breathalyzers only. If the breathalyzer indicates you have been drinking, you are taken to the police station for a blood sample, and the alcohol content in the blood sample is what determines your punishment.

Now, what do I think of this? First and foremost, I think that for really drunk driving, one might just as well withdraw the driving license for life (at least for a second offense). If you get pissed and then drive, you're an idiot and should not be allowed to drive any motor vehicle.

When it comes to the punishment for lesser violations, though, I find them incredibly strict - especially when compared to the punishment for other violations of traffic laws. For example, it is not allowed to use a handheld phone while driving. I'd say the level of distraction is comparable to driving with a low alcohol level, but the fine is less than 1.000 NOK (compared to a potential 15.000 for driving with an alcohol level of .03). Also think about the following: Driving after a night of no or very little sleep has been shown to impair your concentration as much as a blood alcohol level of between .05 and .08. Yet, if you are caught driving erratically and the police observes that you're just very tired, all that happens is that you're told to take a rest before driving on. So, the punishments are not near to proportional.
 
Onhell said:
Research shows Speedsters are common repeat offenders. TIP: Cruise Control even in the city.
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Yep, I am a repeat offender.  Maybe I should have paid extra for cruise control, but it was too much.  I believe the deal was cruise control and sun roof for $1,000.  It was a 21st cent. limited edition.  Meh!
mckindog said:
I just like a little less guesswork and a little more justice in my laws.
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Have a praise.  :ok:
There is something terribly wrong with a law where you do not know if you broke the law or not before the police officer tells you so.  At least with speeding you do know.  

@ Wingman: A whole month's pay?!?  That's strict.  :o
 
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