I'm not the only one writing about Geneaholism and recovery...
I don't know why it took me so long to discover ... GENanon, a blog by Thomas Hamburger Jnr who describes his blog as:
"We are a not-for-profit group that exists to provide succour and support to anyone, anywhere, anytime who has become addicted to the pursuit of their family history. "
He, of course, demonstrates his proclivities by writing a serial genealogy story at http://harrymcfryinvestigates.blogspot.com/ - where Harry McFry is the intrepid hero. There are 130 chapters so far - I'm not sure that is enough for a true Geneaholic. We'll see!
Showing posts with label cures for addiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cures for addiction. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Latest Roadblocks to True Geneaholism
Life conspires against the addicted geneaholic to deprive him of his needed research time. In the last month, the following have happened to me that cut into my research time:
1) Jury Duty - four days, from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, of sitting in a courtroom listening to attorneys and witnesses, and the judge's jokes and restaurant recommendations. I coulda been home finding more cousins or putting data into my database.
2) Grandchildren come visit: five days, from 6:30 AM to 8 PM, of feeding, diapering, clothing playing, chasing, helping, loving, laughing, sharing ice cream, bathing and reading to a 2 year old. I wouldn't give that up for any genealogy work in the world.
3) Furniture shopping: we only did this three times, and for about 2 hours each, but the hassle of it all is debilitating. We found a nice leather couch set with two recliners, two other seats and two storage/drink holder areas. When it was delivered, one of the recliners was damaged. Now they can't find another one to replace it. We have to make more trips back to the store to decide if we want something else or stick with what we have. Arrgggh. I hate shopping - I'd rather be in a library.
4) Watching baseball games: We have a Padres 20-game ticket plan, so about once a week we go to the game. It ruins a whole night - from 5 PM to 11 PM. When we don't go, we watch the game on TV, which takes only 2 to 3 hours. I get the paper read, and then the current book read, so it isn't a total waste of time. I'd rather watch them all on TV, but all genealogy and no outside time makes Randy a pale wretch.
These aren't cures at all - they are roadblocks to consistently enjoying my addiction! But some of the roadblocks are very enjoyable!
What are your roadblocks to your geneaholism? Or your cures? (And don't say "take your wife to Hawaii for a week" - that's coming soon!).
1) Jury Duty - four days, from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, of sitting in a courtroom listening to attorneys and witnesses, and the judge's jokes and restaurant recommendations. I coulda been home finding more cousins or putting data into my database.
2) Grandchildren come visit: five days, from 6:30 AM to 8 PM, of feeding, diapering, clothing playing, chasing, helping, loving, laughing, sharing ice cream, bathing and reading to a 2 year old. I wouldn't give that up for any genealogy work in the world.
3) Furniture shopping: we only did this three times, and for about 2 hours each, but the hassle of it all is debilitating. We found a nice leather couch set with two recliners, two other seats and two storage/drink holder areas. When it was delivered, one of the recliners was damaged. Now they can't find another one to replace it. We have to make more trips back to the store to decide if we want something else or stick with what we have. Arrgggh. I hate shopping - I'd rather be in a library.
4) Watching baseball games: We have a Padres 20-game ticket plan, so about once a week we go to the game. It ruins a whole night - from 5 PM to 11 PM. When we don't go, we watch the game on TV, which takes only 2 to 3 hours. I get the paper read, and then the current book read, so it isn't a total waste of time. I'd rather watch them all on TV, but all genealogy and no outside time makes Randy a pale wretch.
These aren't cures at all - they are roadblocks to consistently enjoying my addiction! But some of the roadblocks are very enjoyable!
What are your roadblocks to your geneaholism? Or your cures? (And don't say "take your wife to Hawaii for a week" - that's coming soon!).
Friday, April 27, 2007
Early signs of Geneaholism
I found this list of early signs of Geneaholism at http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/1416/geneaholic.htm. The full article is reprinted from The Missing Link newsletter, Volume 7, Number 7, 17 February 2002.
"Answer these questions to see if you are in the early stages of addiction.
* Home: Has genealogical paperwork taken over any room in your house?
* Friends: Is genealogy interfering with your social life? Do people edge away from you at parties when you burst into tears over the 1890 U. S. census?
* Family: Do your relatives' eyes glaze over when you explain your latest research? Do you find dead people more fun than live ones?
* Work: Is genealogy interfering with your job? How many hours of each workday do you spend on the Internet, or checking your RootsWeb e-mails?
* Marriage: Has your spouse ever asked you, "Aren't you done yet? How far back are you planning to go?"
* Health: Are you starting to show the physical and mental signs of geneaholic deterioration, such as red-rimmed eyes, a loss of interest in current events, a shortened attention span for non-ancestral topics, excessive viewing of the History Channel?"
That's a pretty good list. The "cure" prescribed for this is scary though -
"If you answered yes to even one of these questions, you are on the road to genealogical addiction. You must not research even one more ancestor! You must stop NOW, before it's too late! When you feel an overwhelming urge to research, repeat the following until the urge goes away: "My mother found me in a cabbage patch. My mother found me in a cabbage patch. My mother found me in a cabbage patch." Good luck and God help you."
Not me. Yet. I'm still having too much fun.
"Answer these questions to see if you are in the early stages of addiction.
* Home: Has genealogical paperwork taken over any room in your house?
* Friends: Is genealogy interfering with your social life? Do people edge away from you at parties when you burst into tears over the 1890 U. S. census?
* Family: Do your relatives' eyes glaze over when you explain your latest research? Do you find dead people more fun than live ones?
* Work: Is genealogy interfering with your job? How many hours of each workday do you spend on the Internet, or checking your RootsWeb e-mails?
* Marriage: Has your spouse ever asked you, "Aren't you done yet? How far back are you planning to go?"
* Health: Are you starting to show the physical and mental signs of geneaholic deterioration, such as red-rimmed eyes, a loss of interest in current events, a shortened attention span for non-ancestral topics, excessive viewing of the History Channel?"
That's a pretty good list. The "cure" prescribed for this is scary though -
"If you answered yes to even one of these questions, you are on the road to genealogical addiction. You must not research even one more ancestor! You must stop NOW, before it's too late! When you feel an overwhelming urge to research, repeat the following until the urge goes away: "My mother found me in a cabbage patch. My mother found me in a cabbage patch. My mother found me in a cabbage patch." Good luck and God help you."
Not me. Yet. I'm still having too much fun.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
The Spouse of a Geneaholic
Being a Geneaholic (and male), I have no clue as to how my spouse feels about my addition and obsession. Well, other than her occasional questions like:
"Are you still on the computer? When I left, you were on the computer. Did you have lunch?"
"Honey, I called you for dinner ten minutes ago - didn't you hear me?"
"Your genealogy cave is mess - do you want me to clean it up for you?"
"Why are you so obsessed with dead people? You should pay more attention to your life wife."
"What are these charges on the credit card from Lulu.com?"
I went searching for articles about being the spouse of a geneaholic, but the malady has not been described or analyzed in the Annals of American Psychiatry or its' newsletter, the "Freudian Slip."
So I Googled "spouse geneaholic" and found a treasure trove of articles at Morrow's Musings (http://www.ourbrickwalls.com/gpage1.html), written by H. David Morrow, and published in the Missing Links genealogy newsletter in 2002 and 2003. The introduction page says:
"All of Mr. Morrow's Musings, as he calls them, give us a chance to laugh with him about his trials and tribulations as the spouse of a geneaholic wife, better known to his fans as "G.W.". As you read these articles, you have to laugh at yourself as well, if you too are a G. W., as I am."
After Missing Links ceased publishing, Mr. Morrow's articles were posted on the Our Brick Wall's web page.
Needless to say, these articles are insightful and scary to a Geneaholic. I'm not going to let my spouse read them - and I beg that you, my faithful readers, don't tell her about them!
The scariest article of all is "The Ten Step Program for Geneaholics and their Caregivers." Wow...I am speechless. I would die if I was committed to this program.
If you want a good laugh, go read all of the articles from the creative Mr. Morrow. It is obvious that he is married to a Geneaholic Wife. Frankly, I think he likes his life just the way it is.
"Are you still on the computer? When I left, you were on the computer. Did you have lunch?"
"Honey, I called you for dinner ten minutes ago - didn't you hear me?"
"Your genealogy cave is mess - do you want me to clean it up for you?"
"Why are you so obsessed with dead people? You should pay more attention to your life wife."
"What are these charges on the credit card from Lulu.com?"
I went searching for articles about being the spouse of a geneaholic, but the malady has not been described or analyzed in the Annals of American Psychiatry or its' newsletter, the "Freudian Slip."
So I Googled "spouse geneaholic" and found a treasure trove of articles at Morrow's Musings (http://www.ourbrickwalls.com/gpage1.html), written by H. David Morrow, and published in the Missing Links genealogy newsletter in 2002 and 2003. The introduction page says:
"All of Mr. Morrow's Musings, as he calls them, give us a chance to laugh with him about his trials and tribulations as the spouse of a geneaholic wife, better known to his fans as "G.W.". As you read these articles, you have to laugh at yourself as well, if you too are a G. W., as I am."
After Missing Links ceased publishing, Mr. Morrow's articles were posted on the Our Brick Wall's web page.
Needless to say, these articles are insightful and scary to a Geneaholic. I'm not going to let my spouse read them - and I beg that you, my faithful readers, don't tell her about them!
The scariest article of all is "The Ten Step Program for Geneaholics and their Caregivers." Wow...I am speechless. I would die if I was committed to this program.
If you want a good laugh, go read all of the articles from the creative Mr. Morrow. It is obvious that he is married to a Geneaholic Wife. Frankly, I think he likes his life just the way it is.
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