What's your life load?

[Zherbus]

I'm continually astounding by the sheer amount of people who are able to travel out of state WEEKLY for tournaments and rarely miss anything big despite it being half-way across the continent. My question (laced with bitterness) is how the hell do you do it? Or are you like me and explain why its problematic.

(EXAMPLE:

I can make it because I'm only in High School so I have the summers off, keep all the money I make at Burger-Heaven, and my girlfriend (doesn't care what I do on weekends) (doesn't exist) (tags along in a supremely bored state to the tournaments) (changes my oil while I win New Hampshire tournaments).

)

Heres mine:

I work for Scientific Games as an Operations Manager which means that I am responsible for the well-being of a data center. I split the on-call duties with another guy, which means that 50% of my life I am on-call and cannot leave the 30-minute radius of the data center should something bad happen. Also, I am engaged to and live with my fiance who I don't get to see very much during the week, which leaves weekends mostly tied up to being on-call, seeing my friends, or being with Jes.

In my younger days when I kept all but like 25% of my income for my very own and was never on-call, I still found it rare for me to travel out of state.

[Jebus]

I work at a software company.

I always have weekends off, so unless I have some kind of urgent home issue, I'll leave for a weekend if I can afford it.

I don't have any relationships, which I suppose is a mixed blessing.

The money thing is normally the problem for me though.

[Toad]

I work for an aeronautical research center in the suburbs of Paris and usually work about 42 hours a week. I usually have my week ends free.

I don't feel like travelling at the other side of France for tourneys (if It's more than 1.5 hour away by train, that's waaaaay too far) because I usually playtest in a competitive field (we use proxies and my friends only play Tier1orClose.dec) and under "tournaments" conditions (replaying misplays are not allowed, sideboard is used, etc...). Tourneys are nice but there is too much randomness imho (I hate facing some little kids with non sleeved Mirrodin block constructed 100 cards decks) and people usually don't go to Type One tourneys expecting to play in tournament conditions (Last tourney one of my opponent called me unsportive because i refused to let him replay a misplay and later in the game called the judge because he made a minor procedural error. That is annoying me). Money is not an issue though.

And now my gf wants to keep me for her on week ends.

[Dr. Sylvan]

Even if I was in NE, I probably would only make it to the most major events every few months. Not only is there always a money problem (GenCon is about as much as I want to spend on Magic for several months, though there is some slim chance I'll be able to go to Kowal's September thing), it's also a big hassle in terms of seeing friends. I'm an undergrad with no responsibilities, until recently no job, and no girlfriend.

However, my female friends are the ones I'm closest to, and most of them are almost compulsive about having very little free time during the week. They might be signed onto AIM while doing their homework (I think they're all taking harder majors/classes than me--the woes of meeting them all at a geek high school ;p ), but they don't have spare hours to actually see me on weekdays, so I generally use my weekends to compensate. Now that I work for SCG and the library, I imagine this situation will exacerbate itself.

I'm in the "amazed at the constant out-of-state trips" camp, even without the serious time constraints you've got, Steve.

[rvs]

I'm a university student, so I got all the time I would ever need by default.

On a sidenote, Duelmen is the most far place I have gone too for a tournament (about 200km, and not counting Worlds 2k3 since well... it doesn't).

Out of curiosity Steve: do you expect us to come up with a solution for you? Or do you just want to get more bitter reading about people who don't have an on-call job (which is clearly the biggest reason you don't have time).

[Phantom Tape Worm]

As all of you know I am a professional realtor.  This means that most of my work is done on nights and weekends and, just like zherbus, I am on call 100% of the time.  Fortunately though, I make up my own schedule and as long as I give my clients notice ahead of time that I will be "unavailable" (physically anyways, they can still reach me via phone at any time), I can generally take time off as needed.

I find that you _make_ time for the things that are important to you, be it working out, spending time with your significant other, or playing magical spells.  No one is so busy (not even me) that they can't dedicate one weekend out of the year to something that is really important to them.

[Mith]

I'm finishing up my last year of medical school in Philadelphia...which means I'm in the hospital by 5am, and I leave around 7pm. I'm lucky if I get a break for lunch. I'm on call overnight every 4th day...which I actually don't mind because I get to do cool stuff like saw off limbs for amputations

And I have to round on patients on the weekend too. If I have a weekend free, it's generally for my live-in girlfriend.

Next year I start General Surgery residency, so I'll have even less time. But hey, at least in seven years (five for General Sugery, two for Plastic Surgery fellowship) I'll START making money  

Still, when I do get a chance, I make the drive (Waterbury, NJ, etc). Gas prices are nuts though...and my car guzzels the good stuff way too fast, so actually "going" to a tournament ends up costing quite a bit.

[Kowal]

I'm 17.  I dropped out of highschool, but I did the extra work to get the credentials to actually go to college anyway.  In the mean time, I have no job, and a girlfriend moving to New Orleans for college.

[Ric_Flair]

I am just now finishing law school and right now I am studying for the bar.  It is really sucktacular.  It takes up all of my time, every day 7 days a week from about 8 in the morning until 10-11 at night.  My wife is also completing her doctoral thesis in Organic Chemistry so she is working the same amount.  Aside from TMD posting I get to: listen to music and read for fun about 30 minutes a day.  As such I have had very little time to play or go to a tournament.  Once I am done with the bar I will be a Public Defender in New Hampshire.

As for the out of state every weekend crowd, I cannot for the life of me understand how these people can swing the cost of travel and such and yet not afford to buy power.  It just strikes me as odd that they would not see the weekly trips of eating and lodging (sometimes) as a drain on resources preventing them from getting power.  If you have income and/or all the power I can understand the travel, but for these high schoolers with no job, I am dumbfounded at their propensity to travel but inability to get power.  It seems like a no brainer to me.

[Dr. Sylvan]

Most of the people who do this heavy-duty travelling are the ones who already own the bling cards. Such as Kowal, whose life defies so many conventions I cannot wait for him to be an actual adult, simply for the stories that will grace my AIM window and this forum.

[CrazyCarl]

Due to certain circumstances I have a lot of free time.  I'm taking 17 credit hours next semester, so I don't know how much time I'll have, but last semester with 12 I had soooooooo much free time.  Oddly enough now that it's summer I'm far busier than I was before.  Most of it is due to friends and the fun stuff that comes with that(and by fun I mean the sux).  I could make it to a weekend tournament every week, but I don't have the money or the desire to do so every weekend.

As it is I get out there at least once every two months or so.

[Smmenen]

Ot me, it's alot like any hobby one takes seriously.  If I were a serious golfer or a serious martial artist, I would probably spend as much time on golf as I do on magic.  

What it comes down to is responsibilities.  If I were a full time practicing attorney (becuase of the long hours), I probably wouldn't have time for magic.  I'm not at the moment.  I'm not married, nor engaged, nor do I have kids.  

I think the big one is probably kids or a job where you work alot beyond the normal 9-5.  If do either of those, traveling for T1 is probably hard to do.

But if you aren't in one of those situations, and you don't travel, you probably just don't care enough.  Which is fine.  There are many other ways to spend one's time.

[jpmeyer]

Since I really don't like going to tournies that much, it's not like I have a problem trying to get to the one every 1-2 months that I feel like going to.

[Smmenen]

See, I really really do like going.  The more competitive and intense, the more enjoyable.

[wuaffiliate]

i just go to some big tourneys, like waterbury and going to gencon. i dont have time to waste going to all the tourneys.

I find that you _make_ time for the things that are important to you, be it working out, spending time with your significant other, or playing magical spells. No one is so busy (not even me) that they can't dedicate one weekend out of the year to something that is really important to them.

i agree somewhat, but there are thing that are more important than magic. i would much rather hang out with friends or go out and bar hop then spend $300 to drive down to CT and play magic for 12 hours . one large tourney every now and then is fine, but those who go to like all tourneys in the NE are nuts. i dont see how that doesnt get in the way of normal every day life. i must party way too much or something.

it is all about priorities, and life has priority over magic for me.

[Matt]

Four days a week, I wake at 9 and go to my research job at UT's math department from 10:00-11:30. I come home for a midday break, which I am in as I type this. Then I go back from 2:30-4:00, then come home and have another couple hours free. I watch some TV, eat dinner, then go back to campus to gym for a bit. Then I come home and have the rest of the night free.

Fridays, I go out with friends instead of the gym. Weekends are spent mostly visiting my family.

I have a lot of free time total, it's just broken up into small chunks such that I can't spend more than two hours doing any one thing. Which is why it may appear that I'm ALWAYS on TMD, but in fact I'm only really here for about an hour a day, max.

[TracerBullet]

Now that it's summer, making T1 tournies is a little easier for me, but during the school year, I was taking 22 units, in addition to working 31 hrs a week.  Now, the part that complicates things is that I was working 7 days a week, every week, and those hours were not flexible (I was under contract to be selling every weekend, and to get a Saturday off, I had to have one month's! notice).  I still have that inflexible job to deal with, but at least now I have time to do extra stuff during the week.

Another thing to consider- In order for me to really play Magic at all, I have to be willing to drive AT LEAST 50 minutes, and if there's traffic, it could easily be 2hrs 50min, simply because all the LA type 1 players are spread over a 45 mile radius.  In order for people to play around here, they have to be willing to put in the legwork, which as noted, can be a real bitch if it's rush hour.

That being said, I think I don't mind long car trips now.  After going to San Diego every month or so to play in a 14 person T1 tourney and taking 2 hrs each way to get there, I don't really feel that they're that long.  Long is the 6 hours it sometimes takes to see my ex-girlfriend in central california.

Oh, and it helps things that I've got a bunch of random girlfriends, none of them being the girlfriend.

Pat

[Zherbus]

Out of curiosity Steve: do you expect us to come up with a solution for you? Or do you just want to get more bitter reading about people who don't have an on-call job (which is clearly the biggest reason you don't have time).

I'm just curious how people actually do it. There is no solution outside of throwing my life away to play a game.

[Kerz]

I am a highschool student. On weekends I'm not doing anything on Saturday, I usually head to a tourney in NE. I try to make my schedule around the tournaments, for example going to the movies or chilling with my non-magic friends on Friday or Sunday. I put non-magic stuff ahead of tournaments in my priorities, so if something is going on, I don't make the weekly tournament. For money, I have money saved from two summers of working, and as a matter of fact I start my summer job on Tuesday. Oh yeah, and I definitely don't have a girlfriend. ;P

[The Atog Lord]

Being unemployed gives me plenty of free time. Living with parents 4L!

[Triple_S]

I work 40 hours during the week spread through out M-F but its a haphazard schedule since I am in physical therapy working on a shoulder condition that may require surgery.  Being single again I have time on the weekends to travel to large tournaments, but frankly have no desire to travel to most of them since I'd rather go out in Richmond instead.  I do enjoy the big shows/tournaments though and make time/money for those (such as Gencon, GP:DC).  Since I am giving up any facade of playing t2 now I will have more time/money to throw at t1 and VS since those are my primary hobbies right now..through I have a feeling that poker will be overtaking magic eventually, particularly when I eventually settle down.  And of course when football season starts I'll funnel all my energies into fantasy football since I usually make around $200-400 a season on that.

[Hyperion]

I decided not to work this summer to avoid getting burned out before I start graduate school next fall, so I have a decent amount of free time, which is mostly spent going to the gym, driving my siblings places when necessary, playtesting online when I can, and being with my girlfriend. Once I start graduate school I imagine I will have much less free time and Magic may have to take a back seat for a while. Sadly, that's why I won't be able to go to GenCon this year - because of orientation events.

Being in a serious relationship is a serious drain on my free time (esp. on the weekends) that I might otherwise use to go to more tournaments. In an ideal case one would be able to balance both, but sometimes something has to give, and for me it's usually Magic- sometimes they're awesome, sometimes they suck. However, I usually can count on enjoying myself if I'm spending a weekend with my girlfriend. I imagine for most people in relationships that the "expected value" of spending quality time with one's significant other is also higher than going to a T1 tournament, which is to be expected (unless something is wrong!! !) But going to tournaments becomes more appealing if I know it'll be well-run and have a great prize structure (i.e. Waterbury), if friends are going, or if I feel comfortable with a deck and it's chances.

[Methuselahn]

I have to plan ahead way in advance.  With 50 hours of work a week (weekends are rare), a wife, and a son, I have to get permission from the itinerary and the 'warden' here.  I've been dropping Gencon hints to Tracy since last December.  Being married for 6+ years removes alot of the need to spend alot of time together, all the time.  So that helps.  I think you married guys know what I mean.

The power tournies in Minnesota are always on the second Sunday, so it's a given that people I know expect me to go to that.  Now that we have more power tournies nearby, I guess I have to really count my blessings that all these stores are so close by.  The closest 'out of state' tournaments here are about 2-5 hours away in Wisconsin, generally.  I guess making the drive isn't the issue, it is setting aside a whole day and making sure it stays clear.

[Azhrei]

I didn't have time to fit Magic in with everything else I wanted to do, particularly my involvement in the SCA. I shifted my priorities and Magic fell to the wayside.

I make time for the SCA by basically MAKING time for it. I know that my Saturdays are spent, 2-3 times a month, at events so I don't do a whole lot else besides that. I fit my schedule around that and sometimes have to sacrifice other things to fit it in.

Bottom line is that if you want to do something, you will. It's all about priorities-- if Magic is your priority, you'll fit it in. If your job is, or something else, that takes precedence. I've only even missed a handful of practices in 3 years.

[Smmenen]

Out of curiosity Steve: do you expect us to come up with a solution for you? Or do you just want to get more bitter reading about people who don't have an on-call job (which is clearly the biggest reason you don't have time).

I'm just curious how people actually do it. There is no solution outside of throwing my life away to play a game.

But a huge chunk of your time must go into running this site (about a game).  Lots of people devote signifacant energies to games, hobbies and sports.  Some people play golf.  Some people fence.  Some people take lots of martial arts.  Others play basketball frequently.  

Everyone has different hobbies and taking a weekend off 5-6 times a year isn't too insurmountable.  You make it sound like people are going somewhere every weekend.  There aren't that many touranments.  It may just seem that way becuase summer is the high point.  It's even easier to play t1 for this reason becuase decks don't rotate out in terms of requiring a totally new card pool so that you can basically play your 4CC deck with slight modifications all year round.

[walkingdude]

I can’t play during the year despite being only about 20 minutes from Hadley because I do college debate which is really time consuming and takes every weekend.

This summer, I work 60-70 hours during M-F which takes up my time during the week, but means I have don’t really have to worry about the cost of cards or travel expenses (within reason of course, I’m not betaing my lotus any time soon). My weekends are free so each weekend I either hang out with friends or go to a tournament depending on what’s happening that weekend.

The factor that really makes this feasible is being single. I’ve been mostly partying this year and so don’t have a girlfriend or major time commitments.

[Magi]

I like this thread, it's always interesting to find out more about people.

This summer I only took 2 courses, but one of them was accelerated (read: 4 days a week) so it ended a few weeks back. The other one is a night class (1 night a week) so that lasts until August. I decided not to burn myself out this summer, because starting this fall I will be working hard to finish all my credits so, barring something dumb like me failing 3-4 classes, I can get out of this community college and into a real university (SFU for all the Canadianainas in the know), hopefully by next summer or next fall at the latest.

I work as a part time caretaker for this posh townhouse complex (4 buildings full of people who are so full of themselves), 9-1 Saturday AND Sunday morning, and 8-4 on Mondays. The hours are really a double edged sword: They fit in nicely with my school/gym schedule, but they are absolutely horrible for my physical well being, as I'm always out late on Friday-Saturday.

Since my 4 day a week class is over, I'm looking for another part time job to fill in the Tues-Friday slot. Wednesday night is Draft night, and Friday night is the weekly 1.5 tourney (not much T1 around here ). After the tourney I'm usually doing something else. Thursday night is my class. I go to the gym when it's convenient during the week, but Sunday night is gym night, which is when I do the full body thing, then hit the tub/sauna and stare at the lifeguards.

When I need to, I usually book off days to fulfill my other interests. For instance, this Saturday is a massive rave, and since I won't be coming home until 8am on Sunday I switched days with my co-worker.  When you love doing something enough, you'll find ways to accomplish it.

In terms of money, I live fairly comfortably. I go paycheque to paycheque, shoving a little bit into my savings each time. All this extra time and money, however, is available because I don't have a girlfriend at the moment.

In a few weeks, we're having our first major T1 tournament (Timewalk first prize, 10 proxy). It's a step in the right direction. There are even people from Seattle coming up here to play.

[Klep]

I'm inbetween undergraduate and graduate studies this summer, and not working.  I go to bed whenever I feel like it and tend to wake up before 1PM.  Why am I not going to tournaments every weekend?  I don't have a car and live in Virginia.

[Zherbus]

But a huge chunk of your time must go into running this site (about a game).  Lots of people devote signifacant energies to games, hobbies and sports.  Some people play golf.  Some people fence.  Some people take lots of martial arts.  Others play basketball frequently.  

Time that goes into running the site is minimal. I would say on a productive day 1-2 hours, some days a simple 20 minute visit. (Thank you TMD SLAVES!) How long did the Dual Lotus tournament last, Steve? Now how long does a basketball game last?

Everyone has different hobbies and taking a weekend off 5-6 times a year isn't too insurmountable.  You make it sound like people are going somewhere every weekend.  There aren't that many touranments.  It may just seem that way becuase summer is the high point.  It's even easier to play t1 for this reason becuase decks don't rotate out in terms of requiring a totally new card pool so that you can basically play your 4CC deck with slight modifications all year round.

People ARE going somewhere every weekend. People in New England travel 2-3 hours (since thats the universal time to get from almost anywhere) to play a 6-8 hour tournament ALL the time. Spread that how you will, but that's a day that's just *gone*. Do you see what I'm talking about here?

It sounds like your taking it wrong here like you need to somehow defend the fact that your life is free enough to allow you to do things that I cannot. I'm not trying to tell people that going to tournaments is wrong, but I was more curious as to how people can just uproot themselves for 3 major road trips in 2 months. I was also curious how people could make the time to hit a tournament every week. It's not so much that it's a 2-3 hour drive to alot of these events, but the fact that they last damn near 8 hours is another.

[rozetta]

I'm a programmer at SSH Communications Security in Helsinki. I live in Helsinki and there are monthly Type 1 tournament held at Safe Haven, a mere 15 minutes from my place by metro. However, I have never travelled further than locally for tournaments and rarely go to the ones here because, well, to be honest, they're always on Sundays which is inevitably a day I'm suffering from a bad hangover after Satuday night clubbing, etc.

Money is not an issue (I already have a travelcard anyway and the tournaments are normally only like 5 euro entrance), but most of the time, my girlfriend would rather me spend time with her. If I go to a tourney and do badly, I feel stupid about not having just stayed home and if I make top 8, I feel bad about staying too long. Of course, the hangover generally amplifies those feelings (On a side note, I once won a tournament playing Keeper with a really bad hangover).

I honestly myself wouldn't bother going any distance for a tournament. Conventions are cool, but I mostly find that hanging out playing magic, even for 8 hours, is tiring enough. Normally, 4 hours of being Duress-Hymned is about all I can stand.