In the earlier post, I said I am not a quitter, but, I am a quitter. Vince wants me to take the Ham radio license test . . Saturday! He told me day before yesterday . . Saturday. Sunday he printed off 90 pages of stuff I’d literally have to memorize because not one thing on those 90 pages makes one bit of sense to me. Volts. Current. Calculate this and calculate that. I spent about two hours reading it last night and cannot tell you one single thing that I read. Why do I need to know all that stuff just to talk on a radio which I’d probably never do anyway? I might listen but I can listen without a license.
Vince was trying to explain to me why I needed a license. I might want to build a radio or build an antenna. I should know how it all works! I told him .. I have a driver’s license and I don’t know how a car engine works. I know the oil needs to be changed every now and then so I take it somewhere and have it done. No driver’s license test ever asked me at what RPM the car shifts into second gear!
This morning it was quiet, my mind was fresh so I started reading through the material again. The same material I read yesterday . . didn’t remember any of it and it made no more sense today than it did yesterday. I told him . . NO! I am not taking that test. I did tell him that if he gets a radio set up and working and he uses it often and gets really involved with it (I’d be surprised), then I’ll reconsider my decision about taking the test. I don’t need another time drain hobby and why would I want to talk on a ham radio when I have blog readers I can talk to?
So . . I quit before I ever got started. I handed him back all the papers he had printed; asked him to put them in a safe place (trash can works for me) in case I ever decide to try again. It feels good to walk away from something you really don’t want to do.
Donna Williams says
You’re not a quitter. You’re a chooser. You’ve chosen to not do something that makes you unhappy. Good job!
Sara Fridley says
I really like Donna’s comment – you are CHOOSING not to do this. And your logic makes complete sense. You can listen and enjoy without that license. Good decision!
RuthW in MD says
Vince said, “You might want to build a radio or antenna, so study these papers and take the ham radio test”??!! That is crazy. My husband has a ham radio, and an extra tech license. He built two antennas. He made a hole in the side of the house so the cables from the ham radio can attach to the box he built on the outside of the house and then into the ground wires (laid under the ground) leading to the two antennas in the backyard, OH! and to the antenna lines up on the roof too. Does he talk on the radio? No. Only a couple times. When we move, I sure hope the next person to live here is a ham radio Enthusiast, because he spent thousands of dollars, lots of sweat equity, and research doing all of it.
Cindy F says
This made me giggle. My husband has his radio license and bought all the gear and handheld radio too! We lived in Oklahoma at the time he got his license and we drove to Dallas so he could take his test. Anyway….that was over 25 yrs ago. He kept up with his hobby for awhile but hasn’t done much with it in the last 20 years! He did tell me they have another license these days where you don’t have to learn as much to be able to talk over the airwaves and he wanted me to go get that license but I politely declined…lol. He says someday he’s going to set up his radio gear again in his man cave when he gets that together but I’m not holding my breath! 😀
judy.blog@gmail.com says
At least you don’t have to learn Morse Code any more but if he thinks it’s easier to get the Technician license, he’s smarter than I am. There’s so much to learn about electricity and sound waves and . . just not something I care about doing.
Sherry Bobak says
If I want to talk to someone, I’ll use that newfangled invention called a telephone. It took me so long to figure out how to use my new one that I should have had to take classes.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
The Ham radio for Vince is more something he could use in an emergency situation when phones are down or, for some reason, communicaiton is out or almost out.
Kathy says
There you go! There is a huge difference between quitting and knowing when to walk away. (Cue Kenny Rogers) Encouragement is a great thing, but I always disliked the “Never, ever, ever give up!” posters in our classrooms. A mature person realizes when enough is enough- otherwise it is a waste of time, money, or most of all- emotional energy. Absolutely do your best- but there is great wisdom in the realization that “this” just isn’t for me.
Kathy
judy.blog@gmail.com says
So true!