i really want to get a giraffe, but my parents won’t let me. (it took me abt 2 yrs to convince them to let me buy my first uni) please help me come up w rebuttals for their arguments:
you already have a unicycle
how would you get on it?
it’s too expensive (how much would it cost?)
we won’t have room to keep it
you won’t be able to take it to college next year
you’ll look like a goon
and they want to know WHY i want it. how am i supposed to answer that?!? i just DO!
also, what kind should i get?
Re: giraffe help
you already have a unicycle
mine is getting lonely
how would you get on it?
carefully…trust me
it’s too expensive (how much would it cost?)
less than the psychotherapy for a repressed childhood
we won’t have room to keep it
I’ll keep it in my room
you won’t be able to take it to college next year
actually, it’s a prerequisite for all of my courses
you’ll look like a goon
I AM a goon. Being a goon is a good thing.
i think the main problem is htat they just don’t want me to get it, i don’t think any of these are their real reasons, just excuses. has anyone else faced this?
hahahahahah that is really funny harper,
>3) it’s too expensive (how much would it cost?)
>
>less than the psychotherapy for a repressed >childhood
did ou ever see “the adams family values”? well it has a part where this woman is freaking out about why she is crazy, and she is showing them a slide show, and she says “i wanted a malibu barbie dream house but all they got me was a lousey doll, so they had to die” and the next picture is of a house exploading, its way funnay.
ok that is hard to understand,
dan
Ask yourself, “what change/improvement would my parents most like to
see me achieve?” Maybe it’s grades, maybe it’s a getting along with
others thing, etc. Really try to get inside their heads. Even ask
them. Decide which of these improvements is possible in a 3-6 month
time frame.
Set a public goal to achieve it. Let your parents and everyone know
what you are setting out to accomplish.
Also let people know that when you achieve the goal you will reward
yourself with a giraffe. You will buy the giraffe yourself–earning
money for it, not taking cash from some college fund. It will be your
reward to yourself.
Achieve it. Buy the Giraffe–a DM if you are worth it. A Savage if
you’re not. A Semcycle if you aren’t sure. A Schwinn if you are afraid
of the question.
If this doesn’t work, then buy the book: SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham.
It’s really quite good.
David Maxfield Bainbridge Island, WA
They probably think that if they got you the giraffe, then you’d want yet
another unicycle, then another, and there’d never be any end to it. This
way, they cut you off before you get too addicted.
“rebecca” <forum.member@unicyclist.com> wrote in message
news:a2f0sk$hav$2@laurel.tc.umn.edu…
> i think the main problem is htat they just don’t want me to get it, i
> don’t think any of these are their real reasons, just excuses. has
> anyone else faced this?
“rebecca” <forum.member@unicyclist.com> wrote :
> i really want to get a giraffe, but my parents won’t let me. (it took me
> abt 2 yrs to convince them to let me buy my first uni) please help me
> come up w rebuttals for their arguments:
I’m also working on these to try to convince myself that the investment is
worthwhile.
> 1) you already have a unicycle
“People keep asking me where my other wheel is.” “My current unicycle
cannot be used to rescue small animals from trees.” (I remember reading
somewhere that this actually happened). “I think I’m outgrowing the old
one, I need one I can never outgrow.” Point the parents to the unicycle
collection of John Foss (http://www.unicycling.com/garage/piles.htm),
explain that one unicycle is never enough.
> 2) how would you get on it?
Download the video clips of Jeff Lutkus getting onto a giraffe in two
different ways, play them to parents to demonstrate how “easy” it is.
(also find a rolling-mount clip, that looks pretty easy too). Point out
the value of the challenge of mounting a giraffe.
> 3) it’s too expensive (how much would it cost?)
see http://www.unicycle.com Miyata 5-foot 415USD Savage 5-foot 149USD,
6-foot 179USD Semcycle, 5-foot or 6-foot 450USD DM 5-foot 300UKP (don’t
quote me on this, It’s only what I’ve heard) and 6-foot 320UKP (ditto).
You can explain any of these figures away with number theory or something
Besides, if you buy a 6-foot DM (from what I’ve heard and seen they’re
really good), and keep it for even only 10 years (you won’t really stop
unicycling at 28 though?) it works out at less than 9 pence per day,
that’s assuming you don’t sell it and make some money back. DM’s don’t
break unless you leave them on a busy railway line for a couple of days
(and even then only in 50% of cases).
> 4) we won’t have room to keep it
It’s only 5/6 feet tall (unless you get an 8-footer :-). It’ll fit nicely
in the corner of a room, even in a cupboard if you disassemble it, and
make an interesting talking-point. You can hang it on hooks on a wall in
the garage, wire it up on the ceiling on pulleys… Bikes (excuse the
langauge) are often bigger. Where would you keep one of those strange
contraptions?
> 5) you won’t be able to take it to college next year
“Then I won’t go to college, I’ll go to a circus school instead.” Ok so
that might not be the best argument. Why won’t you be able to take it to
college? Surely there will be juggling/unicycling clubs there (if not,
start one).
> 6) you’ll look like a goon
You’ll look nothing like one:- http://www.goon.org/usgoons/bluebotl.htm
(unless you’ve got a beard and wander around in a scout’s uniform with a
squeeky voice in which case being on a giraffe will be your least
surprising feature anyway) Harper’s right though, being a goon isn’t a bad
thing. “A man must consider what a rich realm he abdicates when he becomes
a conformist.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
> and they want to know WHY i want it. how am i supposed to answer that?!?
Simple. Teach them to ride. Only then will they truly understand.
> i just DO!
I agree with advice earlier in the thread from David Maxfield. Earn it.
Maybe aim to progress a skill level or two? I don’t know where you’re at
skills-wise but I’d guess 4 would be a solid point at which to invest in
a giraffe.
Maybe your parents are concerned about your safety. There’s a thread or
two happening on rec.juggling at the momement started by a poster who has
been trying to convince his parents to let him buy juggling knives. (or
torches or something.). I recommend you hop over to rec.juggling and read
it. Lots there about demonstrating responsibility etc. (except that the
knife-juggler bought them behind his parents’ backs anyway)… (maybe I
should rephrase that?) (If the parents become too annoying read “This Be
The Verse”, a poem by Philip Larkin, for an explanation.)
Andrew xADF
that’s one of the worst poems i have ever seen…the point it is trying to express is true, but not worded very eloquently. i’lll probably have to wait for late summer until i have enough money anyway (right now i work only 4 hrs/wk) it would be hard to buy it behind their backs. they don’t think there would be enough room in the car to bring it to college
safety might be an issue bc they don’t seem to understand all my explanations of how safe it is to ride off picnic tables and stuff…anyone really good w physics want to explain this?
On Sun, 20 Jan 2002 21:02:51 -0000, “Andrew Feldhaus”
<Reply@Thread.pls> wrote:
>(If the parents become too annoying read “This Be The Verse”, a poem by
>Philip Larkin, for an explanation.)
And if you really want to worry them, read “Annus Mirabilis” by the same
author. I find that Vers de Société suits me more these days though.
I couldn’t afford a unicyle at the age when I had to ask my Mum & Dad
(who didn’t shpx me up too much). Now that I do have one at the age of
35, I’ll wait until I’ve mastered it before even contemplating a giraffe
or even a muni.
Cheers,
Jim.
–
http://www.javery.demon.co.uk/
I.C.Q. 27906259
> 2) how would you get on it?
with practice. It is the challenge of learning that makes it worthwhile.
> 4) we won’t have room to keep it
you can be creative. I’ve kept mine hanging up-side-down from the ceiling,
or in the coat closet.
> 5) you won’t be able to take it to college next year
Why not? I’m at college now. My room usually has 4 or 5 unicycles and a
bicycle in it. (My room is about 10x12 feet) If you are creative about
managing your space, that’s no problem at all.
Another thing to consider, college students are generally broke. If you
had the unicycle, and got good at it, you could do some shows. That could
bring in a few bucks.
Ok, one more college item, if you can afford to buy the unicycle without
your parents help, put that money aside. When you go to college, buy the
unicycle. If your parents come to visit, just say it’s your roommate’s
> 6) you’ll look like a goon
Isn’t self esteem about not caring how others might consider your
appearance? If you have the confidence to not care, that’s great. I’ve
been juggling for 3 years, and unicycling for 2. Both have done amazing
things for my confidence. I’ve spoken in front of audiences of 500, and it
hasn’t phased me at all.
> and they want to know WHY i want it. how am i supposed to answer that?!?
> i just DO!
I’m not sure you can. I’m sure every person on this group understands why,
but convincing someone who has no interest in riding is a huge challenge.
Look for things which interest your parents as much as unicycling
interests you. Music, perhaps? I’ve known people who’ve learned to play an
instrument, which got them interested in another, and now can play 4 or 5
different instruments quite well.
The last time I was home, my sister asked if I could teach her to juggle.
This amazed me – she had never had any interest before. She now knows the
basics. I don’t expect she will take it any farther than that. Before I
left, I noticed she was painting. She’s got some real artistic talent, but
makes use of it so rarely. She’s in grad school, has an internship, and
lives in a big city, so she doesn’t have much time. She said, though, that
she was going to do her best to make time for painting now. She said I was
her inspiration, because I do “fun” things (like unicycling and juggling),
so she will do her best to continue with the things she enjoys.
I find that unicycling (and juggling) provide me a break from class, and
thinking, and work – I have to think and work at unicycling, but it’s
different somehow. It provides a pause in other activities which allows me
to retain my sanity. I do not believe I’d be able to survive without a fun
way to challenge myself.
Jeff Lutkus
Sent via the Unicyclist Community - http://Unicyclist.com
does your roommate mind all hte unicycles in the room? over the summer i did a pre-college program at carnegie mellon, but i just kept it under the bed there…probably wuonlnt’ have room for a giraffe there also. that was the best time of my life…i unicycled to class every day and was finallyy free from my parents (but one of my classes earned the subtitle “hell”…more than half the class dropped it in the first wk, and almost half those remaining didn’t show up for the final) i actually had a boyfriend there, and we both had morning classes, so when we went to class we sometimes held hands while i unicycled and he walked. it probably looked weird, but it was fun.
and no, i don’t care how i look. that’s wht bothers my parents…they seem to WANT me to be the stereotypical image-conscious teenage girl.
do you do shows, and if so, how much do you generally earn from them?
> 1) you already have a unicycle
Tell them that is the classic “stupid parent” argument. My mom told me
that after the first.
On Sun, 20 Jan 2002 21:45:11 +0000 (UTC), rebecca
<forum.member@unicyclist.com> wrote:
>that’s one of the worst poems i have ever seen…
Yep, it’s well-known, but I think the f-word helped there.
>they don’t think there would be enough room in the car to bring it
>to college
Ride the giraffe to college, and let your Mum & Dad drive down later to
bring the rest of the stuff.
>safety might be an issue bc they don’t seem to understand all my
>explanations of how safe it is to ride off picnic tables and stuff…
Oh!
> anyone really good w physics want to explain this?
I think that the dangers of dropping from great heights are adequately
explained on the excellent http://www.muniac.com/tips.htm#learning -
scroll down a bit until you get to the colourful table then appreciate
that on a giraffe you are already more than 6 foot off the ground. (I’m
assuming here that you are actually proposing to ride off a picnic table
on a giraffe)
Cheers,
Jim.
–
http://www.javery.demon.co.uk/
I.C.Q. 27906259
Before I got my 5’ giraffe, my dad was mostly concerned about safety. I explained to him that my feet would only be about 2 or 3 feet off the ground. Also I promised to wear pads until I got good at it, and I always wear a helmet no matter what. He got over his worries, and got me this unicycle for christmas.
I don’t mean to be a party pooper, but a giraffe really is not a practical unicycle. I view a giraffe as a novelty unicycle. Unless you need a giraffe for performing (parades, club routines, juggling, etc.) then a giraffe has very little practical use.
If you just need to prove to yourself that you can ride a giraffe then borrow a friends giraffe. If you don’t know anyone who has a giraffe that you can borrow, then come to NUC/UNICON and you can ride my 6’ Schwinn. I think that after you ride a giraffe the novelty will wear off and then you can concentrate on more practical skills.
I don’t know what your current unicycle collection consists of, but I can think of several ways to better spend the money than on a giraffe.
john_childs
yeah, and a standard unicycle is very practical…
[QUOTE]
Originally posted by john_childs
-i think i’m too short for anythig bigger than 20"
john_childs wrote:
> I don’t mean to be a party pooper, but a giraffe really is not a
> practical unicycle. I view a giraffe as a novelty unicycle. Unless you
> need a giraffe for performing (parades, club routines, juggling, etc.)
> then a giraffe has very little practical use.
>
> If you just need to prove to yourself that you can ride a giraffe then
> borrow a friends giraffe. If you don’t know anyone who has a giraffe
> that you can borrow, then come to NUC/UNICON and you can ride my 6’
> Schwinn. I think that after you ride a giraffe the novelty will wear off
> and then you can concentrate on more practical skills.
>
> I don’t know what your current unicycle collection consists of, but I
> can think of several ways to better spend the money than on a giraffe.
> - If you have a crummy 20" then upgrade to a better uni like a Miyata
> Standard
> - If you want something to ride to class when you go to college then get
> a 26" or 28" street uni
> - If you want to have fun jumping on things get a Monty trials uni
> - Put the $$ towards traveling to NUC/UNICON
>
This is very good advice.
Hooten
— rebecca <forum.member@unicyclist.com> wrote:
> i really want to get a giraffe, but my parents won’t let me. (it took me
> abt 2 yrs to convince them to let me buy my first uni) please help me
> come up w rebuttals for their arguments:
>
> 1) you already have a unicycle
>
> 2) how would you get on it?
>
> 3) it’s too expensive (how much would it cost?)
>
> 4) we won’t have room to keep it
>
> 5) you won’t be able to take it to college next year
>
> 6) you’ll look like a goon
>
> and they want to know WHY i want it. how am i supposed to answer that?!?
> i just DO!
>
>
>
>
> –
> rebecca Posted via the Unicyclist Community -
> http://unicyclist.com/forums
>
_________________________________________________________________________-
__
> rec.sport.unicycling mailing list -
www.unicycling.org/mailman/listinfo/rsu
Hey,
To get my unicycle, I used the excuse that I needed it for Sr project. I
got an A. I used that for all spring and summer. Then I went to college,m
where I have 1/2 of a 10’ x 12’ room and started to get some designs on
getting other unicycles. One is in the mail now. I bid on a coker and some
(lucky) punk out bid me at 7 seconds left. (jerk) (actually its ok, i
wouldnt have gone higher than 220.00 anyways. So im just going to buy it
form unicycle.com anyways.
So to summerize: I fit more stuff in my colelge dorm room than I could
have ever imagined. You always need more unicycles (infact, i think im
ganna get a coker and a 6 foot girrafe (savage) now that ive read this
thread). My unicycle is a chick magnet. Anything that can turn ME into a
chick magnet will not make anyone look like a goon. When your in college,
you can buy whatever you want (even if your not 18) , as long as you get
your own job and a czecking account. My parents would have killed me if
they knew I spent
100.00 on unicycle PARTS.
Buy a unicycle. As many as you can.
later.
=====
Nick Cegelka
NickLikesFire AIM
http://www.uni-psycho.cityslide.com
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