CMBB and spouses/significant others

[Shmavis]

In an effort to relate some personal experiences and to discuss a topic that I hope will be more pleasant than other recent ones, I'd like to talk about how much my wife rocks:

She's grown accustomed to my Second World War interests and general gaming habits over the years. The eye-rolls are mostly gone. Now, her usual comment when she sees me playing CMBB(which she calls "that war game") is, "Saving the free world, honey?" She never does hang around for my summary of the Eastern Front's history. I get a kiss on the forehead and "Okay. You have fun, honey." as she walks away. Heh. I know this doesn't make her seem like a great wife for a CMBB player. Bear with me.

She's a great lady(among other reasons, but particularly regarding WW2 and CM) because she does things like buy me CMBB SE when she noticed that I was reading the box in a store. For my birthday, she bought a large print of the engagment at St. Aignan de Cramesnil, where Michael Wittman was supposedly killed in battle with British tank destroyers. I'll let others debate the historical accuracy. Also, for Christmas she got me a miniature, remotely-controlled Tiger tank. When we go on road trips(for example, the last one we took to Dover) she'll read Glantz or articles from World War II magazine(a year's subscription bought as a gift) to me. She doesn't know a great deal about Second World War history, except that the Germans, Japanese and (for a while, at least) Italians were the "bad guys". It's just the fact that she humors the geek that she married that makes me love and appreciate her all the more.

Can anyone else relate similar experiences? I'm interested in them.

[junk2drive]

My wife and I are both into history and politics.

One room, two computers. She plays Pogo games, I play my games. Both happy (with the occasional OH S***!)

Guys can always use the "would you rather I look at p*rn?"

[Jim1954]

Must've been that last turn ? lol

[Der Kuenstler]

Jeez - where did you meet your wives? That's where I'm looking next time. My ex hated everything that did not involve my attention on her or her interests.

[Shmavis]

Originally posted by Der Kuenstler:

Jeez - where did you meet your wives? That's where I'm looking next time. My ex hated everything that did not involve my attention on her or her interests.

Uhhh. I met mine in the military. Maybe you should enlist, or try to pick up women in military museums. Hmmm. I got nothin'.

[junk2drive]

You have to stick with one for over thiry years before they give up the fight.

Then you can ask "wanna have sex or should I go play my game?"

[David I]

My wife is a Saint, and shows the signs of the Stigmatata to prove it!

DavidI

[Bigduke6]

With mine it took a little time to get the point across that CM really is a fairly sophisticated hobby, and not just a Tetris-like computer game. But once that sank in things became fairly straightforward: my wife is ok with the concept of husbands having hobbies, CM is my hobby, therefore, CM is ok.

I have met women who would never get to that point, who would simply reject a computer game as an acceptable hobby for their husband. Before I got married I tried hard to avoid women like that. To me it's overly demanding for one spouse to set arbitrary conditions on how the other spends his/her free time. So far (9 years) it appears my wife is not one of those women.

Admittedly there are times where I would prefer to play CM than do a household chore, but that's normal. My wife is human and there are times she'd rather watch a soap or read a glossy magazine, then do something around the house, so we're even.

[relee41]

I play CM obsessively. I am even more obsessed with civil war history. (Although, no civil war game approaches CM.) My wife is tolerant of these obsessions. What amazes me is she allows me to still go to Gettysburg despite the fact I almost had an affair with a woman I met at Gettysburg. This woman not only liked the civil war but enjoyed gaming. My wife realised that my friendship with this woman might be evolving into something more and confronted me. I have not spoken to that woman again. Anyway, my wife still tolerates my historical obsessions and I have a greater love for her because of it.

[Der Kuenstler]

Geez - I remember sneaking to get my Panzer General fix back in the 90's because I was "forbidden" to play more than an hour a day. Oh happy the home where the wife is a wargamer and has her own computer. Is that a proverb? Is should be...

[Earl Grey]

Well, different matter here. My ex-girlfriend actually beat me a couple of times in CM - though it was her absolute disregard of common sense and tactics... Good I never came around to explain to her how to use tanks properly - would have been a disaster! *g*

My hopefully soon-to-be wife plays games, too. But so far she only enjoys RPG´s. And she´s more afraid of loosing me to a tank than to another woman! :eek: But that´s out of the question, I´m afraid... Not enough Panthers left and not enough money to buy and restore one, anyway.

[ww2steel]

My wife is pretty tolerant of my hobbies- even gets involved sometimes!

From my website, her helping me to chisel about 100 pounds of concrete out of the bottom of my Bren/ Universal Carrier. There's another pic of her on the site with the DShK before I sent it off to be machined. She has her own Mauser, a '45 K98 (SWP code?) made in Czechoslovakia (she's Czech). She's a good shot, maybe a 7 inch group at 100 yards with open sights. Still trying to get her to shoot my new .50 BMG though. We went to Knob Creek Machinegun Shoot last weekend, took our Great Dane with us. (The Dane was fine except when the 90mm AT gun fired and she got kind of freaked out when we tried to leave!)

As for the computer games I keep getting told to "turn that down" because she's trying to watch TV in the same room, and she's always wanting to play her games. We are going to need a second PC!

Mike

[-E]

Originally posted by Earl Grey:

Well, different matter here. My ex-girlfriend actually beat me a couple of times in CM

ROFL! ROFL! ROFL!

In my case, I had been thinking hard about popping the question for weeks. I was really debating how to do it. It was on my mind constantly... then it (Freudian-ly) slipped out over my shoulder while playing Kampfgruppe on my Apple II. So, she had plenty of fair warning, given the romantic proposal!

[Abbott]

Originally posted by ww2steel:

From my website, her helping me to chisel about 100 pounds of concrete

out of the bottom of my Bren/ Universal Carrier.

Nice project Mike. What an odd placement for the valves in that old motor.

[John Kettler]

ww2steel,

Why is there 100 pounds of concrete in the bottom of

your wee armored beastie? Antimine protection? Accident? Demil measure? Curious!

Regards,

John Kettler

[lucero1148]

Yo Travis,

thought I'd chip in. My g/f's have always sort of rolled their eyes when they see me at it on the computer. For them it's actually great as that means the TV is available for watching their programs without me changing the channels whenever I pop downstairs for a drink or a snack.

[painfbat]

= = = I get a kiss on the forehead and "Okay. You have fun, honey." as she walks away.= = =

Maybe she's having an affair???

cheers

[Shmavis]

Not funny.

[painfbat]

Sorry for that, but I just couldn't resist.

Mine has no intrest at all regarding WWII. However, she knows when there's something on tv and reminds me, helps me surching some stuff at ebay or in store's, joins visits at museums. Sometime's she even droppes by and asks me to tell her when there's been a nice explosion. So far so good, I have no complaints, accept when she's watching Bollywood movies. If my combat-sounds disturb here Bollywoods lovesongs..... I'm in trouble deep.

Cheers

[MeatEtr]

Originally posted by Shmavis:

In an effort to relate some personal experiences and to discuss a topic that I hope will be more pleasant than other recent ones, I'd like to talk about how much my wife rocks:

She's grown accustomed to my Second World War interests and general gaming habits over the years. The eye-rolls are mostly gone. Now, her usual comment when she sees me playing CMBB(which she calls "that war game") is, "Saving the free world, honey?" She never does hang around for my summary of the Eastern Front's history. I get a kiss on the forehead and "Okay. You have fun, honey." as she walks away. Heh. I know this doesn't make her seem like a great wife for a CMBB player. Bear with me.

She's a great lady(among other reasons, but particularly regarding WW2 and CM) because she does things like buy me CMBB SE when she noticed that I was reading the box in a store. For my birthday, she bought a large print of the engagment at St. Aignan de Cramesnil, where Michael Wittman was supposedly killed in battle with British tank destroyers. I'll let others debate the historical accuracy. Also, for Christmas she got me a miniature, remotely-controlled Tiger tank. When we go on road trips(for example, the last one we took to Dover) she'll read Glantz or articles from World War II magazine(a year's subscription bought as a gift) to me. She doesn't know a great deal about Second World War history, except that the Germans, Japanese and (for a while, at least) Italians were the "bad guys". It's just the fact that she humors the geek that she married that makes me love and appreciate her all the more.

Can anyone else relate similar experiences? I'm interested in them.

Sounds like a great catch, good going. She have any sisters?

[Shmavis]

Painfbat, I guess I'm cranky because she had to leave for a six-week NCO Academy course in Germany. I'm not worried about infidelity.

MeatEtr, she has an older sister, but she and I don't get along because she's a horrible nag. Driving with her is unbearable. Plus, she's always asking my in-laws for money, which irritates me greatly. She's married, anyway.

However, my wife has a half-sister from her father's second marriage who's a nice, young lady, but we don't see her often because she lives in the backwoods of Arkansas. Sorry!

[painfbat]

= = = Painfbat, I guess I'm cranky because she had to leave for a six-week NCO Academy course in Germany.= = =

Since I'm married we haven't been apart more then 2 days. I wouldn't survive 6 weeks. 4 years of marriage made me a big spoiled CM-playing boy.

And I love it.

[Sivodsi]

Nice project Mike. What an odd placement for the valves in that old motor.

Funniest post on this forum yet

[ww2steel]

That's where the valves are in all old (flathead) engines. I guess the overhead valve (what everyone is more familiar with unless they play around with antiques) became popular in the 1970s (?) because it is much more efficient since the air does not have to make that sharp 180 degree turn. The heads on these engines are simply solid iron pressure holders with spark plug holes (there are obviously no valve covers).

The concrete... as the data plates are missing I cannot track the combat history of the vehicle (if any). However, on the inside of a box made from the original side plate armor while in civilian use I found a .30 caliber bullet mark. (You could barely see it.) Either that mark was made in early civilian use before the conversion, or in military use. If I knew it's combat history I could make a better guess for probability on the concrete, but I had primarily two: 1) mine protection- the 'armored' floors would barely stop a hand grenade blast IMO. 2) weight and traction- this guy was used in Canada (a Canadian carrier) and had ice cleats welded to about every 20th track link. It was employed as a tractor for pulling pipe. An extra few hundred pounds could have been thought to be improving the traction. Seems irrelevant to me as the vehilce still weighed about 5000 pounds.

At any rate, it took us hours (days) to remove with air chisels! I have the upper armor almost completely restored and should be updating it with pics on my website within a few weeks.

Mike

[ April 19, 2006, 12:05 PM: Message edited by: ww2steel ]

[Abbott]

Originally posted by Sivodsi:

Funniest post on this forum yet

Yeah, I forget some of guys are as old as dirt. You probably still sport that Flathead haircut as well.

As Mike said the overhead valve is where it’s at. I have never torn down a Flathead motor. I hear they like to run and run if you don't mind a lack of power compared to a more modern engine.