So... Once Upon a Time...

[bykfixer]

^^ tried giving the board away a couple of times but no takers.

The potential victim...uh, err I mean new owner looks at the vented ceramic core wheels and tend to go pale and hand it back...
"Ceramic core?" they ask and I retort "rated to go at least 75 without failure"

I went back to something safer...half pipe riding.
Very soon after I decided that doing anything that requires a crash helmet is not a good idea for this guy.

So then I built a Wrights Bros style racing bike. A few laps around the block on that one and I got to thinking crash helmet required so I rode it home and deflated the tires. I had gone through every part and replaced factory parts with lightweight stuff, and put high pressure 22 mm tires on it.
Goes way too fast way too quickly.
Again, no takers...

Next was a sports car that can go 65mph in 2nd gear....

So now I play with flashlights while the car collects dust...for some reason lithium primaries are my favorite battery....

 

[nbp]

I don't think lithium primaries are risky enough for you. I'd suggest high draw multi cell lights and low quality unprotected li-ions for an adrenaline junkie like yourself. Hehehe.

 

[Poppy]

Here comes a long introduction to one of the top ten stupidest things I have ever done.

I once discovered a bird's nest with little ones in it, in the eaves of our previous house. I don't know why I called the town hall to find out how to get rid of them... probably my wife made me. Well, apparently it is illegal to just pull them out and throw them away, so I had to call an exterminator. He'll locate how they got in, and will build a wire mesh cone around the entrance so that they can get out, but not back in. Then... when they are all out, he'll come back and seal it up so that no others can get back in.

Great... idk, $200 ?

Brilliant idea. The mother got out, but couldn't get back in to feed them! Guess what happened?

Yeah, so after their dead little bodies died and cooled off, the little parasitic mites, left, looking for warm bodies. They managed to get into the walls, and into my daughter's bedroom.

Called another exterminator, who closed all the windows and used a chemical bomb (actually a number of them). Of course when that was all done, all of the curtains had to come down and go to the dry cleaners, Stanley Steamer had to come in to clean the carpets, and furniture, all our clothes had to be washed and dried, and whatever had to go to the cleaners, did.

After all said and done, it was a couple of thousand dollar adventure, and palpable stress for weeks.

OK fast forward fifteen years or so, we're in our current house. And I can hear noises in the attic and in the wall of the second floor. Ah... I can see a gap just below the roofing shingles. Hmmm, how is he getting there. Ah.. I see a tree branch pretty much at the height of the roof, that is extending from the tree 30 feet away.

So I create the screen funnel thing and watch for him to escape. I set up a video camera and then fast forwarded through it. OK... now I can seal it up. Damn! I still hear him... must have been more than one!

So I borrow a "Have a Heart" Trap, and use peanut butter. Yahoo.... I take that little fur ball for a ride.

OK, now to cut back that branch. I get out my 20 foot ladder, and electric chain saw. I lean the ladder against the branch; the ladder is almost vertical because it isn't quite long enough. That's ok, I have my son there to keep it from going one way or the other, and I scamper up the ladder. I gave him specific instructions about the dangers of the chain saw, and if it starts to fall for any reason to get the heck out of the way!

So again.... I have the ladder leaning against the branch, a good 4-5 inches in diameter. I am near the top of the ladder, and have one hand on the branch, two feet on the ladder, and one hand on the chain saw. I start a cutting. The blade makes its' way through and the 15 foot section of the branch falls to the ground. I hadn't considered how heavy that section of the branch was, nor that the section of the branch that I was holding onto and had the ladder leaning against might spring UP due to the loss of all of that weight. Suddenly, the ladder wasn't leaning against the branch I was holding onto with one hand!

Fortunately the ladder was nearly vertical because it wasn't quite long enough to reach at a more comfortable angle. So I was able to hold onto the branch with one hand and the ladder with the other, and be like a clown on stilts. I was able to drop/lower the chain saw by allowing the electrical cord to slide through my hand.

My son was able to give the ladder some support when I let go of the branch and scampered down the ladder. I think I came down two rungs at a time!

I have to say, that little episode in my life has to be among the top ten dumbest things I have ever done.

 

[scs]

When 9-11 hit, my youngest brother could see the smoke of the twin towers from where he was working, on the New Jersey side of the river. He told his BA, Business Agent... "If they call the (Union) hall for help, put me on the list." IIRC, he was the general foreman, or maybe the supervisor on the construction job that he was running at the time.
We're ten years apart, so no matter, he was always my little brother. Somewhere along the line, he must have grown-up to be a man. The planes hit Monday morning, I think it was Wednesday evening, just as he got home, that he got the call.

He grabbed something to eat, called a friend, and drove the hour or so to the site. During the course of the day, at work, he had lost his voice. You have to remember, that the fire department brass set up their command center in the lobby of one of the towers, when it came down they were wiped out. So when my brother got there, things were still a bit disorganized. Many of the leadership appeared to be people that they pulled out of retirement. He could see that there were hundreds of people standing around, who wanted to help, but no one told them what to do.

He grabbed his friend, and told him... I lost my voice. YOU are my voice. You TELL these people to do what I tell you to tell them, OK? ...

OKay!!! Form a line...
You... grab ten men, and go over there and get a bunch of buckets.
You.... grab ten men, and go over there and see what kind of digging tools are available.
You... take a few people to find what we need to do to communicate with the people who are working with the dogs. Bring a couple of their representatives back here.
Look at your watch, be back here in ten minutes. Now... GO!

My LITTLE brother started about 4 bucket lines, to remove debris at ground zero.
I am really proud of him.

I am really proud of my middle brother, he grabbed some cutting torches and went to cut steel.

It was only after this, that I realized that my kid brothers, weren't kids anymore, but adult men, and leaders of men. :thumbsup:

and selfless, courageous heroes :thumbsup:

 

[nbp]

Those are some good ones Poppy! Gravity is undefeated. Lol

 

[RedLED]

Those are some good ones Poppy! Gravity is undefeated. Lol

Except when cats are involved in the trouble which they get themselves into. They can leave you thinking the laws of physics don't apply to them.

 

[Poppy]

and selfless, courageous heroes :thumbsup:

Thank you scs. I'm not sure of what makes a hero, but I fully agree that they are selfless, and courageous.
I love them deeply.
Thank you! :thumbsup:

 

[bykfixer]

Poppy stories are cool.

My little ladder episode occured because when my wife asked if she could help before leaving for the store I said "nah, I got this", and the branch I was hanging onto broke off in my hand...
So here I am standing on top of a step ladder that is on uneven ground.

Suddenly ladder starts moving side to side. Uh oh!

When I was a young man I would've just jumped off.
But the Christmas Crash had changed my thought process of how 'flexible' I was not at 43...so in a panic I attempted to run down the ladder facing away from the rungs.
Actually I had made it down to the last few. But I suppose the gravity propulsion suddenly being changed from vertical to horizontal was why the splat was a thud instead. That time my hat came off.

The skateboard crash changed my whole way of thinking.
See at some point as we age a little voice starts to whisper "you can't do that anymore"...Over time I drowned out that little voice with "a that aint a good idea" voice....

The unfortunate part of being an age-ed adrenaline junkie is the part where you become a walking weather predictor.
What's worse is when your family sees you twirling your arm to file down an old bone spur and they ask "rain coming?" lol.

At some point I'll describe why at 36 trying to do a 360 degree spin on a 20" bicycle while twirling the handlebar the opposite direction near a pine tree on Mothers Day was not a good idea.

And then there was the time at 14 I went to New Jersey with some older dudes on a whim to ride in a skatepark and be home before dark...and end up waking up in a hospital 2 days later with your mom standing over you...frowning and tapping her feet..."thought I told you be home before dark" lol

 

[Launch Mini]

We were in high school, and 4 of use decided to go camping.
One friend, Doug, didn't have much camping experience.
We had our tents pitched, sun was setting so the obligatory campfire was lit.
A few hours, and a few beverages later, Doug gets hungry, so put's a can of pork & bean into the edge of the fire to warm them up.
Not sure how much time past, but were sitting watching the fire, when his (unvented can due to lack of experience), BLOWS UP.
First the explosion scared the bezeebies out of us, then...
HOT beans were everywhere. Hitting us as as well as we could hear them splattering against our tents.
I don't think I have had a can of pork & beans since that night.

 

[Poppy]

Poppy stories are cool.

My little ladder episode occured because when my wife asked if she could help before leaving for the store I said "nah, I got this", and the branch I was hanging onto broke off in my hand...
So here I am standing on top of a step ladder that is on uneven ground.

Suddenly ladder starts moving side to side. Uh oh!

When I was a young man I would've just jumped off.
But the Christmas Crash had changed my thought process of how 'flexible' I was not at 43...so in a panic I attempted to run down the ladder facing away from the rungs.
Actually I had made it down to the last few. But I suppose the gravity propulsion suddenly being changed from vertical to horizontal was why the splat was a thud instead. That time my hat came off.

The skateboard crash changed my whole way of thinking.
See at some point as we age a little voice starts to whisper "you can't do that anymore"...Over time I drowned out that little voice with "a that aint a good idea" voice....

Hey bykfixer,
I really enjoy your stories too! :thumbsup:
and I look forward to more of them

Now I have to wonder if Toby Keith had you and me in mind when he wrote this song?

 

[bykfixer]

If 50 is the new 30, no wonder my dad was always grouchy in his 30's.....

Yup, recently tore a muscle scratching that hard to reach back itch....it's a drag when you have to limber up before scratching an itch. lol.

So each day a couple of minutes of stretching is a necessary evil. No biggy, but the days of jumping out of bed, pedal to the metal results in crashing into walls, or worse.

Ya just gotta slow down a little, realize the ole torsoe don't flex like it used to and enjoy all the sites you were whizzing by all those years...

Scouts 'urban' thread comes to mind.

 

[Launch Mini]

If 50 is the new 30, no wonder my dad was always grouchy in his 30's.....

Yup, recently tore a muscle scratching that hard to reach back itch....it's a drag when you have to limber up before scratching an itch. lol.

So each day a couple of minutes of stretching is a necessary evil. No biggy, but the days of jumping out of bed, pedal to the metal results in crashing into walls, or worse.

Ya just gotta slow down a little, realize the ole torsoe don't flex like it used to and enjoy all the sites you were whizzing by all those years...

Scouts 'urban' thread comes to mind.

Reminds me of something I read that was very fitting the other day, I will paraphrase a bit.


I may be 50, but I still feel like I'm 20.
Then I went drinking with some 20 year old.
Yeah, I'm 50.

 

[Poppy]

When I was in my late 20's, I ran into a friend at a convention. He had on a golf shirt, and tastefully embroided on the pocket was this saying: "I may be getting older, but I refuse to grow up!"

I thought to myself, that if I ever see a shirt like that I would buy it.

Years went by, and I was in my 30-somethings. I finally saw a shirt with that saying, but it wasn't as classy, but rather it was a collarless T shirt with it written all over the front of it. For a fleeting moment I thought I would get it. Then... two things struck me:
1. Over the last ten years, I had grown up.
2. I would never wear a shirt like that even if I bought it.

So I guess... time does march on, and it takes us with it.

 

[bykfixer]

Reminds me of something I read that was very fitting the other day, I will paraphrase a bit.


I may be 50, but I still feel like I'm 20.
Then I went drinking with some 20 year old.
Yeah, I'm 50.

Last time I was in a bar (designated driver), when leaving at about 10:30, a buncha youngsters were filing in...I quipped "here comes our replacements"...one of the drunken gals I was with came back with "pfffft, they'll never replace me"...then she yawned...and says "I'm so sleeeeeepeeee" lol

When I was in my late 20's, I ran into a friend at a convention. He had on a golf shirt, and tastefully embroided on the pocket was this saying: "I may be getting older, but I refuse to grow up!"

I thought to myself, that if I ever see a shirt like that I would buy it.

Years went by, and I was in my 30-somethings. I finally saw a shirt with that saying, but it wasn't as classy, but rather it was a collarless T shirt with it written all over the front of it. For a fleeting moment I thought I would get it. Then... two things struck me:
1. Over the last ten years, I had grown up.
2. I would never wear a shirt like that even if I bought it.

So I guess... time does march on, and it takes us with it.

I have a coffee mug that says "old guys rule"
The back says "the older I get the better I was"...

I like being older. Finally there's enough age to justify the mileage.

 

[Poppy]

<SNIP>


I have a coffee mug that says "old guys rule"
The back says "the older I get the better I was"...
.

:hahaha: that's funny :laughing:

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Alright, I've got a campfire story.

When I was younger, I went on a winter men's retreat with my Dad and his friends from In His Steps, a Christian drug recovery home that he taught Bible studies at. I was enjoying the campfire with the guys and decided to show them a trick I learned from watching Survivorman. I told them that you could start a fire with corn chips. Since the fire was going already, I dumped about half a bag of Fritos into the fire and watched the fire double in size. Another guy said he had a trick too. This guy had a can of brake cleaner and proceeded to spray it in and around the fire on the 30 foot round concrete ring around the fire pit. We watched as the flames followed the trail of brake cleaner almost back to the can he was holding. Then he decided to up the ante. He threw the can in the fire. We ran as fast as we could and took cover. I hid behind a tall but narrow tree. Within five seconds, the can exploded, throwing sparks and shrapnel everywhere. When I came out from behind the tree, there were spot fires all around that concrete ring almost to the grass surrounding the area. Smoke and ash started raining down for minutes. What was worse was that the owners of the property heard the boom from far away and were racing toward us in their truck. Everyone scattered and ran to their cabins. We gladly ended up ratting out the guy that did it after he almost blew us up. Needless to say, he wasn't allowed back to that camp again.
The moral of the story is: Always stop and think about what you're about to do before you cause an accident.

 

[bykfixer]

^^ shhh, don't tell isis

So once upon a time (as in today) I'm busy as a 2 p3ck3red dog with a mile of fence posts at work and the wife calls.."Christmas tree fell over" ...(again). She described the deal so I say "alright I'll fix it" (again)...

Get home and the stand is all shattered. All my c clamps and super glue wasn't going to fix this stand (again). This is stand I don't know how many...4-5?...17? lol
And that burning smell the last few years?

We leave the lights on it each year. And when a strand of lights go out I don't bother finding the bulb. Nope. I get out wire cutters and hack out that strand then wire in a new (99¢) set.
Today it was a broken stand (again), 1/3 of the 7' tree isn't lit(again)...not in a line. Oh no that would be too simple. A chunk here and a chunk there of darkness....alright! that's it!!!

So I'm like "ok dear even though this ones only 30 years old let's go get another one" (Home Depot, Rayovac Indestructable...yep we're going)

When you tell the little woman to pick out a tree while you go grab a flashlight...of course she picks out the most expensive one in the place. $500!!! Nope.

10 minutes later we're walking out the door with a $75 pre-lit tree, a flashlight and lots of batteries. Get it home, fry up some deer tenderloin, munch out, then..

Alright new tree!! Yay!!...pull it out the box, bend all those green bottle brushes to look like a tree and plug it in......

OH NO!!!

Big ole dark spot. I check like 2 bulbs and the fuses...get out the wire cutters.

An hour later our little tree was twinkling nice n bright. But there's a small dark spot.
I told the wife "that's where Ima hang a Streamlight Nano."

We agreed that we're going to find a white alluminum tree like the one they have in the Charlie Brown Christmas cartoon.

 

[Poppy]

Christmas decorations... where to store them all...!?!
At an earlier house, we had an old victorian with a wrap around front porch, where we placed a dozen or so three foot high plastic lighted carolers, and "March of the Wooden Soldiers". We piped out music. Had a five foot lighted snow-man, and a lighted Santa and a couple reindeer on the roof.

At our new house, all that stuff hit the trash.
Now we have a couple of those cloth blow-ups that pack down to a little more than a cubic foot each, and lights that we put around the roof-tops.

At the old house, we always got a fresh tree, which I hated because of the fire hazard. A few years ago, we finally got an artificial pre-lit tree, that hopefully if one led goes out the rest will stay lit. I bought one of those three pulley bicycle hangers from harbor freight, and hang it/ hoist it, up to the garage ceiling, up above the garage door.

I'd like to downsize somewhat, but that isn't happening any time soon. We have enough decorations to do five full size trees in different themes.
1. victorian... ribbons and bows, and dainty frilly lace ornaments, its really pretty.
2. Disney
3. Old time Shiny Brites, with the oil filled bubbling things Some are more than fifty years old.
4. Hall-mark ornaments
5. All Red shiny ornaments, and an assortment of stringed pop-corn, cranberries, and yarn.

Then there are the boxes of interior decorations, garland for the stairway railings, and above both entertainment centers, swags above doors, things to hang on door knobs, and bells that chime with the opening and closing of the front door.

Of course, these are all "treasures"
We can theme the outside of the house.
Strings of the big incandescent white light bulbs
Strings of the big incandescent colored light bulbs.
Strings of the little incan bulbs that hang like icycles, (although I think that I tossed most of those)
and we were thinking of getting one of those multi-colored laser projector lights.

Each year, it takes my wife and me, a week or more to decorate.


OTOH... On the Other Hand, my Grandmother would be done decorating in minutes.
I remember as a kid, I would go through the hole in the ceiling, and pull down her 3 1/2 foot Christmas tree out of her attic. It was prelit, the Christmas balls, and tinsel was still on it, and all I had to do was remove the plastic bag that covered it, and plug it in. :thumbsup: We strung a string across the wall in the living room for a place to put all of the Christmas cards as they came in, and we were done. Some times we would get out the Holiday stencils, and use glass wax, or spray on snow to decorate the windows and storm doors.

She had this large six burner stove with a built in grill, oven, and bread warmer, with a shelf above and across the top, all porcelain of course. She'd make custard, and pies, and place them up there to cool.

Ah yes... nice memories.

 

[Tre_Asay]

If 50 is the new 30, no wonder my dad was always grouchy in his 30's.....

Yup, recently tore a muscle scratching that hard to reach back itch....it's a drag when you have to limber up before scratching an itch. lol.

So each day a couple of minutes of stretching is a necessary evil. No biggy, but the days of jumping out of bed, pedal to the metal results in crashing into walls, or worse.

Ya just gotta slow down a little, realize the ole torsoe don't flex like it used to and enjoy all the sites you were whizzing by all those years...

Scouts 'urban' thread comes to mind.

I feel you, Even though I am 18 I know what that feels like.
The first time I remember tearing a muscle was when I tried doing a backflip on sand. I was able to do it but my abdominal muscles tore after the first try due to the tucking motion, despite the pain I wanted to show off so I did several more backflips that day anyways. I wasn't able to sit up for over a week after that.

Just this last weekend I decided to build a track out in the desert for riding quads, all I had was a short shovel but I moved tons of sand anyways. I am still not recovered and I can't stretch my right hamstring at all due to my back hurting.

I try to look at the positive sides though, at least now I know that I need to exercise my back more and when I recover fully my back will be stronger In fact, riding quads hurts my knees but after a weekend of riding my legs were noticeably stronger. I was able to do a pistol squat for the first time ever(one leg only all the way down and up) but it still hurt my knee like a full day of riding.
I really do need to get in the habit of stretching more because I am not very flexible and it can get in the way sometimes (mostly if I try to step over something by swinging my leg out and feeling my hips stretch).

 

[bykfixer]

Christmas decorations... where to store them all...!?!
At an earlier house, we had an old victorian with a wrap around front porch, where we placed a dozen or so three foot high plastic lighted carolers, and "March of the Wooden Soldiers". We piped out music. Had a five foot lighted snow-man, and a lighted Santa and a couple reindeer on the roof.

At our new house, all that stuff hit the trash.
Now we have a couple of those cloth blow-ups that pack down to a little more than a cubic foot each, and lights that we put around the roof-tops.

At the old house, we always got a fresh tree, which I hated because of the fire hazard. A few years ago, we finally got an artificial pre-lit tree, that hopefully if one led goes out the rest will stay lit. I bought one of those three pulley bicycle hangers from harbor freight, and hang it/ hoist it, up to the garage ceiling, up above the garage door.

I'd like to downsize somewhat, but that isn't happening any time soon. We have enough decorations to do five full size trees in different themes.
1. victorian... ribbons and bows, and dainty frilly lace ornaments, its really pretty.
2. Disney
3. Old time Shiny Brites, with the oil filled bubbling things Some are more than fifty years old.
4. Hall-mark ornaments
5. All Red shiny ornaments, and an assortment of stringed pop-corn, cranberries, and yarn.

Then there are the boxes of interior decorations, garland for the stairway railings, and above both entertainment centers, swags above doors, things to hang on door knobs, and bells that chime with the opening and closing of the front door.

Of course, these are all "treasures"
We can theme the outside of the house.
Strings of the big incandescent white light bulbs
Strings of the big incandescent colored light bulbs.
Strings of the little incan bulbs that hang like icycles, (although I think that I tossed most of those)
and we were thinking of getting one of those multi-colored laser projector lights.

Each year, it takes my wife and me, a week or more to decorate.


OTOH... On the Other Hand, my Grandmother would be done decorating in minutes.
I remember as a kid, I would go through the hole in the ceiling, and pull down her 3 1/2 foot Christmas tree out of her attic. It was prelit, the Christmas balls, and tinsel was still on it, and all I had to do was remove the plastic bag that covered it, and plug it in. :thumbsup: We strung a string across the wall in the living room for a place to put all of the Christmas cards as they came in, and we were done. Some times we would get out the Holiday stencils, and use glass wax, or spray on snow to decorate the windows and storm doors.

She had this large six burner stove with a built in grill, oven, and bread warmer, with a shelf above and across the top, all porcelain of course. She'd make custard, and pies, and place them up there to cool.

Ah yes... nice memories.

Another nice story.

My grandma started decorating at thankgiving.
My favorite memory was the Christmas music being piped in. When she passed away I found the accoustic research speakers hidden behind furniture and the Marantz am/fm stereo in a small cabinet disguised as furniture.
I still have the cabinet but my brother wanted the stereo.

When I was about 12 she planted her live tree outdoors. At 6' it was easily strung with lights.
At 22 we'd tie the lights to a tennis ball and some string to get them to the top. By then way more lights were required.
At 32 a fishing pole with a 3oz sinker was required.
She passed when I was 34.

I feel you, Even though I am 18 I know what that feels like.
The first time I remember tearing a muscle was when I tried doing a backflip on sand. I was able to do it but my abdominal muscles tore after the first try due to the tucking motion, despite the pain I wanted to show off so I did several more backflips that day anyways. I wasn't able to sit up for over a week after that.

Just this last weekend I decided to build a track out in the desert for riding quads, all I had was a short shovel but I moved tons of sand anyways. I am still not recovered and I can't stretch my right hamstring at all due to my back hurting.

I try to look at the positive sides though, at least now I know that I need to exercise my back more and when I recover fully my back will be stronger In fact, riding quads hurts my knees but after a weekend of riding my legs were noticeably stronger. I was able to do a pistol squat for the first time ever(one leg only all the way down and up) but it still hurt my knee like a full day of riding.
I really do need to get in the habit of stretching more because I am not very flexible and it can get in the way sometimes (mostly if I try to step over something by swinging my leg out and feeling my hips stretch).

At 18 you heal in a few hours...days perhaps.
At 48 a simple pulled muscle hurts for weeks.
But I still have a good time.
No more back flips....on purpose anyway.