|
|
| From | Message | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
tactical_abyss 27-Feb-13, 10:00 |
 So you think you have or had brass "b's"???Think again!When I was in my teens,my friends and I did all kinds of daredevil stuff.Yes,looking at it today,it was totally dumb,stupid and extremely risky,yet some of us did it! 1.There was this cliff.At the bottom of the cliff was a junk yard with sharp metal scrap and tons of sharp things.The drop off the cliff to the bottom was about 200 feet.Right before the edge of the cliff above was a steep downwards slope leading to the very edge and there was no barrier,wire of anykind at the very edge.Picture this:Its winter out with snow/ice covering everything.Take your body and slide directly towards the edge very fast with nothing to stop you from going over the edge... EXCEPT two guys kneeling by the edge with their hands reaching out to grab you and your coat to prevent you from plunging to your death!If both missed to grab you properly,you die!Yes,we did this! 2.You heard of snow angels,right?How about concrete pancakes?Picture this:Instead of laying in the snow to make nice beautiful snow angels...picture two guys laying on the STREET like a snow angel AT NIGHT not too far from the bottom of the crest of a hill.This way any drivers cannot possibly see you laying there and would run right over you without being able to stop in time!So what was the daredevil stuff?Well,two guys would lay one behind the other.The first one to get up before the other and run or roll out of the way of the oncoming car would be called "chicken" and would be subject to a beating by the "monster"(a huge big guy in our gang)or you would have to pay 10 dollars...alot of money back in 1966!Yes,this is a true story! 3.Picture this: 5 guys hanging by their hands and arms over a very high steel grated bridge way above a river that is not deep,perhaps 4 foot.If you fall,it will certainly be death.And all 5 are hanging on the OUTSIDE floor of the bridge so no passerby's can see you!There are,however 2 guys standing on the walkway of the bridge to pull you up when you get totally exausted before you plunge to your death!First one up is a chicken!!!!You must meet the monster or pay!The rest can pull themselves up immediately! 4.Get them apples!Picture this:A farmer is holding a shotgun outside his house window.He's tired of thieves getting away at night with his prized apples!But we all know and he has told us before... that his shotgun is loaded with rock salt/pepper.Its a double barrel with a flashlight attached!All eight of us are standing about 30 feet away from that tree.The farmer see's us and warns he will shoot! So we say to one another...."well,whos going to be first to run to that tree,climb it very swiftly and grab atleast one apple?"I was the fastest runner among all of my gang,so I volunteered! I weaved and darted in a zig-zag,jumped up,hung on a branch,pulled myself up and grabbed one apple...just as the shot went off hitting the big branch in front of me,but just barely missing me!Then,I jumped down,cutting myself open a bit and ran another zig zag back just in time.The second shot hit my bell bottom jeans but missed my leg. So you have old stories of brass "b's??? Top these and I will envy you! |
||
|
tactical_abyss 27-Feb-13, 10:20 |
Deleted by tactical_abyss on 27-Feb-13, 10:24.
|
||
|
tactical_abyss 27-Feb-13, 10:24 |
Deleted by tactical_abyss on 27-Feb-13, 10:26.
|
||
|
tactical_abyss 27-Feb-13, 10:26 |
Heres one that was not an intentional daredevil stunt,but it happened unexpectedly. My friend and I were out partying that night.We both left the party very tired.He was driving and I was in the passenger seat of his Volkswagon Beetle(the older 1970's model).We were going down a 3 mile long straight gradiant highway.I was already sleeping.And he fell asleep,out cold!!!!The car drifted off the road and went "up"a fairly steep grass/dirt embankment to the right.The car flipped completely over a full 360 degrees from side to side putting us right back on the wheels!I had just woke up as the car was actually turning over the 360 degrees,so I know it really happened!My friend said as he slowly woke up...what the^%$! problem????I said,what the ^%$! do I know????There was no damage to the car,it was still running,it did not stall out...and we drove off like nothing had happened!!!! |
||
|
I seriously think... Me, I've always been risk averse, so never did any daredevilish sort of stuff. I guess that means a non-very adventurous life, but I can live with other people being adventurous in my stead. Being risk averse has its advantages. For one thing one doesn't easily take to addictive behaviours, like drug taking, or gambling. I don't gamble. If (a very rare event that hasn't happened for many years) I do spend a coin on Lotto (a NZ lottery scam run by the Government), that's not a gamble: whenever I do that, I simply write off the $2. I will check the numbers, though! I did smoke (mmm, tobacco: never really cottoned to Mary Jane) for well over twenty years. Then quit, 10 years ago come April, cold turkey, and knew within three days I had it beat. But that's what bloody-mindedness will do for you. Still miss it after all this time, but haven't had a smoke since. Not one. Won't even try a cigar - just in case - and there speaks my risk-averse self. Adventures, for mine, are stories about other people going through a hard time. They can keep it. I've never really felt that I've got anything to prove. Two or three weeks ago, I was out on my paper round at a little after 6 in the morning (as Kiwiland runs a daylight saving system, imagine it as shortly after 5 o'clock). I ran into a 'domestic' that was happening in the street. Some sort of high-volume, highly emotional argument between bloke and blokette that had clearly become too much for their dwelling to contain, she had obvious run out and he was following. Heck of a lot of bellerin' an' screechin' an' stuff. Well, gradually, I eased by, delivering my papers, until they were some 50 yards away behind me on the other side of the street. Suddenly the volume increased, and I could see the thing was becoming physical. On reflection I think he was reaching for the cell-phone that she was holding out of his reach. But it looked and sounded pretty bad, something had to be done. So I walked over to them trying to figure out how to deal with the situation. Getting physical myself was not an option for several reasons. Got to within a few feet, then, unable to think of anything better to do bellowed into the half-light : 'SOMEBODY CALL THE COPS!!' Well, that worked. Sort of. The two sprang apart, she at once put several yards between herself and her interlocutor, and I went back to delivering papers. He stayed pretty much where he was, something at a nonplus, by the look. The rest of the street remained firmly closed and dark. H'mmm. If she had kept shtumm, the thing might have ended there, but she would keep turning round and adding more to what she had to say. As I tooled by, I murmured 'Just keep walking,' which advice, to my surprise, she took: down the street and vanished round the corner. But the damage was done: bloke had already begun to follow. But first he came over to my side of the street and told me that she was not to be trusted, she was a thief - in short, he was the aggrieved party here. 'Well, call the bogies then' says I, to which he said that's what she was doing (she had been fiddling with her cell phone off and on since I clapped eyes upon them). Off he went, following his lady friend, also disappeared around the corner. A minute or so later I reached the corner myself, and they were nowhere to be seen. I told my wife about it when I got home. In her job (Psych Emergency) she deals with this sort of thing quite often, though in much less informal settings. She said to me that if I wanted a response to my bellow for attention, 'FIRE!!' was the best way to go. You learn something new every day. |
||
|
tactical_abyss 27-Feb-13, 14:18 |
Here's a similar one,but with a more intense twist.... I came out of my pool hall one early morning at 2 am.Got into my car and it cranked and cranked but did not turn over.I looked at the gas gauge...it was on empty.A block up the road was a gas station that was open 24 hours a day.(petrol station you guys call it,right?). Anyway,I walked the up the road only a block away with no gas can,figuring i'd buy a can and some gas and then walk back to my car again and put a few gallons in my car,then drive home. As I approached the gas station at a bit after 2am,I noticed two guys outside the station talking to one another,not arguing,not fighting...atleast from all appearances,things seemed normal. So at the edge of the lot I shouted over(still approaching but a bit distant yet)..."hey do you guys have a gas can I can borrow or buy...I ran out of gas down the road"!As I approached closer,one of the guys turned to me and I could now see him clearly.He had a ski mask on and was pointing a gun at the gas station attendant!There was no one else around and no cars coming down the road at that specific time.The attendant was being robbed and I walked into the middle of it!!!The robber got the money,could have killed both of us(no witness's and no cameras back then).But for some reason,he took a look at me and I must have spooked him or startled him.So even with the gun he fled,but with the $$ of course! The attendant thanked me for saving his life(atleast he believed so) and filled a gas can for me at no charge.The cops gave me a ride back to my car asking me to describe the robber.I said it was a guy of unknown skin color wearing a ski mask and he ran back near the apartments behind the station.That was it.Never heard if that robber was caught or not,but I do not believe that he was caught. So,this is not classified as a "daredevil stunt",but its very possible that it is the closest I ever came to death.I'd slide down that junkyard hill anyday with the cliff before I walked into that scenario with the gun again! |
||
|
No... In this country, police do not routinely carry firearms, though that line is drawing closer every day. They are carried in police cars, and they are issued whenever they have to deal with 'armed offenders' or an incident in which firearms are involved. I can understand the police wanting to carry firearms as they do in the USA and even Australia. In my view that would be a mistake, even so. Criminals in this country do not routinely carry firearms, either. I mention this, as I am reminded of an incident in Istanbul when Karen and I were travelling in that part of the world 25 years ago. We had been exploring the city north of the Golden Horn, and evening was drawing in as we made our way back, on foot, to our accommodations. In fact it was getting quite dark. The streets were pretty empty, no one else about, when suddenly a swarm of dudes with Sub-machine guns were running about all over the place. For a wild moment I thought we might get caught up in something, but they completely ignored us as they went by - we were keeping well out of their way by staying on the footpath (sidewalk) - and continued on down the road. I have absolutely no idea what that was all about - a street exercise, a man-hunt, who knows? But when you are not used to that sort of thing, having a dozen or more fellows with SMGs teleporting out of the darkness and surging about the place is not a pleasant thing to see. Freaky. Speaking of Istanbul, Karen and I paid the standard visit to the Topkapi - which we recommend very highly, by the way - and the museum there. Now, by habit, Karen carries a Swiss Army Knife - a useful implement for travellers. Me, I don't. At any rate, upon entering, we had to declare any knifery about our persons, and leave them at the entrance. Having admired the displays, we found the time all too soon coming round for us to leave. Approach the desk to get Karen's utensil returned. 'This your knife?' enquired the attendant, presenting an instrument that seemed to be designed for hacking one's way through dense and trackless jungle, or maybe issued to the local magnate's attendants to sort out an unruly peasantry. I mean: machete or meat cleaver, this thing looked vicious. How anyone could have been carrying that thing and left it at the door without drawing the interest of the local constabulary, I can't guess. I reckon the attendant was trying it on, myself. A Swiss Army Knife is a thing to behold, and not to be confused with a purpose built weapon or tree felling device. Fortunately the misunderstanding was quickly and easily sorted. But I tell you what. For such and impressive display of sharp instruments, what was being left at the door was surpassed by just one thing that I have seen. And that was also at the Topkapi: a diplay of three swords - two of them great swords eight foot long at least from pommel to point. I'm not kidding. How the ancients could even lift these things I can't imagine, let alone wield them in a fight. The little sword in the centre looked barely manageable at 6 foot long. They were bar none the most impressive weaponry I've ever seen. I can imagine Richard Coeur de Lion drawing this blade with a prolongued sha-a-a-a-a-ang, and murmuring 'Call that a sword? Now, this: this is a sword.' 'OK,' says Salah Ed Din, conceding a point, 'You can have Acre for now...' |
||
|
tactical_abyss 27-Feb-13, 16:13 |
Yes,a week in paradise!Hmmmm..... I just had turned 21 and decided to go on a trip by myself.I was making good $$ already at that age,more than most of my friends.During that year,I did not have a girlfriend,but that wasen't going to stop me from having a great trip somewhere,even if it was by myself.I had asked a few of my friends,but I wasn't going to pay their way,even some girl that I barely knew,so off I went....to Antiqua,an Island in the West Indies....all by myself!It was a nice island,including the 365 beaches,but little did I foresee the black mist on the horizon approaching!In only one week,I believe my life was endanger 3 times,maybe 4 or 5 times!!!!No,i'm not joking or making up some exotic story! Two days into my trip on the island,I noticed a schooner sail ship docking right up to the mooring board walk behind my hotel.I walked across the dock and began talking to the captain.I said how much does it cost to rent the ship for the day to go to the Island next to Antiqua?It is called..."Green Island".Basically then an uninhabited island to spend a day of exploring and leisure.He said....60 dollars for a few hours and that includes lunch and a a rum drink.I said...."i'll think about it,i'll let you know tomorrow if I want to go or not."He asked my my name and I told him.He said,"well,don't wait too long"because i'm the cheapest rental on the island".I repeated..."i'm not sure yet,i'll let you know". Next morning comes.I hear a knock on my door.I opened it figuring its a maid wanting to clean the room.It was the captain of that ship.He said..."your ship is ready sir and i've loaded it with some good lunch and drinks for you!"I said...what?I told you that i'd let you know and,no I do not want to go!And politely closed the door.He began punching and kicking the door.The called me a liar through the door and said "i'm going to pay" one way or the other!There was no phone in that particular room and those were the days before cell phones.I waited till he left and reported the incident to the desk.No one seemed to care,however.But for the rest of the trip,I kept an eye over my shoulder! But the stories gets even more intense!!! The next day I took a taxi ride to see the sights up in the mt area of Antiqua.I wanted to get some good camera shots of the island from a higher altitude.Right at the top where you could not go up any farther the taxi stopped and I got out to take some pictures.Right in the middle of nowhere with no houses around was a table set up with trinkets and souvenirs.Seemed to me,that the only way for those 2 guys and 3 women sitting at the table could get up there in that remote area was if that taxi driver brought them up there and had it set up that way for people to buy trinkets.The 5 people were fairly insistant that I buy"their booty!I mean,there were alot of poor people on the island,and I understand,but I still was not interested in what they had to offer....I was just up there to take some pic's and leave!I overhead one of the women say to the taxi driver...throw him off the mountain!At that juncture I ran back to the taxi and locked myself in,rolling up the windows!Taxi driver came over.I said we are leaving now,this second or i'm taking the taxi back myself and you stay up here!I opened the door reluctantly after he agreed,but made sure those people were not near the taxi.I also had my foot ready in position ready to kick that scrawny taxi driver away if I sensed something suspicious...and I would have locked the door again and drove away myself.Lucky,I probably sabed my own life! Then without getting into too much detail before the big story about to com below,during that week there was 1.a fire in the hotel,we all had to evacuate for a few hours 2.An elderly couple was robbed a few minutes prior to me coming up the same back steps to the second floor that I walked on and we both came from the casino just minutes apart!Also let me add that I had been winning alot that night playing Roulette and I seen a few wispers pass in front of me to the casino floor boss as they looked at me.Soon after that,they changed croupiers and I suddely began to lose,like 10 times in a row,which was highly unusual,since i'm an expert in that game!Magnets?Who knows!I know one thing..it looked like a Mafia operation to me!So,I quit and left with som e decent profit.But even the cage guy that was paying me out tried to short change me two hundred!I briefly argued with him and he apologized,but still!!! Now,for the big story!!!!And no,this is not fiction,everything I say here is truth,even though it sounds like some spy thing or thriller story!..... I had a terrible week in Antiqua,obviously!!!!But it was Saturday night(actually early Sun morning)and I was going to try and enjoy myself one last evening,since the plane back to NYC was leaving late Sun afternoon.So I met some people in the lobby of the hotel after the Casino closed(it wasen't open 24 hours in those days on the island).All of the people were from NYC,except one guy from Chicago,if I remember correctly.It was an "open air"lobby,where you could see right outside into the front parking lot.We had gathered a few drinks from the bar,which was closing for the night and decided to play some friendly poker,no money involved. You have to picture that there were actually 2 rooms.The back,but open room with chairs and a few couch's,table ect and the front lobby next to the check in desk.Both rooms were totally open with no doors,so you could see from one room to the next room. About 30 minutes into our nice chat and social game,we all seen 2 black guys(looked like locals)come into the front lobby and begin to argue.Both were shouting at one another loudly.The one pulled a small handgun while the other one pleaded...no!Then two shots rang out! Call it panic or that NYC instinct,we all quietly but swiftly HID behind the sofa praying that the gunman would not come over to us and start shooting any witness's.Either he did not see us or ran outside again and disappeared.After that everything became cloudy.We all panicked and ran to our rooms!I never even looked to see if there was a body or not!The steps to the room were away from the front lobby,not towards it.I was so scared that I put a chair by my door,put the chain on the door and turned the airconditioner off(even with the sweltering heat that night).They did not have central air back then,atleast not in that hotel.Keep in mind i just had a horrible week and I was scared and I was only 21 in some strange Island thousands of milles from home.I did not even trust the police!Hey,there was a sign in the bar that read...."don't sell or buy drugs or commit a crime,because this is not America.Uncle Sam will not get you out of jail"!YES!This was a sign posted in the bar!!!!!!! So I kept quiet and none of the NYC witness's said a word to anyone!Next morning I got up and cautiously walked down to get a bit of breakfast before my plane was leaving that afternoon.I was shaking and just was biding my time to get back on than DC-10!!! There were no cops that night before showing up to investigate anything because I would have heard something with the airconditioner off,plus no knocking at my door,ect ect.No body either!!!!I'm thinking to myself...did the hotel or the cops cover up a murder?Perhaps they did not want bad headlines to cut into their hotel profits?All this raced through my mind. So as I was eating my eggs I looked over to my right and there he was!No,not the guy that was shot,but the guy who shot the other guy!!!!No,he was not a cop or undercover,you could see he was a thug!I made sure I did ot stare back,quietly left a 20 dollar bill on the table and left to go back to my room and quickly pack!I had a few hours to go before the plane arrived but spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the airport lobby!!!! |
||
|
Holiday from hell... Had that happen just a few yards from the Colisseum (where this little kid got his hand onto my wallet that had fallen through a hole in the pocket into the lining. All I could do was hold the kids hand in there until he let go, whilst my two companions, Karen and her friend Barbara, shooed away the others. Didn't see any of that sort of nonsense in any other country we visited. |
||
|
tactical_abyss 27-Feb-13, 20:37 |
|
||
|
tactical_abyss 27-Feb-13, 20:58 |
Also,when I was in Bermuda,I once walked into a club with a light summer business suit on but they did not leave me in!Why?Many of the clubs have a dress code that includes the necessity to wear a tie or bow tie!So as I was walking away in disgust,the guy at the cover charge area said...no problem!He opened up a drawer with a ton of ties and bow ties.He loaned me one.Problem was it was a wide brown tie and I was weaing a heather colored summer suit with gray pants(in style at the time)...but with a wide brown tie?Ha ha...ahhhh...No!So yes,I wore it in to the club,and then took it off after I got inside. The business dress in Bermuda is usually a black suit,white shirt,black tie and black Bermuda shorts with Knee high black socks and black shoes!!Some how,I could not get myself to wear that even if it went with the saying..."when in Rome,dress like the Romans"! |
||
|
Bermuda Business Wear.... But then the Fashion Police Division of the Wowser Brigade hit town, and pretty much wiped out the walk short as what I always figured was a perfectly practical wear for hot summer days (not that I myself have ever worn a walk short in my life). Walk shorts disappeared pretty much as business wear, at, I believe, a considerable cost to the local garments industries (which in this country have just about died out owing to the utterly asinine economic policies of every fat headed government we've had since 1975). You still see things called walk shorts around, but these are more in the way of beach wear a.k.a Bermuda shorts, surf shorts or board shorts. Bermuda sounds like the sort of place that sees the need to balance the value of their tourism industry with the well-being of its people (including travellers to Bermuda). Mind you, the tie-loan guy might have offered a range of neckwear to choose from... |
||
|
tactical_abyss 28-Feb-13, 05:20 |
Bermuda has pink sandy beaches and beautiful blue/green water with grotto's,secluded beach areas with stone pillars,culture,fish and chips pubs,art,museums,Hamilton with with fine British Shops and of course the best drink I ever tasted with their custom lite and dark rums....a rum swizzle. So its upclass and upbeat with much more culture to boot,compared to the sandy clumps with straw hat markets called the west indies. But i'm afraid the subject is geting way out of ranger here(i'm guilty of that). So anyone with more daredevil stuff,just post it here! |
||
|
i have the Arxidia this is one of the rivers i canoe on;www.slickcharters.net. and this sad tale;www.youtube.com |
||
|
here is another 'slide' a slide is an entrance or exit for Alligators. |
||
|
tactical_abyss 02-Mar-13, 11:19 |
I was born in Florida near the glades.So on occassion we had alligators come right into our yard!My dad had to eventually put a concrete wall around with some electric shock wires at the top.But that was like 45 years ago.I can barely remember the details. |
||
|
Florida sounds dangerous... But I guess we have our earthquakes ... still... small ones... |
||
|
sponge ;www.google.com |
||
|
tactical_abyss 03-Mar-13, 13:40 |
Fear is relative.... Now what is going on?Well,he told me that SCORPIONS love to hide in peoples shoes out where he lives and he wants to make sure that he dosen't put his feet into the slipper with the scorpion waiting!He told me that they have never crawled up in his bed,but he has had something "else" crawl up once in a while...but said he dosen't move alot in bed,so the "thing"won't hurt him.I said,what thing?He went on to explain that they also have scores of TARANTULAS that live out where he lives.Occassionally,they show up in his house when the weather gets extra dry.He showed me a picture once he took in his neighbors yard.The first picture taken from a distance looked like a chain of little chipmunks walking across the neighbors driveway,say about 15-20 of them.The second closer picture revealed the truth....20 big hairy TARANTULAS scurrying closer to the neighbors pool where his kids were swimming! So,perhaps i'll stick with the Florida alligators!Atleast I could probably see them before they eat me compared to my foot going into my shoe and something highly poisonous bits me,or I wake up with some big and hairy huge spider sleeping on my face to keep warm!!!!!!!!!!!! |
||
|
Australia... 'There was a redback on the toilet sat when I was there last night, I didn't see him in the dark, but, boy! I felt his bite!' (Ozzy song from the 1950s) My daughter and her partner are now domiciled in Ozland. The bloke half of the ensemble a few months ago had a first hand experience of what a fire ant could do when one crawled up his trouser and bit him fair on the nut sac. Apparently things got rather lively chez Aidan and Ursula for a bit after that. So, what with snakes, crocs, spiders, ants and cane toads (poisonous) you gotta watch your step in Oz. NZ, on the other hand is much milder... The only poisonous spider (also with red abdomenal markings) is rare (I've never seen one in my 60-odd years), and I do believe the danger from the white tail is mythical. And you can walk the streets at night in reasonable safety (it used to be practically risk free, but times have changed a bit). |
||
|
tactical_abyss 08-Mar-13, 08:39 |
Deleted by tactical_abyss on 08-Mar-13, 09:20.
|
||
|
tactical_abyss 08-Mar-13, 09:19 |
Deleted by tactical_abyss on 08-Mar-13, 14:50.
|
||
|
OK |
||
|
|
||
|
archduke_piccolo 08-Mar-13, 12:25 |
Deleted by tactical_abyss on 08-Mar-13, 14:51.
|
||
|
tactical_abyss 08-Mar-13, 14:03 |
Deleted by tactical_abyss on 08-Mar-13, 14:50.
|
||
|
tactical_abyss 08-Mar-13, 14:18 |
Deleted by tactical_abyss on 08-Mar-13, 14:52.
|
||
|
tactical_abyss 08-Mar-13, 14:28 |
I know what you mean!I slipped off a slimy rock in the Delaware river once while fishing a bit away from my uncle.The swift river water took me downstream a bit.I could have drowned.I was like 14 years old.Lucky,my uncle was a part time life guard,swam out to me after running downstream on the bank ahead of my drift and swam out to me.Wow!After that I never get near a river and catch my fish at the supermarket! |
||
|
archduke_piccolo 08-Mar-13, 14:36 |
Deleted by tactical_abyss on 08-Mar-13, 18:00.
|
||
|
tactical_abyss 08-Mar-13, 14:50 |
Deleted by tactical_abyss on 08-Mar-13, 18:00.
|
