What's the craziest thing you've ever done?

[DaveNV]

As I look down the road toward my retirement, that major life intersection is getting closer and closer. I find I'm spending a fair amount of time looking back over my shoulder, too. I'm thinking of some of the amazing (and not so amazing) things I've done, places I've traveled, people I've met, and incredible experiences I've had. It's been a great ride. I'd very much like to hear the stories of your roads traveled, and the most memorable things, good, bad, or outright crazy, you'd care to share with your fellow Tuggers. Here's mine:

One bucket list item I'd always wanted was a two-seat convertible sports car. About eight years ago I couldn't help myself, and I bought a used Porsche Boxster S, the most beautiful car I'd ever seen. The deal was great, the previous owner had classic tales of "Sunday driver" stories, and the car was in incredible shape. My mechanic said if I didn't buy it, he was going to. Deep midnight blue with a grey interior, more powerful than I needed, and a head-turner on any street I drove it down. I loved that car. It served me well for several years, never let me down, and it brought me tremendous pleasure. (For those of you who may remember my previous screen name, I'll point out that BMWs aren't my only passion.) I live in the Pacific Northwest, and in between rainy months, we have incredible, "top down" days that are perfect for a car like this. I took full advantage, and I had a fantastic time with my convertible.

Then my life took a sharp left turn, and I was forced to sell my Boxster. It broke my heart, and I regretted it the day I did it, wishing I'd had another option. I didn't. I've since straightened out the conflict in my life, and I've been shopping for another Boxster to replace the great one I'd foolishly sold. No luck, despite repeated searches, far and wide. None were as nice, all of them had more wear and tear, and none felt like they were "my" car. My fruitless search continued for several years, as recently as three weeks ago. No luck.

Then, like a bolt out of the blue, two weeks ago a good friend at the car dealership who'd bought the Porsche from me sent me a text message with a picture of a blue Porsche Boxster S. It looked VERY familiar. His text read, "Guess what?" I immediately texted back, "Mine?" He said "Yes, and yes, it's on my lot." I think I hollered like a kid, as I texted "DO NOT SELL THAT CAR TILL I GET THERE!!!" I raced down to the dealership, and there it was - as pretty as ever, and seemed to almost smile at me as I walked up to it. I know I was certainly smiling.

The people who'd bought it took great care of it, and only put 6000 miles on it the whole time they had it. They babied it just like I had, and the car was as good, maybe even better, than when I'd had it. There was no question about it: Out came my checkbook, and as crazy as it sounds, I bought my baby back. I have never done anything like that before. I mean, who in their right mind buys BACK a car they'd sold? I'm raising my hand. I did. And I'd do it again.

It's been a week, and I still can't believe it's here. I keep going out to the garage to make sure it's really here. It is. And this huge grin on my face won't go away. I am one very, very happy camper.

Dave, grinning

 

[MuranoJo]

I've done some crazy things, but I can't get over your car story to go there. It's almost like your 'baby' had this yearning to get back to you. Kinda spooky in a way.
But really neat. Glad she found you again.

 

[Karen G]

I don't know if it was the craziest thing I've ever done, but it certainly was one of the most fun things I've done since moving to the Las Vegas vicinity. In 2012 I got to be an extra in the movie "Behind the Candelabra" about Liberace starring Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Debbie Reynolds, and others. My part was an audience member in scenes shot in the old Las Vegas Hilton showroom (now the Westgate!).

For a whole week my friend and I got to dress up in an evening gown & mink stole, have our hair and make-up done, enjoy fantastic buffet lunches, watch really entertaining performances, and be paid an hourly wage as part of a few hundred other audience member extras. We actually made it into the movie in an early scene where Matt Damon and Scott Bakula enter the Hilton showroom to see Liberace's show. They walked past the booth we were sitting in and sat just a couple of booths away from us.

We were so excited to tell all our friends to watch for us in the movie, but we didn't know how raunchy the movie really was because the only part we'd seen was all the performances in the showroom!

Here's a picture of us during our movie shoot. I'm on the left:

 

[Talent312]

No extravagant purchases, but I have done a few unusual things:
Does flying to Europe with no luggage other than a small duffle bag count?

I recall well a night-snorkel in Bonaire with just me and a guide (free).
-- It was spooky, but you see different stuff with a flashlight at night.

In my youth, 2 weeks on the Appalachian Trail was kind'a unusual for me.
-- Think "A Walk in the Woods"... but without Nick Nolte.

But otherwise, my life has been exceedingly mundane.

 

[artringwald]

The craziest thing I ever did was to sign up for my first triathlon at age 61. I was an average cross country and track runner in high school, and have played racquetball and tennis pretty regularly since then, but haven't really done any endurance training since I got a desk job at age 30. When my dental technician talked about doing triathlons, I asked her what the distances were. A 0.25 mile swim, 15 mile bike ride, and 5K run sounded doable. I knew I could bike or run as slow as I wanted, but swimming sounded like a challenge, especially on a lake. In spite of having bad knees, and being overweight, I was able to finish. It was such a great feeling to cross the finish line, that I've been doing one each summer since then. I'm usually one of the slowest finishers, even in my age group, but as I get older, the number of contestants in my age group keeps getting smaller. I'm 67 now, and I got a total knee replacement last fall, so I'll have to fast walk the 5K, but I plan to keep doing them as long as I possibly can. It motivates me to try and stay in shape all year round. I'm hoping my story will help others think about giving it a try. Every time I go to the dentist, I thank the dental technician for getting me started.

 

[Timeshare Von]

Great story Dave!

I'm not sure what classifies as "crazy" any more because so much of what I have done in life seems crazy as I look back on things. That said . . . I survived them all and lived to tell about it (or share photos).

 

[vacationhopeful]

Brought a used Porsche 944 ... after I was dumped by guy I dated for most of 3 years when he told me over lunch on Monday he had married another woman over the weekend.

Car was more reliable then he ever was ... helped me to acquire a new boyfriend who was more of a friend who was 7 years younger than me. We spent several years going to Bruce Springsteen/U2 concerts driving my white Porsche 944 ... between Montreal and Atlanta ... got interviewed by a Washington, DC TV crew ... which my sister saw the TV bit next morning around 6:45AM by chance.

PS I told my parents he was 4 years older than he was AND he told his mother I was 4 years younger than I was. I still laugh at the general fun we had .. rock concerts, ticket scalpers and long drives in the Porsche. We were buddies and parted as such.

 

[VegasBella]

I have been skydiving. Many would call that pretty "crazy."

I moved to Las Vegas with only $400 to my name. That really was kind of crazy but it worked out just fine.

As a teen and young adult I picked up hitchhikers all the time. None were horrible rapists or murderers or anything of the kind. Most just needed a ride. I also hitchhiked myself now and then - but never alone.

 

[Mister Sir]

That's a great story DaveNW! It's not often we get a chance to go back and have a do over.

 

[Mister Sir]

Some would classify this as crazy but it was the best choice I've ever made. As a single dad with four young kids, I married a woman with six kids.

 

[raygo123]

I had a 140 corvair, with a holley 4 barrel milled heads and headers. I was driving in Pittsburgh on the crosstown, which was a bridge over the city about 50 ft off the ground, and went within feet over the county jail. I was going about 80 when it started to rain, a cloud burst. I hit one of the metal bridge connectors, and started spining round and round, and up onto the guardrail. I was holding the shifter when suddenly it was gone!

When I finally stopped, I was dangling on the guardrail over the jail. About 50 ft down was my engine and transmission. I totaled it, and never scratched the paint

Sent from my RCT6873W42 using Tapatalk

 

[DaveNV]

Brought a used Porsche 944 ... after I was dumped by guy I dated for most of 3 years when he told me over lunch on Monday he had married another woman over the weekend.

Car was more reliable then he ever was ... driving my white Porsche 944 ... between Montreal and Atlanta ...

Reminds me of the old joke, "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?"

Love the car idea, can't imagine the jerk who did that to you. Wow!

Dave

 

[DaveNV]

That's a great story DaveNW! It's not often we get a chance to go back and have a do over.

Thanks. Owning that car felt like a story I hadn't finished reading. I'm curious to see where the story goes, and how it ends. I retire in a few years - stay tuned and we'll see where the road takes me.

Dave

 

[DaveNV]

Some would classify this as crazy but it was the best choice I've ever made. As a single dad with four young kids, I married a woman with six kids.

Not so crazy. My Mother did that when I was eight years old. She had divorced my Dad, and had us four kids. She married a guy who had five of his own. We kids all knew each other, as we'd been neighbors, so the hardest part of the process was the dynamic of managing a house with nine kids. Good luck!

Dave

 

[DaveNV]

I had a 140 corvair, with a holley 4 barrel milled heads and headers. I was driving in Pittsburgh on the crosstown, which was a bridge over the city about 50 ft off the ground, and went within feet over the county jail. I was going about 80 when it started to rain, a cloud burst. I hit one of the metal bridge connectors, and started spining round and round, and up onto the guardrail. I was holding the shifter when suddenly it was gone!

When I finally stopped, I was dangling on the guardrail over the jail. About 50 ft down was my engine and transmission. I totaled it, and never scratched the paint

Sent from my RCT6873W42 using Tapatalk

Holey cow!!! Incredible that you're here to tell that story! I hope you were okay.

Dave

 

[raygo123]

Holey cow!!! Incredible that you're here to tell that story! I hope you were okay.

Dave

I was fine it never flipped

Sent from my RCT6873W42 using Tapatalk

 

[DaveNV]

We were so excited to tell all our friends to watch for us in the movie, but we didn't know how raunchy the movie really was because the only part we'd seen was all the performances in the showroom!

Great story, Karen! Movie-making has always been kind of a mystery to me, too. Very cool that you got to experience the inside story. And I agree - the movie itself was kind of "Meh..." I grew up seeing Liberace perform, and was always amazed by his talent. The backstory of his private life was the stuff of urban legends (just like Marilyn Monroe, Natalie Wood, and Frank Sinatra.) I'm sure the day-to-day reality of his life was quite different than the way it was portrayed in the movie. I love the picture. Very classy!

Dave

 

[Makai Guy]

Craziest thing I've ever done? Agreeing to take over from Laurence Chan and John Cummings as one of the TUG BBS Administrators. I'm not sure just when this was, but I'd guess it was around 2000 somewhere. Laurence wrote our first home-brew bulletin board and guided our switch to UBB software before he decided to fade out of the picture.

I'd already been active in helping run the TUG website and had taken over as Hawaii Review Manager from Laurence. Back then every single page outside the bbs was handcoded -- and if you find some of them in the internet archives you might be amazed at how crude everything was back then. Review pages were coded by volunteers using templates developed by Bill, Laurence, and me, based on the reviews submitted by members. Fortunately, in more recent years Brian got us into a database system that removed virtually all of the handwork for reviews.

I never dreamed I'd still be administering the bbs nearly 20 years later...

 

[DaveNV]

Craziest thing I've ever done? Agreeing to take over from Laurence Chan and John Cummings as one of the TUG BBS Administrators. I'm not sure just when this was, but I'd guess it was around 2000 somewhere. Laurence wrote our first home-brew bulletin board and guided our switch to UBB software before he decided to fade out of the picture.

I'd already been active in helping run the TUG website and had taken over as Hawaii Review Manager from Laurence. Back then every single page outside the bbs was handcoded -- and if you find some of them in the internet archives you might be amazed at how crude everything was back then. Review pages were coded by volunteers using templates developed by Bill, Laurence, and me, based on the reviews submitted by members. Fortunately, in more recent years Brian got us into a database system that removed virtually all of the handwork for reviews.

I never dreamed I'd still be administering the bbs nearly 20 years later...

And I know we Tuggers (and Brian) appreciate the heck out of the fact that you're still here.

I taught myself HTML and wrote my first web page in 1994, when the Internet was in its infancy around here. (Remember the noises your dial-up modem made, 150 baud modem download speeds, Alta Vista, (the "ultimate" search engine,) and Netscape vs. Internet Explorer? Yeah, back then. My cell phone in those days came in a big zippered suitcase, was the size of a household brick, and I got a whopping 30 minutes a month of time, for an outrageous amount of money. I totally understand your amazement that we lived to tell about it.

Dave

 

[happymum]

Not terribly crazy, but buying a timeshare in South Africa, when I knew nothing about timesharing was quite a leap. After that, going to California to spend a week with Tuggers that I had only ever met on-line seemed relatively tame . Both events have changed my life for the better.

 

[Passepartout]

Not exactly a "Hold my beer and watch this' kind of moment, but back in the '60s Uncle Sam wanted to draft me for 2 years, but I showed him: I enlisted for 3 years. I often wonder how my life would have been different had I not made that decision.

Jim

 

[DaveNV]

Not exactly a "Hold my beer and watch this' kind of moment, but back in the '60s Uncle Sam wanted to draft me for 2 years, but I showed him: I enlisted for 3 years. I often wonder how my life would have been different had I not made that decision.

Jim

I can totally relate. When they enacted the Draft Lottery back in the Viet Nam days, my lottery number was 3. I knew it was going to happen, so I beat them to it and enlisted in the Navy for four years. My draft notice to report for Army induction arrived at my parents' house while I was in Navy Boot Camp. Whew! Dodged that one! I sure showed them: My four year enlistment ended twenty years later. Go figure! LOL!

Dave

 

[Beachclubmum]

As I look down the road toward my retirement, that major life intersection is getting closer and closer. I find I'm spending a fair amount of time looking back over my shoulder, too. I'm thinking of some of the amazing (and not so amazing) things I've done, places I've traveled, people I've met, and incredible experiences I've had. It's been a great ride. I'd very much like to hear the stories of your roads traveled, and the most memorable things, good, bad, or outright crazy, you'd care to share with your fellow Tuggers. Here's mine:

One bucket list item I'd always wanted was a two-seat convertible sports car. About eight years ago I couldn't help myself, and I bought a used Porsche Boxster S, the most beautiful car I'd ever seen. The deal was great, the previous owner had classic tales of "Sunday driver" stories, and the car was in incredible shape. My mechanic said if I didn't buy it, he was going to. Deep midnight blue with a grey interior, more powerful than I needed, and a head-turner on any street I drove it down. I loved that car. It served me well for several years, never let me down, and it brought me tremendous pleasure. (For those of you who may remember my previous screen name, I'll point out that BMWs aren't my only passion.) I live in the Pacific Northwest, and in between rainy months, we have incredible, "top down" days that are perfect for a car like this. I took full advantage, and I had a fantastic time with my convertible.

Then my life took a sharp left turn, and I was forced to sell my Boxster. It broke my heart, and I regretted it the day I did it, wishing I'd had another option. I didn't. I've since straightened out the conflict in my life, and I've been shopping for another Boxster to replace the great one I'd foolishly sold. No luck, despite repeated searches, far and wide. None were as nice, all of them had more wear and tear, and none felt like they were "my" car. My fruitless search continued for several years, as recently as three weeks ago. No luck.

Then, like a bolt out of the blue, two weeks ago a good friend at the car dealership who'd bought the Porsche from me sent me a text message with a picture of a blue Porsche Boxster S. It looked VERY familiar. His text read, "Guess what?" I immediately texted back, "Mine?" He said "Yes, and yes, it's on my lot." I think I hollered like a kid, as I texted "DO NOT SELL THAT CAR TILL I GET THERE!!!" I raced down to the dealership, and there it was - as pretty as ever, and seemed to almost smile at me as I walked up to it. I know I was certainly smiling.

The people who'd bought it took great care of it, and only put 6000 miles on it the whole time they had it. They babied it just like I had, and the car was as good, maybe even better, than when I'd had it. There was no question about it: Out came my checkbook, and as crazy as it sounds, I bought my baby back. I have never done anything like that before. I mean, who in their right mind buys BACK a car they'd sold? I'm raising my hand. I did. And I'd do it again.

It's been a week, and I still can't believe it's here. I keep going out to the garage to make sure it's really here. It is. And this huge grin on my face won't go away. I am one very, very happy camper.

Dave, grinning

View attachment 3510 View attachment 3511 View attachment 3512

Great story! That car was meant to be yours.

A few months ago I had a MB 500 CL shipped to me. It's a 2001 with 46,000 miles. My dad had bought it new and passed it down for the price of shipping. It's been fun to read about what a forward thinking car it was at the time, along with its eye popping $95k original invoice price. (Thankfully for car tax purposes the car has depreciated to around $5k.) In the end, I love the ride and the power! Pure fun to drive.

 

[Talent312]

Movie-making has always been kind of a mystery to me, too.

I was invited to visit the set of a minor movie starring Elizabeth McGovern on location. I said hello... I guess that puts me within six degrees of Kevin Bacon. I was bored.

First, each of the trades take turns setting up to make everything just right -- the set designers, the lighting crew, the camera crew, the sound guys. That all takes forever. Then they do sound checks. After a couple of hours, my producer-friend hands me a headphone. Ms. McGovern sits at a chair, says a few lines, several times, and then they break for lunch.

At least I got some the crew's pizza.

.

 

[Sandy VDH]

As a 25 year old I went backpacking solo across Europe. Didn't see many other single female solo travelers. Enjoyed it so much went back the next summer and did the England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. Again solo.

Had a little run in with a farmer and his tractor, his friend who drove into my car, and their Garda buddy. My spidy senses were up when the first question they asked me after "Are you hurt" was "Do you have any Money". I lied and said 20 punts, which was all that was in my wallet. I had a money belt with more cash. The next question was "Can you call someone to get some", I said I could call the Canadian Consulate. They put a quick NO NO NO. To that idea. They were speaking English until I walked up to them and they started speaking Gaelic amongst themselves. They were hatching a plot.

End result was I got charged with dangerous driving, they claimed I was on the wrong side of the road. I was not, I was going around a tractor parked on the side of the narrow road, with a hairpin turn just beyond it. Farmer moved the tractor, guy claimed I was on the wrong side of the road. Whatever. They knew I was leaving the country the next day to go to Scotland. So I posted my 20 punts bail and left. I'm sure they tore up the paperwork and went to the pub. Never heard a word again. Not long after that AMEX stopped providing CDW in Ireland. Makes for a good ""the time I went to jail"" story.