Fifty Plus (50+) - OT: Amazing Things

I'm sure most of us have witnessed events that we thought were unbelieveable. What's yours?

For me it was something that happened at my Grandmother's. She lived 12 floors up, with an unobstructed view of the Pacific Ocean. One day we had a family gathering and a bunch of us were on the balcony enjoying the view and talking.

My step sister had a regular glass tumbler in her hand and suddenly she lost her grip on it. It went sailing towards the driveway 12 floors below. There was a moment as I watched it hurtling towards the ground that I imagined someone walking out from the lobby below and being hit and hurt. That the glass would shatter in a cloud of glass shards was a foregone conclusion.

Then it hit the pavement, and bounced and rolled onto its side.

I went down to retrieve the glass. To my amazement it was complete, no nicks, no chips, no cracks. I brought it up and showed it to all the family members. The glass was washed and went back into service. My brother-in-law still talks about it.

I was working at a children's shelter and we got a 4 year old girl in who had never worn shoes. I had introduce her to them. I tried* to do it slowly, but she had to wear them to go anywhere. The horror and panic--and ensuing tantrum she threw was absolutely on the level of a hurricane. Can you imagine what shoes would feel like for the first time if you were old enough to actually think about it?

Maybe it was the way that the shadows played across the room when the curtains fluttered in the breeze from an open window, but one night for a single instant it actually looked like my ex-wife moved during sex.

Maybe it was the way that the shadows played across the room when the curtains fluttered in the breeze from an open window, but one night for a single instant it actually looked like my ex-wife moved during sex.

You where that good?

I was sitting around in a discussion group years ago (when it was acceptable to smoke in a place such as this) and a guy in the row in front of me was trying to extricate a cigarette from his pack by flicking the pack in an upward motion, and getting the cigarette to pop up a bit so he could grab it with his lips. After a couple of failed attempts, he flicked his hand a bit harder, a cigarette flew up into the air. This guy sitting next to me had his arm on the edge of his chair, with his index and middle fingers slightly opened. The cigarette landed squarely into the notch of his 2 fingers, filter side towards him, exactly as if he were going to light it and smoke it. It was so hilarious that all those that saw it happen broke out in fits of laughter and the discussion leader had to take a 10 minute break for the commotion to calm down.

I picked up a lovely female hitchhiker one evening and she told me she was a magician. I expressed skepticism. Then she leaned over and whispered into my ear. Sure enough, I turned into a motel.

I have had my share of amazing things... Probably most recently, after one long rain, the sun came out and as usual there was a rainbow. This rainbow was so incredibly bright I knew it was close. Having nothing better to do I decided to chase it. I rode closer and closer and had to trespass onto a construction site. Lo and behold I actually, for the first time in my life, found the end of a rainbow. It came right down onto a dumptruck. Who would imagine? When I get home I'll post the photo. There isn't a pot of gold waiting at the end... there's a friggin' dumptruck!

Also, years ago, got talked into climbing Mt. Whitney. Totally unprepared, about 4 miles in I started suffering from altitude sickness. At this point I was at about 11,000 ft. I would take a step and hurl, take a step and hurl... the scenary wasn't all that nice, it was a rocky, barren moonscape. I thought about turning back when I finally reached the end of a long climb and came onto a plateau... if there is a physical heaven, I imagine it looked like this. Picture an alpine meadow, there was snow coming down and ending in a lovely, fast flowing alpine stream. All along the stream which cascaded out into a beautiful waterfall, where tuffs of tall grass, and all sorts of beautiful alpine wildflowers. The sun was shining just so and a lovely breeze had started. I knew I reached my summit (although far from the top) and spent the rest of the day relaxing in heaven... been back to that spot many times since and still picture it as heaven.

Back in 1978 my wife and I were riding from Vancouver to Montreal. Unbeknownst to us a friend of mine was riding the opposite direction, from Montreal to Vancouver. In the middle of the prairies, just outside Weyburn, Saskatchewan, we pulled into a small store to refill our water bottles. Five minutes later, who should pull into the same store but my friend.

At this point I was at about 11,000 ft. I would take a step and hurl, take a step and hurl... the scenary wasn't all that nice,

Of course the scenery wasn't all that nice....you just hurled all over it:D:D

Pam, I like your new avatar!

The most amazing thing is a Thermos.

It keeps my coffee hot and my tea cold.

How do it know?

Even though I work in the semiconductor industry, I am still amazed that we are now down to 45nm and even smaller feature sizes, having once been told that it would be hard to get much below 700nm. We now routinely put tens of millions of transistors on a single integrated circuit, which we turn around and sell for chump change.

The most amazing thing is a Thermos.

It pales to the telephone. Have you noticed that telephones work in every single language ever spoken? ;)

I got my wife a trailer hitch for our 20th anniversary (yesterday).

Still married today!

That's amazing.

I got my wife a trailer hitch for our 20th anniversary (yesterday).

Still married today!

That's amazing.
How good are you at sleeping with your eyes open?:twitchy:

I wandered around
In the corn patch this morning.
Green leaves. Golden light.

I wandered around
In the corn patch this morning.
Green leaves. Golden light.

Yeah, that can be amazing. :D



I'm still trying to figure out how a 6 inch deep creek near me managed to wedge two dumpsters into bridges and put debris 6 feet up on top of the bridge during a rain storm last Friday. :rolleyes:

It didn't seem to disturb the fish, turtles and muskrats in the creek though.

Or how is it possible to gain 5 pounds just by eating a 1 pound box of chocolates? :notamused:

Even though I work in the semiconductor industry, I am still amazed that we are now down to 45nm and even smaller feature sizes, having once been told that it would be hard to get much below 700nm. We now routinely put tens of millions of transistors on a single integrated circuit, which we turn around and sell for chump change.

Your welcome...:)

Maybe it was the way that the shadows played across the room when the curtains fluttered in the breeze from an open window, but one night for a single instant it actually looked like my ex-wife moved during sex.

You my ex-wife's first husband?

Wow...what an amazing coincidence!

Once walking through a convenience store parking lot I spied an empty beer bottle sitting on the curb about 75' away. As I approached I saw a rock on the ground and kicked it at the bottle...it actually hit the bottle and broke it. :eek: Just sayin'. ;)

Of course the scenery wasn't all that nice....you just hurled all over it:D:D

Definitely true! Cone wrench reminded me... on the Whitney trip, while i was sitting and resting and trying not to hurl.... I see this lone figure coming up towards me... my eyes aren't that good so it took awhile to focus in on who it was. Turned out to be my boss! Neither one of us knew the other had taken time off to do Whitney. I didn't even know he hiked! I think he was more surprise to see me. He was in the kindof "zen" trance you get into when working out and I called his name... in the middle of absolutely no where must be weird to hear your name! I also think I scared him since i looked that bad.

Solveg... thanks re the avatar - a work in progress...

Even though I work in the semiconductor industry, I am still amazed that we are now down to 45nm and even smaller feature sizes, having once been told that it would be hard to get much below 700nm. We now routinely put tens of millions of transistors on a single integrated circuit, which we turn around and sell for chump change.

What amazes me is how some many people take that technology for granted... and fully accept it.

If folks had any clue as to what went on in a typical cell phone call they would never complain about dropped calls, they would rather cheer that any calls worked at all. ;)

Played "Hookey" from work to do a special ride on the Tandem with my Co-Rider. We were the only tandem and it was covered extensively by the press. Had to stay out of all the pics taken as they all wanted action shots of the Tandem.

Next day and My boss said that there was a special ride on the day before and it was all over the local papers. He asked me if I knew anything about the ride and I mumbled something about having to work instead of play on the bikes so I hadn't entered. He then said that if another ride like that came up in the area- let him know and he would get sponsorship from the Company out of the PR budget.

What amazes me is how some many people take that technology for granted... and fully accept it.

If folks had any clue as to what went on in a typical cell phone call they would never complain about dropped calls, they would rather cheer that any calls worked at all. ;)

+ a bunch.

I spent several years in aircraft maintenance, engineering and repair. I think about some of those little details that have to work when an airliner rotates for liftoff...

I'm sure most of us have witnessed events that we thought were unbelieveable. What's yours? . . .

I once put a dent in the old man's* Plymouth Valiant, blue one. He let me live.

* - Bulge vet, hair trigger, 165 pounds of nitroglycerine, Lord of Discipline, Last Southern Gentleman.

Speaking of dents... we got our first ding in our 2-year-old car today..... at the dealership where we bought the car and took it for an oil change today. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

I have had my share of amazing things... Probably most recently, after one long rain, the sun came out and as usual there was a rainbow. This rainbow was so incredibly bright I knew it was close. Having nothing better to do I decided to chase it. I rode closer and closer and had to trespass onto a construction site. Lo and behold I actually, for the first time in my life, found the end of a rainbow. It came right down onto a dumptruck. Who would imagine? When I get home I'll post the photo. There isn't a pot of gold waiting at the end... there's a friggin' dumptruck!



That's better than the time I followed a rainbow. What I found at the end was a porta potty!

Hurling on Mt. Whitney...reminds me of a line I read in a Longs Peak guidebook long ago. A guy's on his way up Longs Peak and is puking over a ledge beside the trail. Someone asks, "What's the matter, weak stomach?" He says, "No, I reckon I'm chucking it just as far as anyone!"