Former reader Elaine teased me last year about some of my posts ("you always seem to have these near-death experiences!"). It was cute. But it made me wonder if maybe I get carried away and exaggerate. I have a fact checker on the payroll, but she may be biased. Have I had many near-death experiences? More than a "normal" person? Let's see:
--When a co-worker burned Freon gas, creating Phosgene gas (a World War I weapon). Yes!
--When a store manager mixed bleach and amonia in a confined space? No, but she passed out before we opened the windows. Don't ever mix those two.
--Getting robbed at gunpoint (with the tip of the gun barrel pressed against my cheek)? Yes! It happened the night before the 1st day of my high school senior year.
--Going on SWAT manuevers with my dad (protecting my gandma's store)? I'm going to say no, but...
--Being stalked from my school bus stop by a fellow my dad and I kicked off my grandma's property the night before. Hmmm, no. It was scary, but he was probably harmless. Probably.
--Encounters with electricity? Yes! (future post)
--Getting dizzy while standing in a tree to saw off its top? Hmmm, no. If my dad had slower reflexes and I'd actually thrown up ON him, then maybe. =)
--Run-ins with a black bloc wannabe and gang wannabees? No.
--The Halloween encounter witht he gun and the girl? Yes (to both).
--My car spinning counter-clockwise while going 50 MPH straight down the highway. Maybe, but it was FUN.
--Hitching rides on coal trains? Again, maybe, but fun.
--Being stalked and pulled over by fake cops? No, I was the one with the baseball bat.
--Getting stalked in a hardware store (my most popular post ever)? No.
--Getting stalked @ midnight on my walk home from work? No. (Future post)
--Being stalked into a subway station's small car parking lot by a crazy trucker? Yes, he was as big as a mountain. I could have easily driven away--and should have
Geez, what's with all the stalking??? Is THAT normal? Have you been stalked? It's not just me, right???
PS - There was also the night I asked the angels not to take me--I hope they were angels!!! That will be the subject of my next post.
As the daughter of someone who never lets the facts get in the way of a good story I have to say I think I have a pretty good inner "exaggeration meter". Your stories ring true to me. :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat I want to know is how you know Elaine is a former reader as opposed to a current reader??
I don't think I've ever been stalked! At least not physically, haha. God knows what happens online these days. >.<
ReplyDelete@Kristie: You're right, I should have said former commenter.
ReplyDeletei've never been stalked before! it seems like you've been a few times I'm kind of... jealous.. that i don't have a single stalking story at all LOL
ReplyDeleteRick you've got tons of stories that are great and at the same time I'd think that they were an experience you'll never forget or they were scary at one point.
ReplyDeleteEither way I'm just glad you're okay and unharmed.
http://dirtontherocks.com
Getting stalked is never fun! =[ All of these experiences make your life more colourful don't you think so? =D I'm glad that you escaped unharmed though!!!!
ReplyDeletehahaha I think you definitely attract stalking more than the average person! Why are you so alluring??? haha
ReplyDeletehmm..your question got me thinking...maybe we all had those moments and maybe even more frequent..it's just that you are more observant... hmmm...then again, i've never had an encounter with guns pointed directly at me or with dangerous world war1 level chemicals...haha :)
ReplyDeletei have been stalked by a guy who likes me a lot and he was such a pain to deal with that i threatened to complain to the police if he didn't stop. :P
ReplyDeleteon the other hand i love stalking my crushes on the internet but i hope they never find out. don't tell anyone i told you, ok? shhhhh... ;) LOL!
I never had a real stalker before. But more of an admirer. Anyway, the only near death experience I've had was when I went swimming in a lake on my missions trip. I'm a horrible swimmer but I was full of energy. Swam all the way out and got too tired to swim back so I almost drowned myself lol. An 18 year old saved me. How embarrassing but at least I didn't die lol.
ReplyDeletewww.mrschong.com
Holy cow Ric....you've certainly have had many close calls in your lifetime. Ammonia and bleach combined????? WHoa.....
ReplyDeleteyou know what...YOU HAVE!!! lol.
ReplyDeleteit's okay. makes for entertaining blog posts...even if your life is put to danger.
I've never heard of a guy being stalked. Crazy! And we don't need you having any more near-death experiences, ok?!
ReplyDeleteStalking? That's what Facebook's for. Har.
ReplyDeleteI was stalked in my college days but nothing serious (I would get text messages from someone who knew exactly where I was at that moment. Pretty creepy, but never escalated). And I've been followed around various malls a few times. Very weird. But it hasn't happened in a while. I hope to never experience what you've experienced!