Anecdotes.

[Fen]

It makes for a much better anecdote IRL me thinks. Ok, better anecdote.

So in Romania some high schools (grades 9 to 12) also hold gymnasium classes (grades 5 to 8). I went to the same school for gymnasium and high school, and managed to get a bad reputation by 7th grade. Anyway. We got a new principal in 8th grade.

I met her whilst hitchhiking.

I mean, I recognized her face and all, but we never interacted before. And I was hitchhiking for the first time in my life, in 8th grade. A car stops, and I get in. I look at the driver...it was the principal. She gives me a weird look.
"I've heard about you", she said.
I instantly blush, slightly panicking.
"Do you have friends expecting you in Vama?"
"Sort of"
"Got any warm clothes?"
"I have this jacket..."
"You're gonna freeze. If I catch you skipping school this week I will personally murder you and dance about on your grave. Got that? I don't care how bad the cold you'll catch tonight will be."
"Yes m'am!"
"Does your mother know you're here?"
"Nope. Sleeping at a friend's place"
"..."
"..."
"Come to my office on Wednesday."

She dropped me off, and I did go to her office that week, where I got the silliest and most amusing preach ever.

[yiraheerai]

Arise, dear thread, ARISE FROM YOUR GRAVE.

It's time for awkward interactions with a blind man!

Two or three years ago, I was working out my anxiety issues with a blind counselor named Rob. I got as far as I could go with his treatment and left doing pretty good at the time.

I saw him for the first time today while Mom and I were at Wal*Mart getting stuff. I called out to him and his head snaps up and he starts turning his head this way and that trying to figure out where the sound had come from.

"I'm over here!" I tell him with a raised hand... and then I realize that's probably a really stupid thing to say to someone who can't see. He was able to follow the sound of my voice directly to where I was at (I moved toward him so that he'd be able to place me better too). We shake hands.

"It's good to see you!" he tells me.

"...Yeah, you too."

There were a few "How've you beens" and such before I awkwardly scuttled off. He seemed to appreciate that I went out of my way to talk to him. It's not like he could call me on it if I decided to sneak around him. He even told me he didn't recognize my voice at first and I made sure to tell him who he was talking to. Overall it was a good interaction it just feels.. so awkward at the same time.

[Fen]

So a few days ago I was in my hometown and was having some wine with an old friend. For some reason, though I am not the most well behaved and quiet little angel, seeing my old friends makes me release mt former self. Read talkative, loud, inappropriate and with a horrible sailor's mouth. Anyway.
So we were in public, right? And he at one point goes missing for about 15 minutes and then comes back all sad-looking. Apparently his ex called. He's a huge softie when it comes to his ex girlfriends, you see, and I always worry about him. Anyway, so she called him about how much she misses him and asked if he still loved her and all. And he told me this. At which point I decided that he needs a good "shake back to reality". (please understand, at one point she gave him this huge speech, with me at the table, explaining how she can't be with him because she isn't as available to him as her mommy. She actually said that, and proceeded to explain how he can't understand the emptiness in her heart and how selfish he is because he can't be with her at all times. For extra background, she is a mommy's girl who had never had a job and lived with her parents, and he has been living on his own ever since he found out his home was for sale and his parents had disappeared when he was 18)

So you have me, this blue haired large lady, and this guy who is about 6ft+ tall in the middle of the bar, where I'm violently shaking him and yelling common sense at him. Common sense which at one point lead to "and you can tell this little *censored* that she *censored* can take all her *censored* mommy *censored* issues and *censored* insecurities and *censored* shove them into her *censored* *censored* *censored* *censored* (hint: it's her lady bits) because YOU ARE NOT *censored* GOING *censored* ANYWHERE NEAR IT *censored* EVER AGAIN *censored* DO YOU *censored* HEAR ME?". At which point I realized that the room was staring at us.

So I start going to each person and apologizing for my explicit use of language. Ironically, a few of them said that they wish they had people like me literally shaking them out of their bad decisions every now and then. Got free drinks too!

[Adamas]

whereas most males have to have the good advice literally beaten into them.

[Otaku201]

That was awesome Fen, I think we could all use someone to shake some sense into us.

[GothPoet]

A conversation on another site prompted recall of this little gem.

I was probably around 12-13 at the time. My youngest brother had an old style child's bike (i.e. one with no safety features, like brakes.) This was also back in the 70s, so bicycle helmets? I laugh at your folly.

The street we lived on included a big, steep hill near our house. I decided to ride my brother's bike down said hill.

I got going pretty fast, and about halfway down the hill, I saw the crucial flaw in my brilliant plan. After some very quick thinking, I came up with an equally brilliant solution.

I would just turn the bike, ride off into the grass, and fall there, thus cleverly avoiding injury.

(Ha, I'm so smart.)

Well, as soon as I turned, or tried, I learned quite a bit about physics, specifically velocity.

I, predictably, pitched off the bike, rolled the rest of the way down the hill, ended up with a number of road rashes and a particularly nice scar on my left knee.

[yiraheerai]

Ouch I bet that hurt like hell.