Emulated Evel Knievel for years by building varying ramps and trying to see as far and high I could jump. Sans helmet, of course.
Rode in cars without a seatbelt. (To be fair, in those days, hardly anybody did that I knew.)
Climbed metal monkeybars, the ones with little spots of jagged rust because they hadn’t been tended in a while; and jumped down from the top to land on loose gravel or hard uneven ground.
Stuck my finger in a light socket to see if it was on. (It was.)
Built a “launch pad” about 20 feet up in a tree. Had a rope swing with a knot on the bottom, measured so that it would reach the pad, go down (barely missing the ground), and swing back up. At the opposite end was, of course, our trampoline. The game was to get on the launch pad, have somebody toss up the rope, you jump off the pad (and onto the rope at the same time) and when you reach the other end, let go so you can fly to the trampoline. Bonus points if you could bounce yourself to the other side of the trampoline and stick your landing.
Emulated Evel Knievel for years by building varying ramps and trying to see as far and high I could jump. Sans helmet, of course.
Rode in cars without a seatbelt. (To be fair, in those days, hardly anybody did that I knew.)
Climbed metal monkeybars, the ones with little spots of jagged rust because they hadn’t been tended in a while; and jumped down from the top to land on loose gravel or hard uneven ground.
Stuck my finger in a light socket to see if it was on. (It was.)
Built a “launch pad” about 20 feet up in a tree. Had a rope swing with a knot on the bottom, measured so that it would reach the pad, go down (barely missing the ground), and swing back up. At the opposite end was, of course, our trampoline. The game was to get on the launch pad, have somebody toss up the rope, you jump off the pad (and onto the rope at the same time) and when you reach the other end, let go so you can fly to the trampoline. Bonus points if you could bounce yourself to the other side of the trampoline and stick your landing.
Threw myself off a bucking horse. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
Emulated Evel Knievel for years by building varying ramps and trying to see as far and high I could jump. Sans helmet, of course.
Rode in cars without a seatbelt. (To be fair, in those days, hardly anybody did that I knew.)
Climbed metal monkeybars, the ones with little spots of jagged rust because they hadn’t been tended in a while; and jumped down from the top to land on loose gravel or hard uneven ground.
Stuck my finger in a light socket to see if it was on. (It was.)
Built a “launch pad” about 20 feet up in a tree. Had a rope swing with a knot on the bottom, measured so that it would reach the pad, go down (barely missing the ground), and swing back up. At the opposite end was, of course, our trampoline. The game was to get on the launch pad, have somebody toss up the rope, you jump off the pad (and onto the rope at the same time) and when you reach the other end, let go so you can fly to the trampoline. Bonus points if you could bounce yourself to the other side of the trampoline and stick your landing.
Threw myself off a bucking horse. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
We went sledding on the hill behind our grandparents’ house. Which had a barbed wire fence halfway down it so we had to lean back and duck to pass underneath it.
Emulated Evel Knievel for years by building varying ramps and trying to see as far and high I could jump. Sans helmet, of course.
Rode in cars without a seatbelt. (To be fair, in those days, hardly anybody did that I knew.)
Climbed metal monkeybars, the ones with little spots of jagged rust because they hadn’t been tended in a while; and jumped down from the top to land on loose gravel or hard uneven ground.
Stuck my finger in a light socket to see if it was on. (It was.)
Built a “launch pad” about 20 feet up in a tree. Had a rope swing with a knot on the bottom, measured so that it would reach the pad, go down (barely missing the ground), and swing back up. At the opposite end was, of course, our trampoline. The game was to get on the launch pad, have somebody toss up the rope, you jump off the pad (and onto the rope at the same time) and when you reach the other end, let go so you can fly to the trampoline. Bonus points if you could bounce yourself to the other side of the trampoline and stick your landing.
Threw myself off a bucking horse. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
We went sledding on the hill behind our grandparents’ house. Which had a barbed wire fence halfway down it so we had to lean back and duck to pass underneath it.
Rode my skateboard down a hill on the sidewalk, and sailed off the curb into traffic because I couldn’t stop. Fortunately no cars were coming, but I still got in big trouble.
Emulated Evel Knievel for years by building varying ramps and trying to see as far and high I could jump. Sans helmet, of course.
Rode in cars without a seatbelt. (To be fair, in those days, hardly anybody did that I knew.)
Climbed metal monkeybars, the ones with little spots of jagged rust because they hadn’t been tended in a while; and jumped down from the top to land on loose gravel or hard uneven ground.
Stuck my finger in a light socket to see if it was on. (It was.)
Built a “launch pad” about 20 feet up in a tree. Had a rope swing with a knot on the bottom, measured so that it would reach the pad, go down (barely missing the ground), and swing back up. At the opposite end was, of course, our trampoline. The game was to get on the launch pad, have somebody toss up the rope, you jump off the pad (and onto the rope at the same time) and when you reach the other end, let go so you can fly to the trampoline. Bonus points if you could bounce yourself to the other side of the trampoline and stick your landing.
Threw myself off a bucking horse. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
We went sledding on the hill behind our grandparents’ house. Which had a barbed wire fence halfway down it so we had to lean back and duck to pass underneath it.
Rode my skateboard down a hill on the sidewalk, and sailed off the curb into traffic because I couldn’t stop. Fortunately no cars were coming, but I still got in big trouble.
Neighbor of mine worked on big vehicles. Came home one day with a tire big enough to fit a 9 year old boy in it, and roll it down the hill. Which we did, repeatedly, until on the last time the tire swerved and went through somebody’s yard, crashing through their front door… with me inside the thing.
Emulated Evel Knievel for years by building varying ramps and trying to see as far and high I could jump. Sans helmet, of course.
Rode in cars without a seatbelt. (To be fair, in those days, hardly anybody did that I knew.)
Climbed metal monkeybars, the ones with little spots of jagged rust because they hadn’t been tended in a while; and jumped down from the top to land on loose gravel or hard uneven ground.
Stuck my finger in a light socket to see if it was on. (It was.)
Built a “launch pad” about 20 feet up in a tree. Had a rope swing with a knot on the bottom, measured so that it would reach the pad, go down (barely missing the ground), and swing back up. At the opposite end was, of course, our trampoline. The game was to get on the launch pad, have somebody toss up the rope, you jump off the pad (and onto the rope at the same time) and when you reach the other end, let go so you can fly to the trampoline. Bonus points if you could bounce yourself to the other side of the trampoline and stick your landing.
Threw myself off a bucking horse. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
We went sledding on the hill behind our grandparents’ house. Which had a barbed wire fence halfway down it so we had to lean back and duck to pass underneath it.
Rode my skateboard down a hill on the sidewalk, and sailed off the curb into traffic because I couldn’t stop. Fortunately no cars were coming, but I still got in big trouble.
Neighbor of mine worked on big vehicles. Came home one day with a tire big enough to fit a 9 year old boy in it, and roll it down the hill. Which we did, repeatedly, until on the last time the tire swerved and went through somebody’s yard, crashing through their front door… with me inside the thing.
Day before my wedding (hey 24 is still a kid!) we had a late fall snow. My brother had just bought a 1940s toboggan at a yard sale, so we decided to go out to my parents’ house and try it out. We hit a tree and ended up in the emergency room. I was married the next day with my brother (best man) on painkillers, and I had a mild concussion. To this day I tell my wife I can always get our marriage annulled on the basis that I was not in my right mind when I took the vows.
Emulated Evel Knievel for years by building varying ramps and trying to see as far and high I could jump. Sans helmet, of course.
Rode in cars without a seatbelt. (To be fair, in those days, hardly anybody did that I knew.)
Climbed metal monkeybars, the ones with little spots of jagged rust because they hadn’t been tended in a while; and jumped down from the top to land on loose gravel or hard uneven ground.
Stuck my finger in a light socket to see if it was on. (It was.)
Built a “launch pad” about 20 feet up in a tree. Had a rope swing with a knot on the bottom, measured so that it would reach the pad, go down (barely missing the ground), and swing back up. At the opposite end was, of course, our trampoline. The game was to get on the launch pad, have somebody toss up the rope, you jump off the pad (and onto the rope at the same time) and when you reach the other end, let go so you can fly to the trampoline. Bonus points if you could bounce yourself to the other side of the trampoline and stick your landing.
Threw myself off a bucking horse. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
We went sledding on the hill behind our grandparents’ house. Which had a barbed wire fence halfway down it so we had to lean back and duck to pass underneath it.
Rode my skateboard down a hill on the sidewalk, and sailed off the curb into traffic because I couldn’t stop. Fortunately no cars were coming, but I still got in big trouble.
Neighbor of mine worked on big vehicles. Came home one day with a tire big enough to fit a 9 year old boy in it, and roll it down the hill. Which we did, repeatedly, until on the last time the tire swerved and went through somebody’s yard, crashing through their front door… with me inside the thing.
Day before my wedding (hey 24 is still a kid!) we had a late fall snow. My brother had just bought a 1940s toboggan at a yard sale, so we decided to go out to my parents’ house and try it out. We hit a tree and ended up in the emergency room. I was married the next day with my brother (best man) on painkillers, and I had a mild concussion. To this day I tell my wife I can always get our marriage annulled on the basis that I was not in my right mind when I took the vows.
Passed a truck around a blind curve on a country road.
Fortunately, no one was coming in the other direction. Probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. I had a carful of friends with me; we could easily all have died.
Emulated Evel Knievel for years by building varying ramps and trying to see as far and high I could jump. Sans helmet, of course.
Rode in cars without a seatbelt. (To be fair, in those days, hardly anybody did that I knew.)
Climbed metal monkeybars, the ones with little spots of jagged rust because they hadn’t been tended in a while; and jumped down from the top to land on loose gravel or hard uneven ground.
Stuck my finger in a light socket to see if it was on. (It was.)
Built a “launch pad” about 20 feet up in a tree. Had a rope swing with a knot on the bottom, measured so that it would reach the pad, go down (barely missing the ground), and swing back up. At the opposite end was, of course, our trampoline. The game was to get on the launch pad, have somebody toss up the rope, you jump off the pad (and onto the rope at the same time) and when you reach the other end, let go so you can fly to the trampoline. Bonus points if you could bounce yourself to the other side of the trampoline and stick your landing.
Threw myself off a bucking horse. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
We went sledding on the hill behind our grandparents’ house. Which had a barbed wire fence halfway down it so we had to lean back and duck to pass underneath it.
Rode my skateboard down a hill on the sidewalk, and sailed off the curb into traffic because I couldn’t stop. Fortunately no cars were coming, but I still got in big trouble.
Neighbor of mine worked on big vehicles. Came home one day with a tire big enough to fit a 9 year old boy in it, and roll it down the hill. Which we did, repeatedly, until on the last time the tire swerved and went through somebody’s yard, crashing through their front door… with me inside the thing.
Day before my wedding (hey 24 is still a kid!) we had a late fall snow. My brother had just bought a 1940s toboggan at a yard sale, so we decided to go out to my parents’ house and try it out. We hit a tree and ended up in the emergency room. I was married the next day with my brother (best man) on painkillers, and I had a mild concussion. To this day I tell my wife I can always get our marriage annulled on the basis that I was not in my right mind when I took the vows.
Passed a truck around a blind curve on a country road.
Emulated Evel Knievel for years by building varying ramps and trying to see as far and high I could jump. Sans helmet, of course.
Rode in cars without a seatbelt. (To be fair, in those days, hardly anybody did that I knew.)
Climbed metal monkeybars, the ones with little spots of jagged rust because they hadn’t been tended in a while; and jumped down from the top to land on loose gravel or hard uneven ground.
Stuck my finger in a light socket to see if it was on. (It was.)
Built a “launch pad” about 20 feet up in a tree. Had a rope swing with a knot on the bottom, measured so that it would reach the pad, go down (barely missing the ground), and swing back up. At the opposite end was, of course, our trampoline. The game was to get on the launch pad, have somebody toss up the rope, you jump off the pad (and onto the rope at the same time) and when you reach the other end, let go so you can fly to the trampoline. Bonus points if you could bounce yourself to the other side of the trampoline and stick your landing.
Threw myself off a bucking horse. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
We went sledding on the hill behind our grandparents’ house. Which had a barbed wire fence halfway down it so we had to lean back and duck to pass underneath it.
Rode my skateboard down a hill on the sidewalk, and sailed off the curb into traffic because I couldn’t stop. Fortunately no cars were coming, but I still got in big trouble.
Neighbor of mine worked on big vehicles. Came home one day with a tire big enough to fit a 9 year old boy in it, and roll it down the hill. Which we did, repeatedly, until on the last time the tire swerved and went through somebody’s yard, crashing through their front door… with me inside the thing.
Day before my wedding (hey 24 is still a kid!) we had a late fall snow. My brother had just bought a 1940s toboggan at a yard sale, so we decided to go out to my parents’ house and try it out. We hit a tree and ended up in the emergency room. I was married the next day with my brother (best man) on painkillers, and I had a mild concussion. To this day I tell my wife I can always get our marriage annulled on the basis that I was not in my right mind when I took the vows.
Passed a truck around a blind curve on a country road.
Climb up and sit on the underpass supports and watch trains whiz by us at full speed merely 3 feet away.
Emulated Evel Knievel for years by building varying ramps and trying to see as far and high I could jump. Sans helmet, of course.
Rode in cars without a seatbelt. (To be fair, in those days, hardly anybody did that I knew.)
Climbed metal monkeybars, the ones with little spots of jagged rust because they hadn’t been tended in a while; and jumped down from the top to land on loose gravel or hard uneven ground.
Stuck my finger in a light socket to see if it was on. (It was.)
Built a “launch pad” about 20 feet up in a tree. Had a rope swing with a knot on the bottom, measured so that it would reach the pad, go down (barely missing the ground), and swing back up. At the opposite end was, of course, our trampoline. The game was to get on the launch pad, have somebody toss up the rope, you jump off the pad (and onto the rope at the same time) and when you reach the other end, let go so you can fly to the trampoline. Bonus points if you could bounce yourself to the other side of the trampoline and stick your landing.
Threw myself off a bucking horse. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
We went sledding on the hill behind our grandparents’ house. Which had a barbed wire fence halfway down it so we had to lean back and duck to pass underneath it.
Rode my skateboard down a hill on the sidewalk, and sailed off the curb into traffic because I couldn’t stop. Fortunately no cars were coming, but I still got in big trouble.
Neighbor of mine worked on big vehicles. Came home one day with a tire big enough to fit a 9 year old boy in it, and roll it down the hill. Which we did, repeatedly, until on the last time the tire swerved and went through somebody’s yard, crashing through their front door… with me inside the thing.
Day before my wedding (hey 24 is still a kid!) we had a late fall snow. My brother had just bought a 1940s toboggan at a yard sale, so we decided to go out to my parents’ house and try it out. We hit a tree and ended up in the emergency room. I was married the next day with my brother (best man) on painkillers, and I had a mild concussion. To this day I tell my wife I can always get our marriage annulled on the basis that I was not in my right mind when I took the vows.
Passed a truck around a blind curve on a country road.
Jarts!
Climb up and sit on the underpass supports and watch trains whiz by us at full speed merely 3 feet away.
(Fixed. I did the last category, so Leaffan, it’s your turn.)
Childish things we said to one another as children.
I know you are, but what am I?
“Hey Beaver, ya wanna go down to Metzger’s Field and mess around?”
“I’m rubber, you’re glue. Everything you say bounces off of me and sticks to you!”
Guess what? That’s what! (Chickenbutt!)
“I’m gonna TELLLLLL!”
“Did you get my letter? Guess I forgot to STAMP it.” (Cue stamping on their foot.)
“Make me!”
"Hi, old top. (Thwap head.) Glad to see you’re back from the front of the Army. (Thwap back, front, arm as appropriate.)
(Back and forth between my brother and I – stupid, but hey, we were kids) “Booooy!” “Giiirl!” “Squirrel!” “Milton Berle!” “Minnie Pearl!” (Shows our age, too)
The game was to get on the launch pad, have somebody toss up the rope, you jump off the pad (and onto the rope at the same time) and when you reach the other end, let go so you can fly to the trampoline. Bonus points if you could bounce yourself to the other side of the trampoline and stick your landing.