# What's a cool thing about you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 13, 2024, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163 "2024-07-13T22:17:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163/21 "2024-07-14T09:37:44Z")
I’m an old bald fat guy. What do you mean that’s not cool? All right. Fine. I at least drive cool cars. [![](https://i.imgur.com/rYqY8Do.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/rYqY8Do.jpg) [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/SVDMlqG.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/SVDMlqG) [![](https://i.imgur.com/nzFGmta.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/nzFGmta.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163/22 "2024-07-14T10:01:32Z")
When I picked up my current job, 32 years ago, I had a choice to make. Ya see at the I had also been offered another job. Working in Antarctica for a season. I would have made bupkis and been basically a laborer/gopher. Was a very hard choice, 'cause what a cool experience. I made the right choice and choose Colorado. I have had lots of cool experiences up here at elevation. That’s the other thing, living at elevation. I’m at 11,200 feet. But I talk about it enough that most people here probably know that. In my defense, being up at elevation sort of defines who you are. It sure defines how you are gonna live your life. Beautiful cars @engineer_comp_geek ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163/23 "2024-07-14T11:16:32Z")
I am the only male member of the largest local Quilter’s Guild ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163/24 "2024-07-14T11:24:37Z")
I believe that I may have given the largest dose of morphine ever given to a person. (at least up until that time, and certainly the largest in my state). mmm ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163/25 "2024-07-14T11:34:40Z")
When I was in junior high (I think that’s when it was) I got Honorable Mention in a national essay contest. But for all I know, all participants got Honorable Mention. Still, it was an ego boost at the time. Also, I composed my first piece of music at age 7… on the accordion… it was a polka. Now that’s cool! ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163/26 "2024-07-14T11:42:18Z")
I’ve made about 250 skydives. Night jumps under a full moon are especially awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163/27 "2024-07-14T11:55:46Z")
Honestly having difficulty really coming up with anything that qualifies. I guess I’m a somewhat decent upright bassist, but I’m not sure how “cool” that is, or how that distinguishes me from countless other folk who play musical instruments. The fact that I gravitate towards bluegrass and oldtime music likely reduces any “cool” factor! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163/28 "2024-07-14T12:32:24Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I guess I’m a somewhat decent upright bassist, but I’m not sure how “cool” that is Bass players rank high in the cool stakes, second only to sax players. Coincidentally, i play sax (!), and i found it cool that i appear on this album :- > **[Jazz Funk Sessions: Amazon.co.uk: CDs & Vinyl](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jazz-Funk-Sessions-Various-Artists/dp/B00076SJKK)** > > Shop Jazz Funk Sessions. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. …alongside such real cool dudes as George Duke, Herbie Hancock, Lonnie Liston-Smith, Roy Ayers and many others. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163/29 "2024-07-14T12:33:18Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > That’s the other thing, living at elevation. I’m at 11,200 feet. But I talk about it enough that most people here probably know that. In my defense, being up at elevation sort of defines who you are. It sure defines how you are gonna live your life. Do you feel super energetic at sea level? ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163/30 "2024-07-14T13:21:16Z")
Back in the early 80s, having lived in Japan was seen as really cool. Now I’ve spend 35 years in Asia, it seems less impressive. Back then there were only a fraction of the number of people how had been Asia and it was much less accessible. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163/31 "2024-07-14T13:26:00Z")
JFK touched me when I was a kid (don’t worry, it was consensual). I was just under 4 in 1960 when he came to an airport rally in my hometown. My family was up against a chain link fence and he spoke from a podium right at the stair to the plane. I remember a slight reddish tint to his hair and told my parents he was quite tanned. After the speech, he worked the fence line shaking hands and my dad held me up and JFK touched my head. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163/32 "2024-07-14T13:36:16Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > Do you feel super energetic at sea level? Sadly, no. My Wife used to compete in IronMans. And she too does not feel different. It must matter though. Before I met my Wife she lived in Alaska for a summer. About 2-3 thousand feet. When she came back to live in the Colorado mountains, she got altitude sickness (Acute Mountain Sickness). Our visitors get it sometimes. It’s basically like the flu from what I see. Not fun. We keep oxygen on hand. And there are oxygen ‘bars’ in town. We are looking to move to lower elevation. 4-6 thousand feet. Part of the issue at our house is that EMS is totally unreliable in the winter. At 63 years old, that’s becoming a concern. Not that I expect to need them, but the sheriffs office is closed from 11pm to 7am. Nobody. Nothing. That may have changed in the last year, not sure. The tiny town closest to us has two cop cars. But nobody to man them. They set them next to the road and stick a mannequin in it (deter speeders). The message is clear though. You are on your own. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163/33 "2024-07-14T14:11:11Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I’m from Alaska. Everyone thinks that’s really cool for some reason. We got a new apprentice and when I told him that I’m from Seattle, he replied, “Cool”. So the bar’s not so high here in Switzerland. > [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > In 1970, I briefly held the title of Youngest Person on Earth. Me too! When I’m in the U.S., it’s considered cool that I live in Switzerland. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163/34 "2024-07-14T14:26:08Z")
I met the three Apollo 11 astronauts, and got their autographs on a book they wrote, on the day before the 20th anniversary of their moon landing. I was on _Jeopardy!_ in 1991, but I have a lot of company around here on that one. There are more that 40 of us: > [@Dopers on Jeopardy! THE List](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-on-jeopardy-the-list/275535/384): > > They say the second thing that goes when you get old is your memory. I don’t remember what the first thing is. Let’s try again: Doper Year wins place final score notes 1 5-4-fighting 2000 0 3rd 2 5 time champ 2001 5 $50,703 3 annieclaus 1967 0 2nd 4 astorian 2013 0 3rd $23,000 5 BethCro 2009 0 3rd $100 6 Blanx 2001 0 2nd 7 Captain Lance Murdoch 1997 2 8 Cayuga 1991 0 3rd “a huge tv set” 9 Colibri 1974 10 Commasense 1991 1 2nd $7,201 11 ElvisL1ve… ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163/35 "2024-07-14T15:32:14Z")
For a very limited definition of cool: There was a period when I was quite an active home brewer. During that period I won over 250 awards in 13 different states for my beer. I also did a number of demo shows on home brewing for a local Public Television station (KVCR). Like **puly** , I’ve had photos of mine appear in a national publication (_Billboard_, as part of an ad campaign for Budget Tapes & Records [remember them?]) Otherwise I embody the very antithesis of Cool. ---
**Author:** ![sunacres](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@sunacres](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunacres)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163/36 "2024-07-14T15:32:39Z")
I’m the second person to windsurf on the Arctic Ocean. A “buddy” and I worked in Prudhoe Bay on the north coast of Alaska and went to great lengths to have our boards airlifted in. We had to bide our time until the ice melted enough to sail. One morning someone brought me a copy of the Anchorage paper that had just been flown in and on the front page was a color action photo of my buddy, “the first person to windsurf the Arctic Ocean.” That rascal. It was fun but I was nervous about walruses. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163/37 "2024-07-14T16:00:15Z")
Not terribly cool, but when I was a senior in high school I placed first in the statewide competition of second-year German students. There were probably less than 30 other competitors, but still… And, I believe that was the only year that this competition was held, probably due to lack of interest. So the title is mine, and mine alone. I speak precious little German these days. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163/38 "2024-07-14T16:46:02Z")
I had some nice early chess history. I was a high school champion in one of the ten largest cities in the US (in 1980), though it was only because the great player who shoved me into second place every tournament moved to NYC, where he eventually became a National Master (the two sweetest words in the English language: de-fault!). I have also beaten a world-renowned Grandmaster at chess. I should probably go on to tell you that it was online bullet (2 minutes, no increment), and among GMs, he was the absolute last one who should have been playing bullet, because he was a slow-play/positional/chess-by-mail champion. Still. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163/39 "2024-07-14T17:30:12Z")
> [@LH75](#): > > I am the only male member of the largest local Quilter’s Guild Not the first time you have been a man outstanding in your field. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2024, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163/40 "2024-07-14T18:12:56Z")
To tie in with other replies I have competed in 2 national championships. 3rd place in one of them, One of my photos of a auto race was published in the newspaper of McGuire Air Force Base. The byline is just “US Air Force photo”. I wasn’t in the service. Here it is with the original photograph. [[Album] imgur.com ![](https://i.imgur.com/pHrxSsr.jpeg?fb "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/a/Qv1itEf) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-cool-thing-about-you/1004163.md?page=3)