- #36
turbo
Gold Member
- 3,165
- 56
I had a friend who loved to fist-fight. We were at a local redneck joint one night when one of our friends was attacked by a local. Arnold stayed out of it until the local started getting the worst of the exchange and a REALLY big farm-boy got up to help his friend. Arnold got this crazy grin on his face, grabbed the pork-chop by the throat and hoisted him to arm's length, pinning him against the wall with one hand. Arnold asked "are you going to sit down and be good?", and the farm boy nodded and was released.
I have never sought out fights but have had them thrust upon me due to my slight build and because I was younger than most of the kids in my immediate neighborhood (in a VERY rural area). My dad taught me that when a bigger, older kid was punching me out, that I should not stand and box with them, but should take them out with any method at my disposal, and I did. I gained some respect that way, but I also found later that I was being used as a "pit bull" when new kids came into the area, as older kids would try to provoke the new kid to take me on. I was a straight-A student, with lots of "+" marks on my report cards, but sometimes the walk home after school or after a ball game was not pleasant. I never took a beating from any kid near my own size, but I took no pleasure in administering them, either.
As relates to "crazy", I rode my motorcycle over 25 miles in a heavy slushy snow storm to take my road-test on the first possible day that it could be offered. The state trooper administering the tests told me to go home because he could not test me in the snow. The other trooper said "What are you talking about? He rode here in conditions that most bikers couldn't handle - give him his license." but the hard-a$$ had to pretend to road-test me anyway before passing me. When I was about 40, I decided to learn to navigate whitewater in a kayak, and the 14-year-old daughter of couple that I was friends with agreed to teach me. She has since become the world power-lifting champion in her weight class in both amateur and professional competition. I can tell you that navigating class IV and V whitewater in spring runoffs is pretty exciting stuff, and not at all like the controlled-release runs that rafting companies exploit on hydro runs throughout the summer. If you ain't living on the edge, you're taking up too much room.
I am still pressing the limit with my motorcycle riding and routinely do stuff that people half my age (54) don't do. When I hang it up, it won't be from lack of interest.
I have never sought out fights but have had them thrust upon me due to my slight build and because I was younger than most of the kids in my immediate neighborhood (in a VERY rural area). My dad taught me that when a bigger, older kid was punching me out, that I should not stand and box with them, but should take them out with any method at my disposal, and I did. I gained some respect that way, but I also found later that I was being used as a "pit bull" when new kids came into the area, as older kids would try to provoke the new kid to take me on. I was a straight-A student, with lots of "+" marks on my report cards, but sometimes the walk home after school or after a ball game was not pleasant. I never took a beating from any kid near my own size, but I took no pleasure in administering them, either.
As relates to "crazy", I rode my motorcycle over 25 miles in a heavy slushy snow storm to take my road-test on the first possible day that it could be offered. The state trooper administering the tests told me to go home because he could not test me in the snow. The other trooper said "What are you talking about? He rode here in conditions that most bikers couldn't handle - give him his license." but the hard-a$$ had to pretend to road-test me anyway before passing me. When I was about 40, I decided to learn to navigate whitewater in a kayak, and the 14-year-old daughter of couple that I was friends with agreed to teach me. She has since become the world power-lifting champion in her weight class in both amateur and professional competition. I can tell you that navigating class IV and V whitewater in spring runoffs is pretty exciting stuff, and not at all like the controlled-release runs that rafting companies exploit on hydro runs throughout the summer. If you ain't living on the edge, you're taking up too much room.
I am still pressing the limit with my motorcycle riding and routinely do stuff that people half my age (54) don't do. When I hang it up, it won't be from lack of interest.