Ahh, Memories

I've done some pretty stupid stuff in my lifetime. Take a read and see if you're amused, or at least if you can relate...

Back in Toronto, I used to make a point of riding my bike every day. The day in question was no different. I left the house and started off on my route. I was less than a block away when I saw this pretty good-looking guy walking towards me. I was still on the sidewalk slowly working my way towards a side-street and there was a sign post coming up on my left side. The guy was on my right. From the moment I saw him I couldn't take my eyes away. You know what happened next. Just as he passed me I realized what I was doing but as I came to myself, so was the post. I didn't hit it, but me and bike were doing some funky maneuvers to keep out of it's way. He probably heard the commotion of squeaky metal and brakes and feet hitting the ground. The Moral: Watch where you're going when you're riding a bike.

Another bike tale
I had a boyfriend who worked at a fast-food restaurant in downtown Toronto. When I knew he was working I would sometimes ride the 40 mins it took to get from my grandparents' house to his job. His boss loved me and everybody knew me so I would get special treatment. This day was no different. I left with a paper bag full of fries and a drink. (The 40-min ride and paper bag are important here.) If you've been to Toronto you'll know that streetcars are used a lot downtown. That means there are tracks criss-crossing in every direction. So, imagine, I'm riding, on my 10-speed, with a sweating drink in a paper bag in my left hand, the light in front of me about to turn red and I don't want to stop. Overcoming inertia to get going again is my motivation for making sure I get through the green. As I'm crossing six lanes of traffic I'm also crossing at least eight streetcar tracks when my soaked paper bag finally gives way and all my food drops out the bottom in the middle of the road. The Moral: Don't be greedy trying to take food to go when you don't have to.

My first year of college I didn't yet have my license so I had to take a bus, then a train, then another bus to get to school. I met some interesting people while going that route - a guy named Evlyn, my friend Jose, and the driver of the second bus to name a few. Leaving school about the same time each day I would usually get the same bus driver, and I since I have this thing about sitting at the front of the bus so as not to miss my stop, that's where I always say. The driver would talk to me and generally I would just smile and nod. He thought I was a mute for the longest time, that's what he told me later. Eventually I opened up and before he knew it we were talking like old buddies. We talked about all kinds of junk but what interested me most was his motorcycle. How could I refuse when he offered to ride to campus to take me for joyrides? (Mom, if you're reading this, don't kill me.) That had to be one of the dumbest things I could have done. A young girl (18) leaving campus, not telling anyone where she was going or who she was going with (he was about 28/29 at the time). Well, we went riding many times. Thinking back I'm like, "What was I thinking??" He could have been a killer, a rapist, a stalker. And little young trusting me with zero world experience would have been a perfect target. Fortunately, he turned out to be a very good friend who I still keep in contact with. As a matter of fact, he came by my house about a month ago to finally meet my husband and see my kid, but he also brought he newest motorcycle. What a thrill. (yeeee haw!) The Moral: Teach your kids sound judgment.

I used to chat online quite a bit and the natural progression of things can go something like this: join a forum, have open discussions, someone im's you, have private discussions, exchange numbers, exchange pix, meet. Thankfully this experience didn't get to the meeting part. I talked to this guy online and we started talking on the phone. Honestly, he was a head case and most times it was me him and his cousin (who had more sense) having a three-way. One day I called and some lady answered and he had the quick "she's-my-sister" response. Fine. We kept talking. I sent him a pic in the mail - just a regular picture, nothing fancy, nothing kinky, I had all my clothes on. One day I get a call from his 'sister'. She tells me she's his wife and she wants to know how old I am and have I sent him a picture, was I naked, they're going through issues and are broke and I should stop accepting his phone calls and he has to go through therapy(!). Fine again. I was more than happy to jump out of that situation. Not long after she calls again, this time leaving a message, which my mother got to before me. She calls again and gets me. She proceeds to tell me off again for her $200 phone bill. I told her I had stopped talking to him and that those calls were obviously before we spoke the last time. I was so nervous. I didn't want this crazy woman or her crazy husband coming after me for nothing. My mother caught on about then and took the phone from me. They had a nice little chat and luckily that was the last time she called. The Moral: Don't be naive.