A true story and an invitation - the cat & dragon rag

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A true story and an invitation

Sep. 14th, 2004 at 10:35 AM

Someone on my friends list made a friends-locked post asking folks to tell something true and outlandish and unguessable about themselves.

I found myself posting this. Probably because I have lots to do and so I am power-procrastinating. I figured I would repost it here.

I accidentally saw the "1984" commercial for the Macintosh the one and only time it was officially aired, during Superbowl 1984.

I saw it on a 12" black and white TV that my grandmother gave me in the 1960s. In the flat I was living at the time, the TV got channel 7 on every channel.

It's amazing that I saw the ad, because I almost never turned the TV on. Once I received one of those "TV diary" survey things in the mail, where you are supposed to record everything you watch for a week and return it. A week later I drew a line through every day in the diary (meaning I hadn't watched TV for the entire week) and returned it.

A few years later, I moved to Montreal for the summer and brought the TV with me. The customs folks at the border freaked out and thought I was either moving to Montreal permanently or bringing a bunch of stuff to sell. They interviewed me for an hour. I finally convinced them I was only there for the summer, and they let me go, giving me a small slip of paper that said "Welcome to Canada. Please take all your belongings with you when you leave."

I left the TV behind.

So tell me something true and outlandish and unguessable about yourself.

Comments

( 23 comments — Leave a comment )

Sep. 14th, 2004 10:49 am (UTC)

I will think of something. But in the meantime, I gotta say I love the expression "power-procrastinating" Not that I need a word for that, never happens around here, nope, these aren't the droids you're looking for...

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Sep. 14th, 2004 08:09 pm (UTC)

*snrch*

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Sep. 14th, 2004 10:53 am (UTC)

I once locked myself out of my apartment when I was living in Paris. While my friend and I were waiting for the locksmith, we picked the lock to the building's main door downstairs and let ourselves in.

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Sep. 15th, 2004 10:01 am (UTC)

That reminds me, someday I should post the story of how I locked my keys in my car with the car running.

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Sep. 15th, 2004 10:13 am (UTC)

You've done that too? Looking back now, it's a scream, but there's very little that has made me feel more foolish than that stunt. Had to get a taxi home, get spare keys while taxi waited, go back... the car hadn't run out of gas yet either.

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Sep. 15th, 2004 10:18 am (UTC)

That's exactly what I did (but I also had to call my landlord to unlock my house, because my house keys were on the same ring as my car keys). But the funniest part was that I was parked right next to a police station, and the police tried but were unable to break into my car (a 1989 Honda Accord).

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Sep. 15th, 2004 10:31 am (UTC)

I think Rob had the house unlocked, 'cause I called him when I called the taxi. But if I remember right he didn't have a car.

Gah, the police couldn't get in! Sheesh. Scriptwriters would PAY for this kind of source material.

I wonder if today I'd break a vent window. Nah, probably not, unless I was almost out of gas... running the tank dry doubles the PITA factor.

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ex_serenejo

Sep. 15th, 2004 04:21 pm (UTC)

Just for reference, a cow-irker's vent window was broken by vandals this week. Cost to replace it? $290. You chose wisely. :-)

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Sep. 15th, 2004 04:32 pm (UTC)

Yeah, they're more expensive than one might think. I've paid nearly $400 for a vent window (with minor other repair). Depending on the circumstances I might break it anyway. Sometimes $400 is worth more than an hour, and sometimes I really badly need the hour.

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sistercoyote

Sep. 14th, 2004 11:00 am (UTC)

I only friends-locked it because the Silly-Putty thing is too weird for me to share with the public at large.

I figure those who've read my LJ, however, won't be too shocked by it.

Let's see...something else.

The first car I ever drove was a Gremlin that we inherited from my paternal grandmother. In fact, it's the car that I learned to drive in. It was white, with a red racing stripe, and it was wide enough that you could get me, my sister, and at least four other people in the front seat.

I always think about the Gremlin when I hear the B52's "Love Shack" - because of the "seats about 20" line.

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Sep. 15th, 2004 10:02 am (UTC)

A phone booth on wheels!

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figmo

Sep. 14th, 2004 11:23 am (UTC)

I worked security at the New York Jets' summer training camp. (This becomes more amazing when you realize how much I detest football.)

I've been apprehended by security several times at places ranging from Madison Square Garden to hotels to my workplace. In each case someone working in Security wanted to say "hi."

My brother had a pet dead fly hanging from the ceiling of his bedroom for seven years. It's name was Jeff.

I used to play guitar in a marching band. I was first string.

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Sep. 15th, 2004 10:02 am (UTC)

Hehehe! The security story is implausible, but the rest I can easily believe.

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(Deleted comment)

(Deleted comment)

Sep. 15th, 2004 10:03 am (UTC)

That definitely counts as outlandish.

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wordweaverlynn

Sep. 14th, 2004 06:01 pm (UTC)

I can't operate Venetian blinds.

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Sep. 15th, 2004 10:05 am (UTC)

Weird! Does it run in the family?

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ex_serenejo

Sep. 14th, 2004 07:41 pm (UTC)

I used to be a sincere, devout Seventh-day Adventist.

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Sep. 15th, 2004 09:53 am (UTC)

**** Screams ***** ME TOO!
But I'm much much better now.

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Sep. 15th, 2004 10:05 am (UTC)

We are so glad!

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Sep. 15th, 2004 10:04 am (UTC)

I actually knew that already, but I'm sure most people had no idea!

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ex_serenejo

Sep. 15th, 2004 04:20 pm (UTC)

I gave up trying to think of something remarkable about me that you had no chance of knowing. :-)

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Sep. 15th, 2004 09:51 am (UTC)

Well, I guess the funniest outlandish thing was when I picked up this guy in a bar, went home with him, got tired of him at 3 am and kicked him out of his own house. I locked the door, slept peacefully the rest of the night, and locked up on my way out the next morning.

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Sep. 15th, 2004 09:55 am (UTC)

AAAAH! You are a force of nature!

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( 23 comments — Leave a comment )