Thread: WTH was I thinking?

In light of some recent threads I thought it would lighten up the mood around here to start a thread where we could share stories of how we ourselves almost became potential recipients of a "Darwin Award." I have just one request that you end your post with "WTH was I thinking?"

My submission:

A few years ago SWMBO and I sold our 2001 Ford Escape to my in-laws so they would have a vehicle to drive when they're in town visiting us. I handle all the routine maintenance on all of our cars, but in times where I am too busy, I'll go to a mechanic. The Escape had a curious problem of occasionally not wanting to start, so I did the usual, check the battery, starter, ignition, fuel pressure regulator fuse, fuel filter to no avail. I go to the dealer, bend over, and explain the problem to them. I think it's a bad fuel pump. They run their diagnostics and say the fuel pump is fine, but I need a new throttle body. $$$ later the problem is still occurring. I told my father-in-law I'll get the issue resolved as I was convinced it was the fuel pump. After consulting the manual, I decide replacing the fuel pump looks very easy. Bought one from Checker Auto and gave it to my FIL as a Christmas present.

Two days later on a cold and rainy day, FIL and I decide change the fuel pump. The wind chill was bitter that morning so we decided to work on the Escape in the garage and closed the door. The job took about 45 minutes and the smell of gasoline filled the air. As we finished the job, SWMBO came into the garage, gagged on the fumes and opened the garage door. She looks at us and says, "You know you guys are changing the fuel pump right next to the gas furnace and gas water heater right?" FIL and I just gave each other a blank stare. WTH was I thinking?

Everyone of us has had one of those moments in our lives, even if we don't want to admit it. Glad no one got hurt and you successfully changed out the fuel pump.

"I go to the dealer, bend over, and explain the problem to them." That's the part that scares me.

I had a moment this morning. I got out of the shower and put on my pre-shave cream. Made very nice lather in my scuttle. Stropped the razor. And started shaving. Half way through my shave i was thinking the lather was getting dry. Then i realised that i didnt put the lather on my face.

Oops.

Originally Posted by TrilliumLT

I had a moment this morning. I got out of the shower and put on my pre-shave cream. Mad e very nice lather in my scuttle. Stropped the razor. And started shaving. Half way through my shave i was thinking the lather was getting dry. Then i realised that i didnt put the lather on my face.

Oops.

That's awesome. When i started wet shaving in Iraq all those years ago, i got some nice shaving soap (don't remember what kind) i tried for so long to get ANY type of lather from it before i realized the soap was wrapped in plastic. WTH was i thinking

So I was playing with my gun... Bahahaha - just joking, just joking lol.

I can't think of anything right now - still laughing at Trilliums contribution LOL. That's something !

In the early 80's I was working for a BIG ranch. I was one of two truck drivers. The boss was richer than six feet up a bull's rear end and he LOVED fast trucks. WE got along great because I loved fast trucks too. I was driving the BIG horse of the 2 truck fleet. It was a '77 KW with a hot rodded Cat engine.

In the early fall we'd sell all the cattle off the Wyoming ranches and give the buyer's a 25% cut. That meant that they could turn back or refuse one fourth of the cattle they bought. THey ALWAYS turned down the steers with brahma blood because they don't winter well and it costs too much to feed 'em to slaughter weight in that country. So, we'd load the froggy SOB's back on the bus and bring 'em back to Texas to finish them to slaughter weight at a Texas feed lot.

It was getting toward the end of the haul and the weather was BIG factor as the ranch was seven miles off the highway and when it snowed it sometimes impossible to get to the ranch to load. I was headed back North for my third or fourth trip and the boss told me there was a big storm coming and to get up there, get loaded, and get gone. I hadn't slept in a couple of days but I had a pocket full of medicine, so I medicated, and let that big horse trot. About 2:00Am I was in Colorado between Springfield and Lamar. Little place up there called Two Buttes. Has a creek named Two Buttes Creek with a bridge over it. Nice little valley with a decent view out over the valley before you drop off into it.

I was probably running close to a hundred, Chuck Berry on the stereo, and thinking forty miles down the road when I dropped off into the valley. I remember seeing a set of tail lights down near the bridge. Nest thing I remember seeing was a set of tail lights about a hundred feet in front of me and it looked like they were backing up. I yanked that truck so hard to the left, that the trailer got into the drive tires on the right side, and I had to yank it back to the right and make the left side match to keep from ending up in the ditch. The truck I'd nearly hit was crippling along with two flat tires and only going about 5 mph. I finally got everything back behind me where it belonged and the driver of the truck I'd nearly blown off the road hollered on the CB and asked if I was alright. I told him I'd be OK once I got the seat surgically removed from my rear end.

Seems I'd taken a short nap crossing that valley. I wasn't thinking.

Post script to that story is that I went on up to Lamar and parked that thing and took a short siesta. When I got up and hit the starter switch, all the smoke came out of the parallel switch. (Cats in those days started on 24V and ran on 12 and the parallel switch was what made all the electrickery magic to make that happen)

Say what you want, ELECTRICITY is smoke. I guarantee when you let all the smoke out of the wires, the electrickery don't work so pretty good. Spent the morning in Lamar rebuilding and rewiring that mess. The BIG storm never materialized and the steers were waiting on me when I showed up a day late.

Just one of MANY WTH moments I had in 30 years of gear jammin'.

Originally Posted by sinnfein

That's awesome. When i started wet shaving in Iraq all those years ago, i got some nice shaving soap (don't remember what kind) i tried for so long to get ANY type of lather from it before i realized the soap was wrapped in plastic. WTH was i thinking

One of our members here spent a lot of time honing razors on his new shapton on glass stones, before he realized that the glas was only backing and the synthetic part is for honing

During the early years of our marriage my wife and I lived in a mobile home park.One early evening the fire department knocked at our door and told us to evacuate the park as there was a natural gas leak.So we grabbed our daughter,got in the the car I started it and was about to back out of the car port!Gas+muffler sparks!The fireman stopped me thank God.What can I say early 20's with a pregnant wife and a 4 year old daughter.

WTH was I thinking!

When I was about 26 years old I bought a cut-throat razor and strop! WTH was I thinking?!


Mick