UTTER CHAOS I TELL YOU!!!!
Besides, you all should be very nice to me. Today I saved more than a few lives.
I was getting ready for bowling and running late. I had just whisked the dogs into the house to save them from JD and his friend who were shooting some homemade bamboo arrows, with their homemade bow, around the yard. As I was getting the dogs to safety, JD's friend said, "I just shot one up and it stuck this far into the ground!" (Now mind you, our yard is so compacted from the kids and dogs running through it that I'd be surprised if Jarts would stick into the ground!). I warned them to be careful and to never shoot the arrows while the dogs were in the yard because I liked my dogs alive and without arrows sticking out of them. OK? OK.
As I sat back down at the kitchen table to bolt down the rest of my Reese's cereal before heading out the door, I caught a sight through the window out of the corner of my eye that nearly stopped my heart. JD had the wooden shield that he and SSB made a couple of years ago for Halloween raised and ready for an arrow that his friend was drawing back to launch straight at him!!!
I still don't know how I managed to not spit the big mouthful of cereal out from the shock. Instead I knocked on the window so hard that I thought the hundred year old glass would give under the force. They gave me a quick glance. JD's friends lowered the bow, and moved around the corner of the house out of my sight. JD moved forward with the shield still up. I actually had to go outside and yell at them!
"There will be no pointing or shooting arrows at people, even if they DO have a shield! You could miss, you know!"
If that's what they do when they know that I'm watching, what the hell are they doing when I'm not around? Makes me shudder. No time to think about it. One life saved, gulp the rest of my cereal, and it's on to bowling! ........
I was waiting for my turn to bowl. And as usual, due to my ADD, my eyes were everywhere (I seriously quite often have a tough time focusing on keeping my eyes on the person talking to me or to whom I am talking to because my eyes want to look at everything!). As they were darting around this time, I happened to notice that a ceiling fan was swinging. There was a large group of people sitting under it laughing loudly, so, I thought someone had accidentally hit it with something and set it rocking.
But it looked funny. I realized that it was hanging lower than normal. Upon closer inspection, I could see that the fan was hanging by it's electrical wires -- and it was ON!! I knew that I could never make it over to their table in time, so I called upon what I consider one of my greatest gifts -- my acoustically loud voice. ...OK, so most of the time people do not consider it such a gift, especially when I'm sitting next to them and burst out in excitement about something (sorry about your ears all those times, SSB!) or when I'm trying to whisper -- just really can't be done by me; but today it saved lives! Or at the very least, saved a few people from a very serious hospital visit.
I pointed directly at the fan and yelled, "The fan! The FAN! THE FAN!!!!!
It wasn't until the third time that people quit looking around the room or at me and actually looked up. Those under the fan stared at it for a bit, seemingly transfixed at the notion of what was about to happen. Then someone lunged to grab a woman. The sudden movement sent the rest scrambling frantically out of the way, just seconds before the fan fell, hitting a seating area that seemed like a breath before had been occupied by a couple of the people scrambling for safety. Sparks flew as the electrical wire became disconnected. Shattered drink glasses were spun from the table at the surrounding people and all over the floor. The fan ricochetted to another seating area, by that time cleared, coming to rest in a puddle of glass and beer.
Everyone stared at it. That was a close one! I could hear people start to murmur how it had been me that had yelled of the danger; and although no one but my team mates thanked me, I could feel the other people's warmth and kindness for me for the rest of the night. It was a nice change of pace from the scowls and grumblings that I had become accustomed to getting at league night!
And I bowled pretty damn good, too!
I pictured your fan story in an intense action sequence in a movie- you yelling "THE FAN" in slow motion, beer, glass, and sparks flying everywhere! Congrats on saving lives.
You're a hero! The bowling alley needs to put a picture of you up commemorating the fact that you saved them a shitload in lawsuits!
Shannon, that is pretty much what it felt like. It is weird, but a lot of times when you are in a situation like that, it seems like everything around you slows way down. It doesn't always help you think of the very right thing to do though - unfortunately. I'm just very glad that no one was hurt.
Evil Spock, they didn't even come over to thank me!! They could have given me some free games or something. Instead they gave everyone free drinks for "the delay of game". None for "a load in the pants" though. And some of those people should have gotten free drinks anyway since their's were smashed by the fan! Cheapskate bowling alley.
You just proved that ADD saves lives! And that you are a caring person.
Oh man, that story about JD made me think of all the stuff my brothers and I did and got away with that my mother never knew about...good times. Good, scary times. Sorry, Sy, probably not something you wanted to read about.
AG, I like to believe that almost everything in life is simple a matter of perception. ADD good or bad? It's a matter of perception!
The Doc, I grew up with two brothers and all their friends. I often hung out with them as I thought girls were too silly and frilly. I actually DID some of these stupid stunts! I think that will be my next post!
Sy- agreed. I've mentioned before that I have undiagnosed ADD dating back to my childhood when I got into trouble for daydreaming in class. I use it to my advantage.
I had to come back to report that at the country fair I saw a bull become untied wherein I yelled "Bull on the loose!" and I thought of you. The bull got roped and all was OK.
AG, another catastrophy averted by ADD!