I am curious....what is the coolest thing you have done?

[Nick Winter]

Probley been blown outta the water here but,

1) First appearence in a newspaper, Had me and a '33 Ford done up like a gangster car holding a tommy gun and wearing a fadora. Give me a break I was 9 at a car show.

2) appearing in the local paper with the rest of my Auto Shop class after the local Chevy dealer bought us a new Two post lift and getting to put a brandnew Camaro SS up on that lift.

3) Having my grandfather pass down to me a 30-30 Winchester rifle that was his fathers. To me that meant quite a bit, considering someone offered my grandfather quite a bit for it in front of me and my grandfather said "No, I'm sorry but I'm keeping that in good hands"

4) My grandfather telling me his tools and Vehicles are mine when he passes, kinda made me a bit whiney thinking that he one day might not be around, but, but then to have a guy make a very generous offer for his truck, infact the guy said "Name your price I want that truck" and my grandfather saying "Sorry, it's Not my truck to sell, it's my Grandson's" that made me understand why he had kept the truck and kept it nearly mint.

So they mint not be cool, to you, to me I think there pretty cool.

Nick

[Agent G]

The day I graduated boot camp and became a United States MARINE - and always will be.

Ditto X2. The new Commandant now says we are no longer "former Marines", we are Marines at a different time in our careers. Ouhh Rahh!

Actually the coolest thing that ever happened to me was on Christmas eve 1982. I got a call for a "sick case, child not breathing", in the projects. Back then it was uncommon to be in a one man car, except during the holidays.

I got there real quick, even with the snow and ice I beat the meat wagon by a fair amount. Lady answers the door holding a little boy. He's limp and not responding. All she can blurt out is "he's dead".

For the life of me I cannot fathom why I did what I did then. I wasn't married at the time and had no children of my own. I grabbed that little boy from her arms, turned him over and smacked him on the back.

Frikkin' kid inhaled, looked at me, and started bawling. Wagon crew got there and pronounced him fit as a fiddle. I on the other hand was a wreck.

About 1993 that little boy joined the Police Explorer Post.

He's an ATF agent now.

G

[sjordan2]

Many years ago when I was in college, I had a summer internship to work at Warner Bros. to study film production. I was assigned to the short-lived "Banyon" series set, which was a film noir production about a 1930s Sam Spade-style private eye, played by Robert Forster. They had quite an array of cars from Hollywood Motors, including a Bugatti T50 that would seldom be coaxed into running. The hero's car was a gray Packard roadster. There were many scenes that involved machine guns peppering the car; this was accomplished by taping "squibs" of wired explosive dots of gunpowder along the side of the car, which could not be seen on film. Nonetheless, as benign as that might have been, it made me cringe for the car when they shot the scenes.

At the same time, I was involved in the shooting of "The FBI" TV series. Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. would often show up on the lot with his exquisite, beige-colored Packard dual cowl phaeton with a crystal Lalique hawk's-head hood ornament. This is supposedly the same car, though the hood ornament seems to have been replaced (not surprising since, by itself, it is worth several thousands of dollars).

Of course, Hollywood is a car-stalker's paradise. Many more stories to tell. Unfortunately, there is nothing to be learned from this other than classic cars are cool and it's good to be rich.

Since then, as an ad agency creative director, I've had the fun of shooting commercials for Exxon and Food City at the Atlanta and Bristol tracks with Geoff Bodine, Dale Earnhardt, Michael Waltrip, Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace (not a fun guy) and others.

Edited January 17, 2011 by sjordan2

[Peter Lombardo]

There are some really amazing and wonderful "cool" stuff here....I am impressed....guys, keep them coming. All too often there are "silent Hero's" among us and unless you drag it out of them, they will never let on. There are some inspiring and courageous deeds all around us.

[Foxer]

Doesn't get any cooler than this.

Oh Yeah!!!

[trogdor]

Serious reply this time. My military service was cool to me. I wasn't a ranger, seal, special forces or a door gunner, just a US Navy Seabee. Had a lot of fun, did a lot of humanitarian aid and I'm proud of my service. And last year I took 1st place in a BBQ competition. Aside from that having 6 children and a loving wife is a nice accomplishment too.

[samdiego]

Coolest thing? From whose perspective? My first post, #24, was from my point of view. This one is as considered by an innocent bystander.

Weeks after high school graduation in Central Ohio, I decided to explore the world from my sister's in So. Arizona. My Brother-in Law (great guy) was a masonry contractor at the time and put me to work. Spending entire work days dealing with really heavy stuff led to noticeable changes in my physique. One afternoon we stop at Sears and as Paul is picking up tools, I browse sporting goods and spot something I have no experience with what-so-ever, a loaded barbell.

I move past the row of bikes and by the shopping cart size wire bins of softballs and baseballs hung on pegboard. I calculate about 150 pounds before me and also notice that it's not bolted down. Okay, I saw weightlifting on TV a few years ago, I can totally jerk this thing. And I do, triumphantly hoisting it high overhead and immediately realizing three things. 1. These display weights were hollow and I really only had about twenty pounds in my hands. 2. I was exerting about ten times the amount of force that would normally be used lifting twenty pounds. 3. I was actually swinging a twenty pound wrecking ball at the wire bins behind me holding several dozen base and soft balls. Attended by what could have been the soundtrack for the New York Central colliding with a cruise ship, the top basket came loose from one side, dumping itself and the softballs onto the lower basket which dumped its load of baseballs, swinging by one hook to strike and cause the most beautiful domino effect with the row of bicycles. Yay! It was like a Rube Goldberg event. I was so proud. Would have loved to have seen it from my Brother in Law's perspective. Hiding behind the lawnmowers and laughing at that poor bastard in sporting goods.

Totally cool

Edited January 18, 2011 by samdiego

[Smart-Resins]

I do wanna list one thing that was cool to me seens how I have always tried to make my old man proud of me. I seem to have failed every step of the way! With one exception that I know of. When a model I made was placed in a mag with a right up on it and that was my Airoso Bros Willys. He had always always said they were stupid toys and a waiste of money! Please note, it was my mother who got me into models! LOL. So after I proudly showed him the article, he said wow, cool. He still bothers me sometimes about them being a waiste of money, but once in a while he will be quiet about it as he knows that I did sell that model. Also, shortly after that, he bought me a Testors Porsche Carrera model. One of the ones I wanted as a kid and bugged him for, but he always refused. So, that was kinda kool!! I also enjoy being able to stop and help people out. There was one day where I had tons of bad luck. My van even died and left me stranded. I had to leave it there in hopes to return it home sometime soon. Anyways, that night it was very cold out and as I was driving my friends van home in the boon docks, I came across a kid sitting in his engine compartment trying to figure out what to do. I grabbed a light and helped him get the serpentine belt back on his truck so he could make it home. I was really fed up then, but it always feels good to help others and that made the whole day turn around right there! Theres been many others. But I know how it feels sitting there in the cold for hours with no one to stop and help. Just that day! Right outside of the city on one of the main highways taboot! Even a officer passed me by!! But there I was able to stop and aide that kid out! Dont do to others what HAS been done to you, but what you wish others would do to you!

[Clay]

My service is still going, haven't done anything real awesome with it. Just trying to support my wife, kids and modeling when it can be.

[Pete J.]

My service is still going, haven't done anything real awesome with it. Just trying to support my wife, kids and modeling when it can be.

That's not the point! The point is that you gave Uncle Sam a blank check for you life that he can cash any time he needs to. That kind of commitment elevates every member of the armed forces of the United States beyond cool to hero status!

[mikemodeler]

At different times in my life, I think I have done some pretty cool things. In no particular order........

---Learned many different skills working with my father, skills that I have already passed on to my kids.

---Met some sports greats including Walter Payton, Mike Ditka while working in my younger years.

---Have watched my children grow up with the values my wife and I were raised with.

---Met a rock star and idol- Stevie Ray Vaughan 2 years before his tragic death only to have him die the day after I got married.Almost changed the wedding date when I heard he was going to be playing nearby, but figured he would be around for a long time!

---Witnessed many incredible events- some sad, some happy.

---Made and lost some great friends through the years.

---Learned being happy is better than being right.

[Scott Colmer]

Cool: Getting a masters degree in english while working nights.

Uncool: Still making typos and getting teased about it by my family.

Cool: Attending the Bob Bondurant four day road race school

Uncool: Rolling my own car one week later.

Cool: Teaching 6 kids (so far) how to build a model.

Great thread.

[Agent G]

My service is still going, haven't done anything real awesome with it. Just trying to support my wife, kids and modeling when it can be.

Staff Sergeant, just doing what you do is awesome.

G

[Harold]

I'd reply, but this is a family forum . Probably the time I was working as a dispatcher for Best Cab and I got this one driver to spend half an hour trying to find Flint Dry Dock and Storage to pick up a crew from an ore freighter. He deserved it. He said when he drove cab in Toledo, he learned the whole city in one night. Four months later, I was still driving his cab for him over the radio, and he'd burned me a few times by lying to me about where he was and what he was doing. Several drivers and myself were there in the office falling out of our chairs laughing. It was just that hysterical. That was in '90. Even today, when you mention his name to any cabbie in Flint, the response is always the same- "Oh, you mean Boat Docks!"

[Peter Lombardo]

I'd reply, but this is a family forum . Probably the time I was working as a dispatcher for Best Cab and I got this one driver to spend half an hour trying to find Flint Dry Dock and Storage to pick up a crew from an ore freighter. He deserved it. He said when he drove cab in Toledo, he learned the whole city in one night. Four months later, I was still driving his cab for him over the radio, and he'd burned me a few times by lying to me about where he was and what he was doing. Several drivers and myself were there in the office falling out of our chairs laughing. It was just that hysterical. That was in '90. Even today, when you mention his name to any cabbie in Flint, the response is always the same- "Oh, you mean Boat Docks!"

Harold, that reminds me of when I was in the Navy....we would get a new green pea on the ship and send him to the Boatswains locker for a gallon of sunshine, or a gallon of prop-wash, sometimes we'd send them for batteries for the "sound"-powered phones. It was always good for a laugh....especially if you have been out to sea for a few months non-stop.

Edited January 18, 2011 by Peter Lombardo

[Draggon]

I think the best, if maybe not the coolest, was removing the ex from my life completely and getting custody of my son. It was relatively uncommon 20 some-odd years ago for a Dad to be an only parent. I was very very proud of that. Friends who didnt have children were perplexed with this, but getting my Son was the best thing I had done in my life.

[Badluck 13]

I think the best, if maybe not the coolest, was removing the ex from my life completely and getting custody of my son. It was relatively uncommon 20 some-odd years ago for a Dad to be an only parent. I was very very proud of that. Friends who didnt have children were perplexed with this, but getting my Son was the best thing I had done in my life.

My friend I know totally what you mean!!!,I have went through a divorce and my Baby Girl lives with me,and I wouldn't want it any other way!!!!,my hat's off to you

[samdiego]

Congrats Draggon and Badluck, I'm a member of that club, too. Chris was 18 mo. and the explanation that I was the custodial parent was always necessary. He's 29 now and my granddaughter will be three in a few weeks. Now if I could only collect on the back support (cruel life joke #72)

Edited January 18, 2011 by samdiego

[Pete J.]

The best moment I ever had in modeling was when they announce that I had won one of the trips to Japan at Tamiya/con. It got best auto but won the trip for Best extensive conversion, which autos were not suppose to be considered for.

Worst moment in modeling was when I got up one morning and found that my garage had been broken into and the model was stolen!

Edited January 18, 2011 by Pete J.

[Agent G]

Harold, that reminds me of when I was in the Navy....we would get a new green pea on the ship and send him to the Boatswains locker for a gallon of sunshine, or a gallon of prop-wash, sometimes we'd send them for batteries for the "sound"-powered phones. It was always good for a laugh....especially if you have been out to sea for a few months non-stop.

As a jarhead aboard ship we were always sending FNG's on all sorts of jokes. Left handed swab handles, a can of anchor grease, and my fave "polishing the navigator's balls".

G

[Draggon]

Hey Mike and Sam, thats great to know we have this in common!!

[highway]

---Met a rock star and idol- Stevie Ray Vaughan 2 years before his tragic death only to have him die the day after I got married.Almost changed the wedding date when I heard he was going to be playing nearby, but figured he would be around for a long time!

Mike, I wouldn't really concider him a rock star, Stevie Ray was more like the best Texas blues player to ever hold a Strat! A very good friend, more like brother really, introduced me to S.R.V.'s music after he had died, and that tragic plane crash was on that friends birthday! Stevie Ray was and still is his idol, unfortunately he never met him. My friend also just happens to play guitar, and he plays "Voodoo Chile" darn near as good as S.R.V.!

[mredzadventure]

Besides marring my high school sweetheart and having 3 wonderful kids with her.

Playing drums in my dad's country band at age 13

The blues band I was in opening up for Tab Benoit. (very cool guy and knows his way around a guitar)

Meeting all the band members of King's X (very very very cool guy's)

Flying a sailplane , Taking a whiz in the middle of a major highway during the day in Nevada

Going to New York City on a whim and Vegas on whim as well.

Working for a man you has $millions$ and you would never know it.

[Badluck 13]

Hey Mike and Sam, thats great to know we have this in common!!

.....Ain't it great?!?!?! and I always had respect for single moms,but even more now,its been a learning experience,good and bad,but at the end of the day when Baby Girl is tucked in her lil bed sleeping away dreamin' happy thoughts,then it even makes the bad all worth it....I know I have been blessed to be sooooo lucky.....and on a cool note!!!,she loves cars n trucks,and can do a MEAN Hand Shake on a 5speed from the passenger side!!! WOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!,my 23yr old son never did and is lucky to know how to put gas in the thing........

[Draggon]

Flying a sailplane ,

I got my sailplane Pilot's license in 1986. Gliding is something you cant describe, you've just got to do it!