I know exactly what you mean when you say it can happen in ANY neighborhood. I really don't think there are any more GREAT NEIGHBORHOODS (unless of course you live in a high crime area), but I'm speaking generally. Any neighborhood will have it's share of hooligans, criminals, it's just to what degree they are.

I personally know an ex con who served 19 years for beating a guy almost to death. He was in a drug frenzy, he was 18 years old. They would not give him parole until he served 19 years. He was completely rehabilitated, released 2 years ago, has a job (a good job), he just got married and his wife is pregnant. That, to me, is a success story.

There is also a guy (on my block), who, when he was 17, committed assault and armed robbery but because he was only 17, he was treated as a youthful offender, served 9 months upstate, was released on parole (or probation, I'm not sure), refused to work, promptly got re-arrested, and is now in a drug treatment program (his second). He isn't even 19 years old yet.

So I don't know what's happening to the world. It's a much different world and society than the one I was a child in.

And I live what would be known as A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD.

Well, that might have been applicable 50 years ago, but from what I see in the papers, etc. well, I kind of lost my faith in the young people of today.

Very sad.

Last winter we had some homeless people sleeping in a small building that housed the water well. This was over our back wall and in the desert where they had tore down a house to widen the road.

Anyway, we leave our travel trailer unlocked and I wondered if they would ever come and sleep in our trailer. I just thought if they needed too then that would be ok with me as long as they didn't move in but stayed warm in the winter. Now I am thinking maybe I should lock it up. ...Sue

I jumped out of a plane at 3,000 feet.

I would have been dead if it had not been for lucky circumstances.

I was 19 years old. A friend called me, asked me if I wanted to jump out of a plane that morning. They needed one more person to bring the cost down from $40 to $35.

We got there in the morning and were given minimal training. The parachute was to open naturally. We did not jump until sunset.

I was supposed to go in the #3 spot. The #2 spot chickened out so I jumped second. I just jumped, no thought about counting to 10 and if the chute did not open, I needed to pull the emergency cord. I just jumped.

3,000 feet is not far from the ground.

#3 parachute did not open. The guy counted, his emergency cord opened the second parachute in time, just in time.

Not knowing this drama, I enjoyed a beautiful sunset and when it came to guiding my parachute to the landing spot, every time I tried to steer, I drifted farther away. I was floating over trees and cacti, lots of rocks.

But I am here to tell the tale.

Where do you live, Lor?

Let's see if I understood you. You were 19 years old, and jumped out of a plane because someone called you up and said they needed a 3rd person??

Please tell me this was not your first jump??

My "claim to fame" is that I've been fortunate enough to have met face-to-face with over 2 dozen MSW & NeuroTalk members during the past year.

Looking forward to meeting up with tkrik in June when I go to AZ, and 4boysmom in July when we go to Grand Teton NP with a bunch of MSers. (She will drive there from Idaho).

Oh yeah, and I've also talked one-on-one with Garth Brooks and Jimmy Osmond.

I once fell in the Niagara River. I once got a strike in the lanenext to mine. My birth certificate is in Dutch. I saw a concert by the Kingston Trio for $3. I once lived on oatmeal and handouts for a month while in college. Had a Beatle haircut when they came along....again too poor to get a haircut. Vic

twinkletoes, I live far away from you. I live in Ohio I live in the north side of town & he's from the east side.

Melody, Also those guys (& gals) are all ages. He was about 40-45.

Speaking of hair..

When I was 18 years old I decided to dye my hair black. I did this in the morning. Then I decided to give myself a permanent. This I did in the afternoon.

Immediately after giving myself the permanent, when my hair was all nice and dry, it still was not curly enough for me. So what did I do.

I took out my electric heated rollers, plugged the thing in, when they all heated up, I put all the hot rollers in my hair.

Do you know what happens to you when you dye your hair, then give it a permanent, then set it with electric rollers ....ALL IN THE SAME DAY.

My hair came out in tufts. I not only didn't have any curly hair left. I had bunches of burnt hair coming out in fistfuls. All my hair was burnt.

I went crazy, my mother thought someone mugged me, I was screaming in my room. They all walked in and took one look at me and ....well, I can't remember their reaction.

I had to wear a wig for a year till all my hair grew back. I never went near any permanent waving lotion, nor electric rollers EVER AGAIN after that.

I do dye my hair though (to cover my gray).

Oh, you might be curious as to the profession of my dad at the time.

He owned a beauty parlor. He was a professional beautician.

One WOULD THINK I MIGHT HAVE KNOWN BETTER, now wouldn't one???


Oh, remind me to tell you about the time my mother and her sisters had to take a hammer and chisel to my legs. NOW THAT'S A STORY!!

My first and only jump. The boy that jumped third threw up all night.