Don't Do Dumb Things

Have people ever asked you what's the dumbest thing you've ever done and you can't really think of anything because you don't really do dumb things that would make a good story? Guys always do dumb things, "You know, this one time we threw a huge firework in the hole of a port-o-potty outside a house getting work done. It blew all the windows of the house out! It was aaaaaaawesome!" or "Once we put a dry ice bomb on someone's porch but had to run out and warn the dad because he was standing right over it! We were totally busted that time weren't we?" (Knuckle hit and chuckle)*

But the dumbest things I have ever done have mainly been due to the fact that I could have died. And not died because I dived off a cliff, or got shot while goofing around, or doing something just plain idiotic. No, I could have died because I got in the car with a stranger.

"WHAT?? Are you idiotic?" you think

"Yes. Yes I am slightly idiotic sometimes."

The Year: 2004
The Scene: Rome, midnight, Termini Train station, with one really cute short girlfriend

After some misunderstandings with a friend who was supposed to met us, my friend Cheri and I (neither of whom speak any Italian apart from, Ciao! Graci! Gelato! and maybe another Ciao! Though we understand "Principessa!") are stuck at the main transportation hub in Rome at midnight without anyway to get home. I pulled out the hotel card and attempted to ask various bus drivers if their bus went that way with a, "Scusi" and a point to the card that was wildly UNsuccessful. Finally we decided to get in the back of a ridiculously long taxi line. While waiting there a taxi driver came up and told us he'd take us to where we wanted to go for only 30 euro. It sounded pretty decent. What we didn't realize until after we got over to his car was that he wasn't really a taxi driver. And, being the idiots we were, we got in the car.

Obviously we got to the hotel. Still idiotic. I decided to never get in the car with a stranger again (unless a taxi driver of course).

Today I broke that promise to myself.

The Year: 2010 six years after the initial occurrence
The Scene: running across someone's lawn as we saw the bus pull up, stop, load, and drive away again.

As we stood on the side of the road, dejected, a nice black Mercedes with a good looking young-ish guy pulls up and asks us if we're going to the metro. We say yes and get in the car. Chatted about his job (lawyer, also in the reserves); our jobs; what his dad does because he worked a lot with USAID; etc. No problems. We got to work on time. But still, idiotic.

*Both of those examples may have been stolen from elders from my mission. Yes they were real stories. I could probably think of some others if I wanted.