Dear Romany...can I buy the rights to that story of yours :)

yep.. I doubt any of us could even come close to that one.

Mine.. I've had 2 .. life changing in different ways.

1/ Octopus at Lunar Park.
I stupidly thought it didn't look to terrifying..and got on.. away it went.. round and round.. up and down.. UP and down.. UPPPPPP and down.. there I was.. in this silly container thing, and I found myself looking DOWN at the very top of the pole it was all attached to...and out on to Port Phillip bay southward and the Dandenongs northward... Oh.. myyyyy GOODness that was so beyond terrifying..

2/ Car accident. I recall driving from RAAF Richmond to North Rhyde to a laundromat on the Windsor road. Age.. early 20s. had done my old Cortina up with a lot of 'hot up' addons... spent megabucks on it... it was in short "my idol".. I recall saying to myself "Hmm... self.. if you lost all this your world would come crumlbing down".
On the way back.. u guessed it.. ploughed into the side of a truck and had a "slow mo" experience of twisted metal and flying bits and pieces..no seatbelt.. no damage to me.. unharmed but during the slo mo.. I remember saying "Well..it's as easy as that-life could be over"

This coincided with a period of searching about life and enabled me to reflect on things. Lack of transport and independance resulted in my following my room-mate (a bible basher) to a mini crusade they had going..and a coffee shop hang out place afterwards. Some very switched on Christians were there and I found some seriously honest answers (or lack thereof) to difficult questions.
My life has never been the same since.. the outcome was my asking Christ in to my life

Great topic, Examinator and such wonderful posts!
I half-covered my eyes reading Romany’s story!

My story is about why I stopped binge drinking.

At 16, I told my mother I was going to have an early night.
Once in my bedroom, I changed out of my night gear and into my favourite jeans and top. Woooohoooo- party time!

The previous day, a boy in my street had invited me to a party, as his parents were away overnight. I didn’t know him well, but that was no reason to turn down a party.
Since I wasn’t allowed to go out on weeknights, and living on the first story of an apartment building, I was grateful that I had the bedroom where the fire exit door was located. It gave me many opportunities to have fun nights out during the week.

So, as usual, I sneaked out and to my delight the party-host had purchased a large range of alcoholic drinks including ‘bessenjenever’, my favourite drink; sweet, berry flavoured, bright red in colour like undiluted cordial and with the same alcohol content as gin. It’s very easy to drink especially when you add some ice cubes to it.
There was some pressure to finish off all of the bottles because the host wanted to get rid of the evidence the next day before his parents would return home and since there was a lot to go through, we started playing some drinking games.

Even though I was a regular binge drinker, I drank more than usual and before I knew, I was feeling very sick.
I had great difficulty finding my way through their slant-floored, rotating living room to the toilet so it was to be the velvety, cream-coloured sofa. I watched the bright-red liquid spill all over it, and from the loud cheers and clapping in the background I gathered that the others watched it happen, too.

Continued...

I vaguely remember that some people from the party attempted to help me get home but none of us managed to get the key into the lock so someone decided to ring the doorbell, at which point they all disappeared.
My mother didn’t say a word while she watched me crawl all the way up the stairs and when I finally entered the house, she helped me to the loo where I vomited again.
My mother remained very kind and calm as she helped me have a shower and into my bed.

The next day I stayed home from school and had to confess what happened.
That night my mother took me to the party host’s house to see his parents and to talk about the damage I’d done.
Of course, I apologised to his parents and when they asked what I was going to do with the stain, I thought, ‘just cover it up with some cushions’ but I was wise enough to say that I’d pay for a professional cleaner.

The cleaner came, wasn’t able to remove the bright red stain, and so it was decided that the party host and I both would pay for re-upholstery for the 3-seater and the 2 chairs to match since he had thrown the party without permission. We only had a Saturday job so it took us a while to pay for it.

However, neither paying for the damage I did nor the intoxication and hangover were the reason I gave up binge drinking.
The reason was the sad and worried look on my mother’s face as she stood at the top of the stairs watching me crawl, and her kindness when she helped me shower and get into bed.

For the first time I realised that I was being a selfish brat- my mother had to raise my two younger brothers and me by herself since my dad had died when I was 13 and for the first time it occurred to me that I had to help her rather than make her worry about me.

Again, another interesting thread.
With great stories...some very funny (Romany's),
some very moving (Celivia's).

In my student days I worked in a small office with
my desk facing the door, through which I had a full view
of the corridor and the lifts.

It was on a Friday evening,
I was working back late when I noticed a young man with
his back to me standing outside the lifts in the corridor.

Suddenly, he turned and ... good grief, I saw what he was doing.
Instead of being scared I was fascinated. All I could think
of was... his genitals are the same colour as his
face, bright pink. Then I realized that I was alone in the
office, so sanity crept back, and I called security.

I had to try to explain to a Spanish-speaking security guard
(with limited English) what was happening in front of me.
Before I could finish the sentence, including gesticulating,
and trying to explain to the guard (on the phone), what
was happening, the security guard came
tearing into my office - Of course by this
time the 'flasher,' had disappeared down the corridor.
I asked the security guard to check the various floors,
in case there were other people in the building that this
guy could scare.

Foxy
You are a naughtier girl than I imagined, given my over active imagination that says a lot! Flashers are rarely (if ever)attackers, they get their jollies from your shocked reaction the best. I can see though how this may have been a little frightening Response I've heard of was a fellow lifeliner when facing the flasher was reputed to have said looking concerned at his bits "I'm an ex nurse, how long have you had THOSE symptoms?" They left him examining his bits then he ran off presumably to the Dr.

Romany,
I couldn't get past the image of the jewels...what happend next? ;-) Truly Hilarious but oh so embarasing I winced for you. Did it cost you much for the shrink for your son? Childern can't concieve of their parents being sexual beings. One wonders how and where they think they came from...I do hate cabbage leaves it engenders foxy's embarrasement.

TRTL
Yes, but did you pass BOTH topics?

Celivia
Good grief I'm beginning to wonder at the propriety of some of the ladies on this site. Mmmm I wonder if i could learn something here?
Hehehe :-)

Dear examinator,

"The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas.
The road was a ribbon of moonlight, over the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding...
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.

He'd a French cocked-hat on his forehead,
A bunch of lace at his chin,
A coat of the claret velvet,
And breeches of brown doe-skin;
They fitted with never a wrinkle;
His boots were up to the thigh,
And he rode with a jewelled twinkle,
His pistol butts a-twinkle,
His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky..."
Alfred Noyes.

This is in rememberance of your awesome New Year's
Eve, so many years ago... Thanks for sharing the story with us,
and for this thread - and your advice about the 'flasher.'
Although I must admit I was more mesmerized, than scared.