Point the finger at Charlie

Mikey P

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Last Saturday's ride was the last for my beloved summer gloves, wore a hole through the palm after 8 years. I loved them as the thin lambskin lets me work the clutch and break levers with ease. I ride like a spazz with thick winter mittens..

I had to go to Reno for work today so I stopped off at Road Rider, a motorbike accessory store. The choices were endless and every XXXL felt different but a pair of Scorpions fit the bill for just $29.99

The old dude at the counter was an obvious Harley Guy and was very friendly and helpful. As he handed me my change I mentioned that I noticed one of the gloves on the display wall had a finger tip that had been cut off by a razor blade. He said, "Oh, must be mine!" as he raised his right hand to show off the missing index finger...

I don't think so, it looked like a small, do you want to see it?
We walked over and as I showed it to him I figured he would be ok with me asking how..

"When I was two years old my dad had a canister type vacuum that he was using on the stairs, as I walked by him I stumbled on the hose and my hand went into the fan chamber that didn't have any sort of screen to protect exactly that from happening. Took it right off, just like that glove."

Dang! was my reaction, I'm a bit of a vacuum nerd my self but I don't have a story that good....
He went on to tell me about all the adjustments in life he's had to make and oddly enough he was smiling the whole time. Not the usual sad and remorseful tales of coulda shouldas..
I doubt your parents sued the company back then, right? I asked

"No actually they did and we got a whole $1000 dollars, which was a lot of money back then. My parents used the money to move out west." He was still smiling

"Here's the damn thing, when I turned 19 the Viet Nam war was drafting like crazy and all my buddies went. Pretty much none of them came home.
You see the US Army only wanted boys with trigger fingers"...


More smiles.


"So tell me about this fascination of vacuum cleaners you have."

Well lets start with my tattoo...



s-l225.jpg
 
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bob vawter

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bob vawter
Last Saturday's ride was the last for my beloved summer gloves, wore a hole through the palm after 8 years. I loved them as the thin lambskin that lets me work the clutch and break levers with ease. I ride like a spazz with thick winter mittens..

I had to go to Reno for work today so I stopped off at Road Rider, a motorbike accessory store. The choices were endless and every XXXL felt different but a pair of Scorpions fit the bill for just $29.99

The old dude at the counter was an obvious Harley Guy and was very friendly and helpful. As he handed me my change I mentioned that I noticed one of the gloves on the display wall had a finger tip that had been cut off by a razor blade. He said, "Oh, must be mine!" as he raised his right hand to show off the missing index finger...

I don't think so, it looked like a small, do you want to see it?
We walked over and as I showed it to him I figured he would be ok with me asking how..

"When I was two years old my dad had a canister type vacuum that he was using on the stairs, as I walked by him I stumbled on the hose and my hand went into the fan chamber that didn't have any sort of screen to protect exactly that from happening. Took it right off, just like that glove."
Dang! was my reaction, I'm a bit of a vacuum nerd my self but I don't have a story that good....
He went on to tell me about all the adjustments in life he's had to made and oddly enough he was smiling the whole time. Not the usual sad and remorseful tales of coulda shouldas..
I doubt your parents sued the company back then, right? I asked

"No actually they did and we got a whole $1000 dollars, which was a lot of money back then. My parents used the money to move out west." He was still smiling

"Here's the damn thing, when I turned 19 the Viet Nam war was drafting like crazy and all my buddies went. Pretty much none of them came home.
You see the US Army only wanted boys with trigger fingers"...


More smiles.


"So tell me about this fascination of vacuum cleaners you have."

Well lets start with my tattoo...



View attachment 73163

great storys......his AND yours....!

i think you beat my killed the old women story......!
 

Jim Pemberton

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You should accumulate your stories and put them together in a book, or do a podcast of them.

Part of what you do well is how you relate the story itself.

But most of your stories also come from the fact that you strike up conversations with people that most of us (especially me) would pass by without another thought.

I don't know if anything beats the broken crockery story though.
 

Jim Pemberton

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You had a customer who had a motorized wheel chair and had to speak through a "voice box" I believe. He broke a number of things in his garage and you covered for him.

I guess part of what made it funny is that you could laugh with (not at) this poor disabled fellow and make it a funny story despite his problems.
 
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Mikey P

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The High Chapperal
You had a customer who had a motorized wheel chair and had to speak through a "voice box" I believe. He broke a number of things in his garage and you covered for him.

I guess part of what made it funny is that you could laugh with (not at) this poor disabled fellow and make it a funny story despite his problems.


That was unbelievable..
 

Jim Pemberton

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Thank you for sharing "A Wild One for Sure" again for us all Mike.

If there is a place and time where our deeds and misdeeds are balanced on a scale, that one event is going to tip the scale in your favor bud. Just make sure you tell the story just like you did there
 
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