I have a few.
But the single most dumbest thing I ever did was to smoke a cigarette at a early age on a bet that it would make me cough.
I won that bet, and I even smoked a whole pack and never coughed.
And about 30 years ago I sold a awesome Bally Play Boy for next to nothing, because times were crazy and I just did not want to move it or store it.
Quoted from PopBumperPete:Tried to tickle a tiger[quoted image]
You win the topic!
Dumbest is also most embarrassing:
About 20 or so years ago my wife and I were at a semi-work dinner; the party consisted of a mixture of direct and indirect work associates and their guests and was a fairly mundane, normal event.
During the idle dinner chat, someone mentioned being excited about an upcoming concert series to be performed by a local orchestra, and I cracked off a remark that I hoped they would properly rehearse given that I had seen them perform about a month earlier and thought they sounded about on par with an average high school band. Turns out the person sitting across from me was the artistic director of said orchestra! 
So, when she made this fact known and rebutted the comment (clearly offended), my reaction was to try to double-down and point out that the lackluster performance I had seen was disappointing precisely because they usually played to a very high standard (absolutely true). I couldn’t simply walk-back what I had said because there would have been no credibility, and any other response would have been patronizing, but the damage was obviously done and I don’t think I have ever had a worse “crawl in a hole and die” moment in my life!
Dumbest thing I ever said was :
Very early in my marriage. My wife was with me 24/7. On that one special day of the month, which hit her real hard. From 10am on, everything was my fault. The president. The side walk. The food. The leaves on the trees. Everything.
I loved my wife very much. I took the abuse. I tried to be sympathetic. Caring. Trying to do or get anything to help her.
About 10 pm, I cracked. After 12 hours. I did something unimaginable. My wife literally screamed at me, "Why do women get the period?".
I said, "Because you f*cking deserve it !".
I couldn't believe I did that. I even felt my lips to see if they were moving. I thought I was a dead man.
On the bright side. She was so mad. She broke. She couldn't be mad. I've had women mad at me before. This was the first time I pushed one over the edge and killed any retribution.
LTG : )
The dumbest thing I have done in the last 3 years was to let a friend rush me, while I was tired, and using a chainsaw.
11 stitches later...
Hard to quantify the dumbest thing. Many to choose from. Here's one:
Bought a chopper in 1970. I don't have a picture, but similar to the one attached. Long raked girder front end. Hard tail, custom frame and paint. Custom built sportster engine, stroked, hot cam, lots of power. The guy I bought from told me "do not let anyone drive your Harley." Better words never spoken, and I have never forgotten.
So my best friend (at the time) started hounding me to let him take it for a ride. I told him "no" on every occasion he asked. Finally I broke and told him okay...."just this one time". So I get off, he gets on, revs it up, and tears off down the street. One block to the end of the street.....and he can't stop. (There was no front brake on the long front end, and it had a huge turning radius), and he shot off like a rocket.
So missing the turn, off the road he goes, down the embankment. He's ok, but he totals my scooter.
He never offered to pay for any of the damages and I had no insurance to cover that. Needless to say, we aren't friends anymore. That was dumb.
Screen Shot 2020-10-04 at 8.15.10 PM (resized).pngGot married is the first thing that came to my mind but the more that I think of it I would have to say letting go of 2 or 3 great women that I should have married. Oh well live and learn i guess.
For me, probably drinking way to much and driving home when I was young.
Had a bud in high school who had his leg cut off by a train just above the knee.
He wins... er loses?...
Getting married. Wish someone had told me of the risks, legal ramifications
and life style changes. Have a couple friends that are single and considering
going down this path. Poor bastards. Hope they do better.
Quoted from JethroP:Hard to quantify the dumbest thing. Many to choose from. Here's one:
Bought a chopper in 1970. I don't have a picture, but similar to the one attached. Long raked girder front end. Hard tail, custom frame and paint. Custom built sportster engine, stroked, hot cam, lots of power. The guy I bought from told me "do not let anyone drive your Harley." Better words never spoken, and I have never forgotten.
So my best friend (at the time) started hounding me to let him take it for a ride. I told him "no" on every occasion he asked. Finally I broke and told him okay...."just this one time". So I get off, he gets on, revs it up, and tears off down the street. One block to the end of the street.....and he can't stop. (There was no front brake on the long front end, and it had a huge turning radius), and he shot off like a rocket.
So missing the turn, off the road he goes, down the embankment. He's ok, but he totals my scooter.
He never offered to pay for any of the damages and I had no insurance to cover that. Needless to say, we aren't friends anymore. That was dumb.[quoted image]
Wow, I cant imagine. Thats like letting someone fuck your wife, almost. I let one person ride my Harley and that is because he let me drive his Lamborghini, and I drove it hard.
Not me, but I know a couple of guys that were drunk in Panama City Beach, and decided to rent a sailboat.
They had no clue how to work it.
They were finally rescued around Ft. Walton Beach.
This was 30 years ago, and I think they ended up paying $500.00 in fines, etc.
Quoted from zr11990:I just want to go to a concert. This dumb ass covid bullshit has put a stop to anything fun in public. Luckily I saw The Eagles the last show they dids before they had to cancel the tour because of covid.
No kidding!! We saw Godsmack last year and aaron Lewis year before, would likecto see both again. Lewis and erna are doing a drive in concert thing now but its not the same. Such stupid times
Quoted from Hayfarmer:No kidding!! We saw Godsmack last year and aaron Lewis year before, would likecto see both again. Lewis and erna are doing a drive in concert thing now but its not the same. Such stupid times
I don't know why our country cant pull their heads out of their asses. Sweden is wide open and never shut down and they are doing fine.
Quoted from Hayfarmer:After buying a sinbad pin , saying " why does anyone want or need more than one pinball machine"?
Its a really fun machine though!
Quoted from zr11990:I don't know why our country cant pull their heads out of their asses. Sweden is wide open and never shut down and they are doing fine.
Actually, its not that wide open. But lets not derail this fine thread with Covid-19 please..
Quoted from mtn-:Actually, its not that wide open. But lets not derail this fine thread with Covid-19 please..
Agreed, I just want to be able to go do something.
Quoted from Atari_Daze:Got interested in this thing called 'Pinball'.
Tru dat.
Lots to choose from but here’s one ... When I was maybe 12, a buddy and I ran out into the highway and threw pop-its (those little exploding balls of black powder) at a car. What made it really dumb was it was a blind curve on a big downgrade — we wanted to surprise the driver, and boy did we. I still remember the look on his face, he was really freaked out as he slammed on his brakes. People usually do around 40-50 mph coming down around that curve (PA route 26 near State College). We threw our bombs and hightailed it back into the woods.
I still feel awful about doing that to that guy, and am so thankful my kids are wired a bit smarter about risk than me.
Quoted from JimFNB:Lots to choose from but here’s one ... When I was maybe 12, a buddy and I ran out into the highway and threw pop-its (those little exploding balls of black powder) at a car. What made it really dumb was it was a blind curve on a big downgrade — we wanted to surprise the driver, and boy did we. I still remember the look on his face, he was really freaked out as he slammed on his brakes. People usually do around 40-50 mph coming down around that curve (PA route 26 near State College). We threw our bombs and hightailed it back into the woods.
I still feel awful about doing that to that guy, and am so thankful my kids are wired a bit smarter about risk than me.
Someone threw a water balloon from a tree at my mothers 2 day old Nova. She slammed on the brakes and pulled the kid out of the tree and beat his ass with her shoe. That was when you could beat a kid for doing stupid shit and he thought about it the next time. Ill bet he still remembers.
Quoted from JimFNB:When I was maybe 12, a buddy and I ran out into the highway and threw pop-its (those little exploding balls of black powder) at a car.
That reminded me about when we used to tie fishing line across a road near here. When a car would run through it, it would make a loud noise like a gun shot.
The last time we ever did that it was a motorcycle that hit it. Scared the hell out of me, I was afraid it may injure him or make him crash.
We never got caught, but I grew up a lot that day.
Quoted from zr11990:Someone threw a water balloon from a tree at my mothers 2 day old Nova. She slammed on the brakes and pulled the kid out of the tree and beat his ass with her shoe. That was when you could beat a kid for doing stupid shit and he thought about it the next time. Ill bet he still remembers.
A couple kids threw an apple and hit my car once. Scared the hell out of me. I looked up at the apartment complex on the hill nearby and saw them running away in the yard... So I drove up there and looked around for them. I was so pissed at the moment.
Then I thought about how I used to live at the same complex. It had a big flat roof off our apartment. We'd go out there at night and party. We used to throw snowballs down at the cars in the street when they would drive by. Seemed so fun at the time. Karma came back around and got me. After being angry for a bit I just had to laugh about those little shits getting me back.
Quoted from JohnnyPinball007:That reminded me about when we used to tie fishing line across a road near here. When a car would run through it, it would make a loud noise like a gun shot.
Craps, I totally forgot, we would do the same thing!
But around this time of year, we would sit up in a tree with a large rubber bat or giant spider suspended from a street light. Then as cars, walkers, bikers etc would approach, down the creature went. How we did NOT cause any accident's I'll never know. Further, NEVER had anyone find us up in that tree either.
More stupid / dangerous fun, steal some pool acid, some aluminum foil and glass jar, combine the three and leave in a nearby drainage culvert. Talk about a BOOM. Some how we all still have all our digits!
What stupid fun kids used to be able to have.
Quoted from AlexF:A couple kids threw an apple and hit my car once.
I was driving a friend back to his house one night and was very close to where I grew up.
A kid nailed my car with a couple eggs.
I kept driving a bit, turned, made a loop back through the old neighborhood. Headed him off at the pass. He took his shirt off and cleaned the egg off for me.
I told him, "next time throw eggs at a vehicle that didn't once live around there and knew from experience exactly where you'd run".
LTG : )
I have done so many stupid things in my life, but one of the most recent was me believing it was only alittle gas..
Since it appears this topic has steered towards childish pranks, I'll admit to using surgical tubing and a funnel to make a large slingshot to throw water balloons. That eventually evolved into eggs launched over trees into adult softball games at the park.
Back when I was 6 or 7 we were staying at a motel in Rome GA while Dad was working up there for a few days.
It was ok, I could either ride in the dump truck with Dad all day, or hang out at the motel pool all day.
Anyway, there was always this cat at the pool, I liked the cat. I was curious though if cats could swim.
Long story short we were thrown out of that motel, the cat belonged to the motel owners girlfriend.
The owner was not even mad, he was laughing his ass off, but said either we had to go or his girlfriend was leaving him.
I never got in any trouble for that, turns out my parents did not like that motel anyway, and were ready to go somewhere different.
The more I think about this thread the more that I want/need to change my answer. I have done so much stupid shit that i dont think that i could even say what the dumbest thing that I've ever done is.
Quoted from Who-Dey:I have done so much stupid shit that i dont think that i could even say what the dumbest thing that I've ever done is.
Post ALL of them and we will vote on the best!
Quoted from JohnnyPinball007:Post ALL of them and we will vote on the best!
Lol ........um no! I have done A LOT of dumb shit believe me. I dont think I'm any different from .ost people though. We were all young and dumb at one time.
I remember one when I was ten or so. Me and my dad and brother used to go on long vacations when he had us in the summer. This time we were going camping. We had a truck with a overhead camper and we were pulling our 20 ft boat behind it. Going around a corner we heard a crashing sound followed by a breaking glass sound from the back. We pulled over and me and my dad walked to the back of the truck. The door on the camper had flew open when we went around the corner and stuck in the front of the boat crushing the door completely. I had not locked it as my dad had told me. He turned to me and said "Jeff, you could fuck up cornflakes".
I need to post for someone I know. I might tell him i posted his story or maybe just let him find it on his own.
Many years ago he went to a local pinball shop to see what they had. Sitting there at, i believe was 3500, was an Addams gold. At the time it was a little high for an Addams. The dumbass part about the story is he was on his way to buy a jetski and had cash on him. He passed on TAF gold and bought the jetski. He regrets it everyday.
Quoted from jhanley:I remember one when I was ten or so. Me and my dad and brother used to go on long vacations when he had us in the summer. This time we were going camping. We had a truck with a overhead camper and we were pulling our 20 ft boat behind it. Going around a corner we heard a crashing sound followed by a breaking glass sound from the back. We pulled over and me and my dad walked to the back of the truck. The door on the camper had flew open when we went around the corner and stuck in the front of the boat crushing the door completely. I had not locked it as my dad had told me. He turned to me and said "Jeff, you could fuck up cornflakes".
I remember peeing out the back of our camper on the freeway thru LA, back in early 70s, at 70 m p h. Bout 12 yrs old, seemed funny then
We used to go into some of the worst neighborhoods on the South Side of Chicago to score weed and other party favors when we were teens in the middle of the night. Got arrested and had to bounce around the precincts until I made it to the county, went to court at 1 am Sunday night and they just released me at 26th and California.
I can not think of a funny one right now, but I do have a serious one:
I wish that I, and everyone living in my area had of known a lot more about snakes a long time ago.
We all just would kill any snake we seen.
I never knew that good snakes kill the bad snakes.
I have made a difference in my area now, saving good snakes.
Damn straight I am still startled anytime I see a snake, but now I take a close look at it, and most are fine, most are good snakes.
Just a few days ago a friend asked me about a snake they just ran into, and after a close look, yeah that was a Copperhead and we killed it.
And no way in hell would I pick up a good snake like one of my friends does, I am worried that even if a good snake bit me I could get an infection of some sort.
And a bad snake bite, HELL NO, like a 80 grand hospital bill for the anti-venom.
We have 3 bad snakes around here: Rattlesnakes, Copperheads, and Water Moccasins.
So far I have never seen a rattlesnake, but I have seen plenty of the other 2, and the pond next door does not help that.
BUT, in the last year I have killed 2 good snakes. They came in my house, I scooped them up with a shovel and put them out of my house, and they turned right around and came back into my house.
Hell No! Good or bad any snake that comes in my house is a dead snake on the 2nd offense!
And with all the different colors snakes have it is sometimes hard to tell what is what.
But I have learned to look at the neck and head.
If the head just blends in with the body and a neck is not noticeable, around here anyway, that is a good snake.
If you see a defined neck and a arrow shaped head, kill it!
And yeah, I wish I would have looked at snakes closer a long time ago and not just instantly tried to murder them.
One of the dumbest things I have done.
I can say that even though in the last week we did kill a copperhead, the good snakes are doing a awesome job and overall we have only seen that one bad snake all year.
And any snake I run into will always startle me at first, but not as bad as a 80 grand hospital bill for the anti-venom.
Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.
Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!
This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-dumbest-thing-i-ever-did-was-____?hl=freeplay3 and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.
Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.
Bermuda Triangle
Shepparton
Hopkins, MN