There was a bit of excitement today at work. Can you believe some kids actually stole one of our 40-ft. buses for a joyride? No one has a clue as to how it happened. They're not even sure which bus yard it came from! But come tomorrow, they'll be looking for someone to blame. For sure the fecal matter will be hitting the spinning blades big time! Be sure to ask Sam about it when you see him this weekend. But don't mention my blog, he doesn't know about it. Shhh.Click here for the full story in the Mercury News.
This incident brings back memories from 1973 when I, Jimmy and a few other family friends were playing on a tractor on Beaumont Ave. in Oakland. The road was being repaved and the tractor was left parked on top of the hill (on the corner of Park Blvd.). As curious boys, the five of us climbed aboard and started playing with the knobs and switches. Someone released the brakes (not me) and the next thing you know, the tractor started rolling down the hill. We all jumped off and I remember being afraid of not being able to clear the moving treads. So there we stood watching helplessly as the tractor headed for the parked cars below.Crash! as it hits the first car, a Dodge Colt. Then crash again as it pushes the Dodge into a beige Mercedes. Then a third crash as it pushed the two cars into a Corona. And the final crash as all three cars smashed up against some big American sedan. By then the tractor was all the way down to E38th Street. All the neighbors came out and the police arrived. One by one, each of us had to submit to a police report. Man oh man, I was freaked out of my mind!
A couple weeks later we were getting sued by the car owners and I was interviewed by an attorney. In the end, the construction company accepted all blame and I was able to resume life as a 6 year-old. Somehow I can't imagine girls ever getting into this kind of trouble... To this day that experience is ingrained into my soul with images that are as clear as yesterday. It's true, some things you just never forget.
Now THAT's what you call a joyride!
That Mercedes was my parent's car!!! j/k This reminds me of the time I shot Richard Tang in the hand with my BB Gun with a "piercing" pellet and it got stuck in his hand. We had to go to Oakland Kaiser and later had to explain to OPD what happened. Of course, we didn't tell the officer that we were shooting out car windows across Oakland ...
ReplyDeleteBLOOD! I almost forgot about that one. I think I still may have my dad's belt marks from that day. It was a good day of destruction as a kid. That one is almost as good as trying to tip over a port-a potty with Patrick Yim inside.
ReplyDeleteSorry Pat, I had to bust you out on that one. :OP
How many of you guys have ever ridden on a runaway bulldozer??? "ME"!!!!!!!!