What grand adventures did you not take that you wish you had?

[hoosierdoc]

I'm at work tonight and something jarred my memory of something that happened in college.

Freshman year there was a girl in my chemistry class who invited me to go skiing on a Thursday night in December. I said sure, where? This was in Bloomington. She said Aspen. Her dad was going to send the plane down to pick her up and take her to Colorado to ski and she wanted me to join her. I had a test that next day in the afternoon and said no since I needed to do the test. She told me to call professor and reschedule if I could. I said no. This was a girl who mailed her lacy things home every weekend to be cleaned and mailed back. I mentioned I didn't have my ski stuff at college and didn't really have winter gear. She said no problem, they'll just buy me new stuff. I passed. She was back next week with a nice tan on her face.

Also, I had the chance to tour Europe the summer before senior year of college. My cousin who I'm 2 days older than wanted to do it and my uncle would have paid for me to spend 8 weeks roaming around Europe with him. We basically grew up together. Unfortunately I had just accepted a job for $30/hr with an IT company downtown and said no because I saw lots of dollar signs. Then the job didn't pan out and I had no money and no free Europe trip.

 

[chezuki]

I could have spent the summer after my senior year in high school in Egypt for just the cost of the plane ticket. I'm sure it would have been an interesting experience.

 

[hoosierdoc]

that would have been very cool. Except for the heat.

I was shocked how close the pyramids are to the urban sprawl of Cairo. You only see pics of them facing away from the city. Looking at Giza from google earth was one of the first things I checked out.

 

[Bigtanker]

My family wanted to go on a hot air balloon ride when I was about 4. I screamed bloody murder because I thought the balloon would pop. Kinda wish I would have gone.

 

[Spear Dane]

Back in the early 90's I was offered the chance to fly a newly refurbished Cessna 206 from Tulsa to Alaska for sale there. The problem was the aircraft owner was the cheapest SOB on the planet and wanted me to finance the whole trip (just pay for fuel and my way back really) and I didn't even begin to have that kind of cash at the time. Oh I wish I had though, I would have done it.

 

[oldpink]

I'm at work tonight and something jarred my memory of something that happened in college.

Freshman year there was a girl in my chemistry class who invited me to go skiing on a Thursday night in December. I said sure, where? This was in Bloomington. She said Aspen. Her dad was going to send the plane down to pick her up and take her to Colorado to ski and she wanted me to join her. I had a test that next day in the afternoon and said no since I needed to do the test. She told me to call professor and reschedule if I could. I said no. This was a girl who mailed her lacy things home every weekend to be cleaned and mailed back. I mentioned I didn't have my ski stuff at college and didn't really have winter gear. She said no problem, they'll just buy me new stuff. I passed. She was back next week with a nice tan on her face.
[...]

The missed opportunity facepalm factor is in direct proportion to the attractiveness level of said girl.

 

[hoosierdoc]

The missed opportunity facepalm factor is in direct proportion to the attractiveness level of said girl.

she had lacy underthings mailed home to get dry cleaned. She was rather cute. I'm sure it was just a friends thing though.

 

[dsol]

I'm at work tonight and something jarred my memory of something that happened in college.

Freshman year there was a girl in my chemistry class who invited me to go skiing on a Thursday night in December. I said sure, where? This was in Bloomington. She said Aspen. Her dad was going to send the plane down to pick her up and take her to Colorado to ski and she wanted me to join her. I had a test that next day in the afternoon and said no since I needed to do the test. She told me to call professor and reschedule if I could. I said no. This was a girl who mailed her lacy things home every weekend to be cleaned and mailed back. I mentioned I didn't have my ski stuff at college and didn't really have winter gear. She said no problem, they'll just buy me new stuff. I passed. She was back next week with a nice tan on her face.

Also, I had the chance to tour Europe the summer before senior year of college. My cousin who I'm 2 days older than wanted to do it and my uncle would have paid for me to spend 8 weeks roaming around Europe with him. We basically grew up together. Unfortunately I had just accepted a job for $30/hr with an IT company downtown and said no because I saw lots of dollar signs. Then the job didn't pan out and I had no money and no free Europe trip.

Man, I thought it was bad that I passed on going to a Tom Petty concert with this beauty in college because I had a final the next morning...

 

[Heavy]

I say don't sweat it doc, the reason you have a good job that you hand picked and allows good living for your family is BECAUSE you make those kinds of decisions when they need made. You're successful because you're responsible. I tell my son all the time "we do the things we need to do first, so that we can do the things we want to do later."

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Junior year of college, money was tight and I seriously considered those posters I saw in our EE school building about joining the Navy. I seriously considered it. But when you're 21-22 years old and that 6 year commitment (or whatever it was) they required seemed like it would be forever to fulfill...so I passed. Looking back, I wish I'd have gone for it.

 

[churchmouse]

Gosh where do I start.

 

[hoosierdaddy1976]

On one of my underage bar forays, I almost went home with two ladies, but my friend talked me out of it. They weren't the most attractive, but together they added up to an 8 or better.

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

I've been at my job for 32 years and have had a great career so far. I love the hunting on base, the income is good and steady,....a good life so far and it's been a good choice. But....there's always been that nagging...knowing....feeling inside that I should have moved west. I travel west as often as I can and absolutely love it. Each visit I have to drag myself back to Indiana. I got married right out of college, was engaged my senior year, never really knew the adventure of taking on new horizons free and clear in the mountains to the west.

I don't regret my decisions and my life is a good one. But if I'm ever able to retire you just may see me pop smoke and evaporate to the sunset.

 

[Expat]

Hmmm... there is that girl I found passed out down in Bloomington one night....

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

Senior year of high school, spring 1980, my girlfriend told me she wanted to move to Dallas Texas right after graduation. We were both enrolled at Ball State for the next fall, but she wanted us to pack up our cars and tell our parents we were visiting my sister who lived in Dallas at the time, and just stay there. She said she knew my sister would let us stay with her until we found jobs, and we could use our college money to get an apartment. She was the bolder, adventurous one and I was the sensible, practical one. She almost talked me into it, but I won out in the end and we stayed and went to school. We got married later and had two kids, and we've had a good life, but sometimes I wish I hadn't always been so sensible and practical and that we'd run off to Texas together.

 

[hoosierdoc]

It's always a girl, isn't it?

 

[snapping turtle]

1980's A bar called piccadilly's , two very friendly girls (whom I had relations with one at a time ) a biker friend, David Allen Coe, David Allen coe's boot, a bouncer, a bar napkin containing my biker friends front teeth, a fake ID and my first official banning from a bar. Ask me in person some time a very funny story.

The poor decision making with a girl in North brook illinios whos father was very well connected and collected old classic cars. He would fly us to say Austin Texas on Friday we would go look at a classic car. If the numbers matched it was in good shape and a cashiers certified check would be sent to us at the hotel. If far enough away she would fly back home and guess who got to drive back to the Chicago area in the classic car? Delivering it to an old building where two to three guys worked full time restoring and polishing them all up. Real bad decision made there but when you are young making good ones is never easy.

 

[eldirector]

For years, I had standing orders from my wife to take any job opportunity that came up in the South West. Some years later, with a mortgage, kid, and "life", I have the opportunity to work pretty much anywhere I want. But... here we are.

There isn't too much I wish I didn't miss. There are plenty of things I hope I yet get to do.

 

[churchmouse]

1980's A bar called piccadilly's , two very friendly girls (whom I had relations with one at a time ) a biker friend, David Allen Coe, David Allen coe's boot, a bouncer, a bar napkin containing my biker friends front teeth, a fake ID and my first official banning from a bar. Ask me in person some time a very funny story.

The poor decision making with a girl in North brook illinios whos father was very well connected and collected old classic cars. He would fly us to say Austin Texas on Friday we would go look at a classic car. If the numbers matched it was in good shape and a cashiers certified check would be sent to us at the hotel. If far enough away she would fly back home and guess who got to drive back to the Chicago area in the classic car? Delivering it to an old building where two to three guys worked full time restoring and polishing them all up. Real bad decision made there but when you are young making good ones is never easy.

I may have been in the Circus at that time and witnessed that Malay. The Circus was a few minutes from us and a point of gathering.
Small world.

 

[Shadow8088]

I turned down a chance to roadie for NIN (The Downward Spiral tour).... I'm still not sure why in the hell I didn't go to this day...