Re: Shopping problems

[Guest guest]

Cy was so cruel. I can just imagine that poor blind-haired girl sitting in

the seet in front of you, and your black ink turned her beautiful hair all

black. By the time I was in school, I would see those kind of desks and

always wondered what the indentation in the desk was for, since by then we

used ball point pens and pencils. So to be bad we turned to substitute

pranks.

Kids used to make fun of my sight and put chewing gum on my chair. Of course

I'd get agitated after sitting down and discovering I'd been gummed.

Eventually these pranks became more sophisticated and turned to thumb tacks.

That's when I fought back. I don't remember where I found these, but I found

some rather large thumb tacks. Not the colored ones you can find at Staples

today, but these were big old silver things that would give you the heebies

just looking at them. I bought a bunch of them.

One day I swore the next kid who put a regular thumb tack on my chair would

" get it. " Sure enough, I almost got burned, but by this time I was always

checking my seat before I would sit down. It wasn't hard to figure out who

did it judging by where the snickering came from. So I waited patiently for

the right time. I happened to be the AV person who was running a film in

class that day. After starting the film, I kept looking to see if the kid

got up from his desk. Sure enough, he did, to talk to a person up two seats

from him. Plop goes the giant thumb tack. He sits back down and it was an

eternity (probably 2 seconds) before he realized what he just sat on.

Hearing a blood curdling scream, I immediately turned on the lights and

turned off the projector. The kid was screaming from having the surprise of

his life! He held the thumb tack up in the air for all, including the

teacher, to see. I said " Hmm, I guess I'm not the only one sittin' on thumb

tacks. I guess now you know what it feels like when you do it to me. " The

kid says " How come you put such a BIG thumb tack on MY chair? " And I

replied, " Well, you know things have to be bigger for me to see them, so I

just got really big one...a whole box of 'em! Maybe I won't have to use 'em

anymore??? "

Think of them as Braille thumb tacks. Think of them as dot 1 for A, as in

Ah'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h!'Ouu'Ouu'Ouu'Ouu'Ouu'Ouu'ouu'ou'ou'ou'ou'ou'u'u\

'u'u'u'u'ch

[Guest guest]

Cy was so cruel. I can just imagine that poor blind-haired girl sitting in

the seet in front of you, and your black ink turned her beautiful hair all

black. By the time I was in school, I would see those kind of desks and

always wondered what the indentation in the desk was for, since by then we

used ball point pens and pencils. So to be bad we turned to substitute

pranks.

Kids used to make fun of my sight and put chewing gum on my chair. Of course

I'd get agitated after sitting down and discovering I'd been gummed.

Eventually these pranks became more sophisticated and turned to thumb tacks.

That's when I fought back. I don't remember where I found these, but I found

some rather large thumb tacks. Not the colored ones you can find at Staples

today, but these were big old silver things that would give you the heebies

just looking at them. I bought a bunch of them.

One day I swore the next kid who put a regular thumb tack on my chair would

" get it. " Sure enough, I almost got burned, but by this time I was always

checking my seat before I would sit down. It wasn't hard to figure out who

did it judging by where the snickering came from. So I waited patiently for

the right time. I happened to be the AV person who was running a film in

class that day. After starting the film, I kept looking to see if the kid

got up from his desk. Sure enough, he did, to talk to a person up two seats

from him. Plop goes the giant thumb tack. He sits back down and it was an

eternity (probably 2 seconds) before he realized what he just sat on.

Hearing a blood curdling scream, I immediately turned on the lights and

turned off the projector. The kid was screaming from having the surprise of

his life! He held the thumb tack up in the air for all, including the

teacher, to see. I said " Hmm, I guess I'm not the only one sittin' on thumb

tacks. I guess now you know what it feels like when you do it to me. " The

kid says " How come you put such a BIG thumb tack on MY chair? " And I

replied, " Well, you know things have to be bigger for me to see them, so I

just got really big one...a whole box of 'em! Maybe I won't have to use 'em

anymore??? "

Think of them as Braille thumb tacks. Think of them as dot 1 for A, as in

Ah'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h!'Ouu'Ouu'Ouu'Ouu'Ouu'Ouu'ouu'ou'ou'ou'ou'ou'u'u\

'u'u'u'u'ch

[Guest guest]

good for you bill. That was a great thing you did for yourself.

Re: Shopping problems

,

i was lucky in that I read as much as I could, even at CSB. Yes, I would get

in trouble for it, but I did it anyway. I think that is why my eyes are as

strong as they are and why my vision is actually better now than it was when

I was a kid. I think it's also why I spell as well as I do considering my

hearing deficit, since I used a combination of the gifts and skills that I

have, in spite of the system that tried to make everyone learn the same

thing the same way.

I think that the one element schools lose sight of, whether public or for

the blind, is to focus on each child's unique abilities and capitalize on

them. Just because I had sight and could also read Braille, didn't mean it

was OK to force me to just learn Braille and forget print. I had my own way

of reinforcing what I was learning, like hearing a tape of a textbook but

reading along with it in print (or Braille for those who are better at it).

Others might need more intensive one-on-one to become better spellers and

have a better grasp of our language, so we can't all be taught the same way

and expect to come out on top.

The sad thing is that this all boils down to money though. But sometimes I

wonder if, even if we had all the necessary money, would blind kids really

get a quality education anymore? The teachers aren't there because the money

isn't either. If it is, it'll still take years before we get enough of them

into the system to make a difference. Maybe one day, but again, I'm not

going to hold my breath waiting.

Bill

[Guest guest]

Yes, Bill You know my friend Nelly Emerson, I believe. I live outside of

Pasadena in temple city.

I meant that the Braille teachers who teach at the school for the blind earn

less money than the Braille teachers who teach in the regular school

system. I don't know why, but some of them have left the CSB for that

reason. We got a bill in the Senate, but it didn't pass--trying to get the

pay scale the same.

Re: Shopping problems

,

What do you mean the teachers who have more education than reglar teachers

get paid less? Gee, did somebody turn the hourglass upside down or

something? Hmmmmm. Hey, if I was a teacher and was told I could earn more if

I learned Braille, there would be ONE incentive. If I'm told to learn this

but it wouldn't feed MY bottom line, why should I entertain learning this

other than for the love of doing it? Let's face it: Most of us learn

something or add skills because it will put bread on the table, teachers

too. If you're worth more, you should be paid more. Of course we know that

schools get the bottom of the barrell when it comes to money, which shows

you how important education is in this country.

That's interesting that the CCB got the law passed for Braille literacy, but

it will only help if we have better teachers and school districts willing to

embrace it. Maybe in time, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

BTW, you are in LA somewhere I take it? I'm out in Riverside, 60 miles SE of

LA.

Bill

[Guest guest]

So, Bill, did they leave you alone after that? I used to bend bobby pins

into this little thing you could put against someone and then it would

snap them. You could be walking by your subject in the hall and do it to

her and she would never know who did it!

Re: Shopping problems

Cy was so cruel. I can just imagine that poor blind-haired girl sitting in

the seet in front of you, and your black ink turned her beautiful hair all

black. By the time I was in school, I would see those kind of desks and

always wondered what the indentation in the desk was for, since by then we

used ball point pens and pencils. So to be bad we turned to substitute

pranks.

Kids used to make fun of my sight and put chewing gum on my chair. Of course

I'd get agitated after sitting down and discovering I'd been gummed.

Eventually these pranks became more sophisticated and turned to thumb tacks.

That's when I fought back. I don't remember where I found these, but I found

some rather large thumb tacks. Not the colored ones you can find at Staples

today, but these were big old silver things that would give you the heebies

just looking at them. I bought a bunch of them.

One day I swore the next kid who put a regular thumb tack on my chair would

" get it. " Sure enough, I almost got burned, but by this time I was always

checking my seat before I would sit down. It wasn't hard to figure out who

did it judging by where the snickering came from. So I waited patiently for

the right time. I happened to be the AV person who was running a film in

class that day. After starting the film, I kept looking to see if the kid

got up from his desk. Sure enough, he did, to talk to a person up two seats

from him. Plop goes the giant thumb tack. He sits back down and it was an

eternity (probably 2 seconds) before he realized what he just sat on.

Hearing a blood curdling scream, I immediately turned on the lights and

turned off the projector. The kid was screaming from having the surprise of

his life! He held the thumb tack up in the air for all, including the

teacher, to see. I said " Hmm, I guess I'm not the only one sittin' on thumb

tacks. I guess now you know what it feels like when you do it to me. " The

kid says " How come you put such a BIG thumb tack on MY chair? " And I

replied, " Well, you know things have to be bigger for me to see them, so I

just got really big one...a whole box of 'em! Maybe I won't have to use 'em

anymore??? "

Think of them as Braille thumb tacks. Think of them as dot 1 for A, as in

Ah'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h!'Ouu'Ouu'Ouu'Ouu'Ouu'Ouu'ouu'ou'ou'ou'ou'ou

'u'u'u'u'u'u'ch

[Guest guest]

,

That is stupid that the teachers who try to teach Braille don't earn at

least what a " regular " teacher would earn. Like I said, no incentve for

turning out teachers who have that skill.

Bill

[Guest guest]

,

For the most part kids left me alone after I retalliated with the thumb

tacks. Some of them just moved on to new adventures to frustrate me.

Ultimately, and unfortunately, the battles finally ended when kids got very

physical with me and I returned the favor. After a couple of broken arms and

broken legs, i think they finally got the subtle message... " don't mess with

Bill. " I just HATED to do it, I had better things to do than get physical

and break a limb but when it came down to " me or them " then I had to take a

stand. It didn't make me feel any better that I couldn't just talk my way

out of it, but I did what I had to just to get through school. Ya know, it

would have been nice if my schooling were more about learning the various

subjects rather than a jungle or survival, but that's life....

At least I never had to use too many of those giant thumb tacks.....<G>

Bill

[Guest guest]

Very stupid and what is even more stupid is that our legislators did not

pass the bill to increase the pay scale to the mainstream system.

Re: Shopping problems

,

That is stupid that the teachers who try to teach Braille don't earn at

least what a " regular " teacher would earn. Like I said, no incentve for

turning out teachers who have that skill.

Bill

[Guest guest]

What did the teacher say to that?

Hope it worked for the rest of the year.

--Dar

--Every Saint has a Past,

Every Sinner has a Future

Re: Shopping problems

>

> Cy was so cruel. I can just imagine that poor blind-haired girl sitting in

> the seet in front of you, and your black ink turned her beautiful hair all

> black. By the time I was in school, I would see those kind of desks and

> always wondered what the indentation in the desk was for, since by then we

> used ball point pens and pencils. So to be bad we turned to substitute

> pranks.

>

> Kids used to make fun of my sight and put chewing gum on my chair. Of

> course

> I'd get agitated after sitting down and discovering I'd been gummed.

> Eventually these pranks became more sophisticated and turned to thumb

> tacks.

> That's when I fought back. I don't remember where I found these, but I

> found

> some rather large thumb tacks. Not the colored ones you can find at

> Staples

> today, but these were big old silver things that would give you the

> heebies

> just looking at them. I bought a bunch of them.

>

> One day I swore the next kid who put a regular thumb tack on my chair

> would

> " get it. " Sure enough, I almost got burned, but by this time I was always

> checking my seat before I would sit down. It wasn't hard to figure out who

> did it judging by where the snickering came from. So I waited patiently

> for

> the right time. I happened to be the AV person who was running a film in

> class that day. After starting the film, I kept looking to see if the kid

> got up from his desk. Sure enough, he did, to talk to a person up two

> seats

> from him. Plop goes the giant thumb tack. He sits back down and it was an

> eternity (probably 2 seconds) before he realized what he just sat on.

> Hearing a blood curdling scream, I immediately turned on the lights and

> turned off the projector. The kid was screaming from having the surprise

> of

> his life! He held the thumb tack up in the air for all, including the

> teacher, to see. I said " Hmm, I guess I'm not the only one sittin' on

> thumb

> tacks. I guess now you know what it feels like when you do it to me. " The

> kid says " How come you put such a BIG thumb tack on MY chair? " And I

> replied, " Well, you know things have to be bigger for me to see them, so I

> just got really big one...a whole box of 'em! Maybe I won't have to use

> 'em

> anymore??? "

>

> Think of them as Braille thumb tacks. Think of them as dot 1 for A, as in

>

Ah'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h!'Ouu'Ouu'Ouu'Ouu'Ouu'Ouu'ouu'ou'ou'ou'ou'ou'u'u\

'u'u'u'u'ch

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

What did the teacher say to that?

Hope it worked for the rest of the year.

--Dar

--Every Saint has a Past,

Every Sinner has a Future

Re: Shopping problems

>

> Cy was so cruel. I can just imagine that poor blind-haired girl sitting in

> the seet in front of you, and your black ink turned her beautiful hair all

> black. By the time I was in school, I would see those kind of desks and

> always wondered what the indentation in the desk was for, since by then we

> used ball point pens and pencils. So to be bad we turned to substitute

> pranks.

>

> Kids used to make fun of my sight and put chewing gum on my chair. Of

> course

> I'd get agitated after sitting down and discovering I'd been gummed.

> Eventually these pranks became more sophisticated and turned to thumb

> tacks.

> That's when I fought back. I don't remember where I found these, but I

> found

> some rather large thumb tacks. Not the colored ones you can find at

> Staples

> today, but these were big old silver things that would give you the

> heebies

> just looking at them. I bought a bunch of them.

>

> One day I swore the next kid who put a regular thumb tack on my chair

> would

> " get it. " Sure enough, I almost got burned, but by this time I was always

> checking my seat before I would sit down. It wasn't hard to figure out who

> did it judging by where the snickering came from. So I waited patiently

> for

> the right time. I happened to be the AV person who was running a film in

> class that day. After starting the film, I kept looking to see if the kid

> got up from his desk. Sure enough, he did, to talk to a person up two

> seats

> from him. Plop goes the giant thumb tack. He sits back down and it was an

> eternity (probably 2 seconds) before he realized what he just sat on.

> Hearing a blood curdling scream, I immediately turned on the lights and

> turned off the projector. The kid was screaming from having the surprise

> of

> his life! He held the thumb tack up in the air for all, including the

> teacher, to see. I said " Hmm, I guess I'm not the only one sittin' on

> thumb

> tacks. I guess now you know what it feels like when you do it to me. " The

> kid says " How come you put such a BIG thumb tack on MY chair? " And I

> replied, " Well, you know things have to be bigger for me to see them, so I

> just got really big one...a whole box of 'em! Maybe I won't have to use

> 'em

> anymore??? "

>

> Think of them as Braille thumb tacks. Think of them as dot 1 for A, as in

>

Ah'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h'h!'Ouu'Ouu'Ouu'Ouu'Ouu'Ouu'ouu'ou'ou'ou'ou'ou'u'u\

'u'u'u'u'ch

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Did you finish school doing this kind of thing?

Wow.

--Dar

--Every Saint has a Past,

Every Sinner has a Future

Re: Shopping problems

>

> ,

>

> For the most part kids left me alone after I retalliated with the thumb

> tacks. Some of them just moved on to new adventures to frustrate me.

> Ultimately, and unfortunately, the battles finally ended when kids got

> very

> physical with me and I returned the favor. After a couple of broken arms

> and

> broken legs, i think they finally got the subtle message... " don't mess

> with

> Bill. " I just HATED to do it, I had better things to do than get physical

> and break a limb but when it came down to " me or them " then I had to take

> a

> stand. It didn't make me feel any better that I couldn't just talk my way

> out of it, but I did what I had to just to get through school. Ya know, it

> would have been nice if my schooling were more about learning the various

> subjects rather than a jungle or survival, but that's life....

>

> At least I never had to use too many of those giant thumb tacks.....<G>

>

> Bill

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Did you finish school doing this kind of thing?

Wow.

--Dar

--Every Saint has a Past,

Every Sinner has a Future

Re: Shopping problems

>

> ,

>

> For the most part kids left me alone after I retalliated with the thumb

> tacks. Some of them just moved on to new adventures to frustrate me.

> Ultimately, and unfortunately, the battles finally ended when kids got

> very

> physical with me and I returned the favor. After a couple of broken arms

> and

> broken legs, i think they finally got the subtle message... " don't mess

> with

> Bill. " I just HATED to do it, I had better things to do than get physical

> and break a limb but when it came down to " me or them " then I had to take

> a

> stand. It didn't make me feel any better that I couldn't just talk my way

> out of it, but I did what I had to just to get through school. Ya know, it

> would have been nice if my schooling were more about learning the various

> subjects rather than a jungle or survival, but that's life....

>

> At least I never had to use too many of those giant thumb tacks.....<G>

>

> Bill

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I was asked what the teacher said after I surprised my classmate with a

giant thumb tack on his chair in retalliation for his doing a similar deed

to me. Actually, the teacher didn't say or do a thing. I guess my deed was

just too amazing for words. Legally, he couldn't do anything, and most of

the time when kids did something to me enough, teachers would usually take

me out of the class as if I was the discipline problem rather than dealing

with the real problem. So I figured that I had to defend myself with

whatever device was handy. I sure did learn how to survive!

Bill

[Guest guest]

I was asked what the teacher said after I surprised my classmate with a

giant thumb tack on his chair in retalliation for his doing a similar deed

to me. Actually, the teacher didn't say or do a thing. I guess my deed was

just too amazing for words. Legally, he couldn't do anything, and most of

the time when kids did something to me enough, teachers would usually take

me out of the class as if I was the discipline problem rather than dealing

with the real problem. So I figured that I had to defend myself with

whatever device was handy. I sure did learn how to survive!

Bill

[Guest guest]

Dar,

Yes I had physical confrontations all the way through my senior year. The

worst was during my junior year with most of my " attackers " being seniors.

Even in my senior year, I still had to send a clear message from time to

time that I wasn't going to take it. As time went on, I think other kids got

the message not to mess with this " blind " guy, because no one except me knew

wha I could and could not see. That gave me a great advantage in survival.

The other advantage I had was that none of those kids wanted to hurt their

reputation by reporting that they'd been beaten by a " blind " guy, so they

went away licking their wounds and eating crow and didn't say a word. It

hurt me a lot because I'd rather have had more friends and if I had my

drothers, would liked not having to hurt anyone. But if fighting was their

only language, I had to speak it fluently enough to make them understand.

All I wanted was to be left alone, so I could concentrate on my school work,

learn and excel. Instead, my focus was clearly in survival mode. Not a good

experience to be sure, but still I made it out of there in one piece and

because of my experience, I can have a lot more empathy for others who walk

that same path.

Bill

[Guest guest]

Bill,

I think this fighting must be some kind of guy thing. I don't know why they

pick on people who are just different, but they do. Like you I had to learn

to fend for myself at an early age, and I do not tolerate bullies at all,

even to this day. When they mess with you even once, they must be

confronted immediately and made to pay a price if they even think about

messing with you again. Once you extract a price from them, they usually

leave you alone.

Re: Shopping problems

>

> Dar,

>

> Yes I had physical confrontations all the way through my senior year. The

> worst was during my junior year with most of my " attackers " being seniors.

> Even in my senior year, I still had to send a clear message from time to

> time that I wasn't going to take it. As time went on, I think other kids

> got

> the message not to mess with this " blind " guy, because no one except me

> knew

> wha I could and could not see. That gave me a great advantage in survival.

> The other advantage I had was that none of those kids wanted to hurt their

> reputation by reporting that they'd been beaten by a " blind " guy, so they

> went away licking their wounds and eating crow and didn't say a word. It

> hurt me a lot because I'd rather have had more friends and if I had my

> drothers, would liked not having to hurt anyone. But if fighting was their

> only language, I had to speak it fluently enough to make them understand.

> All I wanted was to be left alone, so I could concentrate on my school

> work,

> learn and excel. Instead, my focus was clearly in survival mode. Not a

> good

> experience to be sure, but still I made it out of there in one piece and

> because of my experience, I can have a lot more empathy for others who

> walk

> that same path.

>

> Bill

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Bill,

I think this fighting must be some kind of guy thing. I don't know why they

pick on people who are just different, but they do. Like you I had to learn

to fend for myself at an early age, and I do not tolerate bullies at all,

even to this day. When they mess with you even once, they must be

confronted immediately and made to pay a price if they even think about

messing with you again. Once you extract a price from them, they usually

leave you alone.

Re: Shopping problems

>

> Dar,

>

> Yes I had physical confrontations all the way through my senior year. The

> worst was during my junior year with most of my " attackers " being seniors.

> Even in my senior year, I still had to send a clear message from time to

> time that I wasn't going to take it. As time went on, I think other kids

> got

> the message not to mess with this " blind " guy, because no one except me

> knew

> wha I could and could not see. That gave me a great advantage in survival.

> The other advantage I had was that none of those kids wanted to hurt their

> reputation by reporting that they'd been beaten by a " blind " guy, so they

> went away licking their wounds and eating crow and didn't say a word. It

> hurt me a lot because I'd rather have had more friends and if I had my

> drothers, would liked not having to hurt anyone. But if fighting was their

> only language, I had to speak it fluently enough to make them understand.

> All I wanted was to be left alone, so I could concentrate on my school

> work,

> learn and excel. Instead, my focus was clearly in survival mode. Not a

> good

> experience to be sure, but still I made it out of there in one piece and

> because of my experience, I can have a lot more empathy for others who

> walk

> that same path.

>

> Bill

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Harry,

You said it very well about not tolerating bullies. There were many times I

was able to use means other than violence to make a bully leave me alone,

but when I had to get physical, I did.

One poor fellow used to steal my lunch every day. Tiring of this very

quickly, I came up with a plan. I made up a very special lunch bag for him

filled with small rocks at the bottom (for solidity) into the top of which I

very carefully placed a spring device from an old " jack-in-the-box " , you

know, the kind where you'd open the box and up popped a clown or other

character. Tthen I added a mixture of bits styrofoam, ketchup and squished

grapes. Sitting stop this concoction, a set of chattering teeth of which I

filed away a bit of the bottom of the teeth, giving them a somewhat better

" bite. " As you can see, I put a lot of work into this because I wanted this

to work and to end this problem once and for all.

When this 6 foot 4 inch bully came to steal my lunch, he would taunt me by

standing there and reach his hand into the sack and usually go " let's see

what you brought me for lunch today. " Sure enough, Walter did his usual " Rob

Bill for lunch " routine only to dig into the bag, find a set of teeth

attached to his hand and, of course, the weight of his hand pushed on the

spring which promptly evacuated the ghastly combination of katchup, grapes

and styrofoam, katchup and grape all over his face, his hands, his shirt,

etc. The real icing on the cake was the fact that when he would bully me, he

always made sure to have some of his friends nearby so he could show off.

This time, however, he was totally humiliated at what had just happened, in

front of those same friends. This time, HE was the laughting-stock. And

miracle of miracles, even HE got the message to stay away from me, which he

did from then on. I was glad I didn't have to get physical with him, yet I

was able to get him off my back with a little bit of ingenuity. I certainly

was nervous though, hoping my little contraption would work as planned. And

this paid other dividends as word of his humiliation spread, other students

that had been toying with me didn't bother me as often. I wonder why?

Yup, my principle had always been to use as little force as necessary and to

try to use intellect rather than brawn when at all possible.

I had many a quiet, peaceful lunch from then on.

Bill

[Guest guest]

Harry,

You said it very well about not tolerating bullies. There were many times I

was able to use means other than violence to make a bully leave me alone,

but when I had to get physical, I did.

One poor fellow used to steal my lunch every day. Tiring of this very

quickly, I came up with a plan. I made up a very special lunch bag for him

filled with small rocks at the bottom (for solidity) into the top of which I

very carefully placed a spring device from an old " jack-in-the-box " , you

know, the kind where you'd open the box and up popped a clown or other

character. Tthen I added a mixture of bits styrofoam, ketchup and squished

grapes. Sitting stop this concoction, a set of chattering teeth of which I

filed away a bit of the bottom of the teeth, giving them a somewhat better

" bite. " As you can see, I put a lot of work into this because I wanted this

to work and to end this problem once and for all.

When this 6 foot 4 inch bully came to steal my lunch, he would taunt me by

standing there and reach his hand into the sack and usually go " let's see

what you brought me for lunch today. " Sure enough, Walter did his usual " Rob

Bill for lunch " routine only to dig into the bag, find a set of teeth

attached to his hand and, of course, the weight of his hand pushed on the

spring which promptly evacuated the ghastly combination of katchup, grapes

and styrofoam, katchup and grape all over his face, his hands, his shirt,

etc. The real icing on the cake was the fact that when he would bully me, he

always made sure to have some of his friends nearby so he could show off.

This time, however, he was totally humiliated at what had just happened, in

front of those same friends. This time, HE was the laughting-stock. And

miracle of miracles, even HE got the message to stay away from me, which he

did from then on. I was glad I didn't have to get physical with him, yet I

was able to get him off my back with a little bit of ingenuity. I certainly

was nervous though, hoping my little contraption would work as planned. And

this paid other dividends as word of his humiliation spread, other students

that had been toying with me didn't bother me as often. I wonder why?

Yup, my principle had always been to use as little force as necessary and to

try to use intellect rather than brawn when at all possible.

I had many a quiet, peaceful lunch from then on.

Bill

[Guest guest]

Bill.

you should have just kicked him in the nuts and been done with it lol lol lol

*laugh*

*wink*

Regards,

Re: Shopping problems

Harry,

You said it very well about not tolerating bullies. There were many times I

was able to use means other than violence to make a bully leave me alone,

but when I had to get physical, I did.

One poor fellow used to steal my lunch every day. Tiring of this very

quickly, I came up with a plan. I made up a very special lunch bag for him

filled with small rocks at the bottom (for solidity) into the top of which I

very carefully placed a spring device from an old " jack-in-the-box " , you

know, the kind where you'd open the box and up popped a clown or other

character. Tthen I added a mixture of bits styrofoam, ketchup and squished

grapes. Sitting stop this concoction, a set of chattering teeth of which I

filed away a bit of the bottom of the teeth, giving them a somewhat better

" bite. " As you can see, I put a lot of work into this because I wanted this

to work and to end this problem once and for all.

When this 6 foot 4 inch bully came to steal my lunch, he would taunt me by

standing there and reach his hand into the sack and usually go " let's see

what you brought me for lunch today. " Sure enough, Walter did his usual " Rob

Bill for lunch " routine only to dig into the bag, find a set of teeth

attached to his hand and, of course, the weight of his hand pushed on the

spring which promptly evacuated the ghastly combination of katchup, grapes

and styrofoam, katchup and grape all over his face, his hands, his shirt,

etc. The real icing on the cake was the fact that when he would bully me, he

always made sure to have some of his friends nearby so he could show off.

This time, however, he was totally humiliated at what had just happened, in

front of those same friends. This time, HE was the laughting-stock. And

miracle of miracles, even HE got the message to stay away from me, which he

did from then on. I was glad I didn't have to get physical with him, yet I

was able to get him off my back with a little bit of ingenuity. I certainly

was nervous though, hoping my little contraption would work as planned. And

this paid other dividends as word of his humiliation spread, other students

that had been toying with me didn't bother me as often. I wonder why?

Yup, my principle had always been to use as little force as necessary and to

try to use intellect rather than brawn when at all possible.

I had many a quiet, peaceful lunch from then on.

Bill

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

Bill.

you should have just kicked him in the nuts and been done with it lol lol lol

*laugh*

*wink*

Regards,

Re: Shopping problems

Harry,

You said it very well about not tolerating bullies. There were many times I

was able to use means other than violence to make a bully leave me alone,

but when I had to get physical, I did.

One poor fellow used to steal my lunch every day. Tiring of this very

quickly, I came up with a plan. I made up a very special lunch bag for him

filled with small rocks at the bottom (for solidity) into the top of which I

very carefully placed a spring device from an old " jack-in-the-box " , you

know, the kind where you'd open the box and up popped a clown or other

character. Tthen I added a mixture of bits styrofoam, ketchup and squished

grapes. Sitting stop this concoction, a set of chattering teeth of which I

filed away a bit of the bottom of the teeth, giving them a somewhat better

" bite. " As you can see, I put a lot of work into this because I wanted this

to work and to end this problem once and for all.

When this 6 foot 4 inch bully came to steal my lunch, he would taunt me by

standing there and reach his hand into the sack and usually go " let's see

what you brought me for lunch today. " Sure enough, Walter did his usual " Rob

Bill for lunch " routine only to dig into the bag, find a set of teeth

attached to his hand and, of course, the weight of his hand pushed on the

spring which promptly evacuated the ghastly combination of katchup, grapes

and styrofoam, katchup and grape all over his face, his hands, his shirt,

etc. The real icing on the cake was the fact that when he would bully me, he

always made sure to have some of his friends nearby so he could show off.

This time, however, he was totally humiliated at what had just happened, in

front of those same friends. This time, HE was the laughting-stock. And

miracle of miracles, even HE got the message to stay away from me, which he

did from then on. I was glad I didn't have to get physical with him, yet I

was able to get him off my back with a little bit of ingenuity. I certainly

was nervous though, hoping my little contraption would work as planned. And

this paid other dividends as word of his humiliation spread, other students

that had been toying with me didn't bother me as often. I wonder why?

Yup, my principle had always been to use as little force as necessary and to

try to use intellect rather than brawn when at all possible.

I had many a quiet, peaceful lunch from then on.

Bill

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

,

I would have kicked this guy but he was much taller than me, he being 6 feet

4 inches, me 5 feet 8 inches. One time I did kick someone in that delicate

area rendering him unmoveable for what seemed like an eternity. I was scared

that I might have killed him so swore never to use that much force again.

Bill

[Guest guest]

,

I would have kicked this guy but he was much taller than me, he being 6 feet

4 inches, me 5 feet 8 inches. One time I did kick someone in that delicate

area rendering him unmoveable for what seemed like an eternity. I was scared

that I might have killed him so swore never to use that much force again.

Bill

[Guest guest]

I know what you mean by meaning that you were frightened that you may have

killed someone. The blind bully that gave me the beating of my life, the

worse beating I had ever received, motivated me to take up weight lifting

for a year after which I gave him payback. Before I gave it to him I

reminded him that this was payback and did he remember the beating he gave

me last year. When he answered yes, I said good then picked him up and

threw him down two flights of steps, and when he reached the bottom, he

didn't move. I was scared that I had killed him. I ran down the steps and

started slapping him in the face when I discovered he was still breathing.

When he came around I told him if he promised to never hurt me again and to

shake on it, I would never throw him down the stairs again. He shook on it

and we graduated together and went to college together the best of friends.

Re: Shopping problems

>

> ,

>

> I would have kicked this guy but he was much taller than me, he being 6

> feet

> 4 inches, me 5 feet 8 inches. One time I did kick someone in that delicate

> area rendering him unmoveable for what seemed like an eternity. I was

> scared

> that I might have killed him so swore never to use that much force again.

>

> Bill

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Harry,

I wish I could say that any of my fights ended in friendship like yours did,

but it never happened. Winning them as friends was not even my motivation,

it was just to get them off my back any way that I could. You were savvy to

make something positive out of what was otherwise a very negative

experience. My positive out of negative was that these fights taught me

restraint and taught me to know my limits. Needless to say, these

experiences coupled with my own conscience helped me to better control my

temper, which I'm sure helped my blood pressure and my own mental health.

It's sad that we sometimes have to learn something about ourselves this way,

but at least I can say I learned something from these experiences instead of

it just being an excuse to hurt someone.

Bill