Life Experiences

Life experiences make us who we are (or influence it). Life experiences make us who we are (or influence it). Experience is what we get, when we didn't get what we wanted. Here's a few stories from my past that made me who I am, or at least influenced it or reflected it. ℹ️ Info           ~ Aristotle Sabouni Created: 2017-09-09

Life • [32 items]

1974 🌿 Marijuana
I was an experimental kid, that was far more aware of many things than adults knew, and they knew I was pretty precocious. one of my early discoveries was the joy of the marijuana. But I was never really a pot-head. For some reason, I liked self-control, so I would occasionally get stoned -- but pretty limited and only in time appropriate ways.

1977 Soccer Camp
I did a soccer camp in the summer of '77. My parents tried to get me away for summers, weekends, and whenever they could. (I sometimes had that effect on people). But I had a great time, made friends, memories. And one of the last summers I had without a job.

1978 Backpacking goes bad
After 4 weeks in the Sierra's "camping" now means no room service.

1978 🚘 Objects in the sideview mirror
I was 14 the first time I was hit by a car. I was riding along in the bike lane, in high gear, pedaling like kid on his way somewhere; when BANG! I saw stars and was rolling in the dirt on side of the road. I saw the pickup truck had those extended mirrors, and it had hit me in the back of the head, and took me out. I was sorely concussed, he never stopped.

1979 🚘 You never see it coming
The 3rd time I got him by a car was riding home from school. I used to ride my bike to school and back, occasionally. It was about 6 miles from home, so I could take the bus. But every now and then I got adventuresome and would ride in myself.

1979 🚘🌿 Driving while stoned
The second time I was hit by a car, I was doing something stupid. A friend had "borrowed" his mom's car. He wasn't exactly of legal age, but my reasoning about driving with idiots was "hey, it's their problem if they get arrested". Well, we went and got lit, came back, and while I was getting out of the car, he rolled forward, caught my leg and ran me over. Ouch!

1980 Black Widow
Being bitten by a black widow spider was not fun. I'd gone frogging, and then later had these muscle spasms, puking, and writhing in pain. My Mom said, "Food poisoning, next time don't eat frogs", and left me for a party. I spent the evening curled up in cramping pain, until I passed out.

1981 🚘 Paved Paradise and ran me over in a parking lot
After getting hit a few times, I was on the lookout for cars. Crossing a driveway, I made eye contact with the guy, looked into the street to see that nobody was coming, and when I looked back, to my disbelief, the guy that I'd just made eye contact with had sped up? WTF? I had just enough time to hop up onto his hood as he hit me.

1982 ⚕️Nose Job
My first "major" medical procedure was a nose job. When I was a young kid (age 8), I was climbing over a cinderblock wall when the top brick came off, smashed my nose, and left me sounding like Darth Vader for a decade. That and being Iranian/Italian gave me a beak. So the summer before college, I had my nose fixed.

1987 Skydiving
Yes, I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane. Twice. To me, it was no big deal. I just wanted to experience freefall, and enjoyed flying. I didn't think of it as very dare-devilish, though some others do. I had statistics on my side, but gravity and physics was working for the opposition. Then I met a Hustler Honey, and wanted to jump again.

1991 My 2nd Ferret
Ferrets are cute, inquisitive, and illegal in California (like everything else). This one came up to me and adopted me. I found this little one (female) cruising around near my dumpster when I took the trash out at my condo. When I clicked and put my hand down, it came over, and I picked her up. Obviously, someone's abandoned pet.

1995 ⚕️Heart Surgery
My wife has a broken heart; and no I don't mean that I stepped on it, left her, or hurt her feelings; though I'm sure I've hurt her feelings a few times. No, literally her heart isn't quite right, or even close to right -- and it effects all of us. And very early in our Marriage, we had to get it fixed. Open Heart Surgery sure puts perspective on life/love/relationship.

2001.09.11 The Towers Fell
On 9/11/2001, I worked at a Newspaper improving their Internet presence. My office was in the Press building, when a friend came in and said, "A plane has hit the Twin Towers". And I thought, "another silly pilot flew into it while in fog or something, like happened to the Empire State Building in 1945."... but I went to the newsroom to see what's up.

2013 Redwoods Ziplining
My team event included Zip-lining in the Santa Cruz Redwoods (Mount Hermon Adventures). What the heck, I went, it was fun and pretty. Nice crew.

Baby Pics
I don't have a lot of pictures of my youth. My Parents weren't picture takers, and I think some early ones brought up awkward questions, so I only have a handful.

My Bias (1974)
Everyone is biased, I'm open about mine, so that people can decide if I'm right in spite of them, or where I go wrong (if they disagree). It started in 5th grade when I learned early that the School textbooks and teachers were indoctrinating me with lies (spin). So cynical skepticism (what's the other side of the story) was ingrained early, and forms my world view.

Dark Kid
Growing up, I was a dark kid -- I looked much more middle-eastern than I do as an adult. Today people think I'm white, but back then when kids attacked me they'd call me a little camel jockey, sand-nigger, or stuff like that. This was a bit ironic since the rest of my family was blonde.

Grand Theft Auto (1994)
In my late 20s, from my condo, I saw 3 kids were were peeking in car windows, I investigated. They were stealing car stereos (or cars), as one was inside, the others were lookouts. They had knives: I had drew a gun, and encouraged them to leave at a high rate of speed. They complied.

Ivory Tower
Where people are disconnected from the practical concerns of everyday life, in favor of their own pursuits (happily cut off from the real world). Colleges and Universities once stood for education and learning and sharing information with others in your area of interest. Now, out of touch educators, bureaucratic hoops, and marxism defines the, "ivory tower".

Jared (2003)
Another Holiday, some dread and anticipation at visiting family. The soon to be bitter-sweet memories of both sharing time, remembering past and present experiences, and having that past buttons pushed in ways that those close to us know how to push them (especially Italians). But friends tragedies keep the perspective; time is fleeting, and all memories matter.

Just a burger
I invited a friend to go for a burger, then had to clarify it meant "just a burger". He was OK with it... but a little perplexed at the added clarification. What else would it mean? This is my story, of why I act like a teenage boy and titter to myself whenever someone says they want a burger.

Karate
I call it "Karate", but really I did Shaolin Kenpo/Kempo for about 20 years as my primary art (teaching as well as doing), and Aikido, Aikijujitsu, Judo, Gracie Jujitsu, Tae Kwon Do, Escrima, Arnis, Kali, Jeet Kun Do, Tai Chi Chuan, Shotokan, and a few other arts as my secondary arts.

Mom
So my Mom passed last week. Everyone dies, and she got out pretty easy, just quick heart pains and a few minutes later she was gone. While we weren't very close, in some ways it's been harder than I expected. While I was prepared for the loss, allowing others to grieve, means that I have to both re-live unpleasant past events (or distortions of it), and bite my tongue.

Mr. Volcano Head
The first body I found was in 10th grade. I was in Water Polo as an after school sport, which is ironic since I had to show up by 6:30am to work out. Somebody had decided to exit this mortal coil with a mind expanding experience involving splatter art on a shed wall. And I was the second to notice, got the cops and helped the catatonic girl.

My Colonoscopies
Lights, Camera, Action: the joy of endoscopies. Sometimes you've got to wonder who thought up the idea of making a prehensiled marital aid, and probing people's orifices with it; or what their true motivation was. I had the pleasure of taking it from both ends; a couple times. These are my stories; the names have been kept the same to incriminate the guilty.

My Education
These are some stories from my life experiences going to school (starting in the 1970's). I have problems with education in America, as I've been a victim of it, I worked for educational software companies like Jostens Learning, did a startup in PowerSchool, and taught Martial Arts for a couple decades. So I've seen education from different perspectives.

Rape is not OK (1980)
While hunting in the woods where I grew up (rural Orange County). I heard some screaming altercation, and when I investigated, a guy had torn the top off a struggling woman and was progressing towards rape, when I said in my outdoor voice, "is there a problem here?!" He saw the rifle, and decided that it was time for him to leave the scene.

San Jose Tea Party Rally (2010)
April 2010, I walked from work to a Tea Party Rally in San Jose. It was tame, civil, and the crazies were sock puppet Democrats pretending to be Tea Partiers, so the media interviewed them, and cut out the signs that said, "he's not with us". The Tea Party was not what the media pretended, and that helped remind me how dishonest/Anti-American the media has become.

Sex
Everything I know about sex in one article: in, out, repeat if necessary. Finished. Actually, this is more just about articles that have a topic about sex. And maybe there's some pearls of wisdom in there... or if not, I'm just the grain of sand that irritates the oyster into making a pearl (to borrow a quote from Ross Perot).

Third Point Systems Jumper
There I was in 1994, minding my own business, when I see a body fall by my window, and make a slightly wet but very loud, "smack" against the street like Gallagher mallet'ing a side of beef. Well that's not something you see/hear every day.

Those Hollywood Hills (1978)
Like any other 14 year old kid, I sewed a holster-pocket into my L.A. Dodgers wind-breaker to carry my suppressed (silenced) pistol, and a game bag, so I could hunt rabbit/quail/squirrel in Griffith Park / Hollywood Hills. A large predator guy was following me, until I scared him away with pulled the pistol and dropped a bunny. The rabbit was delicious.

What is it about my mom?
Two of my Mom's neighbors committed suicide (1997), on two continents, within a year. She didn't aprpeciate my witty quip, "What is it about you that makes people want to end their life?" It was just a joke, but she didn't appreciate it. My brother and I were laughing our asses off. She did have that effect on people.

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