budsmoker87
New Member
Well I realize I got a lot of haters on this site, but I still make a good impression on a few respectable folks who are like-minded
So last I posted on here, I came home and my parents kicked me out of the house then let me back in (till I found a place to stay) which I did
I rented a place about an hour north of my parents' place for 3 weeks of this past month, the 9th till the 30th ($475 for the month so i paid 360, solid deal...out in the sticks). Didn't end up working at the mountain, although I could've....they wanted me to commit through the season till April and I told them the drilling in North Dakota is most active during the cold winter months of Jan, Feb and I'd have to return to ND before april, like in Feb at the latest...I could've just told him yeah I commit, and worked till whenever, but I didn't want to be dishonest or leave anyone hanging
So I decided not to work, which really wasn't a problem cuz I had just enough to get by
Fast forward to this past Sunday the 23rd...I decided to check out the mountain closest to the place I was renting, about 15 mins away. It's a 710 ft vertical drop, so it's really a mountain/hill, but it's close by, convenient, and when I got there and saw that 60% of the trails were open, I decided it wasn't worth the $40 for a half day (let alone a whole day). With that, I put my boarding boots on and with my snowboard bag on my back, I hiked the mountain and boarded down...twice. I figured it'd be good exercise/preparation for the drilling rig (constantly walking up to the rig floor, which is a good 30 feet, hauling chains, pipe and hammer wrenches, pressure washers, 40lb buckets of oil/hydraulic fluid, etc.
So i made 2 treks up the mountain, 2 runs down the mountain, chilled in the lodge for a bit and decided to head back. I got in my car and, as I was headed halfway down the mountain I smelt a nasty smoldering scent. I rolled down the windows to try to determine if it was infact coming from my car or somewhere else, but it was coming from my car. I got to the bottom, pulled off the side of the road, put the hazards on and popped the hood and opened all the doors to air the car out.
The hood appeared fine- nothing under there seemed to be causing smoke/smoldering. I took my board out of the back seat of my car and noticed smoke seeping though all cracks and crevices in the seats. WTF?!
Unsure of what to do, I whipped out my trusty triple A card and called for a tow (5 miles free, and i was only 7 miles from the town I was in. Had an appointment scheduled for the following day, Monday, to determine what needed to be tightened or lubed to stop a serpentine belt from squealing. Triple A said "45 minutes" so I walked back up to the ski lodge, waited 30, then allowed myself 15 to walk back down the mtn to my car to meet the tow guy.
Well the tow guy was there, but my car was GONE. All that stood in its vacant place was a water-doused outline of the car, a piece of charred seat stuffing/cushion, a charred "Crazy Salt" container and a cooking knife. OH.MY.GOD
The Triple A tow guy called the cops who told me over the phone that the car was on fire, a fire truck came to douse it and it was towed back to the town I was staying in. The cop came back to the location where I was waiting with the Triple A tow guy, who was nice enough to guarantee me a ride home if the cop refused.
The cop that came back to the scene just happened to be the same cop that pulled me over 2 nights before on Friday when I was headed to an event at bar in a college town....small town, TONS of cops...I drove past him on the side of the road, he had someone pulled over but was done with him...I was going 35 in a 30 as i passed the cop getting back in his car and he followed me, then pulled me over in the school zone. "know how fast you were going" and I said "35" with an expression like "sooo what?" He said he wouldn't give me a ticket and checked my info, but before and after he asked about my mason jar containing water in the passengers seat, and asked to smell it lol.
The cop asked to speak to me privately and pulled me aside from the tow truck guy- he gave me all my important ID/documents I had in the car (license, passport, high school diploma that was in the trunk), car registration and the snowboard I had left outside the car in the bag when I ran up to the lodge to call for help. His first question was "why didn't you call me?" and my response was honest..."i never call the cops for car problems, I just immediately thought to call triple A or a mechanically inclined friend." I knew the car had caught fire, but I didn't know how until I realized that while I was pumping the breaks going down the mountain, items in the trunk (metal cooking utensils i keep for cooking on the road along with propane bottles) came into contact with the break light wires. Of course in hindsight, all I would've had to do was disconnect the battery under the hood to short-circuit the electricity...plus I would've then reached in the trunk for a crescent wrench to loosen the bolts and seen the source of the fire.
Anyway, the cop said ok, but then said he could charge me for several offenses if he wished, including "leaving the scene" although I said it was a malfunction, not an accident involving anybody else, but def agreed in a diplomatic way that I "sorta abandoned a potential hazard, putting other passerby vehicles at risk"...he also had seen pot stems in the center console and asked if I smoked pot. He knew I did, but I didn't admit to it and he said "ok, well it will depend on my mood, my back seat and uniform all reek like burning crud now, so i'm not tooo happy about that" and I continued to be apologetic, concerned and friendly. Thankfully he let that go
The tow truck guy brought me home and I contacted my family online.
My parents' immediate response on x-mas eve when I went over their place..."you're on your own, good luck."
I'm like great, my assets are DEPLETED, my rent expires soon and I've got nothing
On x-mas morning when my dad said he wouldn't help me, I lost total control of my emotions. First I cried, then i held my head, then looked up and said "well I guess I better grab a ski mask and rob some people or get in the drug game cuz this shit is hopeless now" and he replied, "well I'd start doing something NOW"
And I did. I turned around, totally distraught in panic mode and punched out the kitchen window looking into the backyard. I reached for a shard of glass stuck in the frame to stick myself with, just thinking to myself "i have no support, no funds, and there's no way out of this." Both parents and my 2 brothers tackled and restrained me in the kitchen. A bit later, we went to my grandparents house for annual x-mas family dinner and, feeling totally despaired, I sat/slept in my parents' car in the driveway until my mom came back out and brought me down the street (coincidentally where I was staying at the house/room i rented, close to my grandparents' place, the next town over).
Mom and I talked the whole way. She knew I was serious about suicide, burglary or drug dealing...she said "promise me you won't hurt yourself, anyone else, or break any laws and I'll make sure we loan you money and help you get back on your feet"
My mom picked me up the next day (cuz we were getting a huge snowstorm later that night so she invited me to live back at the rents' place till I get a new whip to drive back to ND, which looks like it'll happen next weekend.
Ya see, my parents come from basically nothing...they practice tough love with their kids cuz they want to see us build for ourselves like my dad has built for himself and his family and has become quite successful. By the way- somebody mentioned my dad's name in another thread and I'm not ashamed nor afraid to admit that IS him, but the e-mail you pulled offline is WRONG so harass that invalid e-mail address all you want
Anyway, my time at home has been crazy. Crazy fun, crazy difficult, crazy challenging, everything. I considered that car bullshit a freak accident...I had only had that car for 2 MONTHS, purchased in Wyoming when I drove from Williston ND to Craig Colorado to work on a rig temporarily down there, then back across the country to New Hampshire. Looking at a few volvo S60's in the 5-6,000 range
My parents, although they're tough lovers, understood my level of distress and decided to have my back. My dad is very practical and straight up and he knows that I could pay that 6,000 back in 2 weeks on a drilling rig, but if I stayed here I'd be living at HOME working my ass off ALL YEAR to pay off a car.
I've also been helping around the house a LOT while home, to show my gratitude, respect and appreciation. I replaced the window that I punched out and attempted to harm myself with, apologized a lot, clean dishes all the time, shovel the driveway automatically cuz it's been snowing, etc...and my dad and I have bonded again during the car search
Anyway- I know others who've had a rough holiday- car accidents, divorce/moves, etc. The holidays are MEANT to be relaxing and fun but just happened to be stressful this year...all I can say though, is there's been a HUGE turn around in the dynamics of my family in the past few days
Merry Holidays, Happy New Year, and happy (soon) birthday to me!
If you're goin through some shit, just breathe
you've still got your life...and in my case, still YET to spawn new life when I meet wife
So last I posted on here, I came home and my parents kicked me out of the house then let me back in (till I found a place to stay) which I did
I rented a place about an hour north of my parents' place for 3 weeks of this past month, the 9th till the 30th ($475 for the month so i paid 360, solid deal...out in the sticks). Didn't end up working at the mountain, although I could've....they wanted me to commit through the season till April and I told them the drilling in North Dakota is most active during the cold winter months of Jan, Feb and I'd have to return to ND before april, like in Feb at the latest...I could've just told him yeah I commit, and worked till whenever, but I didn't want to be dishonest or leave anyone hanging
So I decided not to work, which really wasn't a problem cuz I had just enough to get by
Fast forward to this past Sunday the 23rd...I decided to check out the mountain closest to the place I was renting, about 15 mins away. It's a 710 ft vertical drop, so it's really a mountain/hill, but it's close by, convenient, and when I got there and saw that 60% of the trails were open, I decided it wasn't worth the $40 for a half day (let alone a whole day). With that, I put my boarding boots on and with my snowboard bag on my back, I hiked the mountain and boarded down...twice. I figured it'd be good exercise/preparation for the drilling rig (constantly walking up to the rig floor, which is a good 30 feet, hauling chains, pipe and hammer wrenches, pressure washers, 40lb buckets of oil/hydraulic fluid, etc.
So i made 2 treks up the mountain, 2 runs down the mountain, chilled in the lodge for a bit and decided to head back. I got in my car and, as I was headed halfway down the mountain I smelt a nasty smoldering scent. I rolled down the windows to try to determine if it was infact coming from my car or somewhere else, but it was coming from my car. I got to the bottom, pulled off the side of the road, put the hazards on and popped the hood and opened all the doors to air the car out.
The hood appeared fine- nothing under there seemed to be causing smoke/smoldering. I took my board out of the back seat of my car and noticed smoke seeping though all cracks and crevices in the seats. WTF?!
Unsure of what to do, I whipped out my trusty triple A card and called for a tow (5 miles free, and i was only 7 miles from the town I was in. Had an appointment scheduled for the following day, Monday, to determine what needed to be tightened or lubed to stop a serpentine belt from squealing. Triple A said "45 minutes" so I walked back up to the ski lodge, waited 30, then allowed myself 15 to walk back down the mtn to my car to meet the tow guy.
Well the tow guy was there, but my car was GONE. All that stood in its vacant place was a water-doused outline of the car, a piece of charred seat stuffing/cushion, a charred "Crazy Salt" container and a cooking knife. OH.MY.GOD
The Triple A tow guy called the cops who told me over the phone that the car was on fire, a fire truck came to douse it and it was towed back to the town I was staying in. The cop came back to the location where I was waiting with the Triple A tow guy, who was nice enough to guarantee me a ride home if the cop refused.
The cop that came back to the scene just happened to be the same cop that pulled me over 2 nights before on Friday when I was headed to an event at bar in a college town....small town, TONS of cops...I drove past him on the side of the road, he had someone pulled over but was done with him...I was going 35 in a 30 as i passed the cop getting back in his car and he followed me, then pulled me over in the school zone. "know how fast you were going" and I said "35" with an expression like "sooo what?" He said he wouldn't give me a ticket and checked my info, but before and after he asked about my mason jar containing water in the passengers seat, and asked to smell it lol.
The cop asked to speak to me privately and pulled me aside from the tow truck guy- he gave me all my important ID/documents I had in the car (license, passport, high school diploma that was in the trunk), car registration and the snowboard I had left outside the car in the bag when I ran up to the lodge to call for help. His first question was "why didn't you call me?" and my response was honest..."i never call the cops for car problems, I just immediately thought to call triple A or a mechanically inclined friend." I knew the car had caught fire, but I didn't know how until I realized that while I was pumping the breaks going down the mountain, items in the trunk (metal cooking utensils i keep for cooking on the road along with propane bottles) came into contact with the break light wires. Of course in hindsight, all I would've had to do was disconnect the battery under the hood to short-circuit the electricity...plus I would've then reached in the trunk for a crescent wrench to loosen the bolts and seen the source of the fire.
Anyway, the cop said ok, but then said he could charge me for several offenses if he wished, including "leaving the scene" although I said it was a malfunction, not an accident involving anybody else, but def agreed in a diplomatic way that I "sorta abandoned a potential hazard, putting other passerby vehicles at risk"...he also had seen pot stems in the center console and asked if I smoked pot. He knew I did, but I didn't admit to it and he said "ok, well it will depend on my mood, my back seat and uniform all reek like burning crud now, so i'm not tooo happy about that" and I continued to be apologetic, concerned and friendly. Thankfully he let that go
The tow truck guy brought me home and I contacted my family online.
My parents' immediate response on x-mas eve when I went over their place..."you're on your own, good luck."
I'm like great, my assets are DEPLETED, my rent expires soon and I've got nothing
On x-mas morning when my dad said he wouldn't help me, I lost total control of my emotions. First I cried, then i held my head, then looked up and said "well I guess I better grab a ski mask and rob some people or get in the drug game cuz this shit is hopeless now" and he replied, "well I'd start doing something NOW"
And I did. I turned around, totally distraught in panic mode and punched out the kitchen window looking into the backyard. I reached for a shard of glass stuck in the frame to stick myself with, just thinking to myself "i have no support, no funds, and there's no way out of this." Both parents and my 2 brothers tackled and restrained me in the kitchen. A bit later, we went to my grandparents house for annual x-mas family dinner and, feeling totally despaired, I sat/slept in my parents' car in the driveway until my mom came back out and brought me down the street (coincidentally where I was staying at the house/room i rented, close to my grandparents' place, the next town over).
Mom and I talked the whole way. She knew I was serious about suicide, burglary or drug dealing...she said "promise me you won't hurt yourself, anyone else, or break any laws and I'll make sure we loan you money and help you get back on your feet"
My mom picked me up the next day (cuz we were getting a huge snowstorm later that night so she invited me to live back at the rents' place till I get a new whip to drive back to ND, which looks like it'll happen next weekend.
Ya see, my parents come from basically nothing...they practice tough love with their kids cuz they want to see us build for ourselves like my dad has built for himself and his family and has become quite successful. By the way- somebody mentioned my dad's name in another thread and I'm not ashamed nor afraid to admit that IS him, but the e-mail you pulled offline is WRONG so harass that invalid e-mail address all you want
Anyway, my time at home has been crazy. Crazy fun, crazy difficult, crazy challenging, everything. I considered that car bullshit a freak accident...I had only had that car for 2 MONTHS, purchased in Wyoming when I drove from Williston ND to Craig Colorado to work on a rig temporarily down there, then back across the country to New Hampshire. Looking at a few volvo S60's in the 5-6,000 range
My parents, although they're tough lovers, understood my level of distress and decided to have my back. My dad is very practical and straight up and he knows that I could pay that 6,000 back in 2 weeks on a drilling rig, but if I stayed here I'd be living at HOME working my ass off ALL YEAR to pay off a car.
I've also been helping around the house a LOT while home, to show my gratitude, respect and appreciation. I replaced the window that I punched out and attempted to harm myself with, apologized a lot, clean dishes all the time, shovel the driveway automatically cuz it's been snowing, etc...and my dad and I have bonded again during the car search
Anyway- I know others who've had a rough holiday- car accidents, divorce/moves, etc. The holidays are MEANT to be relaxing and fun but just happened to be stressful this year...all I can say though, is there's been a HUGE turn around in the dynamics of my family in the past few days
Merry Holidays, Happy New Year, and happy (soon) birthday to me!
If you're goin through some shit, just breathe
you've still got your life...and in my case, still YET to spawn new life when I meet wife 
