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Slow news day again...

I have weird friends in Real Life and they sometimes prove it. Now, I can't vouch for the authenticity of the adventure, but I *can* vouch for the fact that it will just confirm how the Ladies view us...

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Dear Bill,

Last weekend I saw something at Harry's Army / Navy Store that sparked my interest. The occasion was our 22nd anniversary and I was looking for a little something extra for my wife, Toni. What I came across was a 100,000-volt, pocket / purse-sized Taser. The effects of the Taser were suppose to be short lived, with no long-term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety … WAY TOO COOL!

Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home. I loaded two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button.

Nothing!

I was disappointed. I learned, however, that if I pushed the button AND pressed it against a metal surface at the same time; I'd get the blue arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs.

Awesome!!!

Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Toni what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave.

Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with only two AAA batteries, right?

There I sat in my recliner, my cat Gracie looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh and blood moving target. I must admit I thought about zapping Gracie (for a fraction of a second) and thought better of it. She is such a sweet cat. But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised. Am I wrong?

So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, Taser in another. The directions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water. Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries.

All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5" long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference--pretty cute, really--loaded with two itsy, bitsy AAA batteries and thinking to myself, "No. Possible. Way!"

What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best...

I'm sitting there alone, Gracie looking on with her head cocked to one side as if to say, "Don't do it!" reasoning that a one-second burst from such a tiny little ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad. I decided to give myself a one-second burst just for the heck of it. I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and

HOLY MOTHER! WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION! @!@$$!%!@*!!!

I'm pretty sure Jessie Ventura ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position and tingling in my legs. The cat was standing over me making meowing sounds I had never heard before, licking my face, undoubtedly thinking to herself, "Do it again, do it again!"

Note: If you ever feel compelled to "mug" yourself with a Taser, one note of caution: there is no such thing as a one-second burst when you zap yourself. You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor. A three second burst would be considered conservative.

SON-OF-A-…that hurt like hell!!! A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), I collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape. My bent reading glasses were on the mantel of the fireplace. How did they up get there???

My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs. I'm still looking for my testicles--I'm offering a significant reward for their safe return.

Still in shock,
[Name deleted to protect the unwitting]

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*grin* H/t to the Once-and-Future First.

Sorta ranks right up there with the lads who peer into the business end of their laser pointers to see if they're *on*...

24 Comments

I can think of less painful ways of shooting yourself in the foot... Like, fer instance, shooting yourself in the foot... At least the cat was amused...
 
I have tried out shock collars for dogs, and that smarts. I guess this ranks up there with peeing on electric fences though. Not something I would advise.
 
Heh- that one come through the BCN site a coupla months ago, Chief... sounds like gar-bodge to me. (but if anyone 'round here tries it, keep us posted, eh?)
 
Yeah, but doesn't it *flow* better now that I've fixed all the typos?
 
Hmmm. (but if anyone 'round here tries it, keep us posted, eh?) I dunno. Whodya think is most likely? JTG, or Ry?
 
Unlikely to be any of the females. And before anybody whines about me being sexist or anything, I'm just sayin'.
 
Heh...second MaryAnn's opinion. Women are more likely to look for guinee pigs than do it to themselves.
 
Have a beer, MaryAnn. 'Roundcheer, we don't let PC nonsense get in the way of sound observations. Of course. if we get enough beer in 'em, well, we might just a female to do it... Down boy! Good PG-17! Not what you thought, really. Trust me. Alla pigs live over at Cassies.
 
This looks like an object lesson in the difference between volts and amps.
 
Calling the AAUW now...
 
American Amalgam of Untamed Wimmin? I'd better pick a number for the cold shower. Lex is usually in and out of the water more often than a porpoise chasing a flying fish.
 
I won't try the taser on myself(that's gotta be sticking your tongue to a 9volt, but on the steroid regime from hell), but Mom's got a good story about how I bent the tines of a fork and stuck it into an electric socket when I was 4 though.
 
Guess that just leaves JTG... We won't mention that I chugged leaded gasoline at about the same age... Oops. I just did.
 
I was reading this story thinking: "Oh my God, he's going to test it on his poor cat!" I'm glad the story had a happy ending instead. Ha ha.
 
Heh - I've fired defibrillators hundreds of times ... but only on test equipment, never on a human (or a cat). Used to be part of my job to perform final test/QC for our company's medical devices. Found out the hard way what the pulses from a Lifepak 6 will do to an audio tape left on top of the machine!
 
My money's on Jon the Mechanic. He's into torture. You can just tell. *THWACK* "Please, Ma'am... may I have another!" *THWACK*
 
"We won't mention that I chugged leaded gasoline at about the same age..." what, eating dirt like the avg. 4 year old wasn't good enough for you Big Guy? Over Achiever. Hmm, someone check Were-Kitten's catnip stash. Either she's out or she's gotten hold of a really strong batch.
 
How did you know I would write something stupid about something stupid I had done? I think I was about 4 when I got a perfect spiral brand from the cig lighter in my Aunt Frances' Caddy on the end of an index finger. The sparky things? Nah, but I betcha they're good for igniting flammable gas mixtures...
 
Here's one that's Perfectly Safe. Didya know that those yellow foam earplugs are an exact fit in a 45ACP case? I tried some primed cases with those in them, and they seem to shoot pretty much to the sight picture, from across the room. Primer blows a hole through the middle, though. I think yer supposed to drill out the flash hole a bit before doing something like that. Acorns from Florida Sand Oaks fit pretty well, too, but tend to shatter. The cat was not amused.
 
Another giggle is demonstrating how an electric fence works. Touch both hands to one of the wires simultaneously--the current continues to flow normally, just like if you'd placed your palms on a Van De Graaff generator. Now that your victim has seen it's safe, convince him to do the same. Then remove your hands, flick him on the earlobe and run.
 
Now that your victim has seen it's safe, convince him to do the same. Then remove your hands, flick him on the earlobe and run. The Insurance Carrier of the Castle *strongly recommends* you not try this at home. CW4(Ret) BillT is a professional. Professional what, we are not at liberty to say, due to that little mechanical monster over there in the corner, edging slowly towards us...
 
*sauntering off toward the south forty with PG-17c in tow* "Hey, PG. Wanna see something neat?"
 
Oh, like *that* will improve things. Prolly make it rabid. Yer worse than JTG, Bill. BCR, better crank up the line and build a back-up, just in case.
 
"Okay, watch me closely--see? You can touch the wire and *flick* HOLY MOTHER! WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION! %$#!!!! "YOU'D BETTER RUN, YOU LITTLE..."
 
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