No! to Backyard Fireworks - Page 2

Cicero · 07-04-2008, 12:50 PM

Sorry you lit yourself on freaking fire Clouder!

Suxors!

I don't have kids, and this part of NM is perpetually wet right now! Bang boom, snap!

Unlike you, one of the best times I think I've ever had, was being a part of a fireworks team for the big show one year. I got to deliver the aesthetic "magic"!

So we are probably going to have quite the opposite opinion on this. I think there is a time and place for it, and not.

I know you had a painful experience with this. I read all about it right there. But not every 5 year old does that, sometimes they go straight for a light socket, sometimes they touch burners, sometimes they put stuff in their mouths that don't belong there, sometimes they think they can fly off the roof, in my case I decided to swat a police dog on the behind for growling, and got my face chewed up. I still love dogs.

It stands to reason that you would hide TNT and explosives from children and regulate it when you are using it....

SteveDallas · 07-04-2008, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cicero

But not every 5 year old does that, sometimes they go straight for a light socket, sometimes they touch burners

Apparently I wanted to unplug something. For whatever reason, I decided it wasn't save to take out with my hand.

So I pried it out of the socket with a metal fork.

sweetwater · 07-04-2008, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveDallas

Apparently I wanted to unplug something. For whatever reason, I decided it wasn't save to take out with my hand.

So I pried it out of the socket with a metal fork.

A metal fork? That's just plain ol' dumb. Silly. Stoopid. Now me, I used a copper aquarium valve. COPPER. Next thing I remember was being on my back across the room, with the valve held held high and my eyes gradually focusing on the blackened area around the screw hole on the valve. I dodged a Darwin Award, but only because it wasn't invented then.

xoxoxoBruce · 07-04-2008, 05:01 PM

Hell, I've got a whole collection of screwdrivers, wire cutters and the like, with blackened, partially melted, edges.

This wire is dead... I'm sure I killed this circuit.
Well, there's no way to kill the line from the pole, but I'll be careful.
Shit, it's only a 110 line, what can happen.
Sure baby, I'll just whip this dimmer into the light circuit and meet you in the bedroom.

dar512 · 07-07-2008, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetwater

I dodged a Darwin Award, but only because it wasn't invented then.

For a Darwin, you have to kill yourself or otherwise remove your genes from the gene pool. Unless you blew your nuts off, you wouldn't have been under consideration.

lookout123 · 07-07-2008, 02:22 PM

My small group of very good and very twisted friends had a tradition in our early 20's. it was called our white trash celebration. the group was mostly punk or hardcore types so the more redneck lifestyle that was common in that part of the midwest was not something we normally looked kindly upon. except for July 5th.

On that day we bought all the PBR and Natural light, Wild Turkey and Jack Daniels we could carry. We would also get old tv sets that had been discarded. Add to that our annual trip to missour'ah to get some fireworks and our normal state of always having a plethora of firearms around and you have the makings for a great and glorious fiasco. Holly's dad, a disgruntled postal worker no less, always allowed us to use his property because it was safely in the middle of BFE.

We would cart all of our supplies out there and start drinking and grilling early in the day. Then we'd start shooting the tv sets. Why? not real sure, we just did. Then the fireworks. Then we'd all head in for some more drinking and card playing until everyone passed out.

Yeah, stupid tradition, i know.

Anyway, one year my good friend C, who is either the dumbest genius or the smartest idiot you'll ever meet, made sure we'd remember the fireworks stage for sure. I had been setting off jumping jacks inside of PBR cans with pretty cool results. spinning and sparking and all the noise. Well, C decided to one up me. He twisted a bunch of them together and put them in a can. It was awesome. A great sight. Then he decided to do the same thing but throw them in the air. OK, cool. At the last minute he decided it would make a great target for him. That is when we said, "OK, let's put the guns away, dummy think is in effect." He was disappointed but decided to throw the can anyway. As he was lighting it I asked if he remembered to extend the fuze. He said he did and got pissed that we'd question him. We stood back and watched as he lit it, then held it to throw at just the right moment. 5, 4, 3, 2, GUESS YOU SHOULD HAVE THROWN ON 2 DUMBASS! The can turned white hot before he even dropped it, let alone threw it.

Commence the running around and whimpering. That was him. We were laughing. He, of course, blistered immediately but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. It was some pretty nasty burn but nothing that required hospitalization.

He was less than pleased as we made fun of the fact that he would still have his hand bandaged when he went back to teaching summer school the next week. That's a genius in action.

Cloud · 07-04-2008, 12:51 PM

it was a long time ago.

Professional fireworks, sure, I like'em. The backyard party kind . . . not so much.

Cicero · 07-04-2008, 01:33 PM

Maybe it is you Clouder, that should try it, using all safety measures. Conquer your fears. Go buy a sparkler pack. Have a new experience with this. You might find the sparkler to be quite lovely, or a trivial piece of crap.

There is a reason why people like them.

Your experience sounds very painful. I would hate for you to live with that forever. Some of your concerns are valid. But I would hate for you to miss something because of a painful and traumatizing experience.

DanaC · 07-04-2008, 07:10 PM

I hate fireworks. They make deeply uneasy, and always have. I remember as a kid, the only fireworks I was truly comfortable with were sparklers.....and that was only because you could write your name in the dark with them...

I was always slightly afraid of the potential dangers of fireworks, possibly in part picked up from my mum, who was also a statistic :p Very occasionally we'd go to a friend's bonfire.....I loved the fire, the potatoes, the black peas and bonfire toffee.....hated the fireworks. Most years we stuck to 'indoor fireworks' :P

Now as an adult I hate them even more. They wind the dog up and make being outside feel slightly unsafe.

xoxoxoBruce · 07-04-2008, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanaC

I hate fireworks. They make deeply uneasy, and always have. I remember as a kid, the only fireworks I was truly comfortable with were sparklers.....and that was only because you could write your name in the dark with them...

I was always slightly afraid of the potential dangers of fireworks, possibly in part picked up from my mum, who was also a statistic :p Very occasionally we'd go to a friend's bonfire.....I loved the fire, the potatoes, the black peas and bonfire toffee.....hated the fireworks. Most years we stuck to 'indoor fireworks' :P

Now as an adult I hate them even more. They wind the dog up and make being outside feel slightly unsafe.

Dana, couldn't you substitute guns for fireworks, and make the same statement? I posit it's fear of the unknown, because you have never learned how to handle them and how you really have to screw up to get hurt.
Granted, they do wind up the dogs.

monster · 07-04-2008, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Dana, couldn't you substitute guns for fireworks, and make the same statement? :

beest and I made a similar comparison this evening. Michigan law only allows fireworks that don't leave the ground. The first party we were at, they were setting them off on a metal tray on a plastic box at the end of the driveway, about 3 feet from the watchhing kids. And a 10 year old was lighting them. We were very apprehensive (and made our kids stand much further back).

The second party was illegal imported fireworks (we're near several borders) (although the rumor is he has a "permit" -certainly, no police bothered us). The crowd were a good way back, they were lit sensibly -at arms length with proper illumination, and we loved them, but most of the locals were nervous and sure they would injure someone because they were "illegal", and were all paranoid about falling hot ash because they were up in the air. We posited that is must be similar to UK/US difference in firearms laws, in that if the law says it's OK then it must be safe, but if it says it's not... eeeeek!

footfootfoot · 07-04-2008, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanaC

Most years we stuck to 'indoor fireworks' :P

Apart from the Elvis Costello song, is there any other meaning to indoor fireworks. I know there are some displays which are done in an arena, but you aren't talking about that...

dar512 · 07-07-2008, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanaC

the only fireworks I was truly comfortable with were sparklers

That's funny because sparklers are the kind that make me the most uneasy. Those wires get really hot. And people hand them to little kids who generally aren't very careful where they're waving them about.

glatt · 07-07-2008, 02:08 PM

My daughter burned me with a sparkler on Friday. Not bad enough to leave a mark, but a glowing sparkle dropped on my bare foot and burned me between my toes.

I'll live.

But I have seen a little kid (not mine) touch the glowing part of the wire after the sparkler goes out. Curiosity killed the cat.

BigV · 07-08-2008, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dar512

That's funny because sparklers are the kind that make me the most uneasy. Those wires get really hot. And people hand them to little kids who generally aren't very careful where they're waving them about.

Quote:

Originally Posted by glatt

My daughter burned me with a sparkler on Friday. Not bad enough to leave a mark, but a glowing sparkle dropped on my bare foot and burned me between my toes.

I'll live.

But I have seen a little kid (not mine) touch the glowing part of the wire after the sparkler goes out. Curiosity killed the cat.

City slicker passing through country village stops at local blacksmith. CS watches as LB hammers out a horseshoe, heating, hammering, heating, hammering, transforming a straight iron rod into the iconic horseshoe curve. At the end of this process, LB holds the horseshoe up for one final visual inspection then tosses it into a bin full of sawdust. Curious, CS reaches down and picks up the still hot horseshoe, and immediately drops it back into the bin.

"Burn your hand?" asks LB.

"No, it just doesn't take me long to check out a horseshoe." replies CS.

07-04-2008, 12:50 PM	#1
Cicero Looking forward to open mic night. Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: New Mexico Posts: 5,148	Sorry you lit yourself on freaking fire Clouder! Suxors! I don't have kids, and this part of NM is perpetually wet right now! Bang boom, snap! Unlike you, one of the best times I think I've ever had, was being a part of a fireworks team for the big show one year. I got to deliver the aesthetic "magic"! So we are probably going to have quite the opposite opinion on this. I think there is a time and place for it, and not. I know you had a painful experience with this. I read all about it right there. But not every 5 year old does that, sometimes they go straight for a light socket, sometimes they touch burners, sometimes they put stuff in their mouths that don't belong there, sometimes they think they can fly off the roof, in my case I decided to swat a police dog on the behind for growling, and got my face chewed up. I still love dogs. It stands to reason that you would hide TNT and explosives from children and regulate it when you are using it.... __________________ Show me a sane man, and I will cure him for you.- Carl Jung Last edited by Cicero; 07-04-2008 at 01:01 PM.

07-04-2008, 05:01 PM	#4
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Hell, I've got a whole collection of screwdrivers, wire cutters and the like, with blackened, partially melted, edges. This wire is dead... I'm sure I killed this circuit. Well, there's no way to kill the line from the pole, but I'll be careful. Shit, it's only a 110 line, what can happen. Sure baby, I'll just whip this dimmer into the light circuit and meet you in the bedroom. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

07-07-2008, 02:22 PM	#6
lookout123 changed his status to single Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Right behind you. No, the other side. Posts: 10,308	My small group of very good and very twisted friends had a tradition in our early 20's. it was called our white trash celebration. the group was mostly punk or hardcore types so the more redneck lifestyle that was common in that part of the midwest was not something we normally looked kindly upon. except for July 5th. On that day we bought all the PBR and Natural light, Wild Turkey and Jack Daniels we could carry. We would also get old tv sets that had been discarded. Add to that our annual trip to missour'ah to get some fireworks and our normal state of always having a plethora of firearms around and you have the makings for a great and glorious fiasco. Holly's dad, a disgruntled postal worker no less, always allowed us to use his property because it was safely in the middle of BFE. We would cart all of our supplies out there and start drinking and grilling early in the day. Then we'd start shooting the tv sets. Why? not real sure, we just did. Then the fireworks. Then we'd all head in for some more drinking and card playing until everyone passed out. Yeah, stupid tradition, i know. Anyway, one year my good friend C, who is either the dumbest genius or the smartest idiot you'll ever meet, made sure we'd remember the fireworks stage for sure. I had been setting off jumping jacks inside of PBR cans with pretty cool results. spinning and sparking and all the noise. Well, C decided to one up me. He twisted a bunch of them together and put them in a can. It was awesome. A great sight. Then he decided to do the same thing but throw them in the air. OK, cool. At the last minute he decided it would make a great target for him. That is when we said, "OK, let's put the guns away, dummy think is in effect." He was disappointed but decided to throw the can anyway. As he was lighting it I asked if he remembered to extend the fuze. He said he did and got pissed that we'd question him. We stood back and watched as he lit it, then held it to throw at just the right moment. 5, 4, 3, 2, GUESS YOU SHOULD HAVE THROWN ON 2 DUMBASS! The can turned white hot before he even dropped it, let alone threw it. Commence the running around and whimpering. That was him. We were laughing. He, of course, blistered immediately but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. It was some pretty nasty burn but nothing that required hospitalization. He was less than pleased as we made fun of the fact that he would still have his hand bandaged when he went back to teaching summer school the next week. That's a genius in action. __________________ Getting knocked down is no sin, it's not getting back up that's the sin

07-04-2008, 12:51 PM	#7
Cloud ... Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 8,360	it was a long time ago. Professional fireworks, sure, I like'em. The backyard party kind . . . not so much. __________________ "Guard your honor. Let your reputation fall where it will. And outlive the bastards!"

07-04-2008, 01:33 PM	#8
Cicero Looking forward to open mic night. Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: New Mexico Posts: 5,148	Maybe it is you Clouder, that should try it, using all safety measures. Conquer your fears. Go buy a sparkler pack. Have a new experience with this. You might find the sparkler to be quite lovely, or a trivial piece of crap. There is a reason why people like them. Your experience sounds very painful. I would hate for you to live with that forever. Some of your concerns are valid. But I would hate for you to miss something because of a painful and traumatizing experience. __________________ Show me a sane man, and I will cure him for you.- Carl Jung

07-04-2008, 07:10 PM	#9
DanaC We have to go back, Kate! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Yorkshire Posts: 25,964	I *hate* fireworks. They make deeply uneasy, and always have. I remember as a kid, the only fireworks I was truly comfortable with were sparklers.....and that was only because you could write your name in the dark with them... I was always slightly afraid of the potential dangers of fireworks, possibly in part picked up from my mum, who was also a statistic :p Very occasionally we'd go to a friend's bonfire.....I loved the fire, the potatoes, the black peas and bonfire toffee.....hated the fireworks. Most years we stuck to 'indoor fireworks' :P Now as an adult I hate them even more. They wind the dog up and make being outside feel slightly unsafe.

07-07-2008, 02:08 PM	#14
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	My daughter burned me with a sparkler on Friday. Not bad enough to leave a mark, but a glowing sparkle dropped on my bare foot and burned me between my toes. I'll live. But I have seen a little kid (not mine) touch the glowing part of the wire after the sparkler goes out. Curiosity killed the cat.

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