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What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

louplummer.lol

311–320 of 353 posts

Re: What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

#311
post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Snow is really heavy after a nar nar day in pow pow cuttin freshies up to your nippy nips, you'll change that assessment! (my email address was once inadvertently put on a mailing list for the planning of a bachelor party ski weekend, people I did not know or have any connection to, and that's the way they talked. i enjoyed it so much i didn't confess till they demanded to know why i hadn't RSVPed yet)

> after a nar nar day in pow pow cuttin freshies up to your nippy nips Translation, please?

nar nar = from gnarly meant in the sense of "great"

pow pow = is powder, powdery snow

cuttin = skiing (i.e. leaving a trail behind you after cutting through the snow)

freshies = means fresh, new; not clear in this context, it could refer to "fresh snow" or "fresh tracks"

nippy nips = depth of snow is up to your nips (nipples) and you are cold/excited/goosebumps so your nips are nippy

this is generalized "california surfer talk"; the type of western man who surfs also snowboards, dirt bikes, jet skis, etc as well as clings to a teenaged hangout burnout lifestyle

Re: What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

#312
post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was at a gas station once and someone approached me with a sad story about needing to get somewhere (I don't recall the details) and he was broke, could I give him some money for gas. This is a common scam but he seemed genuine and I was in a good mood. I said I did not have any cash but I would buy him a tank of gas, which I did. Then I went back to fill my own car, and the pump never charged me. I swiped my card,…

I wonder if the second tank of gas at the same gas station triggered fraud detection, and your card company handled it without asking.

Possibly. It was quite a number of years ago.

Re: What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

#313
post #207

During COVID, by father was dying in a hospice center (from something else, not COVID). Because of the circumstances and the condition of the medical system, it was impossible to get into where he was to see him, and the staff was too overworked and understaffed to find a way to connect us to him. He was alone, fragile, dying, and terrified. As my mother and I sat in the reception area fighting with the hospice admin…

My condolences for your dad. This is a very heart-warming story though. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you. There is goodness in this world!

Re: What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

#314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Comments made by recent accounts appear with green names until a grace period passes. HN prefers "legit accounts" (subjective) - good faith comments from real people, reasonable uses of alias and spun up fresh accounts for regulars to say things without being part of their main history, etc. New commenters welcome. There are obvious and less obvious dark patterns of bad faith account creation. The admins do a pretty…

> Comments made by recent accounts appear with green names until a grace period passes. on HN? huh, i've never seen that (and i'm no spring chicken)

If you see my message quickly enough (I can't remember how long the green lasts, so not sure when the deadline is for this example), here's the most recent green I saw to give you an example: jonathan7977, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46264260 (linked directly to their comment but it shows green on the main thread also - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46263317)

Re: What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

#315

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually struggle with this quite a bit, took me a while to realised, but wonder if you have any advice to get over it? (Aside from just succeed more)

I'm struggling with this too. First, figure out if it's a true fear of success or really fear of failure in disguise. (I'm afraid of getting hired. So what? Then I have to perform. So what? But I might fail. Ahh, there we go.) Secondly, figure out what messages people around you gave you when you succeeded or failed. Especially any behaviors that gave you a feeling of fear, shame or disgust. Third, start placing your…

Super actionable, will give these a go. Reading through this I now see that I get stuck on the first step and just beat myself out about it instead of making progress.

Thank you!

Re: What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

#316

2025 years ago a guy none of us have met in person agreed to pay for our wrongdoing by agreeing to be tortured and die a humiliating death.

Not the time or place for this.

It's literally the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for me.

What about it is not the time or place for "this"?

Re: What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

#317
post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might want to have tubes with both Presta and Schrader valves (to match the existing tube on the other tire). Theoretically you could use either, but some rims might have a hole that's only small enough for a Presta valve (so I guess that makes Presta slightly more compatible in an emergency!). I agree that there's flexibility in the sizes. When I wanted to stock up my work's garage with spare bike tires, I got f…

Lately, many Presta tubes come with valve nuts that fit Schrader valve holes. The nuts look similar to this: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/612j5EAmLXL._AC_UF1000,1... So there's not necessarily a need to carry tubes with both valve types.

Oh, I think I've seen one of those! Cool, that could definitely help for emergencies.

Re: What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

#319
post #212

One summer I got a ridiculous number of flat tires in my 300,000 mile jeep. One of those happened in a heavy rainstorm. The ground was soft, and I don't know why exactly, but I couldn't get the jack to lift the jeep high enough to lift the tire. I was on a country highway near my home, with no cell service and maybe one car every ten minutes. I tried a few spots, even just halfway in the lane--I was afraid, though, b…

Growing up as a child whenever the family drove somewhere, if my dad saw someone with car trouble he would stop. It helped that he was a real engineer and an excellent mechanic, but I think there was also a Christian duty in there as well for him.

I try to stop when I can, and occasionally pick up a hitchhiker, but I don't risk it when I have kids in the car.

Re: What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

#320
I was riding my dirt bike way the heck out in the mountains where there was no service.. at some point I realize I lost my phone. I went back to look for it but it was hopeless. I used my friends phone to log into my apple account and set it to lost mode (so it has contact info when someone finds it, and alerts me when it gets service again). Later that day my wife gets a call from my phone, we meet the guy at a gas station, and pick it up. He lived pretty far away and he insisted on meeting me halfway, and didn’t seem like a person of means. He did accept a finders fee at least.

A lot of people have done a lot of nice things for me, that one kind of stands out since he didnt seem like he had much.

I have a lot of such stories while riding dirt bikes. Kind of need to depend on the help of others if you get wedged or injured.

I will also never forget the CEO who gave me 3 paid months time off when I was hospitalized / sick. I think it was a risk for him since it was unclear I would be able to work again, but fortunately I made it back.

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