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Bearware
Member
07-12-2002
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 8:54 am
Herckle - When I was 17, there was a great McDonalds' in my neighborhood that was the local hangout. Ok, so I'm old enough that they still let us 'cruise' the parking lot. ANYWAY, we were there so often that we became friends with all the employees, including the security guards. One of them let me play with his handcuffs, and, just to be silly, he 'slapped the cuffs on me' in front of most of the cruising crowd. When he finally gave me the keys, I managed to break the key off in the lock. Both county and city police came by, but there was nothing to be done. We had to wait till McDonald's closed for the security guys to take us to the firestation. There, around 2:00 am, a very large very unhappy fireman did cut me out of the handcuffs with the Jaws of Life. Those things are really cool, by the way. I'm fairly sure they called my Dad and told him, because I didn't get home till after 3, which was many hours past curfew, and yet, he didn't mention it except in passing. Whew, bullet dodged! Needless to say, I've always been a bit wary of handcuffs since!
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 9:04 am
Just doing everybody a favor, Lance, including you. It IS a good, gripping story, and there ARE a lot of people here who have read it before. But there are also many who have not read it and many who have read it who wouldn't mind seeing it again. When you make people beg and beg for you to put it up, then you are actually accomplishing the opposite of what you are trying to do, which is not hog the limelight. Maybe we can just consider this story our very own TVCH legend, like the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere or something, and once a year we bring it out and relive it. So, can we have the story just one more time? (until next year)

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Bearware
Member
07-12-2002
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 9:15 am
Lance, what a GREAT story! Thanks so much for sending it to me! You are truly blessed to be out of there, and I really do believe it shows there is something you will accomplish with your life, someone who's life you'll change, some wonderful thing just waiting for YOU to do it! What a wonderful result from such a scary event!
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 9:34 am
I wanna hear Lance's story!!!
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 11:18 am
Bearware, thanks! That was a wonderful story. Love those kind of memories! My DH used to work at McD's during high school. And I fondly remember many a Friday and Saturday night cruising the parking lot with girlfriends. With only with 35 cents in your pocket, you had riches enough for a hamburger and excuse enough to be there for ulterior motives.
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Weinermr
Member
08-18-2001
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 11:23 am
French fries?
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 11:26 am
Hee hee. Hardly.
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Weinermr
Member
08-18-2001
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 11:27 am
Oh. Milkshakes.
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 11:36 am
noooooooo
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Weinermr
Member
08-18-2001
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 11:47 am
Well I'm stumped then.
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Lancecrossfire
Moderator
07-13-2000
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 12:47 pm
Here is the post I created when I answered a question about the freezer situation. It’s from game I, and the last comment was in reference to a story I had just talked about in Game I about the SIDS calls I went on as an EMT. The purpose of the visit to the freezer was to collect sample bottles of sea sediment that was to be packaged as waste with the rest of the lab waste I was there to package. I was there by myself because I was going to be assigned a “helper” from their location—lately 2 of us had gone because the person their who deals with waste is also a research person, and that comes first—and they had been very busy. The person who was to help me, ironically enough, was a person who had just gotten back from a 2 year educational leave of absence—he was getting his BS. It was his second day back, and had been assigned to help me with whatever I wanted him to do. His name is Steve, and he was pretty sharp, so I figured things would go smooth. So, anyway, I knew there was a freezer to get waste out of, although no one had told me about it…I figured a small walk-in at about 20F (-7C). Well, turns out this thing is a building!! About 10’ wide, and 20’ long---although the first 5x10 is a cooler that leads has a door that goes to the freezer unit. So, we go in, figuring we will work as long as we can gathering sample jars. To set the insides, there are wire standup racks on each side, with isle way in the middle. There are 100s of sample jars—about 100mls to 250mls—either glass or plastic. There are some coolers with sample jars in them—like the coolers you’d take to the beach. Well, we go in, and it feels really cold—the thermometer says –22F(-30C)!!!! So, we close the door because we are going to be in there as long as we can stand it, then head out, warm up, go back in, etc. Well, about 15 minutes pass, and we are VERY cold—so we decide to head out. We hit the handle to get out and IT WON”T MOVE! It’s a metal bolt sticking out with a round plastic knob---just like any cooler or freezer door like this. My dad as a meat cutter—I’ve been in and out of these all my life. We aren’t sure what it’s not moving—corrosion, ice?? We can’t tell. So we hit it hard a couple of times—not a budge. Steve kicks it, and on the second kick instead of getting out, the plastic piece breaks off!! We are now left with the end of a long bolt showing----not something to bash your hand into!! I grab the biggest/heaviest cooler and start hitting a corner of it (more plastic on the corners of coolers). I hit it square on 6 times—and put 6 holes in the cooler! Steve and I next look for an emergency turn-off switch, or emergency alarm---this unit is over 100 feet from the main building, AND set behind a group of other large storage units. We find that there are no emergency switches of any time, so we stop to take stock and plan. Remember, I mentioned that we didn’t try and get out till we were already at the point where we were VERY cold! I say to him, “This is kinda funny being stuck in here..” He says, with his eyes opened as wide as I’ve ever seen anyone’s eyes, “NO IT’S NOT!” I say, “Yes it is…not haha funny, but stupid funny—we are in here looking for frozen mud!” Steve says, “I’m not laughing!” I say, “You have to almost laugh at it—we could die in a short time because we were mud hunting---do you realize how little value it is to die for mud?” He says, “It’s still not funny!” We figure we should go through a systematic method of seeing if we can get out—we face two issues from the inside—we were already freezing when we decided to leave, and the 2 12” fans are continually blowing the very cold air on us unless we are at the ends of the freezer unit. Issues from the outside----there is great distance and other barriers between us and anyone else. No one knew exactly when we came out there—they just knew that we were working on getting waste items together that afternoon—so no one would miss us for awhile. We tried the obvious “bang and yell” on the sides to see what the chances might be I someone came by per chance. This think was built!! Figured someone would have had to been right there listening for us. (we later would find out that was an accurate call). Next any switches on the cooler unit to turn off or change the temperature? Well, yes, although they were marked 20, 30, 35 and defrost. We didn’t know if the numbers were above or below zero!!! So we tried defrost, remembering that on the outside along with the housed chart of the temperature, there was an alarm a swell—most likely an alarm that if the temp. went too high, it would go off. This we thought, was a possibility! Well, after a few minutes of waiting, nothing kicked in---later we would learn that the alarm could only be heard if you were within about 1 foot of it!!!! Well, at –30C, it’s getting two cold guys even colder!! We look to the wiring to see if there is something to short out---hey electrocution potential is better than Popsicle for sure!!! At the same time, I ask Steve if he has family, and if so, how long before they called concerned. He figured his wife would call about 7:00-8:00----of course everyone would be gone by then and no one would answer the phone. It was just after 2:00 when we first went in, btw. We find one junction box above the door, although the cover is screwed on by 2 screws---and no tools in there—only coolers and sample jars!! Can you believe that I have a Swiss Army knife with a number of tools---2 of them being screwdrivers!!! With out that, we could not have removed the cover!! So, I unscrew the screws and remove the plat (hey folks, my hands are getting cold, as I haven’t had them covered the entire time!! We look at the wiring inside the box, and see that it only goes to the light—no wires go into the freezer unit (we could see the conduit coming out of the box for the light—we wee hoping for more! Ok, that was a strike out!! So things are looking a lot worse, because it won’t be long before the cold over takes our ability to have any kind of affect in doing anything. We are looking at the wiring going into the unit trying to find another junction box, or something to yank out and not electrocute us in any event. There was one wire, although it was temperature sensor. Things are starting to not look promising at all…like it’s time to accept that in a couple of hours, we will be dead, and in much less time, we won’t be able to think at all---in a very short time. Steve is feeling pretty bad about the possibility of leaving behind a wife and two small kids….I don’t blame him at all!!!! We both notice a plastic cowling over the plunger—the bolt. It’s concave, so it goes into the door!! I get out the knife again, and unscrew 4 screws—this takes awhile because of the shape my hands are in. With the shelving on each side, there isn’t room for 2 people by the door…I take it off, and exposed is tight packed Styrofoam insulation, and some ice throughout the insulation! I use the knife to cut away the insulation, chip away some ice by where the plunger goes into the door, and I finally get down to a think slab of plywood. I’ve cleared all the insulation and ice away from the plunger, and dug as much as I could around the hole where the plunger goes into the wood. Take the cooler to it again---more holes!! We still don’t know if it’s ice or corrosion that has crewed up the plunger… We just stand there…looking at each other—both thinking we will know what it’s like to freeze to death. I look at my hands---they are swollen to twice their normal size, and in the light appear to be cherry red. For the first time I realize just how much pain they are in! It is hard to move my fingers…and Steve is out of ideas except for pulling the 220 line going into the unit, although it’s bracketed in pretty good, and may not be accessible enough to pull. In any event, it’s likely electrocution from what he knows of electrical systems. All of a sudden a light comes on in my head!!!! We need something to put on the end of the bolt to increase the surface area—that’s why I had put holes in the cooler—so much force over such a small area! How to do that???---the plate from the junction box!!! I turn it point on point (it’s a 4”x4” piece of metal) and place one end into the foam, and up against the bolt end. I grab the cooler—it is heavy to me now (much heavier than before) and I can barely hold it by the handles. I hit at the plate, and it flies off—without the bolt moving at all!! I try this 4 more times, with the same results. Steve is watching me because there isn’t enough room for him...I look into his eyes and can see that he knows this is our last chance…I remember that look from those parents of the SIDS deaths I told you about. Or maybe I know that time is at hand where I won’t be able to move my hands!!!! And neither one of us will be able to even think of anything…the cold air continues to barrel out of those fans!! I hate losing though…and I know my idea is a sound one—it just isn’t working well. I figure just a bit longer, and we will be worthless to ourselves…Steve agrees. I pick up the metal piece once again—with an intensity that only death can bring if you let it come to you. I fight through the half pain, half uselessness of my hands to embed the metal into the foam...I push down and leave a dent in my hand a deep dent. I take the cooler and hit it for all I’m worth…the metal stays in place but movement of the bolt…so I keep hitting it, and don’t plan on stopping till I can’t move. I hit it another 7 or 8 times…and the bolt moves ever so much, and so does the door!!!!!!!!!!! We rush out, and the metal plate falls to the floor….it’s bent around the bolt head, and the bolt end had gone half way through the galvanized plate!! We go report it to the head guy of the facility, and show him everything I just explained. He is in shock at what almost happened! The bolt still won’t move. I really believe that 1) without that knife, we couldn’t have done any of this, 2) that I’m really glad I thought of the junction box cover, and 3) that was the last chance for us. I went back to work the rest of the afternoon, (around 3:30 by now). Steve was a little shaken and goes home. The next day Steve was very shaken and really didn’t want to be there. He helped me, but was very unfocused. The next day he was shaking about the incident…I went back into the freezer to finish the job---with an investigation team present!! Steve quit shortly after that. I believe that we should have died….I am proud of my efforts that day. Yet those things such as those babies dieing in my arms…why did I deserve to get out????
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 12:54 pm
Any boy with a Beatle haircut was fair game in those days.
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 1:16 pm
Yay, Lance. What a nice treat for everyone here! 
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Mocha
Member
08-12-2001
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 1:20 pm
Yay freezer story!
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Grannyg
Member
05-28-2002
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 1:41 pm
I love reading that story!! I never get tired of it. Thanks, Lance.
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 1:59 pm
WOW! Thanks for posting it.
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Lucy
Member
10-08-2002
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 2:47 pm
Lance, I'm glad you posted your story for everyone to read. It's my favorite!
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Whoami
Member
08-03-2001
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 2:59 pm
Absolutley incredible Lance! I agree with Bearwear, with a twist. You have already touched many lives, just through TVCH alone. It is a blessing to all of us that you made it out of that freezer. I think you'll continue to touch many lives.
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 3:00 pm
I have read a lot of stories in my life and that one is very compelling, Lance. Have you ever thought of submitting it somewhere for publication? If not, I hope that you will consider it.
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Pamy
Member
01-02-2002
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 3:11 pm
I am calling Lance Greg Brady!
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Bearware
Member
07-12-2002
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 3:25 pm
LANCE GREAT!!! So glad you posted that story! I do think people should hear it, and agree with Vee, maybe you should submit it somewhere, Readers Digest perhaps? Herckle, I agree, the ulterior motives were the BEST and so inexpensive! One of my best friends married the night manager through all that, and they've been together over 25 years now.
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Egbok
Member
07-13-2000
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 3:58 pm
Awww Lance, thanks for posting your amazing freezer story!! (....and I know your visual of me batting my eyes at you did the trick...LOL!!)
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 4:59 pm
Eggie's trick unveiled!
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Whoami
Member
08-03-2001
| Monday, April 12, 2004 - 10:18 pm
I think I finally thought of something.... I had an entire movie theatre to myself when I went to see Ladyhawke.
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Mak1
Member
08-12-2002
| Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 7:02 am
I accompanied a group of scouts to an international scout jamboree in Sweden. There was only one other U.S. troop there, out of 15,000 campers. At the jamboree, I learned line dancing and square dancing from a Swedish instructor...in Swedish! I also saw the King of Sweden when he stopped in to the craft tent. He came over to our table and our Swedish host spoke to him. I was so impressed, I think I forgot to breathe for a few minutes, lol.
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