When I was a teenager, a local GBI agent would give presentations about drugs and alcohol and tell exciting stories about busting stills. When he showed up with both arms in casts, we all figured there was an exciting story, but no. He had fallen off the ladder while cleaning gutters.

Ladders -- BIL shatter both his heels falling off a ladder. Just as he was recovering his brother did a similar thing, but only shatter one heel.

Then there are is our friend B. Years be fore we knew him he fell through a skylight and broke his back. A few years ago -- he fell off a ladder and cracked his pelvis.

I swear to god, I spent the whole work day yelling about something and not getting anything done. I'm about ready to get up on the roof. BUT I WON'T.

I hate days like that. BUT DON'T!

I tried to climb up on a ladder to our roof, while our house was in construction, to check out the apparently awesome view from there (we joked with our builder we needed to add a second story). But I grabbed the rails and also, unfortunately, a yellowjacket. So my first foray up to my roof ended up with my first bee/wasp sting. I was right off both.

In my misspent youth I fell off a pier and cracked my head and ended up in the ER at 4 am getting dozens of stitches. I only mention it because earlier in the evening we'd been hanging out on the very non-flat, third story roof of a friend's house, so all in all it was probably not the worst thing that could have happened.

I always say I don't fear heights, I fear falling, and seeing the far away ground by my feet does that. I don't like floor to ceiling windows more than a few flights up. Put a railing or wall at least to my waist and I'm fine. A telescope balcony way up? Fine, as long as it is solid and not grating. I've taken in this view: [link] personally, but I wouldn't go anywhere near the edge (taken from popping out out the top of this: [link] My bottom half stayed inside the enclosure.)

(Also, that's a balcony WITH grating and it terrifies me. As did exiting the door to it, because that was before they extended the railing higher by the door. Don't even get me started on the platform the Sloan is on. Grating over the side of the mountain. I couldn't do the glass walkway over the Grand Canyon....)

Sloan platform: [link]

The President is even hotter when he's ticked off, isn't he?

Happy birthday, Suzi!

my first foray up to my roof ended up with my first bee/wasp sting. I was right off both.

Wow. I can't believe making it to adulthood without being stung.

My fear is more of steep grades than heights. Impractical, because grades I can climb still creep me out.

Never been stung.