FMajcinek wrote:I would like second that. I would also like to request that you work a psychiatric-emergency-room story into every possible thread here.

There are so many great 1 liners from there, I wish that I had any type of comedic talent, it would make for a great act. It's a great place to work!

scelops wrote:The description lists
"odd forms of self-stimulatory behavior "
as one of the symptoms.

What does this refer to? If the answer is horrifying in any way, please do not respond.

-Wilson

any repetitive physical action that is possible. including tapping of hands and feet, 'finger wagging', handclapping, etc. for the higher functioning, the unusual aspect usually refers to either specific inappropriateness (versus actions that are inappropriate in any situation) of the actions in the location or situation (handclapping in a place that's supposed to be quiet), or that the action would be considered nornal 'fidgeting' or nervous behaviours except for some aspect, like tapping all fingers and feet at the same time at a fast pace. there is the possibility of the actions being horrifying. the actions vary greatly depending on the level of functioning and the level of understanding of social skills the person has.

mineral wrote:any repetitive physical action that is possible. including tapping of hands and feet, 'finger wagging', handclapping, etc. for the higher functioning, the unusual aspect usually refers to either specific inappropriateness (versus actions that are inappropriate in any situation) of the actions in the location or situation (handclapping in a place that's supposed to be quiet), or that the action would be considered nornal 'fidgeting' or nervous behaviours except for some aspect, like tapping all fingers and feet at the same time at a fast pace. there is the possibility of the actions being horrifying. the actions vary greatly depending on the level of functioning and the level of understanding of social skills the person has.

I must say, this is an impressive first post.

In the village I grew up in there was a guy generally known as John the Revelator. He was barefoot and unshaven all year round, a big bearded barbarous bear of a man with a great big pot belly. In the summer he would walk the streets wearing nothing but a very small pair of denim short shorts drinking from a plastic petrol holder (what are those fucking things called again?)

John the Revelator was an inventor. He had a house but he never went in it - instead he lived in his garage. He claimed that he had been forced out of a lucrative job with an oil giant because he discovered a pollution-free renewable oil alternative. They had bought the copyright from him for a large sum of money, but then refused to manufacture it and made sure noone employed him ever again.

John was plotting his revenge. He had constructed a tricycle that was basically just an office chair on a long wooden pole, with one wheel at the front and two at the back. He was constantly working on it and could often be seen riding down the high street a drunken mess and falling off it in an endeaing slapstick way.He claimed that when it was finished it would be able to go over 100 miles an hour just by peddling power alone. This would eliminate the need for cars and make him the world's richest man. He would ride his contraption around and around in drunken circles and fall off it in an endeaing slapstick way.

John the Revelator also made toy planes with engines and all that shit from old beer cans. I never saw one actually fly, but they looked pretty good. In his garage there was a blackboard with various inventor's scribbles on it. That and strange philosophical or poetic proclamations. He once told me that he could forge perfect pound notes just from beer cans. I pointed out that there were two problems with this plan: firstly, a can of beer costs about a pound anyway so his profit margin wouldn't be too good; secondly, pound notes hadn't been in circulation since the late 1970s and therefore wouldn't get him very far. He remained adamant that he would be having the last laugh somehow....

I never figured out why he was so obsessed with becoming rich (again? If he ever was). He had a house but he never used it; he wore the same clothes every day; he seemed to live frugally by choice. But I guess there was no reason behind such plans - he was just a grade A fruitcake.

A while back my mum wrote to me and mentioned that he'd been found dead in the local park. This saddened me greatly. Salut, John the Revelator!

si-maro wrote:In the summer he would walk the streets wearing nothing but a very small pair of denim short shorts drinking from a plastic petrol holder (what are those fucking things called again?)

...we always called 'em "gas cans."

John the Revelator also made toy planes with engines and all that shit from old beer cans. I never saw one actually fly, but they looked pretty good. In his garage there was a blackboard with various inventor's scribbles on it. That and strange philosophical or poetic proclamations. He once told me that he could forge perfect pound notes just from beer cans. I pointed out that there were two problems with this plan: firstly, a can of beer costs about a pound anyway so his profit margin wouldn't be too good; secondly, pound notes hadn't been in circulation since the late 1970s and therefore wouldn't get him very far. He remained adamant that he would be having the last laugh somehow....

well, he does get all that beer. plus money. i'd say he wins in the end.

si-maro this is one of the most amusing posts i've read in a while. thank you for this. i think i will write a tribute song someday to this man. he deserves it. certainly the weirdest person addressed here, in my opinion.

salut, John the Revelator!

I know a guy named Dain Hammerback. He is pretty weird.

This is a great thread!

When I lived in Camden there was a big dreadlocked black guy who used to wander around the local Safeways all day. He would push a trolley with little or no shopping in it and every couple of minutes he would shout 'THE BEST OF LUCK!!" really loudly. You could hear him wherever you were in the shop. He seemed to be there every single time we went in to do our shopping.

A couple of years later when I started a new job in South London, I was working with a guy called Rob, who had also lived in Camden for a while. The subject of Safeways came up and Rob said "Did you ever see the "BEST OF LUCK" guy in there?"

My other friend used to work at the Maudsley psychiatric hospital and told us about a patient who always brought a shopping trolley into the dispensary to collect his prescription, place the bag of drugs in the empty trolley and wheel it out again.

Finally, there's a white (possibly Scouse) rasta guy who comes down to this local bar called Stereo in Glasgow. He's normally there on Thursdays for 'Dub & Grub' (reggae dj and ital food - highly recommended). Anyway, he's really laid back and friendly, but engaging him in conversation reveals that he is a)possessed of a startling and quite scary intensity and b)irreparably damaged from decades of drug use. He knows a shit-load about reggae though.

night_tools wrote:A couple of years later when I started a new job in South London, I was working with a guy called Rob, who had also lived in Camden for a while. The subject of Safeways came up and Rob said "Did you ever see the "BEST OF LUCK" guy in there?"

I worked in the building next to MTV in Camden for many years and can assure you that Mr Best of Luck patronised Sainsburys too.

A magnificent crazy man.

I guess Whycliffe needs a mention. A local crack addict who once toured with James Brown....

gjhardwick wrote:let's not forget about Whycliffe - this guy had it all (including Danni Minogue as a girlfriend), then the dreaded crack took hold.

Can now be seen wandering around Nottingham, asking random people if he could sing them a song and shouting at moving traffic...

http://www.leftlion.co.uk/articles.cfm/id/401

Simmo, read the fackin thread.