Only after learning to do it reliably on the padlocks I had did I ask myself what I am actually going to do with this skill. I'm not going to rob my neighbors' storage compartments or break into any school lockers. So why do I feel so accomplished? And I do. I do not see myself ever using this and there is no way it ever comes up in casual conversation, but I still feel like this was a great use of my time. On reflection it may have something to do with my current easy access to empty beer cans.

  • Alaskaball [comrade/them]A
    ·
    2 years ago

    I dunno you might drive into a park one day to take a nice naturewalk right before the gates to said park are locked up for the rest of the night and the following morning and end up trapped inside a park with bears wandering around your car.

    It happened to me a few years back and the only thing between me and freedom was a fucking masterlock padlock. Thankfully there was some construction vehicles nearby with some empty aluminum cans on them. Sadly I never actually practiced unlocking padlocks without destroying the mechanism so I spent my night struggling to unlock it and running into my car when the black bears came out to play with me.

    • Utter_Karate [he/him, comrade/them]
      hexagon
      ·
      2 years ago

      Comrade, if you listened to my story of having a few beers and learning to open padlocks with the cans and went "Sounds like the time I was trapped in a sea of wild bears trying to eat me" I must tell you that they are not the same. Your story is more interesting.

      • Alaskaball [comrade/them]A
        ·
        2 years ago

        I'd rather have your story than mine lmao, I had to abandon my car after that and run through the woods blasting heavy metal as loud as I can to scare the bears off and then ran face first into a bored bull moose that didn't like heavy metal. Or me for that matter!

    • Nakoichi [they/them]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Eh black bears aren't that much of a threat to a full grown person, that is unless it was a mother with cubs then yeah back away slowly and make yourself look as big as possible.

      Of course the one time I encountered a black bear I was like 15 and she had 3 cubs. Luckily though I was at a good enough distance that I just got to watch them romp around off the side of the trail for a bit before they went on their way.

      • Alaskaball [comrade/them]A
        ·
        2 years ago

        Oh yeah they were mother bears with cubs crawling on my car, of course ima duck back in where it's safe lmao

        • Nakoichi [they/them]
          ·
          2 years ago

          Yeah nope fuck that lol, possibly hungry with their young is the one time when they go from "giant raccoon" to "will possibly kill you and eat you"