What is your biggest screw up?

[Domeguy]

This could be your biggest home repeat blunder, bad car purchase, searved ham to your Jewish inlaws, or what ever big screw up and embarrassing event you ever committed.
I'll go first.
While I was posting in "your biggest haul", I got to thinking about the house when I moved into it in IL. It was the middle of winter, and we had only been in the house for about two weeks. It had a new gas furnace and hot water heater installed the year before, and was very warm inside, but when it got down below zero for a couple of days and nights, the water line to the washer had frozen up. I tried to thaw it from inside, but I couldn't get to the waiter line because the water heater was to close to the washer. So I suited up, and went over to my brother-in-law to borrow his propane heater. As I was leaving, he told me not to blow up the neighborhood as he just lived around the corner.
I crawled in under the house, and saw the room where everything was located was an added on room. There was no insulation around the foundation, it was just tin like you might find around a trailer. I instructed my then wife to bang on the floor at the frozen line. As I went on my back along the frozen ground, I was looking at all insulated water lines except right where she was banging on the floor. This one was just a galvanized pipe...no insulation. This had to be it. So I fired up the propane touch and started moving it slowly along the pipe. After about 1/2 hour, still nothing, no moving water. So I concentrated my heat into one area, and soon had the pipe glowing cherry red...still no moving water. So I decided to shimmy on my back to trace the waterline. I was able to trace it all the way back right into the gas main. I had been heating cherry red hot, the natural gas line to the hot water heater next to the washer.
I soon got the correct water line unfrozen, and went back and told my brother-in-law the story. He said "I told you not to blow up the neighborhood". I told him I didn't. Nothing blew up...this time.

[bacpacker]

Can anyone say... 9 lives?

My biggest screw up was marrying my ex-wife. I knew that was a screw up the day of the wedding.

[Kesephist]

+1

[ElevenBravo]

Not going to some type of school, either trade school or college.
Going in the reserves instead of active duty.

[helomech]

Spending 10k bucks on a freaking hot tub.

[ElevenBravo]

Spending 10k bucks on a freaking hot tub.

Im not even sure how to reply on this one...

[jamesneuen]

Deadlifting a 700lb 4-wheeler out of a ditch.

As to the hot tub you could always go this route....... http://s130.photobucket.com/user/Cel...otTub.jpg.html

[robsdak]

tough question.. depends on what category your after?

women Michelle. she was good to start, but turned into a biotch!

knives anything cheap. lesson learned.

firearms Jennings, , , , again, lesson learned.

most used archery equipment! in my case, anyway. a couple split limbs that weren't seen in time.

my first NEW Shovelert Truck. piece O Crap. 23,144 mi and needed an engine. all i did was drive to work and back.

any ax not made by Estwing. i know an argument will likely ensue, i am HARD on CUTTING/CHOPPING TOOLS.

Uniroyal Tires!

listening to other peoples opinions. nuff said!

cheap tools.. if not Klien, Greenlee, Craftsman, Bosch, Milwaukee, don't bother!

letting a MORON cut your grass with your lawn mower. (long story, different thread)

these are just the top 10. need more, i am here.

[Vodin]

Aside from a few major mishaps not much to call a major issue.
1> Not saying 'no bench needed for a squat'
2> Not having an extra carabiner after belaying a friend out of a situation.
3> No helmet on while driving a motor cycle to get a helmet.
All learning moments.

[realist]

Listening to my wife and not buying a piece of property across the street. It was in foreclosure for $186,000, 30 acres and two houses. Today it is worth about $2.4 million, it would have been nice.