Teenage Rage
I am, normally and notably, very steady and placid. However two incidents from my early teens stand out in marked contrast - despite being hormonally driven, the glimpses beneath the calm exterior to the latent Berserker within are disquieting.

I've always been quite handy, and decided one day to make a caddy for our trash cans. The intent was to keep them a) from falling over and b) in a straight lined neat row. Partway through the project I realized that I would need to make the frontspiece removable so that the cans could be taken out easily when full.

The bolt I picked to secure this last joint wouldn't fit correctly - I'd drilled the hole too snug. This could be easily fixed by either drilling out the hole or using a smaller bolt, but I. Just. Lost. My. Shit. I pulled the offending board off the structure, and broke it over my knee. This was a 10' 2x4, btw, not some wimpy lath. Then I took the pieces and proceeded to smash them into a nearby rock, repeatedly, eventually reducing the entire board to splinters. After I calmed down, I cut a new board and fixed the problem.

The second episode is more disturbing, if less actually violent. During an argument over which pot to use to make some soup with a friend, I grabbed a kitchen knife and chased her out of the house. I was totally out of control, and if I'd caught her I don't know what I'd have done. We've both not forgotten the incident, even though it was over 40 years ago. She claims that I was possessed for a moment, and I don't argue the point.

So, don't piss me off if I'm a teenager, I guess.
(danalan Pretty good, for an amateur., Thu 21 Jul 2011, 23:06, 3 replies)

The outburst of rage you describe is something I experience regularly.
I have never become violent with a person, but objects are shown no mercy.

I smashed my fist through a laptop and pounded a mobile into the ground, within the span of 20 minutes.
Highly regrettable, after the red mist evaporated.
(tyrellsOwl, Fri 22 Jul 2011, 12:57, closed)

What do you look like as a teenager?
Then I'll know to avoid you if I see you.
(Stiltzkin, Mon 25 Jul 2011, 15:46, closed)

Teenage me is half the size, literally.
(danalan Pretty good, for an amateur., Tue 26 Jul 2011, 22:01, closed)