Two moments stand out for me:
1) When I was in HS, I passed an accident on the driving into class. Someone had obviously died, as they were covered with a white sheet. Upon chatting with several other people later in the day, it came up and I turned to this kid and off-the-cuff said , "Have you ever seen anyone die?" and he said, "Yeah, my dad." I felt like an ass. Apologized and didn't talk for about a month. (Which is a record I will never achieve again)
2) Drunk as hell in college, walking home from the bars. I jump behind a bush to hide from my friends. They come walking by and I started shaking the bush, yelling "I'm a Bush Man, I'm a Bush Man!" (As in a man made of shrubbery!)....I was saying it kinda' slurred, so it came out more like I was saying, "I'm a Bushmen, I'm a Bushmen!" (as in those that inhabit the Kalahari, which is not how my drunken mind had intended it).
At this point, I fail to notice that my friends had already passed by, so when I jump out immediately after saying, "I'm a Bushmen!" for the last time, I'm staring into the face of four of the biggest black dudes this side of East Detroit. (I lived in Detroit, btw). At that point, I just closed my eyes and waited for the beat-down, but they walked on by and I lived to tell the tale.
mrC