The following is a re-post of my blog entry from March 24, 2008. Premise: find someone else with a relatively new blog. And then come up with “50 things about me” for each other.
She did it! And I’m pleasantly shocked and surprised that she was so accurate about so many of them. Take a look at her blog to see what I wrote about her. If anything, I would say that her list about me is far more precise than the one I wrote about her. Kudos to you, Ms. Narf…
ALL THAT IS SHINY
1. My jeans are much stiffer than my cargo pants
Well, yeah. As a general rule. I live in cargo pants. Lots of pockets. I carry a cel phone and a Blackberry pretty much everywhere I go…
2. I had the baby first, then the marriage
I got married in 1998 and had the kid in 2002. But let’s not assume that time flows in one direction only.
3. Yes, my car really has a take out license plate
Cute. š It is a cool personalized license plate. But it’s not “TAKEOUT.”
4. āMinnesotaā makes my son belly laugh
Dude — I so have to record my son laughing at something incredibly intesely. It’s infectious. And at times it’s just certain words. And Lands of 10,000 Lakes.
5. I donāt participate in HNT. Yet.
Only time will tell… š
6. The best part of my job is training / teaching
Yes. I work in the technical world for a large telecommunications company. The simplified version of what I do: I fix the Internet. But I love teaching people the skills and tools used in order to do so from the devices on the backbone of the Information Superhighw… Okay. I’ve said too much already…
7. Potato latkes are popular in my home (mmmmmm, now I am hungry)
They are. Especially with the kid. Who is a fussy eater but enjoys certain holiday specific (Hanukkah) foods.
8. I have looked at, and commented on, naked man butts on the internet
Who hasn’t?
9. My wife has an art degreeā¦she can sew and is incredibly creative
Absolutely. You can see some of her handiwork at her “Spool Of Fred” blog.
10. I miss my mom
Yeah. She died very suddenly in 2006 a few days short of her 61st birthday. Really turned my family’s life upside down at the time. She was a wonderful woman.
11. There are more phones in my home than there are in some offices
If you include non-working cel phones and cordless phones? Yup.
12. I vote
Well duh! They give out free hookers and beer to people who vote.
13. There are frogs in my backyard
Actually, never seen a frog in my backyard. Or front yard. We did have some rat sightings a few years back (ew!), but now it’s mostly squirrels and birds.
EDIT: I forgot about “Zoot,” the funky metal frog statue which lives next to our front steps…
14. I own, and wear, red Crocs
Yup! With the University of Maryland insignia. Got them for my birthday.
15. I have no problem stealing from others (blog fodder of course!)
Haven’t lost any sleep yet.
16. Balls Crossing is a neighborhood near my home
I so have to post a picture of that sign…
17. Gum is a must have for me… MUST. HAVE.
Yes! Gum is my crack cocaine. Trident Pina Colada, to be more specific.
18. I watched the new Knight Rider movie because I love talking wise-ass cars
Again, who doesn’t?
19. My brother is a rabbi
20. I am not a rabbi
Both true. Although I’ve played the rabbi part on many occasions and have been mistaken for one in places as varied as Charlottesville, VA and Giessen, Germany. It’s also important to mention that my brother is one of the coolest rabbis I know.
21. My son calls me Abba
Yup. His name is Avi. (Although we didn’t name him after Avitable, we actually do have a piece of furniture in our home which could be considered an “Avi Table.”) We’re raising him semi-bilingually; Abba is Hebrew for “Dad.”
22. Before blogging was cool, I was a blogger
Since February 1985! I’ll explain further if people are interested…
23. I honestly try to remember that everyone is entitled to their opinion even if sometimes it aināt easy
… and occasionally I succeed at this.
24. Sometimes my wife dyes tiger stripes in her hair
… rawrrr…
25. I have downloaded Weird Al songs
Guilty. My first downloaded song was by Weird Al. Sometime in the late 90s.
26. Shamrock shakes make me happy
Yup! Good detective work — in that I posted twice about them last week…
27. I call my wifeās annual check ups āladytownsā
It makes her crack up — what can I say?
28. I love, really love, music
No argument here.
29. My cat is not a very good mouser
She prefers the trackball and trackpad.
30. Vegetarian only meals in my house
Yes. I’m sure I’ll post more about this at a future time. I am a vegetarian. My wife is not. My kid pretty much is most of the time. We usually don’t have meat in the house except for those rare times when we do.
31. I volunteered in New Orleans in 2007
In June 2007 I helped lead a group of about 80 high school youth group kids to New Orleans to build homes for Habitat for Humanity for a week. Incredible experience. I have pictures to prove that I actually picked up a hammer.
32. On many occasions I use the phrase āthatās how I rollā
Verbal crutch. Sorry…
33. Being on blog talk radio is fun
Hells yeah it is!
34. I need a haircut
At this writing this is true. My last haircut was in September. I’m growing it out for “Locks of Love” in order to donate it to be made into wigs for kids. This does not include facial or body hair.
35. My brotherās email sometimes thinks that mine are spam
… and luckily he looks through his SPAM folder every so often. š I guess it’s my fault for disguising a regular email to him as a Nigerian 419 Scam…
36. You have to see my American Idol video to believe it
Ah, yes. I had a feeling this would come up. It wasn’t one of my brighter moments. I guess, with enough encouragement and coaxing, I’ll post it here.
37. I have stalked people simply because of their license plate
In my defense — it wasn’t just me stalking her. My family members were accomplices.
38. Starbucks is a frequent stop
Actually? Moreso for my wife than for me. I do enjoy a nice, overpriced beverage like the rest of the world. But I’m more of a Caribou Coffee man myself…
39. Bet I could fix your site or computer
Sometimes… Mostly I’ll just advise you to turn it off and then turn it on again.
40. Books have a special place in my lifeā¦they canāt be beat
No kidding! Where else would I hide my stash?
41. I am a Taurus as my birthday is April 21st
I am apparently on the proverbial “cusp” between Aries and Taurus. And I feel that the astrological Horoscope system is flawed. More about that in an upcoming post closer to my birthday…
42. Birthdays in my house are eat what you want days
… the exception being for me every few years or so when my birthday falls on Passover. In that case, the food choices are quite limited. But for the rest of the family? Sure.
43. I wrote a script for a movie when I was in the 7th grade
Yup. It was based on the “Sports” album by Huey Lewis and the News. Stop laughing.
44. This year for Thanksgiving I brought a table (and chairs!)
Thanksgiving in my family could be a whole separate blog. In fact, it has become the beginnings of a cookbook/anthology penned by my Uncle Bill. Suffice to say that 2007 was the first Thanksgiving for our family where turkey was served since the early 1980s. I’ll post more about this as well… The table and chairs had to do with the 30+ people in attendance.
45. I use lactose free milk
The stuff has an expiration date of, like, fifteen weeks from now!
46. Large family gatherings are good for my soul
I suppose so. Since my dad started dating his girlfriend (also widowed around the same time), the family doubled in size. More siblings, more kids, more grandchildren. The fun part about this was finding out that the woman your dad is dating is the mother of the girl you dated in college a decade earlier. Weirdness…
47. My son is musically gifted and I am grateful
He could carry a tune a bit better, but he loves music. And his guitar. And drums. And harmonica. What really impresses me is that he has grown quite fond of the Beatles, the Beastie Boys and the Foo Fighters. Right now he’s going through and Elton John phase, but hopefully he’ll get over that.
48. I ate Ringo
… and he was tasty!
49. Alison Stewart makes my palms sweat
Honey — those aren’t my palms…. š
And finally, # 50ā¦having someone else do my list of 50 was not one of my brightest ideas.
Au Contraire! Any time I can get someone to do my work for me I consider it a bright idea. š
Thanks again, Ms. Narf. You rock.