autobiographical trivia
this is one of those silly facebook things that i did when i was bored and couldn't sleepthe other night.
1) I don't speak Japanese and didn't eat sushi until I was 50.
2) When I was six and living in Illinois, I missed the school bus once and got home by following the bus route, then looking at the water meter on the apartment building (ours had a broken cover).
3) I like cats. I grew up with one that lived to be 17. When she died, my boss at the time gave me the day off.
4) I was a master sergeant in the Air Force (although I had to leave active duty for the Reserves to attain that rank). I served 19 years active and Reserve. In the best job I had on active duty, which is the best job I ever had, I served as a drill instructor and an aerobics instructor, in addition to teaching management and communication. I'm not making this up.
5) I'm 52 1/2 years old. I have three children, ages 27, 25, and 21, and five grandchildren, ages 8, 3 (two), and 1 (two). My youngest grandson has the same birthday I do.
6) I don't drive, although I could (except I can't drive stick).
7) I can't remember the names of 20 people I went to high school with.
8) I went to college for a year and a half but never finished. I took a year off that lasted 30 years. I have two meaningless associates degrees from Community College of the Air Force, which include credit for marching in basic training.
9) I'm an obsessive-compulsive workaholic and insomniac.
10) In spite of my OCD, I've spent most of my adult life actively dodging responsibility. On those few occasions when I neglected to do this, I've always gotten in trouble.
11) I started smoking cigarettes when I was 15 to hide from my parents the fact that I was smoking marijuana. I quit for 15 years, then started again and smoked for ten. Duh. Quit back in May for the last time (I hope).
12) I can't drink whiskey. If I take a single shot of whiskey, I can feel myself turning into an asshole.
13) I am incredibly fortunate to have met my wife at a point in my life when I had decided that I was OK living alone for the rest of my life. Since then, my life has gotten better every year. Even a blind squirrel gets a nut sometimes.
14) As much time/energy/effort as I invest in other bullshit, my children are actually the most important thing in the world to me. If I seem preoccupied, that is perhaps why.
15) I write like a nervous habit, like picking at a scab.
16) Playing music is the most fulfilling activity in the world for me. I'm entirely self-taught, which is why it took me a decade to master fundamentals, after which I realized I was mediocre and put down for seven years. When I picked up again, I was surprised to discover I could be expressive (for myself, at least) on an instrument. I am incredibly fortunate to be able to play the music I want to with people I like and respect.
17) I owe more than I can ever repay to my mother, Michael Rudden (RIP), Stephen Gray, Bruce Wade, Charles Buxton, Dan Lightner, Al Huddleston (RIP), B.D. Trail (RIP), Dave Anderson, Larry Harrison, Craig Regan, Phil Overeem, Denise Lands, Anthony Mariani, Kat Shimamoto, Lee Allen, and Terry Horn.
18) I hate to wait.
19) I dislike drama.
20) I hate hanging out in bars unless I'm playing.
21) I know just enough about sports to sound knowledgeable and interested if I'm waiting for the game to end so I can play.
22) My basic tendency is to be, shall we say, overassertive, but I've been striving to overcome it for the last five years or so.
23) I have very few friends that I've stayed in touch with over time. In that regard, I'm not unlike my father.
24) I used to run and ride bikes obsessively, back when my work schedule was structured to allow that. It was a much healthier addiction than some others I've had.
25) I like my day job. I think I'm temperamentally well suited to retail. I don't sweat the small stuff. The day gig facilitates the lifestyle and all the other stuff I like to do that I can't make a living doing.
1) I don't speak Japanese and didn't eat sushi until I was 50.
2) When I was six and living in Illinois, I missed the school bus once and got home by following the bus route, then looking at the water meter on the apartment building (ours had a broken cover).
3) I like cats. I grew up with one that lived to be 17. When she died, my boss at the time gave me the day off.
4) I was a master sergeant in the Air Force (although I had to leave active duty for the Reserves to attain that rank). I served 19 years active and Reserve. In the best job I had on active duty, which is the best job I ever had, I served as a drill instructor and an aerobics instructor, in addition to teaching management and communication. I'm not making this up.
5) I'm 52 1/2 years old. I have three children, ages 27, 25, and 21, and five grandchildren, ages 8, 3 (two), and 1 (two). My youngest grandson has the same birthday I do.
6) I don't drive, although I could (except I can't drive stick).
7) I can't remember the names of 20 people I went to high school with.
8) I went to college for a year and a half but never finished. I took a year off that lasted 30 years. I have two meaningless associates degrees from Community College of the Air Force, which include credit for marching in basic training.
9) I'm an obsessive-compulsive workaholic and insomniac.
10) In spite of my OCD, I've spent most of my adult life actively dodging responsibility. On those few occasions when I neglected to do this, I've always gotten in trouble.
11) I started smoking cigarettes when I was 15 to hide from my parents the fact that I was smoking marijuana. I quit for 15 years, then started again and smoked for ten. Duh. Quit back in May for the last time (I hope).
12) I can't drink whiskey. If I take a single shot of whiskey, I can feel myself turning into an asshole.
13) I am incredibly fortunate to have met my wife at a point in my life when I had decided that I was OK living alone for the rest of my life. Since then, my life has gotten better every year. Even a blind squirrel gets a nut sometimes.
14) As much time/energy/effort as I invest in other bullshit, my children are actually the most important thing in the world to me. If I seem preoccupied, that is perhaps why.
15) I write like a nervous habit, like picking at a scab.
16) Playing music is the most fulfilling activity in the world for me. I'm entirely self-taught, which is why it took me a decade to master fundamentals, after which I realized I was mediocre and put down for seven years. When I picked up again, I was surprised to discover I could be expressive (for myself, at least) on an instrument. I am incredibly fortunate to be able to play the music I want to with people I like and respect.
17) I owe more than I can ever repay to my mother, Michael Rudden (RIP), Stephen Gray, Bruce Wade, Charles Buxton, Dan Lightner, Al Huddleston (RIP), B.D. Trail (RIP), Dave Anderson, Larry Harrison, Craig Regan, Phil Overeem, Denise Lands, Anthony Mariani, Kat Shimamoto, Lee Allen, and Terry Horn.
18) I hate to wait.
19) I dislike drama.
20) I hate hanging out in bars unless I'm playing.
21) I know just enough about sports to sound knowledgeable and interested if I'm waiting for the game to end so I can play.
22) My basic tendency is to be, shall we say, overassertive, but I've been striving to overcome it for the last five years or so.
23) I have very few friends that I've stayed in touch with over time. In that regard, I'm not unlike my father.
24) I used to run and ride bikes obsessively, back when my work schedule was structured to allow that. It was a much healthier addiction than some others I've had.
25) I like my day job. I think I'm temperamentally well suited to retail. I don't sweat the small stuff. The day gig facilitates the lifestyle and all the other stuff I like to do that I can't make a living doing.
posted by stashdauber at 11:20 PM
1 Comments:
Wow! Who knew?! Why don't you drive? I hate to wait too. I might have to do a post like this...
Post a Comment
<< Home