25 Random Things:
1. I was born in the Year of the Dragon, as was my Mom. I think that trait may have been the first thing that some of my in-laws liked about it. I hope it was not the last.
2. When I was really young, I was not afraid of the dark. That changed when my babysitter tricked me and made me watch Poltergeist. I was scared of just about everything afterwards, and I would even close my eyes, cover my ears and hum when horror film commercials played on television. When Poltergeist II was coming out, I even went so far as to turn off the television and leave the room at least once.
3. I get creeped out when I gaze too long at little spots (prime examples are the seeds in Kiwi fruit and ants moving in a recently disturbed anthill). Despite the general fear mentioned in number 2, it’s not a phobia, just a neurotic tic.
4. My brother and I were once extras in the Steve Martin and Debra Winger film Leap of Faith. We are at the end of the film standing near Meatloaf, yes, the Meatloaf.
5. I was a huge fan of The Muppets and Peanuts. My sensibilities and sense of humor originated with Jim Henson and Charles Schultz, and I mourned both of their deaths. On the end of the spectrum, I also watched a lot of Benny Hill and Three’s Company when I was a kid. That explains a lot.
6. I love cooking, though I do it infrequently these days, and enjoy reading cookbooks cover-to-cover. (Is that Jack Tripper rearing his head again?) My first full read was The Joy of Cooking, which lacks photographs or any narrative, when I first started to learn the joy of cooking.
7. My favorite brunch ever was a great combination of salty and sweet: a platter of French toast and a bowl of chili. I have tried to top it at home and at restaurants but continue to fail.
8. I am not vegetarian, but I have eaten vegetarian “chik” nuggets, patties and burgers for lunch almost every day since 1998. My favorite brand is Morningstar Farms and I enjoy almost all of its products. Eating less meat would not be a bad idea for most people in the U.S. would help the environment. I also eat the veggie stuff because it faster and cheaper than most lunch options.
9. When I was younger, I did not enjoy beer at all, in part because I thought the carbonation was too caustic. I did begin to enjoy single malt scotch during law school and was subsequently able to drink beer during my third year. Fat Tire was the first beer I actively enjoyed. I've enjoyed many good beers since, although my favorite alcoholic drink remains the caipirinha at Nacional 27. (I'll always settle for a margarita on the rocks, the first alcoholic drink I ever enjoyed.)
10. I have completed a Rubik's cube without cheating. However, that happened not when I was a child, but relatively recently during the summer of 2008 after hours of dedication.
11. One of my favorite pairs of shoes is a pair of adidas sambas, which I bought during high school in 1993. They still fit and I still wear them.
12. I sold concessions in the stands of Texas Stadium during high school, and during two of those seasons, the Cowboys won the Super Bowl. However, I remain a bigger fan of the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Mavericks. I think I was spoiled in a way. Either that, or I love to suffer with my teams. (I like the Cubs a lot too.)
13. 3, 13 and 37 are my favorite numbers. Coincidentally, 3 and 13 have been good to me in roulette. Unfortunately, 37 is one numeral too high for my favorite casino game.
14. I became a poetry major, earning one of the eleven (11) spots through a competitive application and writing samples. Although I made the cut, once in the program, my poetry and analysis did not match up to those of many of my excellent classmates. Nonetheless, the close attention to language and individual word selection that I learned helped me more than expected during law school.
15. I went without a computer or a car during all three (3) years of law school in St. Louis. I would not have made it without Wash. U.’s new law library and computer lab, which factored into my decision to matriculate, pretty decent public transportation, and frequent rides from classmates. I have a car now and often wish that I did not.
16. My favorite athlete of all time is Andre Agassi. I thought he was cool in junior high – I even had the hightops with the black and fluorescent pink squares. As he and I got older, he became disciplined and dedicated, realizing the blessings he had with his natural talent. His career and recommitment mirrors my dedication to my studies during the same period. Style then substance.
17. Along those lines, I am ashamed of the fact that I can count and name the books I have read cover-to-cover, including those assigned for school. I have a lifelong quest to read every work of literature that had been assigned. I alternate a required reading title with a free choice. I have a very long way to go.
18. I am an Anglophile for literature, music, modern film and clothing. I am a Francophile for art, cuisine, culture, older film and clothing. I like clothes.
19. I have a passion for travel and have visited every continent except for Antarctica. Jenn and I are trying to figure out where to go next. Finalists before our 2008 trips included Macchu Picchu, Rio de Janeiro, Toyko, and Russia. (We have long planned on going to China, but that trip keeps getting postponed because of varying circumstances.) Right now, I’ve got some national parks on my mind.
20. Even when I am not traveling, I almost always have bag with me, whether it be a messenger bag, briefcase, or camera bag, to carry tech, water, food, and items to read.
21. I have long had an ability to fall asleep anywhere anytime. It makes long-distance travel easier with red-eye flights and with quick recovery from jet lag. Unfortunately, with poor allocation of bedtime, I often fell asleep in college even when I did not want to: in class, at the theater and the movies, and even during conversations that were important to me despite my hibernating appearance.
22. I earned my Eagle Scout award, but barely, and fifteen (15) years later, I still enjoy what I learned, whether it be knot-tying during camping trips or the principles "do a good turn daily" (a.k.a. a good deed every day) and "leave the world better than you found it." I just wish openly gay people were allowed to be scout leaders.
23. Most of my favorite activities are things, I now realize, which I would do with my family when I was young and that I still do with them now: movies, eating, and shopping. I also realize that I become more like my parents as time passes (except as to politics). These similarities include my hobbies and just about every positive trait I sometimes exhibit. I hope the trend continues.
24. I remember the moment that I realized that Jennifer was my match. It was not the first time I looked into her eyes, or went window shopping with her at Old Orchard, or even attended Mass in the chapel on-campus together (where our wedding later took place). It was one day when she questioned whether something that I had done (but completely unrelated to her) was “right”. (It wasn’t.) She could see through me, challenged me, and still wanted to be with me.
25. Though it took a while to get there, I am now obsessed with running and happily blame my family. My father used to be a marathon runner, wakin at 5 a.m. almost every day to run long distances. I joined cross country during high school in part so I might be able to keep up. (I wasn’t.) I gave up for a long while. Although I had no interest in a marathon or even running in the spring of 2008, Jennifer convinced me to run in the AIDS Marathon Training Program benefitting the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. We quickly grew to love running and have been doing habitually since. Even with our mismatched schedules, it is one of our constants of quality time that we share every weekend.
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