25 Random Things About Me

Here's a FB meme that I thought would be fun. Feel free to chime in with your own.

1) I do almost everything right-handed, except shoot pool.

2) I make my own beer.

3) I've seen Frank Sinatra AND Ozzy Osbourne in concert.

4) On vacation, I'm equally happy in a national park as a big city.

5) As a child, I initially became a RAIDERS fan because they were the only team I knew of with a player with my real first name.

6) I stopped believing in god when I was 10.

7) When online, I'd rather read something than listen to a podcast.

8) When the wife and I moved to Massachusetts, I moved into our first place site unseen.

9) I firmly believe in the saying, "Psychologists study their deficits."

10) I still miss having long hair.

11) Though I may never play them again and I hate clutter, I can't imagine getting rid of my record albums.

12) I've sky-dived and bungee-jumped. Sky-diving was WAY better.

13) I'm a creature of habit for breakfast and lunch, but I'll almost always order something I haven't had before in a restaurant.

14) I cook dinner almost every night. Come on over anytime.

15) There must be close to 30 ties in my closet that I'll never wear again.

16) In music, I'll take a good instrumentalist over a good vocalist any time.

17) There are plenty of things I forget, but I still remember my friends' phone numbers from when we were kids.

18) I do a lot of work for call centers, but I'll do almost anything to avoid calling one.

19) I don't drink coffee. Ever.

20) Republicans I've voted for: 1 (Bill Weld). Democrats I've voted for: I'll have to get back to you on that.

21) I DJ'd on the radio in college (hm...I think most of you already knew that).

22) I played bass in rock and blues bands in HS and college.

23) I've never had to commute for a full-time job.

24) I have several clients whom I have never seen.

25) If I don't get on a plane every month or so, I get VERY stir crazy.

100 Foods

Umb...borrowed from Lola.

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Italicize any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here to link to your list

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart (Lucky Dog in New Orleans...yum).
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (it always sucks)
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras--I don't care for it.
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche (in small doses)
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda (sounds delish)
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi (no, it's not an Irish woman who just got done exercising)
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (while riding my bike, so it was kind of an accident)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV (hell, I make the stuff)
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail (YUM!!!)
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse--I'm not against it...I just can't get it to un-italicize
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam (spam, spam, spam, baked beans, spam, spam and spam)
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Not bad...obviously I'm not a tea drinker and am a little shy on some of the Asian stuff. Bon appetite!

Friday Meme

Borrowed from Lola. Jen, consider yourself tagged.

1. What do you want for your Birthday?
A big party with all of my friends present.

2. Who will be your next kiss?
The wife, I would imagine. Or, the HB.

3. When is the last time you went to the mall?
Wow...this is a hard one. Lemme think...I honestly don't remember. I hate those fucking places.

4. Are you wearing socks right now?
Yes, ankle high athletic socks.

5. When was the last time you went out?
Last Friday to a wine bar.

6. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days?
Yesterday we took the HB to see Kung Fu Panda.

7. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Iced tea.

8. What are you wearing right now?

Very sweaty workout clothes, including a University of Tennessee t-shirt.

9. What was your last purchase?
Chips and diet Coke for me and the HB after hitting some balls at the driving range.

10. Last meal eaten?
Tuna melt w/fruit.

11. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
Lola.

12. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week?
No.

13. Do you have a pet?
One, Nugget the Pug.

14. What’s the last sporting event you watched?
Watching the Dodgers/Tigers right now.

15. What’s the most played song on your iTunes?
Hm...wouldn't be on iTunes, but on my MP3, Wings Pt 2 by Tool.

16. If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?
On the beach in the south of Spain drinking great wine.

17. What is the last thing you purchased online?
My dad's Father's Day present ( Everything They Had: Sports Writing from David Halberstam)

18. One thing you hate about yourself?
I ruminate way too much.

19. What’s your favorite soup?
Chicken noodle w/matzah balls

20. Do you miss anyone?
Yes.

21. Last play you saw?
Duck Variations and Keep Your Pantheon (they were playing together).

22. What are your plans for the day?
From now, make dinner and watch a movie with the family.

23. Last person you msg’d?
The NZS.

24. Ever go to camp?
Yes, but it wasn't so great.

25. Were you an honour roll student in school?
Nope

26. What do you know about the future?
That it is coming.

27. Are you wearing any perfume or cologne?
Nope.

28. Where are your best friends located?
All over the country.

29. Do you have a tan?
A small one.

30. How old do you want to be when you have kids?
Can I go backwards on this?

31. Who was the first person who made you cry?
The doc who slapped my ass.

32. Do you have any tattoos or piercings?
Not any more (used to have an ear pierced).

32. Have you ever drank your pop from a straw?
I'm sure I've drank my soda from a straw before, but normally don't (unless I've gone through the drive through).

33. How do you like your pop?
Cold.

34. Do you like hot sauce?
Absolutely--hotter the better.

35. Next time you’ll take a shower?
In about 2 hours.

36. What’s the last movie you saw at home?
It's gonna be Gremlins II (yech) in about 10 min.

37. What is your current mood?
Happy w/endorphines flowing.

38. Are you someone’s best friend?
Yes.

39. Have you ever been to Virginia?
A few times.

40. What are you doing right now?
Typing.

5 Fives

Tagged by Jen:

1. What are the last five books you have read?
*The Kite Runner (utterly depressing with a whiny protagonist)
*Blind Side: The Evolution of a Game
*Playing for Pizza
*Power, Faith and Fantasy: America in the Middle East
*Benjamin Franklin (Morgan)

2. Name five places in the world you would love to go to.
*Spain
*Italy
*Yellowstone
*Arches National Park
*My favorite bar

3. Name five people who have strongly influenced your life, both good and bad,… not counting family!
*Joe
*Lynn
*Lyman
*Duncan
*John

4. Name five things you have accomplished that you are proud of, big or small!
*Starting my own biz.
*Getting my Ph.D. in record time.
*Becoming financially independent
*Making more time to help other people
*Walking away from something I wanted that turned out badly.

5. Name five things you still want to do in your life.
*See the travel section.
*Re-learn to surf.
*Retire while I feel young.
*See my son grow up to be happy.
*Continue to find new things that fascinate me.

Lola, consider yourself tagged.

What About It?

This was, umb...benchmarked from Lola:

-Would you kill your neighbor? I luhvs my neighbors. We watch each others' pets, drain wine bottles and their kids babysit mine.

-What were you doing ten minutes ago? Responding to e-mail.

-What did your last text message say? I'm not a big texter, but I'm sure it was to Jen.

-Who have you talked to most today? The HB.

-Do you carve pumpkins every year? Yes. And save the seeds to bake with garlic salt.

-What are you wearing? Jeans, sweatshirt, orange Chucks.

-Who’s on speed dial 2? I just got a new phone, so no one yet.

-Whats your favorite season? Sumer

~How are you feeling right now? A bit sore in my legs, but glad to be getting out of Dodge for a couple of days.

~What did you do this past weekend? Mother's Day-o-rama.

~How many times have you moved? Not counting college, twice.

~What is the last thing you touched? The period key.

~Would you do anything for someone else? I'm an amazingly loyal friend. When asked, no rarely enters my vocabularly.

Have you ever been called a punk? Yup.

Was yesterday better than today? So far, about the same.

~What is your ring tone? Just sounds like a phone.

~Do you have a favorite number? 5 (Johnny Bench, catcher for the Reds)

~Do you hate anyone/anything? I'm not much of a hater, and I'm not gonna start sounding like a Miss America contestant either.

~Does your best friend have a myspace? No...we'll if he does I don't know about it.

~Last time you went out to lunch? I think I drove through Wendy's last week (spicy chicken sandwich)

~Do you have any music you’re ashamed of? Nope.

~Have you ever been in a physical fight with the opposite sex? Nope.

~How old will you be in 2 months? 44

~Do you think you’ll be married by then? I figure that I still will be.

~Do you have one or more Britney Spears CDs? No.

~What did you do last month? Worked and went to DC.

~Do you have plans tonight? Client dinner then hopefully a baseball game.

What’s your favorite movie? Either Monty Python and the Holy Grail or Blazing Saddles.

~Do people ever spell your name wrong? No, but they mispronounce my last name a lot.

~Can you sing? Of course. Well? That's a matter of opinion.

~Are you ever a freak about cleanliness or organization? Nope.

~Have you ever been to South America or Africa? Not yet.

~Do you know how to knit? Nope

~What are you doing right now besides this survey? Responding to e-mail.

~Do you know how to play poker? Yes

~Baskin Robbins or Coldstone? Coldstone

~Physics or chemistry? I've always believed in better living through chemistry, but physics is more interesting.

~Do you wear any jewelry? Just my wedding band.

~What color are your bedroom walls? Blue-green

~When do you prefer to take a shower, morning or night? Night

~Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or Star Wars? Hm...this is tough. I would put LOTR and SW ahead of HP. I'll go LOTR, by a hair.

~Fly or road trip? Fly

~Batman, Spiderman, Superman, Tanner Vineyard, or Shalayna Hatcher? Batmam

~What’s your favorite Disney movie? Not big on the mouse. Pixar on the otherhand...

~What are you excited about? Great music.

Book Tag

Face update: Pretty much the same. Didn't notice any reduction in swelling today, but also did not feel the need to take any Tylenol. The incisions have been easy to clean with minimal discomfort. Not digging putting on the big ol' bandage each day, especially since I have meetings three days in a row. But, that's how it's gonna be.

Jen tagged all of her readers with a Book Meme. In this meme go to page 123 and type the 5th sentence. So, here goes, from John Grisham's Playing for Pizza:

Her life was certainly a mess.

Tag ya bad self!

Smut Meme

Ah, thank you (I think) to my good buddy Lola for this. A lotta rules came with this that I'm going to ignore because I hate rules.

If you want to play along you can answer the questions in the comments or pop it in your own blog.

1. Chocolate or Whipped Cream: Definitely whip cream...and not just for the N2O hits.

2. Leather or PVC: I'm a metal dude...leather.

3. Outdoor Sex or Indoor Sex: Outdoor. The thrill makes up for the mosquito bites on your ass.

4. In the Jacuzzi or In Bed: Jacuzzi always sounds better, but can be, umb...impractical. Plus, you're sitting in the post-coital (or whatever) water just doesn't sound all that great.

5. Bad Sex or No Sex: Bad sex? There's good and better, embarrassing and comfortable, but I'm unfamiliar with bad.

6. Dominate or Be Dominated: I've never been with a very aggressive woman, so I can't comment on the latter. I don't mind the former, but not all of the time.

7. Thigh highs or Bodystocking: Haven't had the experience, but the thought of thigh highs is way better.

8. Fast or Slow: What's it with all of these false choices? FIGHT THE TYRANNY OF OR-- EMBRACE THE POSSIBILITIES OF AND.

9. Rough or Gentle: I tend towards gentle.

10. Bite or Suck: See #8. And don't forget lick and nibble.

11. Role play or Reality: Oh, you mean besides playing mid-40s married people? A little bondage here and there is nice, but who's got time to put on a show?

12. Dirty Talking or Dirty Talking To: BOTH, but not in a 'can you top this' way.

13. Edible panties or No Panties: No panties.

14. Spanking paddle or Bare-handed: Bare-handed.

15. Landing Strip or Kojak: Me or her? Let's just say trimmed is nice, but there's no reason to get all topiary.

16. Multiple Sessions or One Good Fuck: As if we normally have the time for more than one. But, I like the creativity of multiple.

17. Moaning or Screaming: Moaning...screaming kinda freaks me out.

18. Older Men or Young Men: Uh, neither.

19. Threeway or No Way: No way. I'm just WAY too self-conscious. Having said, that, I can't say I'd pass up the opportunity just to see what it's like.

20. Swing or No Swinging: Nope, not interested.

I've Been Tagged--7 Ways That I'm Weird

After a tag by Jen, here we go: 7 Ways That I'm Weird (then again, I'm probably the last person who would know what makes me weird):

1) I'm not OCD, but I do have my patterns. For instance, every M/Tu/Th/F (yes, not W), I wake up when my son does (6:45), make him breakfast, get myself an apple, check e-mail/blogs/news until 7:30, wash-up, make his lunch then drive him to school (7:35), get back and start my work day (8:15ish).

2) Despite the above, if given a choice between doing something the same way or a different way, I'll almost always choose the different way.

3) My favorite condiment on a hot dog or hamburger is Thousand Island dressing.

4) I watch sporting events with the sound off.

5) My female friends have few similarities to my wife

6) With VERY few exceptions, I'd rather listen to someone play a musical instrument than sing.

7) I can listen to someone else talk about themselves for an hour without saying a word about myself.

Tag Lola, you're it!

On Stealing From Lola (who stole from Mia)

[A] - AVAILABLE: for only those that I love
[B] - BIRTHDAY: July 28
[C] - CRUSHING: Elle McPherson, Salma Hayek (well, until recently), Catherine Deneuve, and Lynn
[D] - DRINK YOU LAST HAD: Iced Tea
[E] - EASIEST PERSON TO TALK TO: Lynn
[F] - FAVORITE MUSIC BAND OR SINGER: Metallica (today)
[G] - GUMMY BEARS OR GUMMY WORMS: None of the above
[H]- HOMETOWN: Southern California
[I] - INSTRUMENT(s): Bass
[J] - JUICE: Cranberry (with vodka)
[K] - KILLED SOMEONE: Not yet
[L] - LONGEST CAR RIDE: LA to Knoxville, TN
[M] - MILKSHAKE FLAVOR: Chocolate malt
[N] - NUMBER OF SIBLINGS: One older bro
[O] - ONE WISH: What's so funny about peace, love and understanding?
[P] - PERSON WHO CALLED YOU LAST: A client
[R] - REASONS TO SMILE: Nearly everyone and thing in my life.
[S] - SONG YOU LAST HEARD: Ball & Chain (Social Distortion)
[T] - TIME YOU WOKE UP: 6:45am
[U] - UNDERWEAR: Boxers
[V] - VEGETABLE(S): Green beans with garlic and almonds
[W]- WORST HABITS: Ruminating
[X] - X-RAYS YOU’VE HAD: Hm...elbow and dental
[Y] - YOUR FAVORITE ANIMAL: My pug
[Z] - ZODIAC SIGN: LEO