25 Things

Over on Facebook, there’s this “thing” going around, posting a list of “25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about yourself” then tagging it with 25 friends, asking them to do the same. It’s a way to learn more about your friends (or at least to learn what they’re willing to admit or brag about). Putting my list together took me quite a while, so I figured I’d post it here as well.

1. I have been married to the same wonderful woman since I was 21.
2. Both of my sons are Eagle Scouts. No, I am not.
3. I enjoy reading; I have read 552 books since June ’97. But I have little patience for boring books. If I’m not hooked by the end of the second chapter, you’re sent back to the library.
4. My two favorite series of books are The Dark Tower (Stephen King) and Ender’s saga (Orson Scott Card).
5. I wish that I was as good at playing music, sports and XBox games as my sons are.
6. I’ve been working with computers since 1982, on networks since 1984. Facebook and Twitter are the latest incarnation of what we used to call bitnet relay and usenet news.
7. I enjoy photography, especially of active people.
8. I’ve been taking pictures for high school sports teams and marching bands for the past seven years.
9. I volunteer for organzations in which my sons are involved.
10. I enjoy riding my motorcycle on twisty roads through the countryside.
11. I used to be a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, but became so mainly to spite the Redskins fans in my life. To those people: I apologise.
12. I enjoy playing guitar, but don’t do it often enough to be good.
13. I was a Cub Scout leader and an Assistant Scoutmaster for my sons’ Boy Scout troop.
14. I went to college in Wisconsin for two years, then finished up back in Maryland.
15. When I was in the midwest, I enjoyed the cold and snow. Now that I’ve lived in “the south” for 16 years, 40f feels cold to me.
16. I like just about every type of music (but not much rap or opera).
17. I enjoy sailing on the ocean. I like snorkling along a reef. I enjoy being at the beach. I like trying to surf. But I’m not really that big on swimming.
18. I believe that LOST and Battlestar Galactica are the best shows on television, followed closely by House. I think “reality” TV is crap.
19. I usually ignore chain letters that ask for random things, facts, habits or goals.
20. My favorite professional musicians are Jimmy Buffett, U2 and The Beatles.
21. My favorite non-professional musicians are James and Robert (my two sons).
22. People who choose to remain stupid bug me. A lot.
23. I grew up less than 1,000 feet from Sugar Ray Leonard, but never knew it until after we moved out of the neighborhood (and so had he, I believe).
24. I don’t like horror movies or books.
25. I’ve been to Walt Disney World more than ten times as an adult.

The funny thing is that, though it took almost a week for me to do this, once I’d posted it I’ve thought of at least a dozen other ‘facts’ about myself that I could have included.