First, allow me to apologize for taking the geek-factor up so high with the last post. Honestly, talking about Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek in the same post... what was I thinking?!?
My goal for this post is to drop the GF (geek-factor) back down into the single digits and instead go for a personal feel that won't cause anyone's eyes to glaze over. Unless, of course, your eyes glaze over at the thought of reading personal stories, in which case, go ahead and glaze...
Apparently, anyone out there who knows or keeps up with the blogging culture (also known as the "blogosphere" for those who like their buzzwords. Woops, geek-factor rising, move on!) knows about tagging, whereby someone answers five questions on their blog and then picks some number (five seeming logical, but it's not always the case) of other blogs to "tag". Those other bloggers then have to answer the same questions and tag others, and so on, and so on. I said "apparently" at the beginning because while I have seen people answering questions on their blogs before, I have never been "tagged" before now. Or if I have, I was completely ignorant of it and probably seemed rude and uncaring. Alas, ignorance and neglect can sometimes express themselves in the same manner...
All that to say, my friend Ben over at Procrastination Station tagged me recently. Lest he think I am still completely clueless, I have been doing my homework on this whole subculture, and am ready to rise to the challenge. Without further ado, then...
Five Things You May Not Know About Me:
- I had lived in 9 different places by the age of 9! Let's see if I can remember them all... Born in Arkansas, quickly moved to Mexico City, then (not necessarily in this order) San Antonio, Ennis, Dallas, Sacramento, Oakland, Houston, and finally back to a suburb of Dallas. Let's hear it for railroad families!
- I have had gerbils, hermit crabs, chickens (!?!), a ferret, a python, and several dogs as pets. No, not all at the same time. And no, we didn't live on a farm. The chickens were actually part of a science class experiment where we watched them "incubate" until they hatched and then got to take them home. They got a little annoying after a while, and if they hadn't become dinner for some neighborhood cat (or whatever it was) they would have been sent packing soon. The python was a nice, low-maintenance pet in college. Well, at least until the powers that be discovered his presence and "requested" his relocation off-campus. The ferret was a great apartment pet for a single guy. My favorite pets, not surprisingly, are of the canine variety now that I have a yard and room for them.
- My "sweet-tooth" is practically non-existent. I would actually prefer chips and salsa before dinner to dessert after dinner, and my idea of something sweet before bed-time is a glass of apple juice. Naturally, I married an opposite (though very self-controlled) in that regard. My one exception (and weakness) is a sweet-roll for breakfast. Mmmm, icing....
- My favorite class in college was Structural Analysis. Okay, okay.... geek-factor.
I'll move on, but first I have to add that my least favorite class was Advanced Mechanics of Solids. Let me show you the description of this course (it has not changed in the 11 years since I graduated...) "Analysis of stress and strain in two and three dimensions. Stress-strain relations for elastic, elastic/plastic, and vicoelastic materials. material failure criteria. Analysis of bending erosion of cylinders, plane problems, large deflection of beams, curved beams, beams of elastic foundations, and plates. Solutions by analytical, numerical, energy methods, including an introduction to the finite element method." 'Nuff said. - I rarely finish a soft drink before it gets warm and/or goes flat. This is a source of great amusement to my wife, who frequently watches me pour out the remains of a Dr. Pepper (my soft drink of choice) because it has been open for three hours and it is still half full. I have no idea why this is the case. I guess if I'm thirsty, I go for water. If I want something different, I pop open a soft drink, but probably average 2-3 ounces per hour until it is gone (rarely) or until it is no longer fun to drink because it is warm or flat. The exception is having a soft drink with a meal, at which point I could down several glasses easily. I usually try to order water, though, either because I don't want the surgar or 'cause I'm cheap...
There you have it! Feel illuminated?
Now, I'm not sure how this whole tagging thing is supposed to work. After all, I could list several friends here and say "Tag! You're it..." But who's to say they actually read my website?
Instead, if you are reading this, take 30 seconds to list one thing we may not know about YOU in the comments below!
Tag! You're it!
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6 comments:
Dude, please set the geek factor for "stun" in the future. You wouldn't want any more star-systems to slip through your fingers, now would you?
Thanks for playing along with the tag. They aren't too painful and can actually be fun sometimes.
Later - Ben O.
This is the part where you respond if you're reading this. Maybe this whole 2-way communication is confusing... :-)
Ok, I'll try this, although 1) I don't think most anyone visiting this blog would know me, 2) I don't think I have many interesting things about me that people do who know me don't already know (that was confusing!), and 3) there are certain things that NO ONE should know to begin with.
1) I long-term pet sat Pythagorus, Rollin's ball python, when the "powers that be" discovered Pythagorus at Lovett. I think Rollin took him back, but I can't remember now. After Py, I had a Colombian red-tailed boa, named Cleopatra. It was a short-lived relationship because Cleo was killed in a car accident when I rolled my landlord's Ford Explorer in an early spring snow storm. After Cleo, I tried my hand one more time with a ball python named Sigmund. But Sigmund died after a year, choking on a large rat. I haven't had any snakes since then.
2) I have an extremely low tolerance to all forms of alcohol because I lack the crucial enzyme that breaks alcohol down. So, by 1/4 of a wine glass, I start to get flushed. If I keep on drinking, my whole face gets red, then my body. Then my heart starts to race. Then I get hives. Thus, I have never been able to drink enough to get a buzz much less get drunk. I would have to be put on a ventilator before that would happen, likely.
3) I used to be able to do the splits. That was back in my early teens when I was in taekwondo. Since then, I've herniated a disk in my back, and I have absolutely no flexibility whatsoever.
4) I can never be president, not that I would ever want to be. I was born in Vietnam and came to the States when I was 3. So, if you're not born in the US or a protectorate, you are constitutionally barred from the presidency. Oh, and you have to be at least 35, and I'm not quite there yet.
5) I started doing origami when I was in fifth grade and have many dozens of origami figures stored in my noggin. I regularly make stuff for my pediatric patients, and some adults as well. Actually, I started my relationship of 9 years to my significant other with an origami flower.
that's it. Tag... I guess.
Of all the times for me to check up on you guys! Now I have an assignment.
Hmmm... Y'all know a lot about me.
I've got one!
I love artichoke hearts on grilled chicken sandwiches. Now THAT, I'm sure you did not know. ;)
Okay, so here's my attempt.
You ever have the conversation where someone mentions a movie and you casually reply that you unfortunately have never seen said film? As soon as the words leave your mouth, you realize it was probably not the smartest thing you've ever done. This is because the other person all but explodes in a torrent of phrases like, "No way!" "Really??" "Oh you HAVE to see it." "I can't believe-?" and other such exclamatory noises that make you wish for a spit-shield. This being said, I don't often have to survive such experiences. I took a quiz the other day designed to test how many movies (mostly main-stream flicks with a few oddballs thrown in) you had seen. Out of the 239 titles, I was dismayed to discover I has seen almost 180 of them. While I realize I grew up in a movie-loving family, the sheer number I came up with was somewhat of a revelation.
Pardon the background to my "You-Don't-Know-This-About-Me". Without further ado, and keeping all the previous info in mind, this is something most people don't know.
I have never seen Braveheart.
*raises spit-shield in preparation for the storm*
Wow, thanks for playing, everyone!
Minh, yes, I took Pythagorus back, and ended up giving him back to the cousin from whom I had gotten him in the first place. He died a few years later, if I recall correctly.
Melissa - hmmm, that's just wierd... ;-)
Kari - THAT'SSSSS DESSSSSPICABLE!! Actually, I don't think Amy will ever watch Braveheart, she knows just enough about what happens to not have any interest. FREEEEEEEEE-DOMMMMMMMM!!!
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