Meme Mania

Luisa tagged me for a meme. It's late, and I should be going to bed, so my brain is tired. I hope this doesn't end up being boring!

What were you doing ten years ago?
I was recovering from knee surgery, trying to find a new job teaching chemistry, and donating my time to my then-current employer preparing the oldest high school chem lab in the history of man for a visit from a hazardous waste disposal company. Seriously.

What were you doing one year ago?

I was visiting my family in CT and working on catching up on my reading challenge.

Five Snacks You Enjoy:
1. Ice cream.
2. Fruit smoothies
3. Any chocolate that isn't Tootsie Rolls or M&M's
4. Cereal
5. Chopped walnuts with honey

Five songs you know all the lyrics to:
1. And So It Goes by Billy Joel (and I'll just leave it at one Billy Joel song, okay?)
2. Great is Thy Faithfulness
3. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
4. We Belong by Pat Benatar
5. Rachel Racinda by Lost and Found

Things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Give a whole lot to World Vision
2. Get a new kitchen floor
3. Get solar panels for my house
4. Take some classes
5. Go away by myself for a whole week.

Five Bad Habits:
1. Sucking my thumb
2. Blogging late at night instead of exercising
3. Leaving my hair in the bathtub
4. Not washing dishes
5. Biting/picking at my lips

Five things you like to do:
1. Learn
2. Crochet or knit
3. Sit in a coffee shop all by myself and write
4. Talk about myself. (Maybe that should be listed in the question above.)
5. Laugh

Five things you will never wear again:
1. My fake tooth. I was a fake tooth (my top, right one) attached to a retainer-type device. I needed surgery and ended up wearing it for about two years before I got an implant to replace the gaping hole in my head.
2. Leg warmers
3. Banana clips
4. Pink.
5. Anything in a size 8.

Five Favorite Toys:
1. Computer
2. Sewing machine
3. I seriously cannot think of anything else

Where will I be in ten years?
Writing Bible studies and speaking to women's groups.

If you want to join in on the meme, please do. Leave me a comment so I know to check out your answers.

Blahgging

Here is the blogging meme that has been posted by Chilihead at Don't Try This at Home. Click this link if you would like to read others who have answered the same questions.

How did you start blogging?
I started blogging not too long after my friend Maureen sent all of her friends an e-mail telling us of her blog. She said something like "I wanted you all to know that I have a weblog." I wish I was kidding when I say this, but my immediate thought was A weblog? Is it serious? Is it fatal?

Then she went on to explain what it was, and I felt really stupid. I read her blog every day after that and eventually decided that I would start one of my own.

Did you intend to be a blog with a following? If so, how did you go about it?
I have never sought out a following for my blog. I don't participate in many carnivals or take many opportunities to promote my blog. I am not against a larger readership, but what I really want is readers who participate - people who are willing to share their thoughts and get to know me (and I them.) Aside from the fact that this is hard to do with a large number of people, my experience has been that the majority of people just don't want to participate in this way. So I am not actively seeking tons of readers - I'd rather have a few readers who talk back to me than a thousand who never say a word.

What do you hope to achieve or accomplish with your blog? Have you been successful? If not, do you have a plan to achieve those goals?
I have never clearly defined a goal for my blog and I'm not sure that I could. I often feel conflicted about what I want to accomplish through my blogging.

Recently I have had a desire to encourage deeper thinking on some harder issues, particularly as they relate to the Christian worldview. But these are the very issues which garner the least discussion (in my experience) and discussion is a big reason that I blog in the first place. Also a serious debate in my mind right now is whether putting those ideas out there "for the whole world to see" is as effective as addressing those things within my own, real world, sphere of influence. Add to this some uncertainty about what qualifies me to speak to these issues, and you have one PEZmama with a whole lot of bloggy angst.

That being said, I also have a great desire make people laugh, both in real life and on the blog. Unfortunately, I don't always have the verbal skillz that are required to finely craft the humorous post. I do think I make people laugh as a commenter though, but sometimes it's hard to tell if I am even doing that.

As for a plan, I don't know. I have seriously considered the plan called "stop blogging." (No comments, please.) I say this because, again, I am wondering if this medium is as effective as addressing people personally. Plus, being able to hear someone laugh or sitting down and having a real conversation are always so much more rewarding. Selfish, perhaps, but true.

Has the focus of your blog changed since you started blogging? How?
Absolutely.

Honestly, I think I started my blog because I was looking for validation from others who would say "you are so funny" or "you are so smart." (I didn't know it at the time, but when I started blogging, I was in the midst of a bout with depression that was going to get worse before it got better.) The validation really didn't come, so it was a hard time blog-wise because I wasn't really getting what I wanted out of it (and I shouldn't have) yet I kept trying. Eventually I got so sick of it that I took a very long break. (Quit is more like it. I had no intention of returning.)

When I came back from the break, my blogging perspective had changed. I began treatment for my depression soon after and I think that my perspective continued to change until I found the "voice" that I'm developing now. This voice is a much better reflection of the real me, and it's the voice that talks a little more about those deeper issues I mentioned above.

What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you started?
How to use the period correctly.

My thoughts kept trailing......

But bloggers in the know are So. Much. Cooler.

Do you make money with your blog?
The last time I made money was when they paid me ten dollars for reporting to jury duty.

In 2001.

Does your immediate or extended family know about your blog? If so, do they read it? If not, why?
From my immediate family, my mom reads consistently and my husband has read it all (I think.) My sisters have stopped by a few times. I think my sister-in-law and a neice and nephew read sporadically.

As for "why?" I can't speak to that other than to say that my mom likes to see pictures of her grandchildren. I'll never know why more people don't consistently read this blog. It's funny, it's challenging, and it has PEZ dispensers. Who wouldn't want to read that?

What two pieces of advice would you give to a new blogger?
I offer this bit of advice, learned from admittedly painful experience, to the one other person in the universe who would do this: Blogs are not a good replacement for three-dimensional people. You can make friends as a blogger, but it can be difficult and sometimes impossible (especially if you want to be friends with MEGAblogger who has 500 other readers who also want to be her friend. And sometimes even the minibloggers just aren't up for starting new online friendships.) If your primary goal is to start a friendship, you might have a better chance if you go find a real life person and spend some time with them.

And this piece of advice, learned from a bit of serendipity, to anyone who wants to increase traffic on their blog: Quote Toto lyrics.

Ever since my Africa post, I think I show up daily on search results for lyrics to that song. Better yet, you might want to try slighly MISquoting the lyrics, because I get even more hits from people searching for the phrase "there is nothing 100 men on mars could not do."

I'm serious. Look.

Then again, I also show up in search results for "how to make an oreo McFlurry at home," so, maybe this advice is not for you after all.

Unless "clueless people" is, like, your target audience.

For real....

A Meme

Shalee tagged me to do this meme. Here goes.

If you had to choose one vice in exclusion of all others, what would it be? After reading this question, my mind went immediately to the seven vices (deadly sins) that I learned about as a child. Of those, I am particularly good at pride and anger, and have done well with sloth also. But as I read the list, trying to figure out which one I would really "want" to choose, I can't say that I'd really LIKE to have license to do any of those. None seems attractive to me.

BUT, since we are building one another up by encouraging our thoughts of unholy behavior, I will say this: There are times when I wish I could cuss without sinning. Seriously. I am not saying that I think cussing is good. I am just being honest about some things that I find difficult. There have been times where it seems like just letting one fly would bring a great deal of relief to me. I don't do it very often, but when I do it is because I am EXTREMELY angry and there are no other words disgusting enough to describe how I feel about a situation.

So, if that is a vice, it's one I struggle with. But FOR THE RECORD: it is not one I would choose.

If you could change one specific thing about the world, what would it be? I'd make the world's economy such that every single person could have a fair-paying, humane job, which provided enough for them to have food, health care, a comfortable living space, and some fun for themselves and their family.

Socialism, anyone?

Name the cartoon character you identify with the most. Here's the thing: I don't identify with any cartoon characters. Maybe that is why I hate watching cartoons so much.

If you could live one day of your life over again, which one would it be? A married mother of three should not be asked to answer such questions. I cannot choose one day, therefore I choose NONE!

If you could go back in history and spend a day with one person, who would it be? Does it have to be a dead person? I'd choose Ms. Bao's birth mom.

What is one thing you lost, sold, or threw away that you wish you had back? I wrote down all the comments people sent me when I e-mailed Bao's referral photos to our friends. I wanted to record all of them in her scrapbook, but I think I threw them away by accident.

What is your one most important contribution to this world? What, like you're not staring right at it?

What is your one hidden talent that nearly no one knows about? I can sing fairly well. I'm not a STRONG singer, but I can hold a tune, so I don't know if it's a talent per se. I do know that the one (and only) time I sang in front of my church, all these people came up to me afterward all incredulous, and were like, "I didn't know you could sing!" I guess they figured if I could sing they would have heard me do it. Needless to say, that ain't how I look at it.

What is your most cherished possession? This is a hard one, because I can't think of many things that would really crush me to have lost. The one thing that comes to mind are the keepsake books I have put together for my kids. Some scrapbooking, some journaling. I do think I'd be upset to lose something like that.

What one person influenced your life the most when growing up? If I told you it was a cartoon character, would you believe me? I don't know that I had a ton of influential people in my life (despite my efforts.) I suppose the ones who influenced me the most would have been my mom and dad.

What word describes you better than any other? Pulchritudinous. No, seriously, I think I'd have to day "reflective" or something like that. Lemme go think about that....

A Disappointing Meme

First Bev tags me for cleaning tips, now Brenda has tagged me for this meme. I think she is going to be very disappointed with my answer. But I will do it because I like me some Brenda. Here it is:

If you could write a novel about any subject, what would it be?
(Just the subject. Don't give away your plot idea!)

Plot idea?

Let me just explain this to you: If I tried to write a novel, I wouldn't get two pages done before I ran out of ideas. I just don't like making up stories. (That's why playing Barbies never interested me as a kid.) Real life has almost always been more interesting to me.

If I wrote a book, it would be nonfiction. I could see me writing a Bible study. Or a collection of humorous stories from my experiences as a mother. Or maybe even a text book or collection of research essays. But a novel? Never. Gonna. Happen.

Check out the reading list in my sidebar. Nary a novel to be found...

OOOh, Baby, Baby...

Ms. Bao was tagged to do a meme by Baby Spice. So, without further ado, I will turn over the keyboard to my daughter. Here is her very first meme.

3 Things that scare me:
1. Loud noises that are close by.
2. When I get too close to a live animal.
3. When it looks like mom or dad is leaving me.

3 People who make me laugh:
1. My big brother.
2. My big sister.
3. My dad.

3 Things I love:

1. My white snuggler.
2. My green snuggler.
3. My purple snuggler.

3 Things I hate:
1. Getting my teeth brushed.
2. Getting my hair cut.
3. Getting smothered by my big sister when she is trying to "hug" me.

3 Things don't understand:
1. Those white things that hold the cabinets closed.
2. Sharing.
3. That whole thing about turning the pages in a book in a certain order.

3 Things on my floor:
1. One of my snugglers.
2. My sippy cup.
3. My favorite book with the farm animals.

3 Things I am doing right now:
1. Recovering from the trauma my mother just inflicted upon me. She calls it getting my hair cut. I call it cruelTY
2. HITTING THE "CAPS LOCK" KEY.
3. DRINKING MY MILK BEFORE BED.

3 Things I want to do before I die:
1. Die? What is that?
2. Figure out those white things on the cabinets.
3. Climb onto the couch by myself.

3 Things I can do:
1. Wave goodbye.
2. Sign the words "more," "please," and "thank you."
3. Say "yes," and "no."

3 Ways to describe my personality:
1. I know what I like and what I don't.
2. I will let you know what I like and what I don't.
3. I am becoming more and more playful with each passing day.

3 Things I cannot do:
1. Hear music without swaying back and forth.
2. Eat without throwing something on the floor.
3. Solve differential equations.

3 Things I think you should listen to:
1. My mom. She is all about that. And she will make you look RIGHT at her if you don't.
2. That tune from "Big Comfy Couch." I like that one. Very catchy.
3. Me, when I am singing. I'm pretty good.

3 Things I don't think you should listen to:
1. My sister. I sure don't.
2. People who get all up in your face when you want to be left alone.
3. Metallica.

3 Favorite foods:
1. Suckers.
2. Ice cream.
3. Cheese.

3 Beverages I drink regularly:
1. Milk.
2. Water.
3. I didn't know there were any others.

3 Shows I watch:
1. When mom and dad get it from the library, I watch that Bear in the Big Blue House show all the time. I LOVE IT! I wonder why they haven't gotten that one lately?
2. Big Comfy Couch.
3. Big, Big World.
(I guess I like "Big" Things, eh?)

Thank you for reading.

ABC. Easy as one, two, three...

Leslie tagged me for this "ABC" meme.

Here you go, Leslie. Sorry if I got too snarky.

Accent: whatever the accent is in the place I have been for the last week. I pick up accents like nobody's business. I even do people's common facial expressions if I hang out with them long enough. It's weird. But, mostly, I guess my accent is "southwest Ohio," which, in itself, is a hodgepodge accents from Tennessee, Kentucky, and Michigan.

Bible book that I like: All time favorite - Colossians. Currently has my attention - Isaiah.

Chore that I don't care for: Cleaning up after dinner.

Dog or Cat: Either, if this refers to stuffed animals. Otherwise, neither.

Essential electronics: computer.

Favorite cologne: the unscented kind.

Gold or silver: Au.

Handbag I carry most often: well, that'd be the only one I own - good ol' B3.

Insomnia: only at night.

Job Title: Associate Professor of Philosophy.

Kids: Is someone trying to imply that I am a goat?

Living arrangements: dubious. My time here is extended only for good behavior.

Most Admirable Trait: I can balance an open can of pop on my head while raising either leg above my shoulder.... without spilling the pop.

Naughtiest childhood memory: Marcy was in town and somehow I ended up with her oldest daughter and my older sister at a grocery store. I have no idea why I thought this would impress anyone, but I thought I'd look cool if I did something "bad." So, I went to the freezer case where they kept the ice cream, opened one of those "bucket" type containers, removed the gum that I'd been chewing from my mouth, placed it on the foil liner, then replaced the lid. I know you are all thinking - wow, she is so COOL!

Overnight hospital stays: only when I gave birth. And I LOVED them, thank you very much.

Phobias: Oddly enough, I have a fear of phobias.

Quote: "The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking." (That's from Big Al.)

Religion: only when I'm not submitting to the Holy Spirit.

Siblings: Krista (older) and Patti (younger) and a slew of others as numerous the stars in the sky.

Time I wake up: Whenever Bethany does.

Unusual talent or skill: I do a mean impersonation of the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz. (And I just typed Way too many Ws.)

Vegetable I refuse to eat: brussels sprouts. Never had 'em, never want to.

Worst Habit: thumb sucking.

X-Rays: Okay, I'll admit that I do OCCASIONALLY emit them - but ONLY when the kids have locked themselves in the bathroom and they're too quiet for me to figure out what they're doing in there. But don't worry, I always ask if there is any chance that they're pregnant before I do that.

Yummy stuff I cook: chocolate pudding crock pot cake, Williamsburg bread.

Zoo animal I like most: What in the world kind of question is that? Emus. Definitely Emus. ???

A Meme

Boomama tagged me. So here goes.

I am – (is that blasphemous?)

I want – to read more. And a new pair of flip flops. And this too.

I wish – someone had told me a long time ago that I was good at writing.

I hate – hokey stuff that is supposed to appeal to my emotions in order to elicit some specific response from me.... it's manipulative, and I can't stand it.

I miss – the conversations with "the girls" from college.

I hear – voices in my head that like to tear me down.

I wonder – how the nucleus of an atom can stay together. And what is in between the electrons. I've posted about this.

I regret – not walking closely with God when I lived in Sidney.

I am not – good at small talk.

I dance – like I mean it.

I sing – along with whatever's playing in the grocery store.

I cry – less often than I did a year ago. For that, I am very grateful.

I am not always – good at listening.

I make – people laugh.

I write – to relate.

I confuse – Hebrews with Romans. Moses with Noah. And Ted Turner with Mike Turner.

I need – time. by. my. self.

I should – pray for my family more. Lose 15 pounds. Stop eating so much sugar.

I start – singing "Jeremiah was a bullfrog" every (I mean EVERY) time someone says "turn in your Bible to Jeremiah."

I finish – 1 out of every five books I start.

So ThaAAAt's how they get started...

I have written some posts recently about what I call "being present" with my kids throughout the day. My initial thoughts were sparked by Meagan's comment on this post over at Shalee's blog. My last post about this was just a simple list of things I do (or want to do) to improve my "presence" with my kids.

After reading it, Sarahgrace suggested that I tag some people and ask them to list their ideas for being present. I sat on the idea for a while because I thought I had to somehow qualify what being present means. I did, after all, just kind of make that up... and so who's to say that it really even means anything. (This is how I think, y'all. If I am going to ask people to make a list of things they should do with their kids, I think I should be able to defend why it's worthy of pursuing in the first place. Unfortunately, I can't. I am just too tired to think.)

So, before this topic gets too old, I will tag Sarahgrace and she can list all the things that she does or would like to do to be present with her kids. If you want to do the same, you can leave a link to your list in the comments section. Or, if you don't have a blog, you can post your list in the comments. As far as tagging other people, that is completely up to you.

I love some of the ideas that have been left already. Mary suggests listening to our kids with "smiling eyes." Robin comments about putting down the phone. Go crazy, ladies. Maybe someone could even DEFINE what being present means. Or find some scripture that applies. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

(And now, I know how these things get started.)

My apologies to those who subscribe to the feed. I am having trouble getting these links to work.

Six Weird things about me

Okay, well, Addie tagged me to do a meme - six weird things about me. I often read these lists and I think, "well, that's not so weird" because I know that a lot of people do the same things. So, I am trying to think of things that I do that few others could say they do too. But, in order for it to be considered WEIRD, I imagine that it must also be something that doesn't have a good explanation.

There are a few things that I do which I think would gross people out. They are definitely weird, but I don't think this would be the best place to share them.

Here's what I thought of:
1. I do this thing every (and I mean EVERY) time I eat cereal. While I am chewing, I hold the end of the spoon handle so that the tip rests in the space between my index finger and my middle finger. Then, I shake the spoon so that it alternately hits the first knuckles of said fingers.

Why I do this, I have no idea. I do it without even thinking. Why I only do this with cereal is totally beyond me. And I only do it with the silverware we have here at our house, I guess because it "fits" in my hand right.

2. I talk to myself*. I haven't noticed myself doing it much lately. But, when I was in college I would walk around campus (alone) and realize that I had been talking to myself for the last 5 minutes. (No wonder I couldn't get any dates, eh?)

3. I can't sit still. My hands have to be doing something - and it usually involves sticking something underneath my fingernails. (Nothing painful) For example, I can think of times I have gone to a bridal shower at church where there is confetti on the tables. If I get to talking with someone for a while, I will, without realizing it, pick up a piece of confetti, and continually fit it under a nail, remove it, do it again. It works during church with the smooth corners of my Bible pages or the edge of a bulletin too. (I think this is why I am always picking at my lips too. Oh, wait, is that gross? Sorry. But I do that without noticing most of the time too.)

4. Any small finger food that is "countable" is eaten only in even numbers. (I am not obsessive about it, though I think I was moreso at one time. I don't feel frazzled if it doesn't work out in even numbers, but I do prefer it that way.) And I have to give equal chew time to each side of my mouth.

5. I speak nonsense to my children. When I say "nonie noons" they know exactly what this means.

6. When I am chewing cereal (what is it with cereal?) and reading the box at the same time, I chew the syllables of the words. Like one chew is one syllable, or if I want to read faster, I allow a syllable for every time my jaw opens or closes. (Does that make sense?)

7. Hey, I'm on a roll. I see things around me and I often think that there must be a mathematical equation to describe it. Sometimes I even try to figure it out. Sometimes I just try to figure out the gist of it. Like the time there was a truck driving in front of me with tires that were obviously too big. So as I drove along, I had to try to figure out if that would cause his odometer to read too high, or too low. And in that case, it would have bugged me if I didn't figure it out right then and there.

8. I go absolutely stark, raving mad if I have to wear shoes with laces for too long. I have one pair of sneakers and I can't wear them an entire day. I wore them for about 4 1/2 hours yesterday and by the end of it I could tell I was fast approaching my limit. All my other shoes are slip ons.

9. Sometimes I count my steps. I'll get up to some ridiculous number before I think "why are you doing this?"

10. If I am really paying attention, I will occasionally count the number of stairs in a flight. I don't do this very often though, because if the number ends up being odd, I feel "lopsided" for a while. If I notice that I am doing something like starting a repetetive task with my right foot, I will often start doing it with my left to give it equal time.

11. Sometimes I try to name all fifty states. Just to see if I can.

You can read about some of these and a few others in this post from long ago.

*see comments

A List of Seven "Sorta" Sevens

Kim over at Boy Makes Three tagged me to complete this little list. Here it is...

7 Things to do before I die:
1. Learn to play the piano.
2. Finish that watercolor quilt I started 4 years ago.
3. Learn another language... Mandarin or Spanish.
4. Write something meaningful.
5. Take another vacation with Helen. Just us girls.
6. Pursue a different career.
7. Take some seminary Bible classes.

7 Things I cannot do:
1. Cook real rice on the stove.
2. Burp.
3. Do math quick in my head.
4. Ice skate.
5. Sit ups... it's so sad.
6. Sit in one position for more than 5 minutes.
7. Sew set-in seams on a quilt.

7 Things that attract me to my husband:
1. He prays a lot, and he prays especially for me.
2. He is calm, and generally this is good because I am not.
3. His bald head. Yup. Love it.
4. The way he puts his arm around me when we are singing at church, even if I don't do it back.
5. I can tell him how I really feel and he still likes me afterward.
6. Have you seen him in a suit? NICE!
7. He likes to help people without calling a lot of attention to himself.

7 Things I say most often:
1. What kind of snack do you want, Boo?
2. SON!
3. Dooney, dooney, doon. (I speak complete nonsense to my kids, especially when they are babies. I get on a kick where one particular "phrase" will stick with me for a few weeks. This is the one I've been chanting to Bethany lately. It's kinda like saying "you are too cute (or precious, or whatever) for words." I just bypass that statement altogether and skip right to making up new words.)
4. Do you understand?
5. I use the word "just" all the time.
6. Hey.
7. Please close the refrigerator!

7 Books I love:
1. The Bible
2. Celebration of Discipline
3. China Wakes
4. Surely, You're Joking Mr. Feynman
5. Lost Daughters of China
6. A Separate Peace
7. Night

7 Movies I [could] watch over and over:
1. The Princess Bride
2. Footloose
3. The Anne of Green Gables/Avonlea Series
4. Emma
5. While You Were Sleeping
6. Sense and Sensibility
7. Sliding Doors
(I don't really watch movies much.)

7 People I would like to answer these questions:
1. Addie
2. Robin
3. Maureen
4. Heather
5. Kiki

And that's all. I don't reciprocally read blogs with enough people to have 7 that haven't already been tagged.

Me

My all-time favorite TV shows:
1. LA Law
2. A Year in the Life (anyone remember that one?)
3. Studs (for reasons other than content... those were some fun times: every night after dinner with the girls in the Hanley lounge watching that awful show... YIIIIKERS!)
4. The Magic Garden

What I might do with $50 that I found on the street:
1. start a new quilt
2. go to Cafe Istanbul for dinner
3. buy something to decorate the house

The most interesting places I have been:
1. Baku and Sheki, Azerbaijan
2. Safronbolu, Turkey (maybe I'll figure out how to post pictures.)
3. Frankfurt, Germany. It was only a day, but it was fun!

Times when I've felt most loved:
1. When nonmembers of the chemistry department came to hear my senior seminar. (Thanks, ladies!)
2. For my birthday in 1998, the team I was with in Azerbaijan took turns saying what they appreciated about me. I hadn't even been around them for two weeks yet and they were remarkably good at giving specific positive comments.
3. When Melissa and Andrea came and surprised me for my birthday last year. Paul left town that day and I was alone with the kids. They came over and hung out with me all night!
4. When my friends threw a surprise birthday party for me (three months after my birthday) in 1992.

People I've lost touch with and would like to find again:
1. Alicia C.: a friend from the Baku trip
2. Heather S.: my best friend from high school
3. Jenny (Marsilio) Bates: my best friend from grade school

"Pet Peeves:"
1. touching metal when it is wet
2. when someone in the same room is reading the newpaper or on the computer and says "huh!" or laughs, then doesn't tell you what they were reacting to.

Interesting/odd things I have done:
1. Took a hot-air balloon ride
2. Studied Solid State NMR at Penn State in the summer of '94
3. Went on a mission with my high school buddies to steal street signs.
4. Playing pool one night at a pool hall in downtown Springfield. (That might have just been dumb...)
5. Managed my high school wrestling team for 3 years. (and got a varsity letter for it!!!!!)

Things I would like to do:
1. See Cirque du Soleil
2. travel abroad - anywhere that isn't touristy.
3. read Boltzmann's Atom (one of these days)
4. *something specific* (to be revealed at a later date)

Favorite Books:
1. In Search of Schroedinger's Cat (because it blows my puny little mind... still in the process of reading this one!)
2. The Bible
3. Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman
4. Celebration of Discipline

Okay, that is enough for now. Hope you enjoyed that. I did!