I've been memed!

So, I’ve been memed. According to SharonGR (who heard it from Nordette, the Jersey Goddess), I’m supposed to come up with eight things most people don’t know about me. Problem is, post people reading this blog know an awful lot about me already – more than you want to, probably, but you can’t look away, like some car accident on the shoulder of the turnpike. (Jeez, I must be getting used to living in New Jersey. A few years ago I’d have said I-95.)

But judging by Sharon’s list, from which I knew, either explicitly or by inference, seven of the eight facts (kiwis? really?), I figure I don’t necessarily need to surprise my nearest and dearest. The rest of you, though – be ready for some schoolin’.

1) I’m a comics geek and a D&D geek. This doesn’t mean I’m a Star Wars geek or a Star Trek geek. Or a Stargate SG-9/Atlantis/Special Victims Unit geek. I know about some of that stuff, but id doesn't mean I *heart* it. (Okay, Star Wars broke my heart, and I ain't goin' back. The others... eh.) I’m pretty forgiving when it comes to comics (although I do have standards), but just because your TV or movie has a spaceship or time travel, doesn’t mean I’m gonna watch it. So far I’ve even passed on Battlestar Galactica, and everyone loves that.

2) If I could be reincarnated as any animal, it would be the sea otter. Swimmin’, tool-usin’, seafood-eatin’ and layin’ about. It should probably be on my coat of arms.

3) Speaking of which, this Venn diagram should probably appear somewhere on my family crest as well. At least for the guys:



4) While I’m not so much a Sci-Fi geek, there are certain types of movies that will grab my attention at any time: con artist movies and movies involving magic. Basically, anything with Ricky Jay in it. (I also have a weakness for prison escape movies, and can only think that some accident of scheduling has kept me from watching the TV show on Fox. I like stories where people, under very controlled situations, use what little resources they have to either break out or build a liveable life for themselves. Under this definition, Misery and Gattica both count as prison movies.)

5) Hot sauce makes weight loss possible. Without it, I’d never be able to eat the egg-white sandwich I have at the beginning of every workday. Let’s hear it for hot sauce!

6) I’m slowly turning into a clothes-horse. Every time I walk into Men’s Wearhouse, I need to pick up something new. For some reason, I still manage to look like a schlub 90 percent of the time. But one day this will change.

7) Last year I had the opportunity to shoot skeet with a 20-gauge Remington break-action shotgun. I had a terrific time, and am looking forward to trying again. Clay pigeons don’t break on their own, you know. They need us.

8) New Orleans and Philadelphia are my favorite cities in the world – but I’ve got plenty of love left for Vancouver, Baltimore, Quebec City, Galway, Paris, and yes, New York. Miami can kiss my ass.

And now, the eight people to tag with this meme. I’ll repeat a few of Sharon’s, since they’re my friends too. So, with all the solemnity of a Pokemon match:

Greg! I choose you!

VeeganMD! I choose you!

Drew! I choose you!

Rob or Brenda! I choose you!

Jeri! I choose you!

Travis! I choose you!

Ami! I choose you!

KTBuffy! I choose you!

Jim the Bastard! I choose you!

That’s nine (HA!). As Sharon said, don’t feel obligated to do this. But heck, I’d like to know more about y’all.

Rob