9 Things About Me

These are by no means the nine most important things about me, they're just nine things. ;)

1. I am not a martial artist. I really liked iaido when I did it, but that was years ago.
2. I am an infrastructure-heavy guy. When infrastructure fails -- power, communciations, water, roads, whatever -- I get really upset. Not just angry, but shaken.
   
3. I eat tofu. Eating tofu does not make me a vegetarian! Tofu is just one of the many protein-y options I eat because I enjoy, along with chicken, beef, red-fleshed fish (like salmon), eggs, and sometimes beans.
   
4. I take vacations with purpose. My vacations involve going somewhere to DO something, like visiting friends and family or going to a convention. Going to Mexico for a week of sun/sand/surf doesn't interest me much when I could go fly rockets with my daughter instead.
   
5. When someone says that it's a good thing I have no sense of smell because I don't have to smell such-and-such stinky thing, it takes effort to not feel hurt. Nobody ever says that to blind or deaf people.
   
6. When people tell me I am a geek as if it were an insult, I'm not hurt AT ALL. Damn right, I'm a geek! I like being a geek! I wish everyone could enjoy how cool the world is.
   
7. I have been a fantasy roleplaying gamer for 15 years... and I still haven't read Tolkien.
8. I don't own an iron. The last time I wanted to iron and fold a dress shirt, I was in a hotel room... and I watched how-to videos on my laptop first.
9. Because of the practice I was doing at the time, I feel I was a better driver in 2004 than I am now. (Or maybe I only felt that way because I was in my early 20's back then, and therefore invincible!)

9 Things I Like About Me

Or at least, 9 things I think are interesting about me. :)

9. I once stuck my finger in a bear's mouth. (In my defense, it was a very young bear. I only wound up with bruises instead of a missing finger.)

8. I haven't played in a while, but back in my college years, I spent a lot of happy hours on the 'Infinity' MUD. In retrospect, I wish I hadn't decided to become a wizard. I had very little interest in coding, but lots in playing.

7. I have an officially licensed Doctor Who short story in print. (Well, possibly still in print. I think the license changed hands now.)

6. I am a huge Mystery Science Theater 3000 fan; my favorite episode is probably "Zombie Nightmare", although "Space Mutiny" is a close second.

5. I remain, at this point, one credit shy of my college degree. It is still on my list of Things To Do.

4. I still have a scar on my right knee from an injury I sustained when I was thirteen, playing dodgeball on the beach. (I dove out of the way of the ball and skidded into a buried rock. The nearest hospital was a half-hour away and there were two groups of people before us in the emergency room with serious injuries. I am still proud of how well I handled the pain.)

3. I have a very strong stomach. I have not vomited since seventh grade.

2. I am one of the very few people who actually loved the hell out of "Kung Pow: Enter the Fist".

1. I don't like theme parks in general, but I love water parks. Schlitterbahn is a truly joyous experience that everyone should go to at least once.