Thursday, February 21, 2008

Tag

I've been tagged by h. and tasked with telling you ten random things about me. So here goes.

1) I skipped second grade.

2) But I failed calculus in high school. Not like just barely failed. I got a 47 in fall semester calc. Those concepts just didn't register with me at all . . . not ever really studying for the class didn't help either.

3) In fifth grade, I was offered the chance to audition for The Atlanta Boy Choir. I didn't go. I played baseball instead. (Not sure I chose wisely there.)

4) My senior year of high school, I had a problem with No Doz. One really shouldn't take 6 of those things before a first-period physics class. (That might also explain my inability to focus in Ms. Cole's calculus class.)

5) For my first semester of my freshman year at UF, I lived in a dorm (Murphree Hall) that was not air-conditioned. The school offered this option at a lower cost for people who wanted to reduce their expenses. I think I just signed up for housing late. I was in a triple. We had a system of box fans in the windows to try and deal with the heat. Two fans blew air out of the room and two drew air in. [The electrical system in that old dorm couldn't handle everyone having window AC units, so no one was allowed to.] August and September were brutal months in that room. I showered at least twice a day just to try and cool off (not because I was OCD). But it was right next to the north end zone of The Swamp, so it was very convenient to roll out of bed and into the stadium on game days to watch Emmitt during his sophomore year. Second semester, I moved over to the old Hume Hall which had AC.

6) Grammar-related pet peeves:

(a) "Irregardless" is not a word.

(b) There is no need for the word "prideful." The noun is "pride." To be full of pride is to be "proud."

(c) At least 90% of the time, you do not need to use "or not" when you use the word "whether." The "whether" alone is sufficient. Trust me.

7) I've only broken one bone on my body. The pinky toe on my right foot. When I was 17 or 18, I woke up one morning and stepped out of bed. In my post-slumber stupor, I did not appreciate that my foot was asleep. I put my weight on it, and the toe went right while the rest of my body fell in a heap. Luckily, my foot was asleep, so I didn't really feel the pain of the break. No real need to go to the doctor to confirm that break though. The 90-degree angle the toe was making with the neighboring toe was all the evidence I needed. I just taped the toe to the adjacent ring-finger toe and went about my day. Along with some Advil for pain management.

8) If I could do anything, I would coach soccer full-time. If I had to do something else in order to coach soccer, I would try to teach -- preferably on a college campus. This law firm life doesn't allow the freedom necessary to coach.

9) I like to cuss. And I cuss a lot when I play sports (or watch sports for that matter). I blame it on my Irish blood. Jen just says I'm a freak.

10) I get annoyed by all the talk about closing off our borders and stemming the tide of immigrants (even the "illegal" ones). And not just because my son is Hispanic. This is a country founded by immigrants. There was only one "native" people group here when the pilgrims discovered the "new world" in their brass-buckled clogs. If we took some time to get to know these immigrants, we'd see that most of them are here because they believe in the same American Dream that the rest of us do. Many of them are making far greater sacrifices to realize it too. Frankly, I'm not sure what everyone is so afraid of.

I tag STK, JM and Anita. Tell us some random tidbits about yourselves. Give us a glimpse into who you are.

And keep voting for Modern Skirts (see below). Yesterday afternoon, the band had taken over the top spot, but this morning, they had slipped back to #2 again. Vote HERE. And vote as often as you like/can.

10 comments:

carolineb said...

I've been wondering if we don't have a greater responsibility to our next door neighbors than we do to people across the sea. And, I've been thinking there is some Old Testament precedence for kindness toward the aliens living among you.

carolineb said...

And, you have 2 movies about prison among your favorites. And, Edie Brickell was on your player today. I love her. And, I watched Shawshank for the first time last week. Amazing. And, post a picture of Jen's new do.

Marie-Claire said...

I HATE when people say "irregardless". Also, I'm telling Sandra Gray that one of the members of the Alumni Board likes to cuss "a lot". Tsk Tsk.

h. said...

I love foreigners, aliens, immigrants, proper grammar and cussing too.

ManUtd17 said...

cbed -- I don't know about a "greater" responsibility, but I know we have a responsibility to them. If you haven't watched Papillon in a while ... or ever ... find it. McQueen and Hoffman are great in that. I'll get a picture of Jen when she gets back from her cruise to Cozumel.

MCDJ -- you talk and I'm digging up dirt to post in CPO!

h. -- Sounds like if have some things in common. If only you weren't a War-plains-tiger-eagle-man.

seantk said...

OK - the randomness has been blogged, per your tagging request.

I don't know if I actually "like" to cuss, but I do let 'em fly when I get the frustrations.

Blackhawk said...

I can't wait to see Jen's new do and Cozumel sounds pretty good right now. There is ice all over the place here. You would be a great soccer coach and teacher.

Jennie B said...

I hate when people say "nucular". It's nuclear.

Having a child from another country myself, I have to say my outlook on the immigration problem is also different from most. I am amazed at how much my daughter appreciates education - my other children (the Native Americans) have to be dragged over a very low academic bar, while she sees it as a supreme blessing to be given the opportunity to have an education.

Good randoms, dude. It was fun to meet you the other night at BLOG2FACE.

Anonymous said...

Tag should have a routine series of questions to answer instead of an open-ended "tell me 10 things about yourself".

Someone call Congress. That task could divert them from steroids in baseball.

DA

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