Random things about me

1.) Little things about people fascinate me. I love reading all these 25 random things listings because I like to learn about the usually small, neat, interesting things that make people unique. I have a natural interest in people.

2.) When I was little, I spent an enormous amount of time coloring and drawing. As I grew older (8-10), my dad made easels for my grandmother and me and I spent a lot of time with watercolors.

3.) My dad is extremely handy. When I was little, he made a helicopter, complete with rotors and plastic windshield. (The helicopter was big enough for two adults to sit inside.) Another time, he built a loft, with a sandbox underneath and a circus elephant on the side. (The loft came first when I was around 5, the helicopter when I was around 9).

4.) As handy is my dad is, I’m not handy at all. I don’t know that much about working on cars — even though my car frequently breaks down. I’m also not very skilled with carpentry, although I hope to be some day. I think it’s pretty neat to be able to show off something you’ve built.

5.) I’m an Eagle Scout.

6.) I can be pretty socially awkward and recognize it while I’m acting that way. It isn’t really intentional. Sometimes, I’m really socially skilled and can recognize that also. I feel like there’s a huge variation, depending upon the day.

7.) I liked punk music in high school and frequently went to local punk rock shows. I never dressed like a punk and never liked it when the music became overly political. I just loved the fast pace and slamming drums. As I’ve grown older, I prefer really mellow indie rock music.

8.) I was on the debate team in high school and finished third in Ohio during my senior year. I wasn’t the best debater on the team and as I look back now I wish I had better understood things.

9.) I love argumentation. I have several books on it and an argumentation class on DVD by some of the best professors of rhetoric in the nation.

10.) I never owned a pair of pajama pants until my junior year of college. Now I own like 20 pairs and wear them a lot when I’m at home.

11.) I really like ties and would like to wear a suit every day. Unfortunately, where I currently work, I’ve been asked not to wear a tie.

12.) I love computers. In high school, I took two programming classes and have attempted multiple times to refresh myself on them or learn other languages. I always seem to forget what I’ve learned. I don’t have as much time as I used to for that sort of thing.

13.) I think about people from my past a lot — people I haven’t talked to for a long time. I wonder about them, and I wonder whether they ever think back on me. Sometimes when I meet new people, I can’t help but think about how they physically look like someone I used to know.

14.) I enjoy the symmetry of a well-executed basketball play. Whenever I go to a game, I can’t help but think through the plays in my mind, commenting on what was right and wrong.

15.) I say “sorry” a lot of the time when I’m not really sorry at all. It’s a way of advancing a conversation a long when otherwise it would get caught up in petty who-did-what-again accusations.

16.) People sometimes mistake my caution and desire for inclusiveness for a lack of self-confidence. In reality, I’m just hoping to bring everyone along with me on a task, rather than ask for your advice. I believe by letting people talk about their grievances you can persuade them of the greater good.

17.) I’m willing to go it alone. I have many times in my life. I’ve never really fit into any social group all that well and because of that I try to appreciate qualities in other people and like them as individuals.

18.) Intelligence attracts me, although I don’t mean in a sexual way. If you’re a smart and you show it off, chances are I’m going to want to engage you in debate about something. The smarter you are, the more likely this is to happen, social circumstances permitting.

19.) When I’m proven wrong I’ll admit it. I believe in ceding arguments. In fact, if I’m wrong about anything, I believe in having enough humility to admit to it and attempt to make the situation right.

20.) The first CD I ever owned was Queen News of the World, which I got with my first CD player when I was like 8 years old. From that time until I was about 18, I used to spend a lot of time reading CD inserts and memorizing lyrics. I often have a hard time recalling those memorized lyrics.

21.) Throughout the vast majority of my primary and secondary education I had horrible handwriting. Now, I write neater than you, I guarantee it. I don’t know how it happened. I woke up one day and it changed.

22.) I keep a file cabinet with file folders for all my important transactions and documents. In two plastic boxes, I have file folders for every college class I took, organized by semester. I fully intend to look back on these things.

23.) I forgive people easily, unless you happen to be one of those really special people who have truly offended me. In that case, I don’t know I’ll ever forgive you. I consider that to be a character flaw of mine.

24.) My favorite author is Martin Clark. He’s a superior court judge from Virginia, likely a Democrat. I think his writing is extremely entertaining while remaining intelligent. My two favorite books by Clark are Plain Heathen Living and The Many Aspects of Mobile Home Living.

25.) As a kid I read several hundred fantasy books. I’ve grown out of that, but I still own at least 300-400 novels and quite a few non-fiction books. Someday I’m going to dedicate a room in my house as a library where I will have shelves upon shelves of books.