300 down. . .

who knows how many more to go

According to the little sidebar, this will be my 300th article here at JU. While this certainly isn't my first blog, it has definitely become the most enduring and even I am surprised that I have stuck it out here as long as I have. Much of that has to do with the great people I have e-met here who have helped this become a 'comfortable' place to call home. There are many, too many to list, but some I would like to thank specifically. Please don't feel bad if your name isn't on the list, don't forget my advancing age and decreasing mental capacity.

So, big thanks to the following for helping make this a pleasant place for me: Angloesque, chiprj, cordelia, Danny B, dharma, Dusk411, Dynamaso, imajinit, Lifehappens, NickyG, Ravenblack, Foreverserenity, parated2k, Silver and Jade Tears, Texas Wahine, and thatoneguyinslc.

I figured I would steal this idea from many others, so for my 300th blog here are a few things you might have known, as well as a few you might not have.

1. My wife was the first girl a really kissed (yes, before we got married!).
2. Guess what else she was my first (no, not before we got married).
3. I am unabashedly Mormon, and make no excuses for what I believe.
4. I am fluent in Spanish, and can get by with Italian and Portuguese.
5. I can be a grumpy, angry daddy sometimes.
6. I am very, very tired of being a 'student'.
7. I have never had a broken bone (at least that I was aware of).
8. Everything I know about computers I learned by messing mine up and then having to fix it.
9. I plan on being in a rock band some day before I die.
10. Many of my friends still consider me a gamer, even though I haven't bought a game in over a year.
11. I regularly trim my nose hair, and feel many men who don't, should.
12. I have had dengue hemorrhagic fever.
13. On a 'too much information' note, my bowels have never been normal since my time in Guatemala.
14. Most people are surprised to discover I am a metal head.
15. I get terribly bored if my computer desktop stays the same for more than 3-4 days.
16. I read on the toilet.
17. I read a lot on the toilet (entire books strictly while on the throne!)
18. I don't have one single favorite food.
19. But my wife is far too good a cook, makes it hard to choose.
20. This is my 5th or 6th blog, but the only one I have really maintained.
21. When I am honest with myself, I am very, very self-conscious.
22. I used to do oil paintings quite regularly (I have even sold some), but haven't tried in years.
23. I do play the guitar, but have really gotten out of practice in recent years.
24. Thanks to my wife's influence, I get asked to sing in choirs and small quartets quite regularly.
25. However, I am also very self-conscious of my voice and have never had the nerve to audition for any choir.
26. I love to read sci-fi and fantasy, but not much else.
27. I am usually woefully ignorant of current events.
28. I was previously a registered Republican, but have become so disenchanted with both major parties that I am currently "unaffiliated".
29. You don't even want to know what my medical school debt will be upon graduation.
30. I have worked as a paper deliverer, car detailer, pizza deliverer, waiter, bank grunt, CNA, lab technician, teacher and interpreter.
31. My wife and I were engaged 3 months after we met.
32. We were married four months after that.
33. I have a sick love affair with the "Snooze" button, hitting it almost as much as 10 times before I get up (if I set an alarm for 4-4:30 am).
34. I enjoy taking my DVD's and shrinking them to watch on my PocketPC.
35. I have lusted after an iPod (or something similar) for years, but still haven't ever purchased one.
36. Blue is, without any doubt or hesitation, my favorite color.
37. But not bright, cheery, gay blue. No, I prefer dark, subtle shades.
38. I will own a Corvette at some time in my life.
39. I have also resigned myself to the fact that I will own a Minivan at some time in my life (and much sooner than the Corvette).
40. I have a couple of Linkin Park CD's and one POD CD that I haven't listened to in years, am embarrassed that I actually have, but can't get myself to part with them.
41. While I may not have a favorite food, there are few things in the world better than a chocolate-banana malt.
42. I spend WAY too much time playing around on my computer.
43. I have two novels I am [slowly] working on, as well as one collection of related short stories.
44. I am an aggressive driver, but not a dangerous driver.
45. I hate rap music with every fiber of my being.
46. I hate Kenny G even more. (Thanks to thatoneguyinslc for reminding me just how much I hate Kenny G)
47. I buzzed my head about 5 years ago and never looked back, much to my wife's chagrin.
48. With the exception of my wife, I don't really have anyone I would consider my "best friend".
49. I have too many nicknames for my children to count, and a different voice for each one.
50. This has been, perhaps, my most difficult blog to write, showing just how boring I truly am.

Site Meter
5,217 views 23 replies
Reply #1 Top
I read and enjoyed every word. I love these kind of posts! I did one for myself a while back and maybe I'll revisit it with some new stuff.

Reply #2 Top
Thanks chiprj. Actually, I recall that your was one of those I was thinking of when I decided to write this. Thanks for your great sense of humor, it is a welcome addition to the site.
Reply #3 Top
Yea, it is kind of hard to stuff kids in a corvette.  And why does everyone hate kenny G?  I love him (even if that is my -yuck- bosses name as well).
Reply #4 Top
Wow, what a list. I really enjoy blogs like these as I learn so much about the other person. In this case, there are a number of things we have in common.

11. I regularly trim my nose hair, and feel many men who don't, should.


There is nothing wrong with taking pride in one's appearance. I can't stand those rank hairs sticking out and becoming conversation pieces. I've seen guys who have great haircuts and are clean shaven but somehow miss the thick black hair sticking out their nose.

16. I read on the toilet.
17. I read a lot on the toilet (entire books strictly while on the throne!)


Nuff said. Though not novels. We have a large pile of music magazines and books like Bill Bryson's "A Short History Of Nearly Everything".

21. When I am honest with myself, I am very, very self-conscious.


Er, me too.

26. I love to read sci-fi and fantasy


Just finished reading a great book by Charles De Lint but the name escapes me at the moment.

28. I was previously a registered Republican, but have become so disenchanted with both major parties that I am currently "unaffiliated".


Obviously, I wasn't a registerd Republican, but I am no longer a supporter of either of the major parties in Australia.

33. I have a sick love affair with the "Snooze" button


Er, again, me too. Drives my wife nuts though so I am trying to break the habit.

38. I will own a Corvette at some time in my life.


Even though I'm more a General Motors fan, I'd prefer a mid-60's Mustang or a Barracudda. A corvetter would be lovely, though.

48. With the exception of my wife, I don't really have anyone I would consider my "best friend".


Where would we be without them?

Thanks for the mention too, mate. I do enjoy reading your blogs and am glad to see you back here a little more regularly.

Reply #5 Top
I am with you on the Kenny G.
Did you know that he and Yanni have created a new "Axis of Evil"????
Watch out! they will bore you to death or cause you to puncture your eardrums with an icepick to stop the pain!
Reply #6 Top
Please don't feel bad if your name isn't on the list, don't forget my advancing age and decreasing mental capacity.

...I still feel bad...
Reply #7 Top

...I still feel bad...

Ah, S&JT!  I was not on it either!  We are just too quiet for the newest doc!

Reply #8 Top
Ah, S&JT! I was not on it either! We are just too quiet for the newest doc!


LoL
Reply #9 Top
...I still feel bad...


Doh! I was going alphabetically, then remembered some I missed. By the time I got back to the "S" range, I must have forgotten. Silver and Jade, your name being omitted was truly a mistake. I will rectify it now!

Dr. Guy: I won't lie and say it was a mistake. I do enjoy your stuff, and appreciate your input, we just haven't had as much interaction as the others I mentioned. It isn't a personal affront, I promise.
Reply #10 Top
Doh! I was going alphabetically, then remembered some I missed. By the time I got back to the "S" range, I must have forgotten. Silver and Jade, your name being omitted was truly a mistake. I will rectify it now!


Yes, you better... or I will get my revenge.

Not that I have a clue what that would be.
Reply #11 Top
See, now I can brag that I was mentioned in an article (in a good way), and I can feel happy, so I wont have to have my daily dose of the happy drug.
Reply #12 Top

Dr. Guy: I won't lie and say it was a mistake. I do enjoy your stuff, and appreciate your input, we just haven't had as much interaction as the others I mentioned. It isn't a personal affront, I promise.

Not a problem. I have only recently started commenting on your stuff.  I am a firebrand, and a quiet person as well.  Depends on the forum.  But I am not on everyone's list, thank god!

Reply #13 Top
Yeah, where are the other 250 items??
Reply #14 Top
Maso:

Thanks for the mention too, mate. I do enjoy reading your blogs and am glad to see you back here a little more regularly.


No problem. I have really enjoyed our interactions here and via email. Thanks for being a good e-friend. I hope you know, I have been reading your stuff, just haven't had much to say lately.

SSG Geezer:

am with you on the Kenny G. Did you know that he and Yanni have created a new "Axis of Evil"????Watch out! they will bore you to death or cause you to puncture your eardrums with an icepick to stop the pain!


It is so true. The diabolically boring duo.

Dr. Guy:

I have only recently started commenting on your stuff.


And I appreciate it. Thanks for your contributions.

Reply #15 Top
LW:

I feel cheated! It was your 300th article so I expected your list to be 300 items long, lol!


I thought about trying that, but holy crap, 50 was hard enough! I never would have made it to 300, plus, I have to save up for future installments.

get those strange little hairs on your earlobes, too.


Absolutely. I check the nose and the ears multiple times a week. There are no strays allowed.

If you enjoy fantasy, may I recommend The Gormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake?


I appreciate the recommendation. I have been avoiding fantasy lately because I was in a slump (getting in some good sci-fi), so it will be good to have something new to check out in the fantasy section.

I find them refreshingly open-minded and gentle in their approach, and have never had a single one condemn me for my current beliefts, which would be considered heretical (at best) by most Organized churches.


I am very glad to hear that. Lots of missionaries do a good job in those ways. Sadly, there are a few now and then who aren't. Glad your experience has been good so far.

And I hate Kenny G and rap music as well, so we've got more in common than you might have thought at first!


Excellent! Thanks for the comment.
Reply #16 Top
Yeah, where are the other 250 items??


Er, um, yeah. . .they are on the way.

Eventually.
Reply #17 Top
~~35. I have lusted after an iPod (or something similar) for years, but still haven't ever purchased one.~~

I'm with you on this one...been wanting one for quite a while, but ah well...it'll have to wait until I have a pretty penny saved up. Enjoyed reading the list...let's us get to know you a bit more...Congrats on 300.
Reply #18 Top

And I appreciate it. Thanks for your contributions.

I only wish I had started reading you earlier!  Thank you for YOUR contributions!

Reply #19 Top
I'm with you on this one...been wanting one for quite a while, but ah well...it'll have to wait until I have a pretty penny saved up


Yeah. There have been times I had the money saved up, but something else came up. Oh well. One of these days. . .
Reply #20 Top
I find them refreshingly open-minded and gentle in their approach, and have never had a single one condemn me for my current beliefts, which would be considered heretical (at best) by most Organized churches.

I am very glad to hear that. Lots of missionaries do a good job in those ways. Sadly, there are a few now and then who aren't. Glad your experience has been good so far.

Good answer, Dev. Like how you ended with "so far". We'll get you yet, LW!
Reply #21 Top
Congrats, and thanks for the mention!

You've been a very caring, candid friend to me, and I always enjoy your writing and honesty-tempered-with-kindness way of dealing with people.

I loved the list.

I have never had a broken bone (at least that I was aware of).


Hehe. Me neither. We should start a club.
Reply #22 Top
Great article BlueDev. I was in your neck of the woods last weekend. If your kids are into Christmas lights, you should check this out Link. There are three houses on Latimer Road in North Raleigh that are absolutely brilliant!

Congrats on the 300th article, and I hope you and your family have a very happy Christmas.
Reply #23 Top
singrdave:

We'll get you yet, LW!


It's a conspiracy I tell you. We got agents everywhere.

Texas Wahine:

You've been a very caring, candid friend to me, and I always enjoy your writing and honesty-tempered-with-kindness way of dealing with people.


That is very kind of you to say TW, and it means a lot to me. I appreciate it.

shadesofgrey:

Congrats on the 300th article, and I hope you and your family have a very happy Christmas.


Many thanks shades! I hope you have a very merry Christmas as well.