Jan 04 2009
Seven Things About Me (That You May Not Know)
This is the first time I’ve been tagged to participate in a meme. Thanks to Frank, aka @MetaWeb on Plurk and Salty Saenz in Second Life, you will now learn seven things about me that you might actually find interesting, or fodder for a birthday or Christmas gift!
Oh, by the way, there are apparently some rules to this whole endeavor which I shall share now.
- Link your original tagger(s), and list these rules on your blog. (Check)
- Share seven facts about yourself in the post – some random, some weird. (Done)
- Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs. (Hmm, who to pick?)
- Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter. (Busted!)
On to the good stuff…
- I served in two branches of the military, three if you count auxiliaries. I was a Cryptographic Technician for the Navy and a member of the 3/172nd Mountain Infantry in New Hampshire’s Army National Guard. Growing up I was a cadet commander for the Hawk Composite Squadron, our wing of the Civil Air Patrol, and earned my Mitchell Award.
- I lived in Wahiawa, Oahu, Hawaii for three and a half years, spending most of my time on the North Shore. I was swept off the rocks when I first got to the island and learned an old adage that one never disrespects the sea by turning one’s back to it. I first learned to rock climb free soloing on the cliffs at Waimea, and swam with both sea turtles and dolphins. I was lucky enough to hike into Sacred Falls before it was closed due to a fatal rock slide. Spent the night in a hammock 30′ above the ground in the jungle. And hiked the ridge crest of the Waianae mountain range to Mount Kaala. Some great pics of the ridge crest can be found here.
- I am an avid outdoorsman. I have climbed all 48 of New Hampshire’s 4000-foot peaks. And I enjoy rock and ice climbing, and have done both in Maine, New Hampshire and Colorado. One of my life goals is to climb Denali. Perhaps in honor of my 40th birthday?
- I am a sucker for animals. Currently we have a husky-malamute mix named Kona, an African Grey parrot named Keiko, a rabbit named Chipperson, a short-tail ball python named Princess, four rats (that should have been snake food, but that’s another story – let’s just say that our kids got a good lesson on reproduction) named Vanilla Ray, ‘Rita, Tickles and Socks, two Caledonian Crested Geckos named ‘Zardo and Callie, a Beta with no official name, though I call it “Bait” and a tank full of assorted fishes.
Update: Maria reminded me that we also have two yellow eared sliders (turtles, for you non-herp folk) that reside in my wife’s classroom. - I am a country boy, pure and simple. I love the laid back lifestyle, the fresh air, lack of traffic. Heck, I live in a town that doesn’t even have a traffic light! And traffic jams are usually the result of an itinerant moose.
- I love macadamia nuts, dark beer and a good whiskey (straight or on the rocks). Maker’s Mark and Dalmore are especially good.
- Oh and I’ve seen a ghost. Yes, really. I was little, I can’t remember how old now. It was Easter weekend and we were spending it at my grandparents’ house in Jamestown, RI. I woke up (and I know this because I couldn’t get back to sleep) and saw a young woman floating in the air in front of the window. To this day I don’t know why she was there but I firmly believe that it was neither a dream nor an illusion and had something to do with the day.
So, there you go. Seven things you didn’t know about me, and now you do!
If you’ve already been tagged, consider adding yourself to the 7 Things wiki.
Oh, and
and Beth Knittle
TAG, you’re it!
Blogged with the Flock Browser
I now know who to contact for our next kindergarten field trip! Your assortment of animals would make for an interesting time. We have a rescued painted turtle named Bob and a “pond” of goldfish in the classroom. I don’t really do the animal thing very well.
Thanks for sharing your 7 things.
Very interesting blog. It is always great getting to know my Twitter contacts on a more intimate level.
Concerning #7, I believe you 100%. I saw my first ghost at age 8, it was early morning and my 4 year old sister and I saw it together. Therefore, I know it was not a dream, illusion or halluciation. I also heard footsteps while the ghost walked passed us. Also, at that time, my only idea of a ghost was, “Casper the Friendly Ghost”. Therefore, I was kind of disappointed that it did not look like that.
Wish I would have thought of adding this to my,”Seven Meme blog”.
Concerning # 5, wow, I cannot even begin to imagine what it is like to live in a town without even a traffic light. Being originally from NYC, that would be a total culture shock for me.
I have enjoyed reading your blog. Thanks so much for sharing.
Oh jeepers, I forgot about the two yellow eared sliders (turtles, for those who aren’t herp fans) that reside in my wife’s classroom. How could I forget them?
I grew up with macadamia nut trees growing wild on our farm (in Oz) and we used crack them open between two rocks. I had no idea they were an expensive item!!! (My mother swears they cure constipation – but that’s probably too much information!!!)
Hehehe no connection between the whiskey and the ghost, right? Fantastic stories about your outdoors life. Very interesting, you must be in top physical condition to do all that?
I guess we have a connection as animal lovers. I only have 1 dog tho… hehe!
Thanks for sharing … happy that I tagged ya!