I’m swamped with book marketing and my brain is kind of mush today… so I thought I’d take a break and join a meme. Here are eight random facts about me 🙂
- I almost always ask for just ice while on a plane. This is so (a) I don’t spill liquid on my laptop, and (b) it doesn’t go straight through me and make me use that tiny, eensie-weensie bathroom on the plane.
- I’m rather shy. I’m not the guy at the party (or networking event) or whatever that is hopping around introducing myself to everyone. At the same time I’m not really happy being a wall flower so if I’m not chatting with someone I try and find someone to talk with.
- I don’t really like… um, computers. Many of you may think I’m a geek or nerd, but trust me, I’m not. I used to manage geeks and nerds, and pretty much all they could do was talk ones and zeros. I have never built my own machine, installed an OS, or anything like that (I used to be a programmer, and I was “good” but I wasn’t excellent).
- I LOVE to read. I just finished the last Harry Potter book (loved it), I love John Grisham, Michael Crichton, but had a hard time getting into Tom Clancy. I have a subscription to Inc and Fast Company, will usually read every page of a newspaper (not ads and not comics (anymore)), etc.
- I’m not a morning person. By any measure. Its true that I’ve been getting up around 6am (give or take an hour) but it’s not my choice.
- I have four kids. The oldest is almost ten, the youngest just turned one. I have a favorite son… since he’s the only son, and I tell him he’s my favorite son every night. I kiss all my kids goodnight each night, and cherish our relationships (I have to now, while they still like me, right?).
- I think snakes are the best pets around. I used to love all animals but now that I’m old and cranky I don’t want anything that will shed or “shed” (sic) in my house. You can ignore snakes and they don’t care. You can feed them once a month. They are cool, scary and creepy all at the same time. I take my kids snake hunting in the summer and they love it (and their friends think I’m very cool).
- I am kind of afraid of heights. Nothing that needs counseling. But when I was a kid I fell through a roof. You know, that sturdy thing that you shouldn’t fall through? Ever since then I hate being on the roof (adios Christmas lights).
The rules are here, on Andrew’s blog. I’ve been tagged by others… sorry for taking so long to get this up.
I’d like to tag YOU – leave at least ONE random fact about yourself as a comment – I’d love to get to know you better (yes, even you, blog lurker!) 🙂
Nice post, Jason! I love Grisham and Crichton as well. A couple people have recommended Clancy, but I haven’t tried his work yet. I suspect it’s not quite my thing either.
I like this post. It made me smile and reminded me of being a kid. Playing tag and just running around the yard with no worries in the world. Ah, to be young again..maybe.
One random fact about me (Demetrius Pinder)
-I am an avid Comic book fan (Make Mine Marvel) and I have a huge collection of Mad Magazines.
Andrew – don’t let me turn you off to Clancy – I won’t take responsibility for that :p I learned that there is a sequence in his books and you must start at the beginning. Oh and if it gets boring (too much detail) don’t hesitate to skip a few pages at a time!
Beth – I’m glad it made you smile 🙂 Ah, the days of no worries! Where did they go?
Demetrius – WOW, I never would have guessed. Funny thing, right after you submitted this comment I had finished playing Legion of Super Heroes with my son! … and Mad magazines, I’m remembering the good ol’ days when I would buy every issue!
Random Fact:
I’ve never much cared for animals but ‘inherited’ a cat about twelve years ago. She’s not really friendly but somehow she converted me, anyway. Now I have a second cat and instead of telling my husband “no dogs!” I’ve become the one saying “when can we get one?” Last weekend I caught myself being enchanted by one of those silly mop dogs that I used to make fun of. This is one part of growing older that I kinda like (but the pet dander, I could do without.)
Hmm…maybe I’ll try that game out! I heard good things about it.
I can relate to most of Jason’s random facts. I am very shy in a group of people, even though I can speak in front of hundreds! I am a read-a-holic, I have thousands of books in my storage right now, crying out to be read again.
Clancy is so absorbed in telling you all the details of the situation, the geography, the politics, that it can be overwhelming, but, and this is important, he writes things that seem so real, even if he uses artistic license to fabricate some of the details between the details. I end up totally immersed in the story, the place and the people. He grows on you.
Snakes? Yikes. I would scream like a little girl if I saw a snake.
A few of mine…
1. I don’t eat read meat. It is nothing having to do with killing animals, I just have never liked it
2. I have a facination with medical stuff. (I am an accountant and can’t deal with blood or needles, so working in the medical field isn’t a good profession for me.)
Jason, in my family, we say that we have ARD–addictive reading disorder. And I definitely do! I used to steal my mom’s chapter books when I was little so I could read them behind her back, and my parents used to take away my books to punish me!
Now I mostly read blogs!
By the way, I just posted 8 Things About Me on my blog if you want to find out more! https://www.getfreshminds.com/2007/08/8-things-you-do.html
Authors I have and enjoy: both fiction and non fiction. Crichton, Tolkien, Peter F. Drucker (business books), I have read and enjoyed a number of Grisham novels over the years but not necessarily dedicated to him (or any other for that matter), Eli Goldratt (The Goal), I have several books on running – both on training, a couple of novels (Once a Runner and Again to Carthage, both by John L. Parker Jr),and others. Several biographies (Mickey Mantle, Lance Armstrong (both of them), Dean Karnazes, “Hot” Rod Hundley, Rick Majerus, Larry H. Miller among others)
I understand the shy thing, although once I get to know a person a little then I open up some.
Morning person? Never considered myself one. Yet the funny thing is, I prefer running early morning. A lot of that has to do with wanting to make sure I get it done so it doesn’t get blown off. My alarm goes off at 4 am. I try to get my run started no later than 5 am. Especially while in marathon training. Those 10+ mile mid week runs can be brutal.