Some Stuff About Me

I was rummaging about my Facebook profile and saw an old note I posted almost two years ago. It's one of those memes that were going about at the time, where you were supposed to post 25 random things about yourself, then tag 25 people and ask them to do the same. I took a while until I finally wrote it, I don't think they're entirely random, and I didn't tag anyone. I'm such a rebel.

I thought that, for anyone who hasn't read this already, you can get to know me a little. Plus, it's a copy-and-paste job, so it's an easy blog post! I have made only one or two very minor changes, so if you saw it on Facebook you don't have to read the whole thing again. And, since this is a bit of an exercise in nostalgia, here's my high school graduation picture again.

Finally! 25 Random (I guess they're random) Things About Me (written February 6, 2009)

1. I am, by nature, not very outgoing in person. I’m not the type of person who will start a conversation with someone I don’t know, and it takes a lot of time for me to feel comfortable talking to someone beyond basic small talk.

2. At the same time, I utterly despise when I’m in a group and someone says to me something like “You’re so quiet.” I suppose they mean well but all I feel is, “Yes! I already KNOW that! Thanks for making me feel even MORE uptight, jackass!”

3. I was reading and writing at a pretty early age. I used to love newspapers so much that I would write my own, sometimes making up stories and sometimes just copying what was in the paper, including weather maps. I was especially fascinated by the weather.

4. When I was in third grade, I was skipped ahead to fourth grade during the middle of the school year. I think it was because the school felt I was bored because third grade was too easy for me.

5. Fourth grade wasn't actually any more difficult from an educational standpoint, but
in hindsight it made the rest of my life much more difficult emotionally. Suddenly everyone else was a year older and more mature than me. I think it’s a big reason for my shy nature. From then on I never really had any friends throughout my school years. I might make a friend for a while but then we’d always sort of drift apart. I think much of what has happened in my life is directly related to this year, and this is the one thing I really wish I could go back and re-do.

6. Third/fourth grade was the one year I didn’t attend a Catholic school. For all the issues I have with the Catholic Church, for the most part they did a better job of educating me than the public schools would have.

7. It wasn't until I was 10 years old that I showed any interest in sports at all. The first vague sports memory I have is being sick and in bed, watching a Phillies game on TV. My recollection is that Steve Carlton was pitching against the San Francisco Giants, and he gave up a leadoff hit and then went the rest of the way without allowing another hit. It was 1972, when Carlton went on to win 27 games for a team that won only 59. I was hooked.

8. The first Phillies game I recall seeing in person was later that year. Carlton was pitching and won the game, his 14th win in a row (the streak ended at 15).

9. After that I started watching football and hockey. Not long after that, on May 19, 1974, the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup. The next year they won it again, and after the game I ran outside to join in the celebrating. I was running down the street and suddenly there was a loud boom right by my ear. Someone was standing on their front porch tossing off firecrackers, and threw one that exploded just as I ran into its path. I was okay but scared to death and ran right back home.

10. Don’t remember the exact year but some time after that, while I was still in grade school I was a member of the safety patrol. As a reward, there was to be a trip to a Phillies game, but our school had a problem because a lot of kids didn’t show up to man their corner. I recall one day there were at least two teachers telling our class how they would cancel the trip because of it. Either my sense of justice or my love of the Phillies overcame my shyness, and I spoke up and said that it was unfair that everyone would have to suffer because some people didn’t show up. One of the teachers said, “That’s true. I’ve seen him on his corner every morning.” I was very proud. (I think they ended up letting everyone go to the game anyway.)

11. I was born on a Good Friday. Every so often my birthday will fall on a Good Friday. This happened in 1973, when I turned 13. That year I was in the school choir. I don’t know how that happened. Anyway, we had to sing at the Good Friday services that evening. One of my mom’s sisters and some of my cousins were visiting that day. After dinner I took a bath and got dressed and went to church to sing, assuming that we’d have my birthday party when I got home. I got home and the house was empty. Mom and my aunt and all the kids had gone to another aunt’s house. I called that aunt’s house, crying into the phone. Mom came home and took me to the shop down the block for a chocolate milkshake.

12. I love my mom! I have no idea what she was thinking that day, though!

13. For a lot of different reasons -- money, my emotional immaturity, and more -- I never really considered going to college. I was determined to get out of high school and get a job. I graduated high school in June 1979 and in October of that year I went to work for the federal government.

14. The first office I worked at was located about 3 blocks from home, so I always walked to work. Each time I moved, either to a new office or to a new apartment, my commute got longer. When I got to my current neighborhood my commute was an hour each way, always via public transit.

15. I've never driven a car. I never learned to drive. I guess it's a phobia now -- that, and a lack of interest in incurring car-related expenses such as gas and insurance. Plus I think that my mind might wander, or I’ll be paying too much attention to what’s on the radio…

16. I will always be grateful to everyone who’s ever given me a ride somewhere or will give me a ride in the future.

17. October 29, 2008 -- the night the Phillies won their second World Series championship -- was an extraordinary night. If I talked to you on the phone that night please remind me what I said, if it was coherent, as I was drinking and most of the night after the game ended is a blur. Yet I was still able to write this on the Outsports blog, and it‘s actually mostly coherent! Link: Outsports: Phillies win World Series

Despite that, the best night of my life so far is still October 21, 1980, the night the Phillies won their first World Series, because I was there in person to see it.

18. My house is a mess. I have stuff lying around on tables, documents piled up on chairs, etc. I have a lot of stuff I should just throw away. I don’t dust often enough, I don’t vacuum often enough. I’m not big on keeping it maintained as I should. Basically, don’t ever expect an invitation to a party at my house unless I hit the lottery and am free to move, preferably into a high-rise condo downtown.

19. Although I’ve had one long-term relationship in my life, I’ve decided that I’ve never really been in love.

20. I have about 900 albums, including CDs and full-album digital downloads, plus a lot of single track downloads. A number of those songs may not be considered to be technically legally obtained, but considering some of the craptacular full-length albums I’ve gotten and the price of music when it isn’t on sale, I feel the record companies still owe me.

21. Whenever I travel, I almost always think to myself, "I could see myself moving here." Whether it’s the weather, the ease of getting around on the public transit system, or whatever, there’s something that makes me feel I want to live there. However, I can't really imagine ever moving away from Philadelphia.

22. I don’t watch many TV series. There are lots of shows that are popular and/or critical successes but I don’t bother giving them a chance. I might try a show because of what I hear about its premise, or if a particular actor is on it, or whatever. There’s no particular rhyme or reason to my choices. The only thing I can say with any certainty is: I’ll never stop watching The Simpsons.

23. There are certain people in this world (none that I know personally so if you‘re reading this you‘re probably not on the list), who should die horrible, painful, gruesome deaths and then rot in hell for all eternity. And I’m not just talking about serial killers or rapists or child molesters or the like.

24. When I turned 35 I became really depressed. My brilliant way of handling it was to buy my first computer and go online for the first time. For awhile I was on AOL, and went into chat rooms a lot. After I left AOL I never really went into chat rooms again. I don’t miss chat rooms in the slightest.

25. The Internet, ironically, has helped me tremendously. I may have trouble talking to people in person (and I don’t really like calling people on the phone either; I much prefer having people call me instead) but I have had little or no trouble with connecting via e-mails or message boards, and this has helped take away some of my reluctance and awkwardness when it comes to meeting new people. Getting Internet access has led me to meet a lot of new friends, and I’ve had a lot of interesting experiences that would never have occurred otherwise. I am incredibly lucky to have my friends in my life and I’ll always be grateful to you.

P.S. I’ll also always be grateful to Al Gore for creating the Internet in the first place. ;-)