I thought I just did this last year, but in deference to Todd Defren (get it?) who tagged me, I'll participate in the 8 Things You (Probably) Don't Know About Me meme. It's the least I can do to give something back to the community that's been so kind to me - that is, unless you feel this is akin to torture...
The rules are simple: link to your tagger and post the rules; list 8 random facts about yourself; tag 8 people at the end of your post; let them know they've been tagged.
And awaaaay we go:
- When I was a junior in high school, I was called out of a classroom by the vice principal - normally the school's disciplinarian and someone with whom I had previously had no significant contact. Mr. "C" as he was known, informed me that I was a unanimous choice of the faculty and local American Legion to be our school's representative at Boys' State.
- When I was in college, I spent my first three years on the drumline of the BU Marching Band, I was part of a service fraternity that supported the university's music organizations, so some sort of participation was required, so my senior year, I opted to become the announcer for the marching band. It was a nice mashup of my music interest and voiceover aspirations. Plus, I regularly brought down the house with such gems as, "Welcome to Nickerson Field at Boston University. Be sure to try our Charles River Chowder."
- I have a hearing problem - severe enough that I may be getting hearing aids soon. My problem is a combination of tinnitus (pronounced TINN-it-us), a high-pitch ringing or buzzing that never ceases, and a hearing loss of higher pitched sounds. It means I have a hard time hearing whispers, higher pitch voices such as women, and at times, general conversation. I'm losing the ability to hear leaves rustling in the wind and when the peepers come out at night (because that's similar to the sound I always hear in my head). Ironically enough, my favorite composer is Beethoven, who also suffered from the same thing before going completely deaf. I can't really complain when I know that he produced some of the world's most beautiful and enduring music without the benefit of being able to hear it. We'll see how the hearing aids work out (hopefully).
- I don't buy new cars, and when I purchase I car, I'll only pay below the market rate. I know some people saw the photo of my car parked in my garage during the snowblower plea and questioned my situation. When I was considering a car, I knew I needed an AWD vehicle and it came down to Subaru, VW and Audi, as I wanted a sedan, not an SUV. Turns out the Audi was cheaper than the VW - and since my dad works at an auto auction, I got a sweet deal.
- I hold or have held memberships in a number of unusual groups - The Wodehouse Society, the Titanic Historical Society, and the Boston branch of the English-Speaking Union. I have just finished a 5-year stint as the founding head of The Beacon Society, a non-profit that promotes childhood literacy through the Sherlock Holmes stories.
- I rarely watch late night TV anymore, but Johnny Carson is still my hero. The Tonight Show isn't the Tonight Show without him. I always admired his quick wit, charm, and regular guy approach, not to mention his ability to keep the humor and attention focused on his guests, not on him. Whether it was Midwest grandma or a Hollywood starlet, all were equals when they were on the panel with Johnny. One of the greatest compliments I receive is when people tell me that I remind them of Johnny.
- I was on As Schools Match Wits, the nation's longest running high school quiz program. I'm still kicking myself over one stupid answer that I gave that potentially cost us the title, but maybe I can redeem myself on Jeopardy some day.
- I had a hard time coming up with a final one, but in the spirit of keeping this interesting, I'll end with this throw-away: if someone offered me the opportunity to become a game show host, I'd take it.
The next
Photo credit: Nitin Pai on Flickr
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