So the winning suggestion for my 100th Article came from Poetmom. She suggested, and was seconded, that I list 100 things about me. That was easier said than done, let me tell you. But here are the results.
1. I live in Colorado
2. I grew up in the southern United States.
3. I went to school at a fine Southern university, with one of the best Engineering schools around.
4. Before finishing my B.S. I left school to try my hand as an artist. It didn’t work out.
5. I have a baby picture of myself sitting on the steps of the Parthenon (this was taken while my mother dragged my brothers and me around the Mediterranean while my dad was stationed on an aircraft carrier during the Viet Nam war).
6. My favorite color is navy blue.
7. My favorite animal is the white Siberian tiger.
8. My favorite number is seven.
9. My favorite word is “lucid”.
10. My favorite male name is Gideon
11. My favorite female name is Sinden
12. I love the moon. If I were to have a deity it would be Luna.
13. I do not like the sun. It does nasty bad things to me.
14. I like cats. Cats understand me.
15. I do not like dogs. They are too weak minded.
16. I joined the prestigious Mile High Club when I was 17, thanks to a pretty blonde from Des Moines, Iowa and a long flight to London.
17. I have been a participant in a road trip, in a convertible, from Pensacola, Florida to San Diego, California.
18. I have also driven solo from Memphis, Tennessee to Brunswick, Maine.
19. I have stood in a pine forest in the slopes of Mount Pilatus, near Lucerne, and thought that I had never beheld such a beautiful sight.
20. I have used that line to impress girls, usually appending something like, “but it does not compare to the sight if you.”
21. I have fallen off the balcony of my hotel outside Lucerne, drunk and naked, and had to walk around to the front entrance with my friends taking photos and laughing hysterically. Did I mention the pine needles?
22. I have taken off from eastern Mississippi to Houston, Texas in the middle of the night with no map, and no idea how to get to my destination.
23. I have driven 1000 miles on a whim just to meet a girl.
24. I have been writing computer programs for 23 years.
25. I have seen the inside of the facility that holds the Stargate.
26. Some of my current work will be used in the White House Situation Room.
27. The only pet I have ever had that was named by me was a cat named Cat.
28. I love raspberry iced tea.
29. My favorite piece of art is a print of Carol Lawson’s Daydreams that was given to me as a high school graduation gift by my first love.
30. My second favorite piece of art is an oil-on-canvas seascape done by my late grandfather.
31. I value truth, honor, loyalty, and honesty.
32. Although I am a skeptic and think astrology is hogwash, I think of myself as a true Taurus.
33. I was born on Mother’s Day.
34. My mother’s birthday is December 25th.
35. I love to drive around the Rocky Mountains at night.
36. I love to drive around the Rocky Mountains during the day.
37. Every evening I get a spectacular sight out the front of my home as the sun sets behind the Rocky Mountain front range, and I love it.
38. I have been shot once, by my brother and by accident.
39. I have been knifed once, by some asshat and not by accident (he got the worst of the deal, that’s for sure).
40. I think a woman’s neck is the sexiest part.
41. I like to stare into people’s eyes.
42. I have, on at least three periods of my life that have had no connection, been given the nickname “Tiger”.
43. Once, while driving from Alabama to Mississippi, I drove parallel to two tornados for close to 20 miles. It was a weird experience, that’s for sure.
44. While moving from Alabama to Colorado, I was rear ended by a dump truck in Arkansas on an under-construction bridge. I nearly died, and I was passing out from blood loss and trying vainly to get the attention of some of the asshats standing around and the only thing I could think was, “I’m gonna die on this bridge because the ambulance can’t get to me and these jerks won’t come over here and stop my bleeding.”
45. I read a lot. My home is covered in books.
46. While I read I listen to music.
47. I have trouble getting to sleep without music playing.
48. I never use alarm clocks. I just get up when I need to.
49. Other than ID badges, I only own one physical picture.
50. I think strip clubs are the worst kind of window-shopping.
51. I’ve had my picture in a newspaper… for winning an Easter egg hunt when I was a child.
52. I’ve known the joy of seeing a student of mine “get it”.
53. I’ve been best man at a friends wedding… in a small church with no air conditioning… in southern Louisiana… in late July.
54. I’ve lasted 43 moves against one processor of Deep Blue in chess. I won a screwdriver set for that.
55. I’ve been to Tijuana on New Year’s Eve. I do not recommend it.
56. I’ve seen the Mona Lisa. I do recommend that.
57. I’ve banged an Aussie lass. I definitely recommend that!
58. I try to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. I enjoy building houses and working on houses. My mother was a real estate broker when I was a child, and my brothers and I would do a lot of fixing-up of her clients’ homes.
59. I first got involved with Habitat because a group had come to my college town and I ran into some of the girls at one of the clubs. They were hot. I was horny. So I started helping.
60. I am a skeptic, and do not believe in the supernatural. But I think it would be really cool if I were wrong.
61. My mother is a racist. This makes my brothers and me very sad, but she will not admit that she is a racist.
62. I once played Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in high school.
63. I have a strange fascination with pens. I don’t like people touching my pens, and I am very particular about what pens I use. Standard every-day writing pen: Pilot Precise Rolling Ball, Extra Fine .5mm in blue or black.
64. I hate to dust.
65. I was once given a $20,000 laptop for work. And I never used it.
66. I have a problem with authority figures. I can’t seem to summon up the “proper” respect.
67. The CD changer in my car currently holds albums by: Disturbed, Enya, Maroon 5, Remy Zero, Rob Zombie, and Kidney Thieves.
68. I get no kick from champagne. Mere alcohol doesn’t thrill me at all.
69. I think the biggest problem in America is a lack of responsibility in the general populace.
70. I think there is far too much litigation in America today.
71. My brother thinks I’m insane for holding this view. But then he is a litigator.
72. I think Pledge Grab It is a wonderful product.
73. I like Altoids. I have six empty canisters and one not-empty canister on a shelf in my office.
74. The most used and worn book in my library is Java in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition. Although I haven’t opened it in about six years.
75. I really enjoy J2EE development, and have had a lot of fun in the BEA WebLogic classes I have taken.
76. I get mail (real mail) from MIT and Cal Tech, and I have no idea why.
77. One of my neighbors at work and I have a running bet on whether a third co-worker will get to work by 11:00 AM on any given day.
78. I enjoy Texas Hold‘em, and usually play in at least one game a week. I suck at it.
79. I do not have a land-line phone in my house. I only have a cell.
80. I’m a big movie buff and have a couple hundred DVDs. I would have a lot more, but 9 months ago I joined NetFlix.
81. My brother and I have an understanding about Christmas gifts. For example, I might phone him up and say, “Hey, you got me the Two Towers DVD for Christmas! Thanks, bro!” and he might respond, “You’re welcome. By the way, you got me the latest Tom Clancy novel. Thanks!”
82. Of the last six job offers I have accepted I only asked for one. The others were unsolicited.
83. I wish I could see how humans develop our world and our selves over the next thousand years.
84. I find history to be fascinating.
85. I have a terrible memory.
86. I find beauty in the simplest of things.
87. I love a rainy night.
88. Mississippi gets some very serious thunderstorms during the summer. During one of these I witnessed sheet lightning that covered the entire sky in a wave of light. It was humbling and amazing and breathtaking.
89. I think the space shuttle is a huge waste of resources. Same for the proposed mission to Mars.
90. I collect quotes. Here’s one: “Despite the high cost of living it remains a popular item.”
91. My idea of the perfect evening is a snow storm, a warm fire, a good book, some good music, a comfortable chair, and a bottle of Bailey’s.
92. I can pretty much count on hearing laughter somewhere in my workplace at any given time, and I think that is awesome.
93. I have a collection of swords and knives.
94. I believe in “staying in droves.”
95. I know the significance of 42.
96. The first website I visit each day (on days that I visit any site) is dilbert.com.
97. I like cutting my hair very short. A number 2 guard all over. I love the feel of it.
98. The idea of losing my hair does not bother me.
99. My parents raised Tennessee Walkers when I was growing up (they are a type of horse), and I was always the first rider the colts experienced.
100. I can’t think of anything else.