Some little-known things about yours truly ...

I generally don't do these things, but here ya go:

1. Can you cook?
Yes, and quite well, I’d like to think. That’s what made me a good catch. I made the corned beef and cabbage for today (as well as for our office St. Patrick’s Day party on Tuesday - everyone commented that mine was ‘the best’). I follow directions and recipes quite well :)

2. What was your dream growing up?
From the fifth grade on, it was to become a Roman Catholic priest. I even went to high school seminary (a prep all-male boarding school) for a couple of years, got scared and joined the Army after I graduated from public high school. I wanted to see the world, and I did, and have, and there’s still so much more to see (possibly Iraq in August - a follow-up to my year in Afghanistan). Other dreams included becoming a major league baseball player (for the Cardinals) or hockey player (Blues) or successful gynecologist (for cheerleaders, tennis stars and gymnasts). OK, maybe I shouldn’t be answering these Guinness-in-hand, Saint Patrick’s Night.


3. What talent do you wish you had?
Focusing my high intelligence into completing something. That, and continuing to advance in my violin studies to become a decent violinist/fiddler.

4. Favorite place?
Frankfurt, Germany. I lived there for a few years. Of course, I say this before having been to Rome or Ireland ... :)

5. Favorite vegetable?
Today, cabbage. I love most vegetables, but sadly don’t eat enough. I even love spinach. I could live off of green bean casserole. And being married to a Filipina means eating all sorts of weird fruits and veggies (and meats... ahem).

6. What was the last book you read?
Mozart’s Letters, Mozart’s Life. I am currently reading Oliver Twist by Dickens.

7. What zodiac sign are you?
Libra. I don’t believe in any of that mumbo jumbo (that’s my Catholicism showing).

8. Any Tattoos and/or Piercings?
Used to have 3 holes in my left ear. Contemplated getting nipples pierced. Abandoned that idea for various reasons. I have 4 tattoos - the German flag with a sword through it (and blood dripping off the sword) on my left chest, the Cat In The Hat eating a rat on my right upper arm, a HMMWV with M-16 rifles and a quasi-desert scene on my left upper arm with the words “United States Army - Death Before Dishonor”, and on my back a heart with a lightning bolt and smoke coming from it with the name “Tracey” in the middle ... don’t ask :) The Army tat was a cover up of a joker/jester skull-faced red-eyed evil looking thing rolling the dice. I used to want to be W. Axl Rose or Ozzy when I was younger and living and partying and surviving during the real Metal Years ...

9. Worst Habit?
Biting my nails (although violinists need to keep their left hands’ nails short) or shaking my feet constantly when sitting. Don’t know why, but I always find it kinda sexy when a female has either of those habits. OK, I am a bit strange.

10. Do you personally know anybody on Blog?
The illustrious Ange and the rest of the Pumpkin Shell (Tom, Jack, and Pickles), and Mr. and Mrs. Zilla. Tom and Ange treated me to the World Series (seeing my Cardinals win it all) and I had only been home from Afghanistan a week - an experience I’ll never forget and can probably never repay. I didn’t know them except in cyberspace before blogging (flickring) ... Ange was a great email pal that helped through some times in the ‘stan.

Those I knew before blogging:
None.

Those I met in person BECAUSE of blogging:
See above ... Ange and Zilla.

ALMOST met:
Lori and Becky Boop. I hoped they would meet us all in Kansas City, but we (Pumpkin Shell and the ‘Zillas’) met in Saint Louis instead ...

11. What is your favorite sport?
Played baseball growing up, and ice hockey later on. I love watching those two today. The only sport I actively participate in now is curling. Yes, the Olympic ice sport played by a lot of Canadians (including many Canucks in our club here). http://www.kccurling.com

12. Negative or Optimistic attitude?
With the state of the world now, negative. I try to be positive (not necessarily optimistic), especially after a year fighting in the war in Afghanistan and having some friends die. I don’t mind GWB (I don’t think he gets a fair shake), but God, does this country need a man like Ronald Wilson Reagan again.


13. What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator lift with someone of the opposite sex?
Probably not much. Sing “Love In An Elevator” by Aerosmith?


14. Worst thing to ever happen to you?
Losing our son Anthony Edward.
Runner-up: Worst AND best thing (in a way), is my recent year-long deployment to fight in the war in Afghanistan.

15. Tell me one weird fact about you:
I apparently have a shoe fetish (according to my wife Alicia). She is Filipina and calls *me* Imelda Marcos. If that’s not weird enough for you, see # 9 above.

16. Do you have any pets?
Yes, 3 gerbils. I am a member of the American Gerbil Society. No joke. http://www.agsgerbils.org

17. Do you know how to do the macarena?
No. Sorry. I am living proof that white men can't dance. And even if I *could* dance, I doubt that the Macarena would be anywhere on my list.

18. Is the sun shining where you are now?
No, it’s 2051 on March 17th as I write this. (That’s 8:51 PM for you civilians) :)

19. Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
John Wayne Gacy ruined clowns for me. Ronald McDonald is just kinda weird looking. I don’t have a fear of clowns (which has been a popular phobia - real or just to sound cool, I don’t know ). I can still hear Father Ron Foshage M.S., yelling “You clown!” in World History class at the afore-alluded-to Saint Henry’s Preparatory Seminary in Belleville, Illinois :) For that reason, the word ‘clown’ always makes me smile.

20. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
Lose the Guinness Gut I have acquired in the last several years.

21. Would you be my good angel or bad angel?
Good. Always good.

22. What color eyes do you have?
Hazel/green. (greenish brown but more green?)

23. Ever been arrested?
Yes. Long story. All charges dropped (no complaining witness). Let’s just say I was drunk on the early hours of December 24th, 1994 in a bar outside of Springfield, Illinois, and my mouth was running. I was also ‘arrested’ (they confiscated my alcohol, anyway) one evening in the early 1990s by some podunk cop from the Nokomis (or was it Pana?) Illinois PD. My gf Tracey was underage and I was over 21 - we were caught in the park after curfew - I also had two other underage girls with me at the time (God, was I a PIMP) ... The picnic table in that park has Tracey’s butt (total silhouette, probably) imprinted into the wood to this day, I’ll bet. (Sorry, I don’t know what that means, exactly ... )

24. Bottle or Draft?
Draught. Draught Guinness (for real, at a bar, on tap, or in the magical award-winning Draught aluminium cans...) No other beer will do, and I accept no substitute.

25. If you won £10,000 today, what would you do with it?
Well, that’s about $19,243. I guess I would deposit it - use it towards a house (we are selling/buying at the moment) ...

26. What kind of bubble gum do you prefer to chew?
I haven’t chewed gum regularly since my early 20s, but it used to be Bubble Yum.

27. What's your favorite bar to hang at?
Well, hanging is a bad word, but lately I have been going to the Disabled American Veterans post I belong to - although it’s about 20 miles away (I love cruise control). Sometimes I go to the American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), but the DAV seems to be the veterans organization I choose to be involved with lately ...

28. Do you believe in ghosts?
Yes. And demons and other evil things, as well as leprechauns and fairies.

29. Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
Practice my violin and watch NHL hockey. Get on MySpace. IM with friends. Drink Guinness and hang out at veterans clubs. They’re the only ones who seem to ‘understand’.

30. Do you swear a lot?
Yes, unfortunately, since spending a year in combat. Army life tends to make one cuss. I am trying to re-wean myself from doing that.

31. Biggest pet peeve?
People who don’t remove their hats or pay respect to the flag or national anthem. That’s an insult to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of those and what they stand for, as well as those of us who have survived wearing the uniform of the armed forces of the USA.


32. In one word, how would you describe yourself?
Enigmatic.

33. Was there supposed to be a # 33?


More Questions Stolen From Ange who stole them from CameraDawktor:


1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Saint Patrick and Saint Joseph (the original one).

2. ARE YOU AN ONLY CHILD?
The family who adopted me already had three older kids (my brother and two sisters). Later in life, I found my biological mom, and she told me she had no other children, so technically yes.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
When I make myself write in a neat way, but who writes long-hand much anymore?

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Braunschweiger.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Living, no. Well, possibly, yes.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Yes. I am the coolest person in my own mind that I know. A legend in my own mind, so to speak.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Is the Pope Catholic?

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes, although they were nearly taken out as a pre-teen.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Maybe, if I could strap J.LO under me so a) I could have cheap thrills on the way down, b) she *might* cushion my fall if the damned thing broke, and c) if it did break and I died, I would have a smile on my face although if we came free of each other and I landed face-down, I may be stuck in the earth a little ways :P

I think I over-thought the damned question when a simple yes or no would have sufficed. Damned Guinness.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Hot: Cream of Wheat
Cold: Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch or any shredded wheat.
Nine-Days Old: duh.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Of course.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Yes. I am not just strong, I am Army Strong... Don’t you just hate the Army’s latest ad campaign? I long for the old “Be All That You Can Be” award-winning campaign that ran for about 20 years. I don’t know if Army Strong is better than the confusing Army Of One, or not. They both kinda S U C K .

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Anything as long as it’s not LITE or SUGAR FREE etc ... I also love sherbet.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Shoes. I think they say alot about a person.

15. RED OR PINK?
Neither, but if I *had* to choose, red. The only red I wear is Saint Louis Cardinal red...

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
Dunno. Probably the afore-mentioned Guinness Gut (physically). Other than that, I guess my life-long status as a classic under-achiever.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
Some of my friends - not the ones killed in Afghanistan, but some from earlier times in my nomadic, sporadic life.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?
Not really.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Dark blue Nautica jeans with strategic holes and rips (there when I bought them, new), and kelly green low Chuck Taylors (Converse All-Stars) ...

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
The corned beef and cabbage I made. Oh wait, for dessert I had a Twinkie and a few pieces of Hershey’s Dark Chocolate with Almonds.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
When I started this, I was listening/watching Montreal and Toronto on Hockey Night In Canada (Habs won in a shootout - they are battling each other for a playoff spot), switching back and forth to Saint Louis/Edmonton. Now it’s late in the Blues/Oilers matchup ... LET'S GO BLUES!!!

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Some shade of green.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
The smell of freedom - getting off the plane finally back in the USA after fighting in Afghanistan for a year.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Our friend Marissa.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Yes. I stole this from Ange. I like her (and her family) very much even though she doesn’t write me anymore or read my blogs. :P

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Hockey, baseball, curling, American football ... Olympics (Winter and Summer) ...

27. HAIR COLOR?
Brown.

28. EYE COLOR?
Hazel/green ... greenish/brown but more green I think.

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
No.

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
Anything not touched or ruined by the United States Army. I am seriously like a goat - I’ll eat damned near anything once. I do have my faves (Italian, mostly), though.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
How about a scary happy ending? Although, if you knew what we who have been in Afghanistan call a ‘happy ending’, you may not have asked this question ...

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Napoleon Dynamite for the umpteenth millionth time. Gosh! I was hoping to watch Angela’s Ashes (also for the umpteenth millionth time) tonight, but that ain’t gonna happen.

33. COLOR OF SHIRT YOU ARE WEARING?
Tie-dyed T-shirt with different shades of green ... for Saint Patrick’s Day :)

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
WINTER :) You can only get so undressed in summer and still be uncomfortable (and indecent). In winter, you can always add another layer of clothes :) Many friends say I should have been born in Canada ...

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Hugs. Both for close friends and family. Handshakes are also good.

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?
This is probably the hardest question on here. How about naming one I don’t like?

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Dunno.

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, and JFK. Oh, and Mary Jo Kopechnie.

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING?
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
e-army ... www.goarmy.com - Adventure, Education and Training.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
Tivo’d Jeopardy from earlier in the day ... I don’t watch much TV, and definitely not as much as I watched before Afghanistan. It’s mostly rubbish.

42. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SOUND?
Anything with a violin / fiddle in it.

43. WHAT IS THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Afghanistan or the Philippines. All over Europe.

44. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Assembling and disassembling an M-16 in less than a minute? I guess any of the myriad of ‘special’ things United States Army soldiers are trained to do. I am pretty mean with a secret radio teletype set ...

45. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Highland, Illinois, I assume in a home ran by Catholic Charities. Two and a half months early. Weighed 2 pounds 4 ounces. My birth mother described me as ‘rather miserable looking’. Most people still describe me this way today.

46. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
Doesn’t matter to me. I don’t normally do these things myself, but if any of my cyber-friends answer these, I assume they’ll post them in their own cyber haunts.