I found this in a dank and dusty corner of my hard drive the other day. It's something I put together on facebook as one of those "tagging" games, you know ... the ones where someone tags you in an note and then you are supposed to answer the same questions.
Well this one caught on (I didn't start it.). Eventually, I (and others) were asked to read my 30 Things about Me as a sort of performance at Synphoria. I don't like I have ever posted it here, so behold ... blog fodder! Yay! Read on if you dare, and if you wanna, send me YOUR 30 things or post it in the comments. You beasts.
1. I care. (Does not apply to cars or sports.)
2. I carry an unholy number of black and purple pens on my person at all times.
3. I am intensely curious. I thrive on forming strong connections with other human beings. I want to know about everything, and I want to know you.
4. Yes! I want to know what that feels like. Yes! I want to know what that tastes like. Yes! I want to know what that looks like and sounds like and smells like and Yes! I want to do it again. Unbroken routine scares me to death.
5. I do not trust any sort of authority, tradition, or conventional wisdom or "common sense." Such terms are arbitrary and their meanings are fluid. I do not dismiss such things out of hand, but they must demonstrate their continued value. Merely being a tradition, or being identified as an "authority," means nothing.
6. The thing I hope people remember most about me is that I made them laugh.
7. I love story, words, language, poetry, music--any expression of passion and creativity, whether its Romeo and Juliet or a preschoolers finger painting.
8. I am really stubborn. I go to ridiculous extremes before I admit anything remotely close to defeat. I think that in some situations that is a shortcoming, and in others, that is a virtue.
9. I have seen too much violence. I have seen too much murder and death, and it makes me tired. It also makes me want to be kind, to be open. There are forces that would push us towards fear, isolation, and cynicism, to close ourselves off for protection or for pride. If we obey, then we surrender the world. In this sense, love is rebellion and it requires courage.
10. That said ... if someone harms my daughters I will put him in a world of hurt from which he will never escape. Oh well, nobody's perfect. :-)
11. I pretty much raised my daughters on my own, until Carolyn and I got married two and a half years ago. Raising them is exhausting and awesome all at once. My children have given me as much as I have given them, if not more. They have molded me and molded my life as much as I have molded theirs, and they are joy.
12. I think that without random and radical acts of kindness and beauty, life would be such a chore.
13. I think there is sometimes something beautiful in mistakes, detours, and wrong turns--in making the journey longer or more difficult. Although it can seem ugly at first blush, the beauty of error can manifest itself in retrospect ... and, in the moment, I think we can sense the potential of that beauty hovering beside us like a ghost.
14. By nature I am a very affectionate person, but I worry that I get into people's space and make them feel threatened, so I often hold back. But underneath it all Im shameless cuddle monkey.
15. One time when I was staying at my brother's house a burglar broke in. I saw the shadows of his feet moving under the bedroom door. I got out of bed and put on my glasses and shoes, then picked up the closest thing at hand that I could use to defend myself. Luckily it was a Scottish Claymore broadsword and opened the door. The dude screamed and hauled ass down the stairs. I pursued. He flew out the front door into the arms of the police officers who were already there. This surprised me because I hadn't called them. The next day I discovered that this poor guy actually broke into the neighbor's house first. They shot at him. He broke into my brother's house to escape, where he met me...
16. I have a special fondness for nighttime things: the moon, and thunderstorms, and owls, and bats, and cats.
17. I love to cook. Like writing, cooking is liberation. It is an opportunity for creativity, expression of love and nourishment, and independence. Prepackaged and fast foods make me feel like a hamster in a cage waiting for a pellet. In this day and age, cooking from scratch is a subversive act.
18. My beards name is Artemis. It has its own facebook profile.
19. Once when I was camping under the stars a skunk walked out of the woods, crawled up my leg and fell asleep in my lap. It stayed there about two hours before it left. It did not spray me.
20. I remember being taken to church when I was a very small child. It was an old fashioned marble and stained glass Romanesque cathedral. I couldnt see over the pew and no one really explained what was going on except for saying that we were going to Gods house. So I sat there staring at the back of the pew and the ceiling not seeing anything else and when people started talking I thought I was literally hearing the voice of God. Eventually, I was able to pull myself up and see that up front there were people and they were the ones talking, and I remember feeling bitterly disappointed and a little cheated.
21. I've come to realize that life... is complex, contradictory, all at once unexpected and predictable, in and out of our control, a thing to nurtured and respected despite its difficulties, a gift to be appreciated and a trial to endure, should not be taken for granted or taken lightly, but should at all times be considered with a strong sense of both justice and humor.
22. It recently occurred to me that I have been living for a long time with too many self-imposed restrictions, and that I should just try to enjoy for a while.
23. Earlier this year, I did one of those Facebook status games where you say something about the person who posted and then you do it back and so forth. One of the questions was What animal do I remind you of? About 80% of the respondents said, owl.
24. In the last three and a half years, I have lost about 60 pounds. I came to feel like I was living in my head and had totally lost touch with my body. I tried to reconnect; that process is ongoing and proceeding apace. But all in all I am making an effort to care for myself in a real way, possibly for the first time. However, I still like pie.
25. I wrote my first poem on a CTA bus in 1995. I worked it out in my head then got off the bus and made for a library where I was able to write it down before I forgot it.
26. I love to ask questions and to be asked questions, sometimes the oddest most random details about a person can be quite revealing. I feel honored when someone asks me a question, or wants to know something about me. I consider it a compliment.
27. I want waaaaay more tattoos than I can afford. At present, I only have two little ones and one fat one on my back.
28. I grew up on the South Side of Chicago, in the Marquette Park neighborhood. I lived in Chicago until I was 26, and I regret leaving and plan to go back. There is no way to quantify how much Chicago is ingrained in my identity. I know the city like the back of my hand; I know its streets and its history and I never tire of learning more. I hope my children remember what it was like before we came to the suburbs.
29. I am convinced that William Shakespeare understood more about human beings than anyone who has ever lived. He was a sorcerer with language and he has no peer. I mean, you or I might say, "Hey, go over there and get that thing for me please." Shakespeare says, "Be Mercury! Set wings to thy heels and fly hence and back to me again." That's the shit right there.
30. I am viscerally aware, when I am speaking with someone, that it may be the last time I see them or speak to them. We cannot take tomorrow for granted. There may not be one for you or me, so let's be good to each other now and say what we feel.
Well this one caught on (I didn't start it.). Eventually, I (and others) were asked to read my 30 Things about Me as a sort of performance at Synphoria. I don't like I have ever posted it here, so behold ... blog fodder! Yay! Read on if you dare, and if you wanna, send me YOUR 30 things or post it in the comments. You beasts.
1. I care. (Does not apply to cars or sports.)
2. I carry an unholy number of black and purple pens on my person at all times.
3. I am intensely curious. I thrive on forming strong connections with other human beings. I want to know about everything, and I want to know you.
4. Yes! I want to know what that feels like. Yes! I want to know what that tastes like. Yes! I want to know what that looks like and sounds like and smells like and Yes! I want to do it again. Unbroken routine scares me to death.
5. I do not trust any sort of authority, tradition, or conventional wisdom or "common sense." Such terms are arbitrary and their meanings are fluid. I do not dismiss such things out of hand, but they must demonstrate their continued value. Merely being a tradition, or being identified as an "authority," means nothing.
6. The thing I hope people remember most about me is that I made them laugh.
7. I love story, words, language, poetry, music--any expression of passion and creativity, whether its Romeo and Juliet or a preschoolers finger painting.
8. I am really stubborn. I go to ridiculous extremes before I admit anything remotely close to defeat. I think that in some situations that is a shortcoming, and in others, that is a virtue.
9. I have seen too much violence. I have seen too much murder and death, and it makes me tired. It also makes me want to be kind, to be open. There are forces that would push us towards fear, isolation, and cynicism, to close ourselves off for protection or for pride. If we obey, then we surrender the world. In this sense, love is rebellion and it requires courage.
10. That said ... if someone harms my daughters I will put him in a world of hurt from which he will never escape. Oh well, nobody's perfect. :-)
11. I pretty much raised my daughters on my own, until Carolyn and I got married two and a half years ago. Raising them is exhausting and awesome all at once. My children have given me as much as I have given them, if not more. They have molded me and molded my life as much as I have molded theirs, and they are joy.
12. I think that without random and radical acts of kindness and beauty, life would be such a chore.
13. I think there is sometimes something beautiful in mistakes, detours, and wrong turns--in making the journey longer or more difficult. Although it can seem ugly at first blush, the beauty of error can manifest itself in retrospect ... and, in the moment, I think we can sense the potential of that beauty hovering beside us like a ghost.
14. By nature I am a very affectionate person, but I worry that I get into people's space and make them feel threatened, so I often hold back. But underneath it all Im shameless cuddle monkey.
15. One time when I was staying at my brother's house a burglar broke in. I saw the shadows of his feet moving under the bedroom door. I got out of bed and put on my glasses and shoes, then picked up the closest thing at hand that I could use to defend myself. Luckily it was a Scottish Claymore broadsword and opened the door. The dude screamed and hauled ass down the stairs. I pursued. He flew out the front door into the arms of the police officers who were already there. This surprised me because I hadn't called them. The next day I discovered that this poor guy actually broke into the neighbor's house first. They shot at him. He broke into my brother's house to escape, where he met me...
16. I have a special fondness for nighttime things: the moon, and thunderstorms, and owls, and bats, and cats.
17. I love to cook. Like writing, cooking is liberation. It is an opportunity for creativity, expression of love and nourishment, and independence. Prepackaged and fast foods make me feel like a hamster in a cage waiting for a pellet. In this day and age, cooking from scratch is a subversive act.
18. My beards name is Artemis. It has its own facebook profile.
19. Once when I was camping under the stars a skunk walked out of the woods, crawled up my leg and fell asleep in my lap. It stayed there about two hours before it left. It did not spray me.
20. I remember being taken to church when I was a very small child. It was an old fashioned marble and stained glass Romanesque cathedral. I couldnt see over the pew and no one really explained what was going on except for saying that we were going to Gods house. So I sat there staring at the back of the pew and the ceiling not seeing anything else and when people started talking I thought I was literally hearing the voice of God. Eventually, I was able to pull myself up and see that up front there were people and they were the ones talking, and I remember feeling bitterly disappointed and a little cheated.
21. I've come to realize that life... is complex, contradictory, all at once unexpected and predictable, in and out of our control, a thing to nurtured and respected despite its difficulties, a gift to be appreciated and a trial to endure, should not be taken for granted or taken lightly, but should at all times be considered with a strong sense of both justice and humor.
22. It recently occurred to me that I have been living for a long time with too many self-imposed restrictions, and that I should just try to enjoy for a while.
23. Earlier this year, I did one of those Facebook status games where you say something about the person who posted and then you do it back and so forth. One of the questions was What animal do I remind you of? About 80% of the respondents said, owl.
24. In the last three and a half years, I have lost about 60 pounds. I came to feel like I was living in my head and had totally lost touch with my body. I tried to reconnect; that process is ongoing and proceeding apace. But all in all I am making an effort to care for myself in a real way, possibly for the first time. However, I still like pie.
25. I wrote my first poem on a CTA bus in 1995. I worked it out in my head then got off the bus and made for a library where I was able to write it down before I forgot it.
26. I love to ask questions and to be asked questions, sometimes the oddest most random details about a person can be quite revealing. I feel honored when someone asks me a question, or wants to know something about me. I consider it a compliment.
27. I want waaaaay more tattoos than I can afford. At present, I only have two little ones and one fat one on my back.
28. I grew up on the South Side of Chicago, in the Marquette Park neighborhood. I lived in Chicago until I was 26, and I regret leaving and plan to go back. There is no way to quantify how much Chicago is ingrained in my identity. I know the city like the back of my hand; I know its streets and its history and I never tire of learning more. I hope my children remember what it was like before we came to the suburbs.
29. I am convinced that William Shakespeare understood more about human beings than anyone who has ever lived. He was a sorcerer with language and he has no peer. I mean, you or I might say, "Hey, go over there and get that thing for me please." Shakespeare says, "Be Mercury! Set wings to thy heels and fly hence and back to me again." That's the shit right there.
30. I am viscerally aware, when I am speaking with someone, that it may be the last time I see them or speak to them. We cannot take tomorrow for granted. There may not be one for you or me, so let's be good to each other now and say what we feel.
robotsatemyhair:
Thank you. And thank you for being my friend, and a dear one at that. And a sexy one at that. Rower.