25 Random Things

I posted this on my Facebook a few minutes ago, and just thought I could get an easy post out of it here too :)

1. This kind of note or email chain annoys me greatly - I typically avoid them. I apologize in advance.
2. Whenever I have the choice I drink Diet Coke. Diet Pepsi and Diet Dr. Pepper have a funny aftertaste and regular soda has the consistency of syrup - yuck.
3. I'm terrible at keeping in touch with people. I have good intentions - I exchange emails, phone numbers, addresses, etc., but I frequently fall into the "out of sight, out of mind" thing.
4. I like playing video games - not the shooting / hunting / bombing / bloody kind, though. I started old school back in the 80s with Atari 2600 and today I rock the Nintendo Wii and DS with my kids.
5. I'm a board / card game kind of guy. One of my favorite things to do is invite a few friends over and play euchre, pounce, loaded questions, spades or some other table game.
6. I'm uber-competitive. If I'm doing something, I'd like to do it better than you. And if you happen to do it better than me, I'll practice like mad until I can beat you. It matters not the nature of the game - ping-pong, monopoly, knock-out, laser-quest, whatever. I like to win.
7. I'm an official member of the American Cornhole Association. Get your mind out of the gutter - it's a game played with 1 pound bags of corn and it's fun!
8. I get sunburns. Easy. In order to go outside in the summer I have to either plan ahead and bring my own shade or take a bath in sunscreen to avoid morphing into lobster-man.
9. Vacation = ocean. I grew up spending a lot of vacations at the beach - Myrtle, Ocean City, Clearwater, Rehoboth. I don't really feel like I've been on vacation unless I've been in the ocean. P.S. The Texas coast doesn't count.
10. I'm a complete wuss when it comes to needles. I avoid them whenever possible. I really want to be the kind of person that donates blood, but I just can't bring myself to do it.
11. I read all the Harry Potter books. I started out totally indifferent when Harry and the crew first hit the scene, but I found them to be entertaining once I started reading them.
12. I enjoy order and organization. I like things to be parallel or perpendicular to each other. I arrange the items on my desk and work area to conform to this standard, and I notice immediately when something has been moved.
13. I don't really like cold cuts. Some people get excited about lunchmeat sandwiches and meat trays, etc. No thanks. I'd rather have peanut butter and jelly.
14. I almost always have a runny nose. I'm not sure why this is, and I really don't care to find out (see #10). I'm used to it, I breathe through my mouth when I have to, it's all good.
15. If I'm going somewhere in a car, I prefer to be driving. I stink as a passenger.
16. I don't enjoy doing much of anything that involves me moving without having a lot of control over how fast I'm going and being able to stop when I want to. For example: roller coasters, roller skating, ice skating, skateboarding, skiing, other people driving (see #15), big slides, etc. All not fun.
17. I don't like yard work. (see #8 and #14) Mowing the yard, raking leaves, trimming bushes, planting flowers, weed-wacking, mulching...not interested. The guy across the street's yard and bushes are better than mine? Great!
18. I wish people would stop parking in the street. That's what a garage is for! Stop taking up valuable driving space with your vehicle, please!
19. If I have the choice, I'd rather be cold than hot. You can always add layers (and I like wearing long sleeves), and after a while, there aren't any more layers to take off and you're still hot. I miss being cold. Whenever someone tells me they're cold, I say, "enjoy it while you can!"
20. I don't like having things in my pockets. When I have to, I always put my wallet in my back left, my keys in my front left and my phone / change in my front right, but I'd rather have everything in my backpack and empty pockets.
21. I like playing and watching most sports. Favorites to play: basketball, football, soccer, ping-pong, softball. Favorites to watch: football, basketball, olympics, UFC, NASCAR. Notice that hockey does not appear on either list - not even remotely interested.
22. I change my facial hair pattern a lot. Sometimes I go with a full beard, sometimes goatee with mustache, sometimes without mustache, sometimes sideburns, sometimes not. The only constant is that I almost always have hair on my chin. I'm not sure why - that part just always manages to stay.
23. I'm still getting used to my new glasses. I bought them knowing that I didn't like them as much as my old ones, but acknowledging that I would regret getting a new pair that looked just like my old pair.
24. I don't like cake. Cake is just an excuse to eat icing. Whenever I see people eating the cake and leaving the icing, I want to shake them and say, "come on dude!"
25. I have an amazing family. My wife loves me and works hard to make our home nice and keep it running smoothly and my kids are the bomb. They're healthy and smart and they listen (most of the time). I never really spent much time thinking about what my family would be like, but what I lucked into is leaps and bounds beyond any expectations I could have imagined.
OK, done! Now I guess it's your turn!
Until next time - RevPhil