Bushwhacker…

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This link gives me something to hang on to.

I have revived, and revised to a very small extent, my 100 Things About ME list:

  1. I have nothing living in my house but me — no animals, no plants.
  2. I was married (to a woman) for 16 years.
  3. I am in grad school at NCSU, working on my Master’s in Technical Communication.
  4. I am seriously considering continuing into the PH.D. program.
  5. I love to snow ski, and ski the blue slopes and the non-mogul black slopes.
  6. There are still five places I’d like to visit before I leave here: Tahiti (or Bora Bora), Australia, Portugal, Spain, and to ski the Alps.
  7. I am a Palm Pilot fanatic, but it keeps my life organized.
  8. I have the original Palm Pilot. It runs only by batteries, and can’t “beam” anything.
  9. I don’t have a television, and haven’t had one since March 2002.
  10. I don’t use lip balm, and as a result am not addicted to it.
  11. I don’t care about decorating, fashion, or gardening.
  12. I do care about writing.
  13. I love to line dance and two-step. In two-stepping, I can dance both the lead and the follow — so double my chances of getting a dance. I prefer to follow if I have the choice.
  14. I sleep with one pillow under my knees, another butted up against the left cheek of my face, and the pillow I have my head on is one you fill with water until it’s just the right firmness.
  15. I sometimes, subconsciously, put my fingers somewhere on my face while falling asleep.
  16. I don’t use cologne at all.
  17. I prefer boxer shorts, and only wear briefs if there’s a chance my boxers will hang out of my shorts.
  18. I was in a relationship with a guy for 6.5 years.
  19. I am not bisexual.
  20. I came out of the closet when I was 37.
  21. I have known I was gay since I was 7.
  22. My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in September of 2003.
  23. My sister has an EdD (the equivalent of a PhD) in Education. For the first year after she got it, I had to call her Dr. Sister, my parents had to call her Dr. Daughter, and her husband had to call her Dr. Wife. We were happy to do it. It took her seven hard years to get it.
  24. My brother provided me with a niece and a nephew.
  25. My dad served in the United States Marines for 30 years, and did three tours (of one year each) in Vietnam. My mom waited for him to return alive.
  26. I went to high school on a military base — Camp Lejeune, NC.
  27. My digital camera, which is less than one year old and has taken less than 100 pictures, is broken, and it’ll cost almost as much to fix it as it would to buy another one.
  28. My cell phone takes 2-3 hours to recharge.
  29. I think Tim McGraw is one of the hottest men on the earth.
  30. I think Dolly Parton is one of the most genuine, lovable people on the earth.
  31. I think Robert Shumaker is one of the kindest, most thoughtful people on the earth.
  32. I read to a blind couple for five years, and then to the surviving spouse for another five years.
  33. I drink my coffee black.
  34. I suck at pool, but like to play.
  35. I am a committed Camry owner. My last car was a Camry. My current car is a Camry. My next car will be a Camry.
  36. I test drove a Mercedes before buying my current Camry.
  37. My mortgage payment is $379 a month.
  38. I have dressed up like a woman once, which was enough.
  39. I wore a size 22 party dress when I did.
  40. The size 12 pumps about killed me before it was all said and done.
  41. I was the Secretary on the board of directors of a nonprofit for four years.
  42. I was on the front page of the “Life” section of the local paper in October of 2004, which cost the paper some subscribers.
  43. I have given a fully-paid-for house to my niece and nephew.
  44. I rode a little less than 350 miles on my bike, from Raleigh to DC, over 4 days, raising nearly $3000.
  45. I love Harry & David’s Pepper Relish mixed with cream cheese.
  46. My cremation is fully paid for.
  47. My obituary is written.
  48. I have a clock in my office that “picks up the time from the air waves.”
  49. That clock is always about 4 minutes slow, which makes me nutso.
  50. I wear shorts and a t-shirt three-fourths of the year.
  51. My ex-wife and I are good friends.
  52. I am a Libra, but think horoscopes are hogwash.
  53. I am a committed blogger. In 2004, I blogged every day for 354 days. I have been blogging for four years.
  54. If I died eating the barrel of Utz cheese balls from Sam’s Club, I’d die with a smile on my face.
  55. I am in a book club that is mostly social. In fact, its name is “The Mostly Social Bookclub.”
  56. I made a toast at a Lesbian union in November of 2004. Though there were both straight and Lesbian women there, there were only two men — me and the minister — both gay. I was not attracted to him.
  57. The toast I gave was, “May you never lie, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie with each other. If you must cheat, cheat death! And if you must drink, then drink here, with those who love and support you in this union.”
  58. I was in the band in high school. I played the clarinet.
  59. I squeegee my shower stall walls after each shower.
  60. I buy greeting cards for $.59 each, and am a card-sending fiend.
  61. I like to buy different kinds of stamps — not to collect, though — stamps that work — to mail stuff.
  62. American Airlines is my “preferred airline.”
  63. I buy everything that I possibly can with my credit card, and pay it off at the end of the month. It earns me frequent flyer points.
  64. I have no credit card debt at all.
  65. I love to send postcards when I travel, and it’s not uncommon to send 25-30 each time I travel.
  66. Mykonos, Greece is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited.
  67. I send out those four-to-five page holiday letters that you either love or hate.
  68. I have no headboard or footboard on my bed.
  69. I sleep with a sound machine, which makes white noise.
  70. My undergraduate degree was “Math with a Computer Science Option” — from East Carolina University — in 1980.
  71. One of my previous cars was a BMW 325I, which I had a “love/hate” relationship with. Loved driving it. Hated picking it up after any kind of service.
  72. I have created a Diversity Education poster that has been used by such companies as IBM, the Mayo Clinic, and Johnson & Johnson.
  73. I love books, libraries, and www.bookcrossing.com.
  74. I worked for IBM for 13 years, left, and got rehired after 7. I got my service (and vacation) back, so now have 18 years of service, and would have had 25 had I not left.
  75. If I get laid off from work, I will probably go back to school full time, until I finish my degree(s).
  76. I have a financial analyst who loves me, because I “put away” almost 40% of my income every month.
  77. The parking spots where I live are designated — two per townhouse – and marked on the pavement. Your behind will get towed in a heartbeat if you don’t park in the designated spot — especially visitors: use the spots marked “Guest.”
  78. When flying, I prefer the window.
  79. The only illegal drug that I’ve ever tried is pot, and I did inhale it.
  80. At one time in my life I had two dogs, who I dearly, dearly loved — Misty & Sophie.
  81. I no longer have a safety deposit box.
  82. The only kind of steak I really like is filet mignon.
  83. I would pay up to $5000 to attend a Barbra Streisand concert — no more than that, though. 🙂
  84. If I had a television, I would watch Will & Grace, because as soon as Karen says anything, I’m rolling on the floor laughing. I would also watch Judging Amy.
  85. I can’t sing, but I love to, and do it anyway.
  86. I so hate chit-chatting on the phone. Let’s get our business done and hang up.
  87. My order of preference is Walmart, Target, then K-Mart.
  88. I hate golf; it’s too improbable. The balls are too small, and the holes are too far away.
  89. I love bowling. The balls are big, and the pins are 60 feet away. I carry about a 185 average when I’m bowling regularly.
  90. I still have all four of my wisdom teeth, which were taken out at least 20 years ago.
  91. In 2005, I will attend my 30-year high school reunion.
  92. For 2005, I have elected the most expensive, thus most comprehensive, healthcare insurance through work.
  93. I get my haircut mostly at CostCutters, but sometimes at Upper Cuts.
  94. I get my oil changed at Jiffy Lube.
  95. I have an IBM computer and an IBM laptop.
  96. If I had a TV, I’d have on CMT a lot.
  97. I can’t wait for the next presidential elections.
  98. Sometimes, but very rarely, in the privacy of my own home, I will walk like a runway model for a very short distance. I don’t think I’m very good at it at all.
  99. My living room furniture is not arranged to face a TV.
  100. For 2004, I received my first “1” appraisal at IBM. It’s the only one I’ve ever received in my 18 years there.

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