25 Things...

Two posts so close? Why not. I've been tagged in one of those "25 Things About Me" things and I did one a while back when I was in a hurry leaving for work and it kind of sucks. So I'm going to do another one. You're supposed to A) Do this on Facebook and B) Tag 25 people. But I'm not doing either, I want hits on this damn blog! Can't people just read it already?!

1. I was an Indian Guide when I was a kid. I was in the Creek tribe and my indian name was Roaring Lion. I went to Camp Jewell and Camp Hi-Rock probably four or five times. My dad was Medicine Man, and Longhouse Chief as well as leader of our tribe for a year or so.

2. My first cat, named Pepper, died in a pretty odd accident that I don't want to describe on this blog, but as soon as we got new ones I instantly liked them better. I felt really bad about it for like three years, but once I got old enough I realized Pepper was too independent to be social, and thusly was a cruel, mean cat that paid more attention to a stuffed pumpkin than it did to anyone in my family.

3. I have a total of 18 posters on my wall in my single here at Hofstra. I am really into decking things out to match my personality, and I actually forgot to bring my posters when I came to school, so I spent over a month with only two on the wall (Wu-Tang Clan and Casino Royale) before the rest arrived. It was a boring month.

4. I think Heath Ledger performed better in Brokeback Mountain than he did in The Dark Knight. To me, The Joker is a very calculated character that was a combination of a series of eclectic characters that already existed. Ennis in Brokeback to me is one of the most heartwrenching performances, because Heath had to be so stone faced, yet emote that he was so torn up on the inside.

5. One of the first coherent memories I have is spanking a woman at the Burger King in Shelton. I was in the play place with my Mom and brother and I decided I wanted to climb up a slide. It was a smaller one that had all of these ridges on it, and a little kid tried to go down and I told him/her (I don't remember 100%) not too. His/her mother came up and told me not to climb up the slide and I spanked her. That's all I remember of that story, but apparently my Mother was really embarrassed and the woman was laughing hysterically.

6. I've been going to church when I'm home since I was a kid. My parents switched churches, and my brother stopped going, yet I still go to the same one. When people ask why I tell them it's because I get something out of the sermons. I don't necessarily agree with the views of the Catholic church, or all of the writings in the Bible, but I feel like there is some general wisdom and insight on life we all can get from a decent sermon or a well chosen scripture reading. I'm not pushing my religion on anyone, but that's just how I feel.

7. When I was a kid I had a HUGE, and I mean HUGE action figure collection. I kept buying them until around 8th grade, and I still sporadically do. I mean, what's cheaper, a statue to put up on my desk, or a $5 Gene Simmons toy? Some classic favorites include Moto from Biker Mice From Mars, Chip Hazard from Small Soldiers, and the great Earthworm Jim.

8. I have honestly read less than 50 comic books in my day. My friends pit me as a comic book nerd, but if I were to be thrown into the mix with people that buy comics on a regular basis I would fall behind really quickly. I do really like the lore behind some of the super heroes and villains, I just don't have the time or money to spend purchasing these books every month.

9. I don't have any "guilty pleasure" music because to me, a guilty pleasure is something you are skeptical to tell your friends about. My iTunes library is pretty much an open book. While I may not listen to everything (much of the 10+ minute jazz songs by icons like Miles Davis and John Coltrane have 0 plays) I keep it because one day, when the time is right, it will hit the spot.

10. The first CD's I remember buying were the Beatles Let It Be and Magical Mystery Tour, I rarely listened to Let it Be until high school. That was my breakup album, as it came in handy often when I was being a little pansy after being dumped.

11. As messy as I may seem, I can be a neat freak. Almost daily I clean off my desk and floor, and my computer is organized almost entirely. My "My Documents" folder on my external hard drive probably has like 200 folders within folders of school work, scripts and other stuff.

12. The first "film" I made was an experimental montage known as "The Tape of the Future" which contained several short films made by myself and my friends as well as a lot of absurdist action figure based comedy portrayed by me. My friends and I still reference some of the tape when we hang out, it has become a staple of my life. I hope to import it onto my laptop at some distant point in the future.

13. The first "movie" I made was the Champions. It was about me and Corey McNair as friends who have a somewhat rocky relationship because they have contrasting views on so many things. Every scene of the movie was shot in one take without the camera moving. Tyler Mahard did the camera work for the movie, Jared and Kevin Kunze tried to edit it, but Sean McCabe swooped in for the credit. It debuted at the first annual Stratford Film Festival.

14. When reminiscing on high school with my friends back home, many of my friends say they wish they had been part of the theater group S.T.A.G.E. longer. I disagree completely. While being in West Side Story was a great experience and I got a lot out of it, the stress levels were too crazy and there were too many egos running around for me to get comfortable.

15. I am still undefeated at foosball here at Hofstra. While I haven't played in over a year, and the table is probably broken at this juncture, I took on many an opponent and dominated most matches I was in.

16. I think Hank Hill is the best cartoon dad in the realm of popular cartoons. While Homer Simpson has many laughs, his character is too wide spread, and Peter Griffin is just dumb. Hank Hill has remained consistent throughout the entire run of King of the Hill and still keeps me interested.

17. On top of the many plastic action figures I have, I also have a reasonable bobblehead collection. It started when I was in the 8th grade in L.A. and has slowly grown to 15. In order of purchase/gift recieving I have Colonel Sanders, Capt. L.I. Sounder (mascot for the Bridgeport Bluefish). a tiki man, Uncle Sam, Mario, Sam the Bugler (from the Saratoga race track), Pete the Pepper, William Shakespeare, Hellboy, George W. Bush, a Gamorrean guard from Star Wars and a few more that are not coming to my mind right now.

18. I have only travelled outside of the United States once, and it was to Canada of all places. I really want to travel somewhere nice in the near future, but part of me worries about spending a lot of money.

19. Speaking of money, and purchasing things, I am known to buy CD's without ever hearing the artists music. I rely sometimes on critics and friends entirely when I pick up a CD, as well as loyalty to certain artists. Some artists I will support regardless of the quality are: Primus, Mike Patton, Franz Ferdinand (see below), Gym Class Heroes, most any Wu-Tang Clan members, Queens of the Stone Age/Josh Homme side projects, Damon Albarn's projects, Beastie Boys and a few more.

20. I have a tendency to back away from liking something if it gets too popular. It's not intentional, but I just feel like I don't want to overkill some things by jumping in the bandwagon and laughing along. While it has alienated me at times, it has also opened my eyes to flaws of certain things.

21. The oldest T-Shirt I own as of this moment is from my sophomore year of high school. It's for Dr. Seuss's classic One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. I wear it at work and people get a kick out of it.

22. The day I got my glasses in second grade, I also got my braces. I remember how sad the eye doctor seemed when he asked me if my teeth hurt. He told me soon enough it would all be over. If there ever was a moment where I was stamped a nerd, it was the next Monday when I returned to school with a mouth full of metal and Fischer-Price brand glasses.

23. I've been to a total of 7 professional wrestling shows since I was in 8th grade. I've seen the greats like Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle, Kane, the Undertaker...the list goes on, but my favorite night was taking a bunch of my non-wrestling fan friends when we were bored one night over the summer. We saw Eddie Guerrero only a few months before he died. While it may not have been the best show I've ever been too, the fact that my friends unanimously liked it was enough reward for me.

24. I've wanted a tattoo since I was in high school, I've always just been torn as to what and where. I went from wanting the Weezer W on my upper right arm, to a mix of the Weezer and Wu-Tang W on my upper right arm, and for the past year or so I've wanted the Rorshach signature from the Watchmen book somewhere, but I don't know where.

25. If there is one thing in my life that has made me the person I am it's scouting. While the morales of all the scout oaths, laws, etc. have helped model me into who I am, I feel like attaining Eagle was me proving to myself, my friends and my family (my father had once told me I never finished things, and I would drop things when I got bored with them) that I was capable and willing to go all the way. It also angers me when people get Eagle and drop off the face of their troop, as I feel as an Eagle, I owe an enormous amount to the troop that "raised" me to the level of Eagle. So many friends of mine feel like once they got the award they can just step aside and leave, but I think true Eagles at least make an effort to show up and pass on what they have learned to younger scouts.

Alright well that's it. Eat it up.