Survey stolen from someone…

1. How much was gas when you started driving?

That’s a trick question for me, because I never started driving. I don’t have a driver’s license and I likely never will the way I’m going. I’ve always lived in cities where that was never necessary… and until I really need one I don’t feel the need to burden myself with a car.

2. Did you ever own a record player?

My Dad used to own a record player, and I used to buy albums to play on it all the time. While I no longer own my myself, I still have those records that I bought to play on it. I hope to one day buy my own record player so I can play some of those LPs. I have LPs of ‘The Lonesome Jubliee (Jon Mellencamp), The Joshua Tree (U2) and Bat Out Of Hell (Meatloaf). I can’t wait to get my hands on a player so I can hear them play again.

3. Do you own any Oldies Music?

I think I just answered that with my previous question, but if you need further proof… my LP collection also consists of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, Crowded House, Huey Lewis & the News, Roy Orbison, Hank Williams, Elvis, The Bee Gees, Journey, Johnny Cash and a whole whack of other artists. Yeah, just a bit.

4. Where did you go on your first date?

I went out for coffee and a movie. Nothing earth shattering, but it was a lot of fun. Must not have been for her, cause I never got asked out a second time…

5. Did you own a pair of roller skates?

Nope, I never liked roller skating.

6. What was your first pet’s name?

His name was George and he was a bouvier. A black sheep dog, and he lived to a ripe age of 12 which is pretty good for dogs that size.

7. Where did you meet your best friend?

At work, just struck up conversation on a slow night and the rest is history and we’ve been in touch ever since. He’s Jon’s Godfather.

8. How old were you when you got your first car?

Refer to question one for the answer to that one.

9. What was your first job?

Technically my first real job was baseball umpire. I made about $10 per game and worked 8-10 games a week. Was a pretty sweet deal I had on the go and they paid me in cash! I was also a very strict umpire, but I was a fair umpire… that’s the key. If I make one call for one team and the exact same thing happened later with the roles reversed, I made the exact same call. As someone who played a lot of ball, I hated good or bad Umps… I prefered a fair ump cause at least you know where they stand and they’ll be consistant. I never took any crap from a coach either, if they were in my face and got personal, they were gone… enjoy the rest of the game from the parking lot. And I always used a very dramatic sweeping arm motion so everyone in attendance knew this loser just got his ass tossed from the game while bellowing in a deep voice, “You’re outta here!” That’s when a 3 min clock started and if he/she didn’t leave the field by then the other team won by default. You’ll never see a coach pack an equipment bag faster in your life after you tell him to leave cause he’s won by default…

10. What was your favorite food as a kid?

I was not a picky eater back then, as long as it didn’t have pinapples, peas or olives with it… I would eat it. Now a days I eat olives like candy but the first two still apply. I was a big fan of fast food back then too… burgers and fries. I’m more of a fine food kind of person now… I’d rather have a salad and pasta or steak over that burger now.

11. What was the first video game console you owned?

Atari. Man do I feel old. I used to play games like Pitfall, Plague Attack, Q-Bert, Donkey Kong and Pac Man 24/7. That was the bomb until I upgraded to my first nintendo system later on.

12. Who was your first sleepover with?

I can’t remember… I’ll have to get back to you on that one.

13. Did you have a red wagon?

Nope, I was never a wagon kind of kid. I want right from three wheeler to bike…

14. Did you ride the school bus?

Sometimes. Depended on where I was living and sometimes that depended on weather. Sometimes I would take the bus, and other times if weather was nice I’d take a long walk to school. Today I think parents would freak of people did that today, but it was good for me.

15. What do you miss most about your childhood?

My childhood was very chaotic, so I don’t miss it too much. We moved a lot and I wasn’t able to really ground myself that much and that was very, very frustrating. I really tried to keep in touch with those friends and buds from my earlier towns but it was impossible and I lost track of them. Moving to the rock never helped but I don’t regret going there of course. Maybe one day I’ll find a few but if I don’t it’s cool too cause it happens…

16. Have you ever dyed your hair a weird color?

Not really. Considered it a few times but chickened out each time…

17. Where there any shows you were forbidden to watch as a kid?

When I was young, I was forbidden to watch a lot of shows cause they were very violent. My mom was very strict when it came to what I watched and was influenced by. A bit show that I loved but she never wanted me to watch was professional wrestling. Every Saturday I wanted to watch WWF’s Maple Leaf Wrestling at 7pm, but she wouldn’t let me. But all of a sudden in 1984 this blonde haired muscle bulging dude came on the screen and everything changed. I remember watching when he came on screen and told all the little kids that they should do their homework, eat their vegetables, say their prayers and be good for their parents. My mom’s hands were tied: how could she deny the enormous role model that was the early eighties Hulk Hogan? That day was a victory for me cause I was able to start watching pro-wrestling 24/7 and even go to PPV events with my friends cause at that time all my buds were consumed by the Hulkamaniac’ craze.

I remember going to a local theatre to watch Wrestlemania 2 (yes they’re in the twenties now, I feel old again) and the main event was Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy in the steel cage. Back then there was no hardcore matches or chairs and barbed wire baseball bats. When one guy gave the other a regular hit, the opponent sold it with Oscar calibre acting. I remember during that match Bundy gave Hogan just a simple splash to the guts, and by the way Hogan sold his reaction to it you would have swore Bundy had pulled out a gun and popped a few caps into his stomach. Those were the good old days…

18. Did your parents tell you the walking barefoot, up and down the mountain in the snow to school story?

My parents lived in the city, so the never had to make those huge treks cause our city has a very efficent bus system. But since I did a fair bit of walking to my schools sometimes (thoguh by choice sometimes as I stated in a previous answer) I might spring them with the story if my kids whine and cry about taking a bus and what not.