25 Random things about Moi

I’ve been tagged about half a dozen times, so let’s get to it. I am not going to take anyone with this cause the way it’s spreading it will get you eventually… if it hasn’t already!

Peter

1) I do not have a driver’s lisence. Never have, and the way I’m going I likely never will…

2) I am actually more proud of my successes that required more than one attempt than I am of ones that I got right the first time. I find it more satisfying to overcome a challenge than to ace something right off the bat.

3) When my family was camping one year when I was four years old, I was given a harsh telling down about not finishing your drink at dinner time. Being told it’s a waste, starving people on the other side of the plant, etc, etc. I felt really bad about it apparently cause I was told that the last day when our camp site was being taken down (there were about a dozen trailers we were parked with), there were unfinished drinks everywhere and I paniced and drank them all to prevent my Mom from getting mad about wasted drinks again. The problem was these unempty glasses didn’t have milk like mine did as they were drinks of an alcoholic variety. I was told that I managed to down about fifteen to twenty half filled glasses before someone stopped me. I didn’t throw up, and even though I shoud have been driven to the hospital to be looked over for possible alcohol poisoning, I instead was allowed to sleep it off. I ended up passing out and sleeping the entire trip home which was around seven to eight hours in the car. This is the only time in my life that I have passed out due to alcohol consumption.

4) I understand perfectly well what my cat is saying when she talks to me, like Han Solo does with Chewbacca…

5) I am not ashamed of the fact that I am a Star Trek fan, but I’m not one of those nerds who dressed up and flies off to meet the stars at conventions.

6) I stopped believing in God and religion a long time ago. It’s been almost eighteen years since I fully let everything go and became an atheist. When I did that it felt like a huge burden was lifted off my shoulders and life was a little easier without something that complicated in it.

7) My favorite drinks are iced tea for non-alcoholic drinks, and Strongbow for those of the alcohol variety. When I want something hot, I prefer tea. Chai or Earl Grey.

8) I once canoed down the Grand River. We started in Waterloo, and from there canoed four days down over a hundred and fifty kilometers of river straight through to where it ends in Lake Erie. I’m not fond of boats, but I really enjoyed that trip down the river and camping every night in a different area. There was actually one night where it was so clear and warm that we docked our canoes and just slept in them for the night. I believe that’s the only time I’ve slept on a boat, ever.

9) Everyone knows that I graduated from University with major in English Literature. What many don’t know is that I minored in Folklore.

10) In 2002, I witnessed the landing of a class two typhoon. The building I lived in was very sturdy (extremely sturdy) and if the windows or anything broke, I had a room to to into but that never happened. I spend the majority of that day watching trees flap around like they were paper (winds were recorded at 135 km per hour) and the damage when it was all done was enormous. I was told that the Typhoon (named Rusa) dropped over 36 inches (910 mm) of rain in some areas and 113 people were killed in the country, making it one of the deadliest typhoons to hit South Korea. Extensive crop and property damage amounted to $6 billion (2002 USD).

11) I met one of my country’s former Prime Ministers when I was visiting Toronto one day. Even though he’s not the most popular Prime Minister in my country’s history, it was a very pleasent exchange and he was nice to talk to me for a few moment and even pose for a picture.

12) First rock concert: It was the summer of 1990, and I was 14 years old. I told my parents that I was going to have a sleepover at a best friend’s place and that all we were going to do was play video games and fart around all night. Nope, didn’t happen. Instead that Friday night on June 15th, myself and several of my closest friends took the GO train the CNE Station to see KISS at the Old Exhibition Stadium. My friend Keith managed to land floor seats that were about two hundred feet from the stage but it was an unbelevable show. Toronto was the only Canadian city that was hit during the first half of the ‘Hot in the Shade’ Tour, and we rocked to classic songs like Strutter, Shout It Out Loud, Lick It Up, I Love It Loud, Detriot Rock City and they closed with Rock & Roll All Nite. The crowd was insane, but we all made it out unscathed which is all you could ask for. The key to getting away with sneaking out to a concert, don’t buy any shirts or stuff, which can be easily discovered. Not like I could afford them, I could barely save up for the ticket.

13) Over the last few years, my taste buds have done some major maturing. Stuff I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole a decade ago are now some of my favorite foods. When I was younger I wouldn’t have eaten an olive for $20, but now I pop both green and black olives by the handful like they were jelly beans. There are countless other foods I used to pass on that I eat all the time now, with only a few exceptions.

14) I attended my first pro-baseball game in 1984 in Toronto when I was nine years old. All I remember from this game was that I didn’t catch a foul ball, Lloyd Mosbey stold third base and the Jays didn’t win. It was very cold that night on the cold steel benches of Old Exhibition Stadium but it was still a lot of fun. My first non-Toronto baseball game was many years later at the Jake in Cleveland, between the Indians and the Mariners. Ichiro hit a two run homer and that was the year he broke the single season hits record. Dad and I saw him get three of those hits that game…

15) One of the uncles on my Mom’s side passed away last week. I haven’t seen him in over sixteen years so the news really didn’t hit me that hard. I think my first cat’s death effected me more than this passing did and that’s unfortunate.

16) My favorite pizza consists of Italian Sausage, Feta Cheese and Anchovies.

17) A month before he was born, I unsuccessfully petitioned to have my second son named Elvis. I thought it would be cool to have both boys with names that started with the same letter and that was the best in that category that was leftover. I made a valiant effort but Elvis was not meant to be…

18) It is not a mess if you know where everything is and how to access it… that’s call organized chaos. Might not be your idea of what organized is, but if I can find and use things whenever I need them wherever they may be… that can’t be a mess.

19) People say staying home with kids is a tough job. It is… but it’s also very rewarding. Children are only this young once and the opportunity to bond with them everyday is amazing.

20) I ate the Monster thickburger from Hardees the last time I visited Tennessee. That obscene fast food monstrosity was the biggest burger I ever ate and I also had iced tea along with fries with cheese and bacon bits with it.

21) I wrote my first complaint to a government agency over something that was said on television last year. A four letter word was spoken on a news network that I was watching while farting around and my kids were playing and present when it was said. If I was aware that kind of language was going to be said, I would have not watched it cause I’m trying to be very careful cause both boys are recorders and spitting back a lot of words they hear these days. I wrote a harsh letter, explaining my offence how such language shouldn’t be tolerated by a news organization in the middle of the day (was said in the morning) and that something should be done. Even though I emailed my complaint, I got a response via snail mail that my complaint was received and that an investigation is ongoing.

22) I hate peas. They are vile, disgusting and I will never comsume them even if I was starving.

23) I used to be a sandwich lunch person, now I’ve moved onto a plain bun sided with chesse, crackers and veggies kind of guy.

24) I went to a lot of concerts in the 90’s, but one I will never live down is Milli Vanilli. Thankfully I didn’t pay to go to this concert as it was a gift, and to be honest… it was an entertaining show despite the fact that they were lipsyncing. Young MC (Bust A Move) was the opening act so it wasn’t a complete loss… unless he was syncing too.

25) According to my recently deceased Grandmother (on my dad’s side), my great, great uncle was a known writer/poet named Malcolm.