When Steve at Running on Awesome recently tagged me in this Random 11 thing a few days ago, I decided that I would do it. I’m not going to tag anyone else (mostly because I think I’m pretty much the last blogger who is interested in doing it who is going to do it), but also because tagging people to do posts feels to much to me like picking people to play kickball in 3rd grade. Someone is going to be left out, and I’d just rather participate in the fun aspect, which is sharing random info.
And yes, for whatever reason, the voyeur in me likes learning random things about others, and given the proliferation of these (not to mention Friend Making Money), I very much doubt I’m the only one. So let me reveal my exhibitionism and share 11 random things about me AND answer Steve’s 11 questions for me. Also, because I can’t be short winded to save my life, none of my 11 things are simple sentences. *sigh* Sorry.
First… Steve’s 11 Questions…
1. What is something that you have done, or would like to do, that most would consider to be out of character for you?
I want to learn to play a fun, catchy song on the piano that people like to sing along to, go to a conference, find a piano that many hotels really do seem to randomly have in their lobby, silently go up to said piano and begin playing the song, and leading a big rousing rendition in a sing-along to some random fun song.
2. What is your favorite movie?
A Nightmare on Elm Street.
3. What is a fitnessy/athletic/sporty type thing that you’d like to try, but haven’t yet?
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
4. If you won a million dollars today, what is the first thing you would buy that costs less than $10,000?
Probably the biggest TV they make.
5. If you won a million dollars today, what is the first thing you would buy that costs over $100,000?
A new house on a new lot of land out in the country.
6. Do you prefer beer, wine, or liquor?
Very specifically, liquor in mixed drinks. There are very few beers that I like, and wine to me often doesn’t have a good flavor. I’m just not much of a drinker. (Although I do think Kahlua and Cream is pretty much amazing.)
7. Favorite restaurant?
Any hibachi restaurant with a nice little “show” as they prepare the meal, provided they have white sauce. No white sauce and I am out. Here in Bowling Green, that would be Shogun’s.
8. Favorite thing to order from said restaurant?
Steak & Shrimp Hibachi Combo with Fried Rice ad Veggies (with white sauce). It’s so high in calories, I don’t go very often.
9. What is the first song in your iTunes (or whatever you use) “Top 25 Most Played” playlist?
“Time After Time” by Quietdrive.
10. What was your first cell phone?
I had my first cell phone back in the early 90s when they were in bags and couldn’t be taken out of the car. Seriously.
11. Favorite quote?
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
11 Random Things About Me
1. I grew up on a small farm. We raised mostly cattle and tobacco, although, as a child, I did raise several flocks of chickens. Cows are stupid (anyone who says otherwise has NEVER been around cattle) and tobacco is just awful in so many different ways, but I really enjoyed raising chickens (although they, too, are quite stupid). As soon as Tina and I have some privacy and move out of suburbia into a rural environment, I am raising chickens again.
2. I didn’t learn to ride a bike until I was 13. I learned, just to prove that I could. I haven’t been on a bike since. I very much doubt that I actually COULD ride a bike now, it has been so long. I actually do own a bike. It’s in my parents’ barn back home. Eventually, I plan to pull it out of storage, replace the tires, and see if I can find some enjoyment from bike riding.
3. I love all animals and a great deal of my charitable contributions go toward animal-based charities. Despite this, I still think animals are very tasty, and I have no ethical disconnect between the two. (I think my farm-based upbringing is where this comes from.) But I will also point out, we had a rule on our farm. Do not get emotionally close to any animal that is destined for slaughter. Ever. Yes, you can get close to cattle or chickens (our chickens were raised only for eggs), and we were allow to befriend only the cattle that would not be eaten. Steers were for food, not friends. Cows (a.k.a . girl cows) could be befriended.
4. I have a weird habit where I tap sentences out into sequences of five syllables. This isn’t an OCD thing, but I’ll sometimes find myself breaking down sentences into chunks of five. “I’ll Some Times Find My … Self Brea King Down Sen… Ten Ces In To Chunks… of Five.” Crap. That one didn’t work.
5. I love horror movies, and anyone who reads me regularly or saw the header at the top of this page is going to be surprised by that. My parents let me watch horror movies at a young age, and I turned out fine. If my children show an interest in horror, regardless of age, I see no issue with them watching it. I already know the first movie I’ll let them watch to truly gauge their interest. Children of the Corn. Very little cursing, no sex, and most violence occurs off-screen. But please also note, if they show no interest in horror, that, too, is fine, and it will not be pushed on them.
6. I hate veggies. Hard. Fruit is great and I can eat it all day long, but vegetables require significant effort on my part. The only vegetables I truly enjoy are tomatoes and cucumbers. I like onions, mushrooms, and sometimes raw spinach. I feel pretty confident in saying that I minimally tolerate the rest, except for cauliflower, which I absolutely loathe. I force myself to eat vegetables because I know they are good for me, but if scientific research in the next month revealed, “Vegetables actually aren’t that good for you. Leave them out of your diet if you want,” I would. In a heartbeat.
7. When I eat a meal, I often eat one thing at a time, ranked in reverse order of preference. So, let’s say I’m eating pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, and steamed broccoli. I will eat all of my broccoli, my least favorite, first. Then, I will eat all of my mashed potatoes. Lastly, I will finish up with the meat, my favorite. If I like two foods equally, such as macaroni and cheese and tenderloin, then I MAY eat them simultaneously, but that’s pretty rare.
8. This one will be long, so stay with me if you are interested in my thoughts on religion and science. If you are not interested, I won’t be offended if you jump down to #9.
I am a Christian, devout believer in God, and I still firmly, 100%, believe in science. I believe in evolution; I believe in the Big Bang; I believe in the immutable laws of physics of our universe. I believe that science is God’s mechanism for running the universe. This isn’t mean to be deep and insightful. I am just very tired of having to defend my Christian faith to people that I agree with on scientific fronts and I am equally tired of having to defend my scientific faith/knowledge to people that I agree with on religious fronts. Seriously, and to use a cliché, can’t we all freaking get along?!
So, my two arguments…
For those who agree with me spiritually but not scientifically – God gave us these amazing minds and wonderfully complex bodies to explore the world and universe. I neither find it paradoxical nor heretical for me to disbelieve that the Bible says we (meaning the universe) have been around for six thousand years. I believe the universe is fourteen billion years old, and I believe that we evolved from random chains of amino acids that eventually formed the first prokaryotic cells almost four billion years ago on Earth. God is amazing, and science is His method for getting us here.
For those who agree with me scientifically but not spiritually – My first reaction when a friend tells me he or she is atheist is “I’m sorry,” and I want to go ahead and apologize for that right now, because it sounds rude and arrogant. But what I really mean by that is, I wish I could help you understand how wonderful and complete my life feels with God in it. I look up at the stars in the sky at now, and I know that God knows what every atom in every star I can see (and not see because they are fourteen billion light years distant) is doing at every moment. It doesn’t make me feel tiny and insignificant. It makes me realize how HUGE God is, how He is so much bigger than our finite mortal minds can even begin to comprehend. Knowing that He loves all of us, every single person on this planet whether they believe in Him or not, literally puts me in awe, and I wish I could express this in words as adequately as I can understand it in my mind.
9. I have a tattoo that I want to get rid of. It is a stylized version of my initials on my lower left leg. I am very grateful that I got it in a place that I can easily hide for work. I’d be mortified if I had a tattoo in a place that was very conspicuous, like my forearm. As soon as I can afford the extra money laser treatments would require, I will get it removed. I’m not ashamed of it by any means, but I greatly, greatly regret getting it and I look forward to the day where I can say I don’t have a tattoo. I’ll choose to express myself in the future in non-physically-permanent ways.
10. I played the piano for eight years and stopped in high school. I want to pick it back up again.
11. I have a Senior 1st Degree Black Belt in taekwondo. At some point in the future, I will go back. I’m just not sure when. I miss sparring, I miss board breaking, and I really miss learning my forms. I’ve always kind of assumed that when I got to goal weight, one of my rewards would be signing back up again.
Okay, that’s my very long, rambly, eleven things about me. Hope you found it entertaining! And for what it’s worth, I DO find it entertaining when other bloggers do them, so I would love to see you do your own, if you haven’t already!
