As some but not all of my readers know bloggers often "out" themselves with a list: "100 Things About Me". I recommend this exercise to everyone, even if you only share the results with your cat. This is actually my re-updated one hundred things, which I have now taken to revising annually or thereabouts. For regular readers, there has been about an 18.6% update this year, mostly for clarity, humor, sarcasm and pity.
1. Vagabondage: 2009 will go down as the only time in my life that I have not had a home of my own for the entire year.
2. I got my first passport to study in Germany in 1968.
3. I used my second passport to go to Chile & Antarctica in 1980. 4. Third passport took me to Singapore & Bali in 1997.
5. I was using my fourth passport in Australia in January 2007, where I wrote the first draft of this list.
6. I grew up in a rural village of 1200 in Michigan near Ann Arbor.
7. I have lived with four women in my life; this total does not include lesbians, my mother or my sister.
8. Only one relationship ever mutually got anywhere near the conversation that begins: “4½ yellow gold with….”
9. I got my undergraduate degree in political science from Kalamazoo College in 1969.
11. I was Jane Fonda’s bodyguard for a day (1973).
12. I once grew my hair for two years, it never reached my collar.
13. My first book was published in May of 2009. I hope to have number two out in 2010. 14. The title of my novel is: “All My Friends are Nearly Normal”, that has been the title for fifteen years.
15. The title of the book I am actively writing is: “Grey Angel.”
16. I went to a Catholic grade school. The school, church, rectory, convent, playground and the big field were on the same block as our house.
17. I skipped from the 4th to the 5th grade in the middle of the year.
18. I rang the “Angelus Bells” at the church three times a day for five years, got paid $20 a month.
19. I do not have a tattoo or any piercings and only three major scars.
20. I don’t wear jewelry, cologne, boxers or chartreuse.
21. 99.3% of my clothes are cotton.
23. My academic friends think that same Google search finds a lot of strange poker references.
24. The most important feature of a car is head room; come to think of it, that may be the most important feature of life.
25. I have been told I have really great hands. I have not been told that often enough in the past year.
26. I was mesmerized twice during an Easter weekend in Paris in 1968. Just to clarify based on comments from previous years; this is not a sexual memory.
27. There were seventeen academic awards for boys given out my senior year in high school. I won seventeen.
28. I write under several pseudonyms.
29. I won $4800 in my first ever major poker tournament. That remains my second biggest win ever.
30. The first live poker tournament I ever played was raided by the Ohio State Police.
31. I have worked as a media writer at the World Series of Poker for four years: ’06 (Gold), ’07 (Yang), ’08 (Eastgate) and ’09 (TBD).
32. I once received a job evaluation that read: “No idea what Tim does; we prefer not to ask. Overall rating: Excellent, perhaps.”
33. I ran several political campaigns in the 70’s; none of my candidates won but none of them ever served time in prison either.
34. I have voted in every presidential election I was eligible for. I have never voted for a winning presidential candidate.
35. I have only voted for one democrat and no republicans for president; no, not Obama -- George McGovern.
36. The 1972 election was the last time I drank the kool-aid.
38. The last presidential speech I heard was Richard Nixon’s resignation. I enjoyed it way too much. (OK, I did see the election eve Obama tearjerker, but that was pre-presidential).
40. I do believe in Karma and Reincarnation, well at least this time around.
41. From the age of twelve to twenty-six, I had the key to a pharmacy in my pocket.
42. My father was a small business owner, pharmacist, village councilman and volunteer fire chief.
43. I have a deeply repressed attraction to redheads.
44. I have about six dozen favorite quotes. Among them: "Before you love, learn to walk through snow leaving no footprints."
45. I think that The Simpsons is “a brilliant commentary on American culture” and so is the woman who first said that to me.
46. When anyone says their family is dysfunctional, I ask if they have ever seen The Osbournes.
47. There always seems to be one current reality show that I am addicted to. The list includes: Intervention, The Osbournes, Family Jewels, and currently The Girls Next Door. 48. I have many qualities that resemble a hibernating bear.
49. I have had several “families” over the years; the one in L.A. will always be the best, but we lost our center.
50. I have never been arrested. At a 1971 anti-war rally, a young officer considered it until his partner said: “…that guy outweighs you by fifty pounds and I'm not helping you if he resists.”
51. I have only three addictions: chocolate, oxygen and that other one. These seem to be giving way to new candidates. Updates on next year’s list.
52. Apocalypse Now is my favorite movie but not the director’s cut. I wrote a post: Movies of My Life that may intrigue movie buffs. 53. Catch-22 was once my favorite book. These days my favorite changes often.
54. Annie Lennox is my favorite female singer.
55. I adore cats of all sizes and I am fond of manatees.
56. In the last three years I have discovered the answer to several of life’s questions. However, I have found that an equal number of previously ‘known’ answers to other ‘big’ questions, no longer feel true.
57. Three of the most remarkable women I have ever met all live in Texas.
58. The other three I met in San Francisco.
59. I have lived in Michigan, Massachusetts, Germany, several L.A. South Bay suburbs, San Francisco, Las Vegas and whatever the next place turns out to be.
60. I am the middle child of five; I am typical of a middle child. I am an Aquarius, double Capricorn.
61. I have many more conservative friends than I used to, but most of them tend to not know about my previous life and not to want to know.
62. I read Tarot. Those new friends tend to need to ignore this revelation.
63. I have some limited shamanic abilities. Ditto.
64. The best vacation of my life was in Bali. The second was Key West. The third she keeps refusing to show up.
65. I would like to see New Zealand and much more of Canada; plus there are many parts of the U.S. I want to visit once again.
66. Favorite Band: Genesis before Peter Gabriel left.
68. Sam, Gisele, Geniver, Truman, Wally, Armistead, Honey, Rascal
69. I discovered I was buddhist in Singapore.
70. I write about poker much better than I play poker.
71. The most important part of a movie is the dialogue.
74. I prefer Charlie Rose to Bill Moyers, most of the time.
75. “It is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all” is empirically, if painfully, true.
76. I do not watch nor follow team sports. I do watch the Super Bowl commercials.
77. I don't play any musical instruments and can't carry a tune. Prose is my vehicle.
78. I eat the M&Ms by color, dark to light.
79. Omnivore with predilections for turkey, avocado, asparagus, barbeque and the aforementioned cocoa in all non-white forms.
80. I have never participated in sports where your legs randomly go in opposite directions.
81. I was employed for several years as a benevolent demi-god in a virtual reality world. It was typecasting.
82. No matter what some relatives say, I am paternally Italian. But I honestly believe that U.S. American is a genetic country of origin by now and I am an americanus.
83. My mother’s maiden name was Gillespie, which has got to make me part Irish. I never use Gillespie for Internet password protection.
84. Is my favorite number but not my lucky number.
85. Grey is my favorite color; followed closely by gray.
86. I have made love in hell. I am referring to Hell, Michigan not a previous marriage, of which I have none.
87. Until I was 35 everyone thought I was older than I was.
88. After I was 35 everyone thinks I am younger than I am, even now.
89. I lived in Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach but I never, ever lay on a sunny beach.
90. 1984 was the first book I ever stayed up all night to read. 91. About the only pastime that keeps me from writing is reading.
92. My favorite job is the one I have now; teaching is a close second and working with my dad in the pharmacy made both of those possible.
93. I lived with a woman named Faith. I got hit by a car driven by a woman named Hope. I was asked to have coffee with a hooker named Charity and she really did want to have coffee.
94. I will eat a hot dog, sausage or link no matter how many snouts and lips are in it. Prefer the links be barbeque, the sausage in an omelette and only the occasional weenie.
95. I will eat almost anything chocolate and will ford any stream to find locate and devour it.
96. I once camped for a weekend with seven gay men, six lesbians, and four newborn kittens.
97. I currently have three goals: Not just a woman, not just book, just a synchronous life.
98. I have two lingering regrets in my life. Both involve relationships I screwed up. One when I was too young, the other I couldn't break thru the shimmering walls of her past.
99. I have one prejudice; I abhor voluntary stupidity.
100. I will listen to almost any thoughtful position, unless it violates the limits referenced in 99, 98, 97 and 36.
