50 Things About Me
  1. If the choice is mine, the toppings will be just pepperoni and ham.
  2. I take a lot of abuse for liking Bon Jovi.
  3. I played "Spinning Wheel" on the piano for my junior high choir.
  4. Of all the places I've lived, I liked Lake Havasu City, Ariz., the best. I love the desert.
  5. I'm sorry, but I just don't "get" jazz. I've tried.
  6. "Breakfast Club" is my all-time favorite movie.
  7. I don't like cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, or brussel sprouts. Sorry.
  8. I stop at Starbucks most mornings on my way to work, but because I have Miniere's Disease, I have to get decaf.
  9. Pam and I dated for five years before getting married in 1989.
  10. I'm the oldest of three brothers. We all get along great and enjoy being together.
  11. Turning 30 and 40 didn't bother me, but there's something about 50.
  12. I devour every book by Robert Parker.
  13. I really really like my Dodge Dakota pickup.
  14. I've been using Macs since 1988, and I'm (rightfully) snobbish about it.
  15. I was captain of my high school tennis team, and MVP of my college team my senior year. But I wasn't all that good.
  16. My favorite rule for writing is, "Know the rules so you can violate them wisely."
  17. I'm very concerned about global warming. It's the real deal.
  18. I collect bayonets and pocketknives.
  19. I play the keyboard in my church's worship band.
  20. I like the fact that Indiana finally went to Daylight Savings Time.
  21. Whoever invented the "no call" list deserves the Presidential Medal of Freedom, or something like that.
  22. Pam and I don't fight.
  23. In high school and during breaks from college, I worked in a grocery store. We sacked groceries faster than you've ever seen them sacked. I still prefer sacking my own groceries, because I can get out of the store faster.
  24. The only states I've not visited are: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Hawaii.
  25. I don't read nearly as many books as I used to.
  26. Sometime during the past few years, I crossed an age barrier where I now have practically no interest in computer or video games.
  27. I know enough Spanish to get by.
  28. I drive 25 minutes to get to work.
  29. I like nearly everything by Sheryl Crow. Saw her in concert a couple years ago.
  30. St. Peter's Basilica, in Vatican City, is the most amazing building I've ever seen. It's gargantuan.
  31. I've never been in a fight in my life.
  32. It irritates me when people surf the web on their laptops during meetings, instead of giving the discussion their full attention.
  33. I'm not good with numbers or money, which is why it's a good thing I married an accountant.
  34. Guilty pleasures: "Pretty Woman" (movie), Applebees Fudge Blondie (dessert), Guns 'N Roses (music), Reno 911 (TV).
  35. My heroes have always been missionaries.
  36. My parents may be the most talented pastoral couple I know. Between them, they have an amazing skillset and impressive experience doing a lot of different things. Yeah, I'm disgustingly proud.
  37. I'm a registered Republican, but considering my views on things, I should probably be an Independent.
  38. During the past three years, Netflix has saved me an incredible number of hours which would otherwise be spent browsing shelves and waiting in line at video stores.
  39. I've always been a dog person, but cats, being low-maintenance, fit our lifestyle. And I do love my two cats.
  40. I've had alcohol three times in my life. First, in sixth grade, a friend gave me some cherry which he said was Kool-Aid; I had just one sip. Then I had some spiked punch at a wedding; I was too dumb to know what the big railroad spokes laying beside the punch bowl meant. A couple years ago, I had real wine for communion at a Vineyard church. That alcohol-drenched dessert I had in Italy should probably count for something, too.
  41. I used to like Newsweek better than Time, but now I'm not sure. I still get them both.
  42. I've read the complete Hobbit and Lord of the Rings three times, the first being in 7th grade.
  43. In writing classes, I was always the teacher's pet.
  44. I once attended a Q&A session with both George Gallup and George Barna. Barna struck me as arrogant, while Gallup came across as humble and genuine. For what it's worth.
  45. My favorite place: sitting atop a corner turret of an old stone fort atop a pointy hill in Masaya, Nicaragua, and surveying the expansive surrounding valleys, with four or five volcanoes in the distance.
  46. I can never remember my cell phone number.
  47. Of the Christian books I've read, "Decision Making and the Will of God," by Garry Friesen, has had the most practical influence on my life.
  48. My favorite restaurant in Fort Wayne is Red River Steakhouse, at the Marriot. Same for Pam, which is convenient.
  49. I never get tired of the old Rolling Stones classics, like "Honky Tonk Woman," "Brown Sugar," "It's Only Rock & Roll," "Jumping Jack Flash," and "Start Me Up."
  50. Pam and I spent our 10th anniversary in Florence, Italy.

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