Mr. Write's Page

Compiling a “25 Random Things About Me” list is something I long avoided.

For one thing, it’s a lot of work. For another, it’s tricky. One’s list should be interesting and informative in revealing the inner you, and at the same time, should present you in a flattering light. If it exposes your villainous underbelly, why do it?

But the concept was out there, hovering above my consciousness, whispering to me from time to time. Finally, I made a few tentative notes. And a few more. I told myself that if the list ever reached 25, and I could resist the urge to edit it for at least a few days, I would run with it.

Here‘s my list.

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1.  I live in fear of finding typos in my work.

2.  I adore music. Music is one of the delights of my life. Unfortunately, this is a solitary thing, not easily shared with others. Ironically, I possess not the slightest trace of musical talent.

3.  I have a tumbleweed in my living room.

4.  I am an obsessive collector. I have collections of Native American arts and crafts (pottery, baskets, kachina dolls, Navajo rugs, etc.), Native American silver jewelry, North Georgia folk pottery, Talavera pottery, German beer glasses, hiker figurines, DVD movies, souvenir t-shirts, classic sci-fi novels, suncatchers, bar coasters, bottle caps, matchbooks, baseball caps, refrigerator magnets, wine bottle stoppers, little ceramic bulldogs, and Star Wars figurines.

5.  In the last 29 years, I have been to Grand Canyon 29 times.

6.  I climbed Mt. Fuji when I was eight.

7.  I have the license plate from every car I ever owned, plus several plates from family vehicles when I was growing up. (Another collection.)

8.  I cry easily. I didn’t have this trait as a kid or a young adult.

9.  For years, I have brought home a souvenir from every hike (pebble, feather, stick) and placed it in a glass container in my living room. The container is the size of a hatbox and nearly full. When I retired, I started over with a second container. (Another collection.)

10. I believe that most dogs are better people than most people.

11. My parents nicknamed me “Rocky” before I was born.

12. As I’ve grown older, I have become progressively (pun intended) more liberal in my views. I’m pleased about that. Most old white guys become more conservative. And more intolerant. And crankier.

13. I loathe reality TV shows. I actively avoid them.

14. I don’t like TV sitcoms. Maybe it’s the canned laughter.

15. The only TV programs I watch faithfully are the NewsHour on PBS and the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. Rachel is my hero.

16. In high school, I picked out a dime from the year I was born (1943), cut a notch next to the R in LIBERTY (R for Rocky, of course), drilled a hole through Winged Liberty‘s head, and put the coin on my keychain. It’s still there.

17. I was born left-handed; however, when I was little, they forced kids to write right-handed. As a result, I bat left and throw left, but I still write right-handed.

18. I am a self-taught typist.

19. In the 1950s, my North Georgia grandmother took home a bunch of liriope from the yard of my South Georgia grandmother. Later, some of that liriope was transplanted to my mother’s house in Suwanee; then to my mother’s house in Lawrenceville; then to my house in Lawrenceville; then to my house in Monroe; and then to my house in Jefferson, where it thrives today.

20. I buy t-shirts as trip souvenirs. At the moment, I have about 50. (Another collection.)

21. My favorite saying is “Nobody matures emotionally beyond high school.”

22. On the walls of my house are 90-odd dry-mounted photographs, ranging in size from 8×10 to 30×40. Also sitting around are 70-odd framed photos, mostly 5×7 and 8×10. About 90 percent of them were taken by me.

23. I rarely read one book at a time. I usually have several going at once.

24. My late, lamented dog Paco also answered to Bubba and Dillweed. My new dog Jake answers to Dude and Knucklehead.

25. I prefer a percolator.