I'm Not Weird... You Just Don't Understand Me

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, Rob at How About Two? asked that I tell the world five odd things about me. Here's my list:

1. When I was a child, I lived on a tiny island in the south Pacific called Kwajalein, located in the Kwajalein Atoll of the Marshall Islands. When I say the island was small, I mean it was really small. It was usually possible to see both lagoon-side and ocean-side water at all times, just by turning your head. It was cool. I wouldn't want to go back, though. Despite the amazing weather and unlimited access to some of the most beautiful water on the planet, Kwajalein was a little too small.

2. I am very distantly related to a former pro-wrestler. He's like a cousin's uncle or something. Like I said, it's a very distant relation and technically doesn't even count as an actual relation, but I've seen him at enough family events that I feel like that's official enough for me. Despite what you might think, Sgt. Slaughter is actually a kind, very soft spoken guy, who should have a blog of his own. He's a heck of a dad. Or, at least, he was... I haven't seen him in years. Oh... and for the record... pro wrestling is completely real. Completely real.

3. I create ambient music on my laptop. You know that kind of music that makes you think, "Who the hell listens to this garbage? It sounds like a seashell in coma, for cryin' out loud?!" Yeah, that's the stuff I do. Please, I beg of you, think more Tangerine Dream than Josh Tesh. That's "new age" and a totally different thing. I am not a Yanni of the mountains. As much as I'd like to be, I'm not a Brian Eno of the foothills either. It's just a hobby.

4. My nickname in high school was "Friar," thanks to a cult that a friend of mine and I dreamt up in study hall. Cults, we decided, was where the money was, but I never got paid for my duties as high priest, just an odd nickname.

5. I was adopted... sort of. My aunt and uncle took me in when my biological mother (my uncle's sister) was going through a rough time and the rough time never really ended until she died of cancer last year. So, my mom and dad are really my aunt and uncle, my sisters are really my cousins, and I was the only kid in my kindergarten class who knew how to roll a joint. Most of my extended family assume I'm the family Jim Morrison, thanks to some guilt by biological association, but I'm actually pretty well adjusted and haven't had much need for a stay in a treatment center. I don't even own any cool leather pants.

Unofficial 6th Item: Like a lot of people who've been doing these lists, I make it a point to be on-time. If we're having a meeting, I'm usually there early and have to wait around until its time for the meeting to start. If we're just getting together to have a friendly meal, I'm usually in the car, listening to my iPod for a while, until the agreed upon time rolls around. I don't really consider this strange. I consider it POLITE. Being punctual isn't a character flaw, people. Honest! Stop feeling bad about it!

I think I'm supposed to "tag" other people. Most of the blogs I read pretty faithfully have already done this, so I'm going to pick on a fellow Denver dad, Mitch at Mitch McDad's World, and one of my new blog crushes... Maria at just eat your cupcake, you're up!