25 Things About Me

1. 90% of the time, I think I'm the smartest guy in the room.

2. I consider humility to be strongest trait.

3. 1 and 2 work just fine together for me. I generally don't tell people I'm smarter than they are.

4. I'm probably the luckiest guy you've ever met besides when it comes to what line to stand in. Then, it's probably the opposite.

5. I like gambling.

6. I like drinking.

7. Gambling and drinking together is even better.

8. Somehow I've been able to do 5 and 6 fairly regularly and not get myself in too much trouble. Which validates #4.

9. I'd prefer to live overseas for at least 10 more years, but I can understand my wife's desires to move back. There are just so many things that make being stationed overseas better than in the states.

10. I don't think fast food is that bad for you, but I do think that fast food has had such an impact on the way we eat in general, that what it stands for is bad for all of us. I really believe the world would be a better place if we ate better.

11. I've stolen thousands of dollars of music, movies and TV shows off of the internet and I don't have an ounce of regret. I still feel guilty about stealing baseball cards when I was a kid, but I don't feel bad about downloading Franz Ferdinand's new CD right now.

12. I can spend three weeks studying for the start of the college football season, but I have never studied more than 4 hours for any single college exam.

13. Being married forced me to be more conscious of my finances. If I were single, I'd have a 60 inch plasma, M3 and a Movado all on a credit card. Now, I can't remember the last non-work clothing item I purchased.

14. If I had to use a pen and paper at work, I'd have been fired a long time ago. My handwriting is terrible and because of a lack of practice is only getting worse.

15. I don't talk about religion or sex at work. Money and politics are touchy, but not like the first two.

16. I've never read anything on leadership and don't plan on it anytime soon. In my opinion leadership equals good management plus an understanding of who you are. And a really good manager with an agenda can make up for just about anything else. If Abe Lincoln was my boss, but couldn't clear his inbox, I'd think he was an idiot.

17. 'Do the Right thing' and 'No Drama' are the only 2 rules I live and work by. Everything else is just fluff.

18. I'm not particularly good at being a husband, friend, son or brother, but I've got a fantastic wife, amazing friends, a very loving mom and sisters who still talk to me.

19. I've cried more in the last 2 years than in the previous 20. Bridge to Terabithia, Lucy's birth and this story.

20. I don't like it when music I like becomes overplayed. Yes, I'm a music snob.

21. I don't want my children to join the military. I did it and wouldn't change a thing, but hopefully I'll be able to provide for them so they won't have to.

22. I sometimes worry that I'll end up like my dad. I didn't know him that well, but I know he liked sliced cheese on toast for breakfast and Playboy. I like both of those things.

23. My favorite place in the world was my Aunt's cabin. I haven't been back for many years and I'll probably avoid it for many more. It won't be the same since my friend Bob passed and I want to remember it with him being there.

24. I don't miss anything from my past. I look back at a long list of good times, but I don't miss it. When I read Lucy a bedtime story, there is nowhere else in time I'd rather be.

25. The 5 turning points in my life are; Mr. Stangl convincing me to compete in track and field, choosing the Air Force over the Navy, trading my assignment to Dyess Texas for Fairbanks, AK, submitting my ROTC paperwork and asking Alicia to move to DC. Each one of those individual things changed my life exponentially.