Groovy Lady tagged me and this little exercise has thirteen components so I told her that I would devote this week's TT to it. It was created by
Hammer (When Your Only Tool is a Hammer) on his 500th post. I hadn't read him before, but his blog looks pretty interesting and funny. I may have to include him in my blog reading routine.
Thirteen Random Questions About Me1. What is the stupidest mistake you have ever made with money? I guess it was buying the house that I am trying to sell now. I never moved into it; my life changed about the time I bought it. Instead of NOT buying it, I bought it as a saving mechanism. Now, I will feel lucky if I can sell it without owing money, since the housing market has changed.
2. Do you think taxes are unfair or do you think it is your civic duty? Both. Depending on who is in office, taxes are collected and used unfairly. One party wants to throw money (yours and mine) at problems and the other wants to cut taxes and "protect" the higher income people. I remember when Bush was running in his first term. The solution to EVERY problem was cutting taxes. Press Corp: "Governor Bush, how can we ease the tension between Israel and Palestine?" Bush: "We need to cut taxes." We need taxes to function as a government, but we need more accountability.
3. Do you take risks and possibly turn your life upside down for new opportunity? It isn't in my nature, but I do. I bought that stupid house in #1 and I got married. Those things have turned my life upside down. I haven't quit any jobs to work on a crab boat in Alaska or anything like that, though.
4. Are you the Alpha in your household? I don't know. In some ways, yeah, but other ways no. Sometimes I feel like I don't have the energy to maintain the alpha position. I am the alpha over the three dogs, though, but the wife . . . Sometimes I would rather just give in than deal with the fallout over confrontation. I pick my battles. In the old days, it was simple. You established your dominance by slugging your wife with a leg of lamb. Today, you have to use other tools rather than physical ones. Let's face it; women are much better in that area than men (yes! I made that point without mentioning the word "nagging"!).
5. Do you compromise with your significant other or does someone always get their way? We compromise. Sometimes the person who is willing to give the most, does so to protect the peace. That be me.
6. What curse word do you use the most often? I don't really curse that much. The D-word or the H-word may creep in from time to time, but that is about as far as it goes. I think that words are too important. You can't take them back and people judge you for every word that comes out of your mouth. I respect myself too much to throw around words like that, but more importantly, I respect those around me more.
7. Do you easily change your mind or are you dead set on most issues? Both. I have a deep desire to know the truth. If I have a belief, I listen intently to opposing views in case I missed something. One needs to be compelling to change my mind (because I have given things WAY too much thought), but it is possible. We are never through learning. If you are stuck with one position on ANYTHING, chances are you are going to be wrong eventually.
8. What famous person would you like to trade places with for one week? When I read the question the first time last week, I had no idea. When I got to it as I was filling out this little questionaire, it hit me that I would trade places with GW Bush. In one week, I could sit down with party leaders in Congress, work out a compromise that would result in putting an end to the war. I would also resend the "tax breaks" and work to put more regulation on the oil industry to protect the consumer from all this price abuse that miraculously didn't happen in the previous administration. Besides, how many people can claim they shared a bed with Laura Bush? ;)
9. If you could go back in time and tell one person off, who would it be and what would you say? Truthfully, I can't think of anyone. I have been mad at people before and didn't tell them off, but I can't see going back and doing it would be constructive. I just let things go so they won't consume me. I guess I could go back and tell Hitler off, but he wouldn't care and my German is sehr schlecht.
10. Were you a good student or did you just do enough to get by? This is a recording, but BOTH. In elementary school, I was a good student and it came easy for me. In high school I did just enough to get by but was still in the top 10% of my class. In college, I got a wake up call and struggled to do both. However, in grad school I was a good student and made the Dean's list.
11. If you could give advice to someone just starting out on their own, what would it be? Buy low and sell high; most people are wrong so don't be taken in. The most important thing I would say is to let God find you. There really is no meaning to life without the divine. If there is no meaning, than it really doesn't matter what you do, does it?
12. Are most people good and honest or are most people opportunistic and predatory? People are not born good, they have to learn to be good. It would be wise to assume that people are greedy and out for themselves and then be pleasantly surprised when you find a good one. You don't have to teach a child to be selfish, but you certainly have to drill the concept of sharing in his head. Thomas Hobbes held that the only reason we have any kind of society and order is that people had to be willing to give up their actions that cater to their selfish nature in order to not be victimized by other people that have the same evil attributes. For Hobbes, man in the state of nature is brutal and greedy. I believe he is right and the Bible pretty much confirms that philosophy.
13. Is there someone you wish you could go back and apologize to? Yes, tons of people (I always made fun of the obese - just joking here - get it, "tons"). Seriously, I feel I owe a lot of people apologies. I didn't represent myself or God well on occasion. I hurt my first couple of girlfriends pretty badly because I didn't know any better and was immature about such things. Sometimes I wasn't as good of a friend as I should have been. It is sad, really, but I learned from these experiences. It is a shame they had to come on the backs of others.
That is it. I am not going to officially tag anyone about it, but feel free to consider yourself tagged if you have any interest. I would suggest that you do it if you don't have anything better to write about. It will help you learn about yourself - at least it did for me. Let me know.
"Are you kidding me?" That is what I have been shouting all day. I feel like my new nickname ought to be "Oliver Douglas". Have you seen Green Acres? The whole town of Hooterville is very offbeat, and Oliver is the only one that makes any sense. However, because he is the ONLY one, he is the one out of place and everyone else shares the exact same process of insanity.
