5 things you never wanted to know about me

From Ed to Nathan to Mary Beth... that's how we ended up here. So here goes.

1. I complain a lot.
You already know that. Umm... this is gonna leave a mark. Can I send my therapists' bill to Mary Beth since she put me up to this?

1. I attended two universities but graduated from neither: DeVry Institute of Technology, then transferred to Southern Polytechnic State University (it was called Southern College of Technology when I attended).

2. I've been to five foreign capitals, but not Washington, DC: Panama City, Panama; Vatican City; Rome, Italy; London, England; Lisbon, Portugal (twice). My partner says I can count six foreign capitals, but I don't consider Grand Cayman to be an independent nation.

3. I have crossed the Atlantic three times by boat: October 1997 Wind Star, November 2003 Wind Surf and October 2005 Galaxy. I'll be crossing it again in November 2007 on the Regatta. Incidentally, my partner's birthday is October 27th, and he decided when he was 35 that it would be a good idea to do something special for his birthday (he climbed Ayers Rock). That's why I travel in October and early November every year.

4. When I met my partner (at age 23) I didn't drink and I didn't cook. While I haven't devolved into alcoholism, I do enjoy adult beverages (Jack Daniels is my favorite -- incidentally, did you know they use Notes? [not for their website, though]) and I make a mean dirty martini. I also love to cook, but hate to use recipes. I go off what I learn from FoodTV (mostly Alton Brown, because he's a food nerd) and my own taste memory. My most recent favorite concoction: brined pork tenderloin with an amaretto, Grand Marnier and juniper berry reduction.

5. I love to do home improvement projects. I have refinished cabinets and hardwood floors, ripped out wallpaper and stripped popcorn off ceilings. My most recent endeavor involved applying venetian plaster to our 30-foot long hall, and ending in a rusty red accent wall. This was in addition to the cable light system and venetian plaster on the ceiling I did last year. (Pictures coming soon.) Yes, I did venetian plaster on the ceiling. My chiropractor loved me.

I guess I need to tag someone now, but I honestly have no clue who reads my blog to know if they'll get the memo. Oh well, here goes... the idea seems to be to tag 3 - 5 people, so how about Chris Whisonant (crap, already taken), Rocky Oliver (shaking fist at Chris), Ben Langhinrichs, Alan Lepofsky, and... Paul Robichaux. Here's hoping at least one of them read my blog, or I'm going to look even sillier.