Twenty facts about mkp51 from the "Office of Inconsequential Information..." (corpgent's w/o)
Apr 06 '03
The Bottom Line Twenty facts about me, all from the archives of the "Office of Inconsequential Information..."
So… ya wanna know something me… After reading a few contributions to corpgent’s highly original write-off, "20 OR SO FACTS ABOUT ME CORPGENT'S WRITE OFF (W/O)!", and receiving a very kind invitation to participate from the aforementioned corpgent, I decided to offer you some 20 facts about me… facts not-so-fresh from the archives of the "Office of Inconsequential Information..."
20. I am actually quite an impressive physical specimen. I stand 6 feet 3 inches tall and weigh 250 (or so) pounds… most of that weight comes from good eatin’ and lack of exercise…
19. I don’t smoke, drink, or chew, or go with a girl that do…
18. I’m a relatively (in Internet terms, at least) long-time member of Epinions. I haven’t exactly been a "rebel" on the site, but I’ve been a pretty vocal critic of some of the more bone-headed Epinions management decisions. I finally got fed up enough with the state of Epinions that I went into a self-imposed, seven-month exile that ends this week… I’m ba-a-a-c-c-k!!
17. I’ve been married for 32 years. Yes, it’s to the same woman!!! (Quite a feat in our modern society.) Together we produced three kids – two daughters, aged 30 and 25, and a son age 14, all of whom are the lights of our lives. It ain’t been easy getting all of us to this point… many times, we wonder if it’s been worth it staying together, other days we’re convinced that it is, and once in a while we’re absolutely convinced that it’s not…
16. Politically, I consider myself an "eternal fence-sitter." Although a registered Republican (more by family tradition than anything else), I subscribe to very little Republican doctrine… I suppose I consider myself a "social liberal," meaning I’m passionately committed to equality for all people, and a "political conservative," meaning I’m highly skeptical at the necessity or capability of government to achieve a liberal social agenda.
15. I am a voracious reader whose favorite subjects are history and biography. I believe that yes, we can learn lessons for the future from our past, and that it is our duty to learn those lessons and apply them to creating a more peaceful, democratic world. My heroes from history include Abraham Lincoln, Mohandas K. Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Pope John XXIII, and St. Francis of Assisi.
14. I love movies, especially big-budget blockbusters, war epics, and anything else of high quality. I hated American Beauty and Pearl Harbor, and love films like Mary Poppins, Fiddler on the Roof, Lawrence of Arabia, Black Hawk Down, Titanic, The Godfather Trilogy, and Road to Perdition. Go figure!!!
13. I retired from the Air Force in 1997, after nearly 22 years’ service. Since my retirement, I’ve held several jobs… I worked as a shipbuilder, installer of fire alarms, and as an employment counselor. I even tried my hand at running my own business. None of those jobs lasted. Now I work part-time as a rural carrier for the Postal Service.
12. I speak only one language... English. I’ve always harbored a secret dream to learn a second language, but haven’t yet gotten around to doing it.
11. I taught myself to play the guitar and sing at age 30. I’ve actually gotten pretty good at both talents. I play the guitar at church, and sing well enough to do a few solos at church as well.
10. I live with my family in a small town on the coast of Maine. It’s a spot of immense physical beauty, where nothing – and I mean absolutely nothing – goes on after 8:00 p.m. I like it that way…
9. While in the Air Force, we traveled the world extensively. I’ve visited Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Turkey, South Korea, The Philippines and Japan. We lived for 12 years in Britain, and traveled by car extensively throughout England, Scotland, and Wales. Never made it to Ireland, however, much to our regret.
8. I’m a long-time "computer geek." My very first computer ever was a TI-99/4A, which I bought in 1984. I’ve also owned a Commodore-64, an Apple IIC and IIGS, as well as a range of PCs with processors ranging from 386SX 16 MHz to an AMD Athlon 1.2 GHz. I love computer golf, baseball, and solitaire (which I’m pretty good at) and computer chess (at which I profusely stink.)
7. I also love gadgets of every type. I have a digital camera, a DVD player, a fax machine, two VCRs, a stereo system… all of which I use a lot. About the only gadget I don’t have is a camcorder. Give me time and some extra money, though!!
6. Despite my outwardly easy-going online demeanor, I can frequently be a challenge to get along with. In fact, some people close to me have accused me of being a "cantankerous old coot" (or words to that effect.) I guess that’s a privilege of advancing age. Bottom line: I have definite ideas on what I like and don’t like, and on what’s right and wrong. I'm more than willing to bluntly state my beliefs, and defend them with my unfailing logic…
5. Religion plays a central part in my life. I’m a committed Christian who loves Jesus and believes in Him as my personal Savior. I wish I could say my life always reflects my faith, but it doesn’t. My greatest failings are a quick temper, a salty tongue, and overweening pride. I guess I’m just a "work in progress…"
4. I love classical music, but do not care for opera. I especially enjoy the clean, classical works of Haydn and Mozart, and the romantic passion of Beethoven. I got "turned on" to classical music as a form of therapy in the 1980s, when I experienced a long bout of depression. It lifted my spirits then, and continues to do so today.
3. I love sports. Being from New England, I’m passionate about the Boston Red Sox and the Boston Celtics, but my regional loyalty stops there. I’m a dyed-in-the-wool Green Bay Packers fan. I also enjoy watching golf, although I suck at playing it. I detest ice hockey and NASCAR, both of which I regard as rigged, contrived "games" that barely qualify as "Sport."
2. I like to think I write well. I’ve written for several online sites, and have other writings on my hard drive that may someday become part of a book. I leave it to you, dear friends, to judge the relative merits of my writing skills…
1. Perhaps my greatest passion of all is community service. I regularly perform in community theater productions in order to promote the arts. As a member of Rotary International, I’ve helped raise funds for several international, national, and local charities. I do these things as a way of saying "thanks" for the gifts I’ve received in life, and as a means of trying to "love others as I have been loved…"
There you have it, friends… twenty facts about me, all from the archives of the "Office of Inconsequential Information..."
Mkp51
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Epinions.com ID:
mkp51
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 - Top 500 |
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Location: Midcoast Maine
Reviews written: 187
Trusted by: 314 members
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