Tuesday, December 11, 2007

I've been tagged ...

I've been tagged by a man called Zen to share seven "random or weird things" about myself, and then to ask seven blog friends to do likewise. I'll leave it up to you if you want to participate.

As for me:

1) I always feel at home in houses of worship. The denomination is of no consequence.

2) I talk to myself -- and sometimes answer back. This keeps my cats amused. They thought they were the centers of attention.

3) I wanted to be a paleontologist when I was a child. The family freezer was filled with clay models of dinosaurs buried in the permafrost. Luckily, the family didn't mind. I also wanted to be an astronomer but the math skills just weren't there. (I was a poor student; see No. 6.)

4) I am fascinated by insects but have a hatred of flies, mosquitoes and ticks.

5) I think one of the most beautiful tableaux in all creation is the winter nighttime sky spangled with stars. (Talk about being made to feel very small.)

6) When I returned home from living in Japan, I was jobless and nearly penniless. I took a substitute teaching position at the high school from which I had graduated about 20 years earlier. I was now a colleague of the teachers to whom I had given so much grief during my school days. I also was subjected on a daily basis to the same kinds of grief I had dished out from students who thought I was just as clueless. Thus, I learned the meaning of karma.

7) My house is very old. It was a stable a long time ago. Thus, it's drafty even at the best of times. One of my life's simple pleasures is to turn off the heat at night in winter and snuggle under the blankets. The simplest pleasures are the best ones.

Now it's your turn, if you choose ...

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

michael
I loved reading these about you!
I love peoples owns eccentricites. It is what makes them most interesting. I need to write my own and send them to you....when I get them all together:) I love what you said about the blankets and the cats and the simple things.....
xoxo
Lisa

Michael said...

Thanks, Lisa!

Unknown said...

Good stuff, Michael.

While my life's boring as hell, I'm weird, so I've taken on the challenge to participate. It should appear as a linkback to this post soon.

You should be tagged for seven wonderful things, too. Of course there could be some overlap with this list. Or, seven things your cats would tell us about you if they could talk. THAT would be interesting. Might the cats be able to turn on your computer when you're out of the room? We don't want you influence what they might type.

Michael said...

Hah, thanks, Tom!

My cats know better than to spill the beans. They know they would be out on their little keisters in no time flat.

Anonymous said...

1)I play the stereo loud and sing into my hairbrush

2)I too, talk to myself and answer. Sometimes, Myself doesn't agree and I actually argue with me out loud
3)When I'm cooking or doing a household project, I pretend that I'm the host of my own show
4)When I have bills to pay or other boring paperwork to do, I "play office" like I did when I was a child
5)I put on puppet shows WITH my cats. I don't have my hand up their asses but I stand them up on their hind legs and "make them talk"
6) I want to take pictures that have even a fraction of the sensitivity and beauty as those my brother Michael takes. I would love to capture the soul essence of the of my subjects as he does
7) I wish I could articulate in writing as beautifully and effectively as my brother Michael does. I would love to touch the reader the way he can. I hope he knows how much I love him!
Nancy Thaler

Michael said...

Love you, Nancy!

Unknown said...

My backlink never came through. Here it is: I've been tagged, sort of, too.

Michael said...

Many thanks, Tom!

Anonymous said...

Simple pleasures are our treasures, Michael. We need to embrace those simple things. They, not the material treasures, are what are what give us the strengh to take the next step, regardless of where it leads.
The road of life is long, winding, and full of the unknown. Those simple pleasures guide us through the darkness.

Lovingly,

Your Brother

Michael said...

Thank you, Judd. Please know that I love you. But you knew that.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so very much for posting this, Michael. I love things like these because you find out things about people you might not know otherwise.

I just posted my seven at my blog here.

Thinking of you in Los Angeles,
Danny

Melissa said...

I found your blog through a friend and co-worker who recommended it and am so grateful for it. I have only read your writings but look forward to looking at your photos (I am a photographer).
Even though you dont know me, here are my seven:
1) I always, always sing in the car
2) I talk to myself too
3) I absolutely love movies and entertainment - especially movies that teach something
4) I love reading about life events - births, marriages, pregnancy, anniversaries, and even death
5) like "anonymous" I also find myself playing "Office"
6) I overthink things alll the time
7) Every night I try really hard to write down one thing I'm grateful for that happened that day, and to say my prayers

Anonymous said...

Michael
So sorry we lost touch years ago. You're not forgotten.
Bob