My sister,
Kimbolily, and I were recently accosted by my wife, Allie (of
Ask Allie fame), about our lack of activity on our blogs. There was something about it being disconcerting. I blabbed something back, and threw up some half formed thoughts about how we've been thinking about trying our hands (and nerves) at Tornado Chasing, while I was at work.
Kimbolily, on the other hand got all creative and invited outside participation. I bit, and in so doing feel obliged to do the same thing. I think it won't be a problem, as I have more blogs than readers.
I'll start with the questions Kimbolily came up with for me: How did you get to be so tall, and How do you feel about your time in the Navy?
- Tall? To begin with, I have never thought of myself as particularly tall, but maybe that is because I'm a fan of the great game of basketball, where I'm lucky if I'm average height. I can tell you that it was amazing how many people started to take notice of my stature somewhen around the age of ten. At that point it became my goal to see how many tall things I could reach, be they tops of door-frames, basketball nets, the ceiling, you know, tall stuff! It was fun to hear our older relatives wax historical about tall genes (including Gene's) in the families. A fun fact to know is that my parents actually conspired to keep me from growing. I remember taking a bath in the Watts house and they were talking about how freckle removal was the key to slowing the growth of children. I think my freckles heard them, because they really dug in to resist. I guess it could be possible that they were looking for a better excuse for scrubbing the dirt off a seven year-old boy, but I don't think so. In any case, they were unsuccessful and divorced shortly after (Wow! I never really put it together like that before).
- Overall I'm really glad I went into the Navy. I think that it helped me grow wise in many ways I otherwise could not have for some time to come. When I signed up for the Delayed Entry Program, I was not all that confident in keeping myself on the straight-and-narrow path. I hadn't been feeling all that great about going to school, and wasn't looking forward to any job I'd probably be able to get at that point. Going through both good times and rough times in the Navy are things that I'm proud of, and while I hated being so far from my family at times, I feel really lucky to have been able to spend weekends with them when I was stationed close by. I am happy to have experienced such a large cross-section of people from around our nation, and feel that it has made me treasure it more than I could have, even in any other branch of service. Lastly, I might not have had as good a "pickup line" for finding such a nice person for having children (and other adventures) with as Allison, if I hadn't done my time in the Navy.
I'm going to copy Kimbolily's set of questions & answers, word for word. Respond by posting your name and:
1. I'll respond with something random about you.
2. I'll tell you which song or movie you remind me of.
3. I'll pick a flavor of jello to wrestle you in.
4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
5. I'll tell you my first memory of you.
6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I'll ask you something I've always wondered about you.
8. I'll tell you my favorite thing about you.
9. I'll tell you my least favorite thing about you.
10. Post it on your profile so you can play with your friends.