The "Random List"

If you are a visitor to my Facebook page, this all may be old news. Below is one of those Facebook trends that work its way around. The point is for people to list 25 random facts about themselves and then tag others that they'd like to get a similar list from. Since I went through all the work to think through my list, I figure I might as well post it here too. So.. here are 25 totally random things from me, you never know what you might learn.

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1. While I enjoy lots of things, I really get obsessive about a few things 1. Star Wars (both the movies and collecting Galactic Heroes toys), 2. The music of U2 (even after all these years I can listen to all their stuff over and over, it takes up half my i-pod and I am obsessing over the new CD and possibility of a tour.) 3. Disney theme parks (and all things related to them) and 4. Calvin and Hobbes (although due to the series being over, there's nothing left for me to buy).

2. One of my all time favorite treats: butterscotch pudding, the cooked kind. You cook it and immediately pop it in the fridge.Give it a good 15 minutes so that there is a nice, thick pudding skin on top, yet it is still very hot in the middle. Eat the hot stuff first, pudding skin last: the perfect treat! (I have been told I am out of my mind for this... but I like it)

3. My senior year of high school, I played the role of Marcelus in the play "The Music Man". I had to both sing and dance on stage. While many old high school friends will remember this, anyone who knows me as an adult would never believe it.

4. My family is my sanity. My wife is my best friend. Simply curling up next to her for a movie or a game of Phase 10 is a great way to finish my day. I also love my kids and doing simple things with them. An ideal evening is just playing board or heated card games for hours. Now I just need my dog (a golden lab) and the fam will be complete. (Stupid small yard...)

5. I love pulling off a great practical joke. Whether its scaring Miki with giant spiders, or sending the song "ghostbusters" repeated constantly over the top of my boss's radio station (while he scratched his head in confusion), pulling off classic jokes can make my month.

6. My drink of choice: Mountain Dew (or Nectar of the Gods, as I like to put it). But it must be COOOLD. Keep it in the fridge, make it nice a cold, then put it in the freezer for 10 minutes prior to opening. Just before it starts to form ice crystals: totally perfect.

7. I get my most creative ideas when surrounded by hot water. Now if I only had a hot tub.. but the shower works too.

8. My life philosophy is simple: A good life is not about money or worldly standing, but about having a good attitude. I believe that even if you go through trials or hard times, life can still be a happy place if you keep a positive attitude. You could have the best life possible and still be miserable, if you have a bad attitude. It's all what you make it to be.

9. I wish I had learned to play the guitar as a kid.. It looks like something that would be lots of fun and I get excited watching my son learn to play.

10. I secretly like the TV show I-Carly. It's a cute show. (Just don't tell my wife.. she'll give me crap forever)

11. I seem to be be happiest when running around with a camera in hand. I don't care if it is a still camera, or a video camera. It's when I am creatively engaged that my mind just feels right.

12. I am fascinated by the power of mother nature. For the sake of my family and our safety, I count my blessings every day that I live in a state without much extreme weather, but I have to admit when I see news of giant hurricanes or tornados, part of me wishes I could experience the thing. I guess I'll just live vicariously through the "Storm Chasers" shows on the Discovery Channel.

13. Add the TV show "Lost" to my obsession list in answer #1. I love ripping every episode apart looking for little details, I can't wait to learn all the answers, yet dread the ending of the show as I wont want all the fun to end.

14. I am one of the few people on the planet that could win the world's biggest lottery prize and still not have enough money for my ultimate dream: building my own theme park. Unless someone is giving away 5 billion dollars... That doesn't mean I live my life unsatisfied.. it just means I dream big.

15. I love wearing my socks half way off and half way on. It's the most comfortable way to go..covered toes and bare heal. It's the perfect foot blend of warm and cold. It drives my wife crazy. Someone needs to make "half-socks". I'd buy them all.

16. My testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings me strength and power. To me it's fun being the odd man out while traveling on business, to be the one who's NOT drinking, sleeping with co-workers or looking up the local strip clubs. When I travel I find the closest local temple and catch a session, then enjoy all the bewildered looks from my drunk co-workers as I walk into the hotel lobby in my shirt and tie.

17. I think I can do way more than I can in reality. I look at obstacle course shows like "Wipeout" and think "no problem.. I could totally do that" and yet deep down I know I'd die in 2 seconds.

18. I watch the "making of" features of movies far more than the actual movie itself.

19. My favorite month is October.. the psychotic halloween decorations, the smell of fall, the colored leaves and fall sports season. It's a great time of year!

20. When I experience periods of stress in my life, I tend to dream I am visiting a Disney theme park. I have decided it's my brains way of going to a "safe, stress-free, happy place" to keep balance.

21. I love reading kids books and reading bed time stories to the kids. "Click Clack Moo, Cows that Type" and "Where the Wild Things Are" are two of my all time favorites.

22. I avoid conflict like the plague. I hate to argue. To me, it's just a waste of time as it is a heated exchange where no one really says what they mean, they just try to defend their positions and don't really listen to what the other person is saying. When people start to argue or fight, my primary goal is to get away from it as soon as possible.

23. I loved burned things: Especially cookies. And a roasted marshmallow, just isn't right unless its engulfed in flames.

24. And speaking of burned things: My ideal lunch is a Quiznos Chicken Carbonara sandwich, extra heavy sauce, no mushrooms, and double toasted (to the point where it almost catches fire)

25. Even as an adult.. I still love toys. They inspire creativity and imagination in me, two things I don't want to lose as I get older. Christmas and birthdays are not for practical things... they are for the "toys" we just can't justify during the rest of the year.