Five things you probably don't know about me either

Good lord.  I've been tagged twice before I even noticed (thanks to Zack and Stephen).  This of course raises all sorts of questions about what one is willing to share and how.  Do we pick safe clever things?  Odd embarrassing moments far enough in the past to have become harmless?  Share something deep -- possibly stepping off that personal cliff akin to postcards?  Reach for the bold and brazen moment? 

My five things:

1. I was at an impressionable age when I first discovered Emma Peel on our black-and-white TV.  I developed this ideal of complete gender equality based on strong intelligent women that still like to "dress" for the evening.  It was reinforced shortly thereafter when I discovered Modesty Blaise novels, and later by Honor Harrington.  You get the idea.
2. I went through my teens in the '70s.   I still listen to Supertramp, the Who, Pink Floyd, and old Genesis.  And no, they don't make them like they used to.  This probably horrifies my daughters.  My father certainly horrified me with his advocacy for Bill Haley and "Rock around the Clock". 
   
3. I never finished a university degree.  I was actually suspended at the end of second year and never quite got back.  I often fudge around it when I don't know people.  I can talk about learning NP-complete from Stephen Cook himself, but that was night school at the University of Toronto years later.  Life got in the way and I still never quite finished.  It still bothers me from time to time.
4. I stood in the room with my grandfather when he died.  I watched his breathing stop.  Then the pulse at his throat.  And then it's just over.  So I swore I would watch my children come into this world.  And I did.  Two awesome daughters.  I've seen both ends of it.  After you get over the shock and terror, (at least for the first event) it's quite liberating.
5. I have always wanted to learn how to scuba dive.  It's on the list.  Really.  This year!   And play an instrument.  And re-learn how to salsa dance.  OK.  I'll stop this now. 

Clearly, I have no courage when it comes to sharing. 

Hopefully someone is performing some sort of Stanley Milgram or Granovetter analysis on the results of names we throw out.  And then there's the choosing.  Again, how and who?  What rules suggest themselves?  Here I'll reach out for breadth and diversity and tag Dave Gynn, Jeff Haemer, r0ml, Amy Jiang, and Mike Smith.

P.S. I will update this post as those tagged post. 

Comments

[Erik Dasque]

Hi Stephen,

I know what you mean about Scuba. You should go through an open water class and pool skills next time you're back east. I'll have my DiveMaster soon and can help out. Then you'll take your four open water dives during your next family vacation.

Erik

[tim murphy]

theres a million other things i dont know - who are you?