Allen Zadr's Journal: Yeah, that really, long list of Questions...

1. Name someone with the same birthday as you
   Abraham Lincoln
2. Where was your first kiss?
   First grade, playground... well it meant something at the time... HEY! I remember it, so it's got to count for something.
3. Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else's property?
   Yes. Worse, I don't even know who.
4. Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex?
   Um, describe "hit". The answer is probably no, but there are blows that go beyond the physical, and probably hurt worse.
5. Have you ever sung in front of a large number of people?
   Does Chorus in Elementary School count? I've piano soloed in front of a large group though. I sing in front of small groups frequently, though usually for comic relief.
6. What's the first thing you notice about the preferred sex?
   Expression.
7. What really turns you on?
   My wife knows, and you don't.
8. What do you order at Starbucks?
   True of any coffee shop. Med. Cappuccino, 3 Splenda in the bottom of the cup.
9. What is your biggest mistake?
   My first marriage.
10. Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose?
    Mildly, I scratch mosquito bites until they bleed. If I'm really upset, I'll sometimes bang my head into something (to make a noise).
11. Say something totally random about yourself.
    ...
    Oh, did you want a transcript?
    "I don't want to work today. I didn't sleep well last night, and this last few months, work sucks."
12. Has anyone ever said you look like a celebrity?
    On a large projection screen, in front of the whole company, a VP where I worked, once put a picture of me next to a picture of Wayne Knight. Everybody laughed. I was NOT happy.
13. Do you still watch kiddy movies or tv shows?
    I no longer have the time, but I remember them all fondly.
14. Did you have braces?
    No
15. Are you comfortable with your height?
    Average. Average is acceptable.
16. What is the most romantic thing someone of the preferred sex has done for you?
    Honest answers.
17. When do you know it's love?
    When it's over. O.K., not really. At first, it's when you wonder what that person is doing more often than you think about what you are doing.
18. Do you speak any other languages?
    Do computer languages count?
19. Have you ever been to a tanning salon?
    No. Well, technically yes, but not to tan. Did I mention I lived in Florida for 12 years?
20. What magazines do you read?
    Nasa Tech Briefs
    Info World (for Robert X. Cringely)
    Computer World (because one of the editors asked me to, personally)
    SlashDot (it's sort of a Mag)
21. Have you ever ridden in a limo?
    No, at least not a stretch limo. Been married twice, drove my own car both times.
22. Has anyone you were really close to passed away?
    No.
23. Do you watch MTV?
    No. Last time was probably 1993.
24. What's something that really annoys you?
    People who don't realize that you are trying to go somewhere, so they keep talking.
25. What's something you really like?
    Writing. Fiction and computer programs.
26. Do you like Michael Jackson?
    Not really. My favorite song of his was "Leave Me Alone", unlike most of what he did, it actually had something to say.
27. Can you dance?
    I know the box-step, but that's about it. Pretty awkward on my feet.
28. What's the latest you have ever stayed up?
    I was up for 36 hours once, but then I slept for almost 24.
29. Have you ever been rushed by an ambulance into the emergency room?
    No
30. Do you actually read these when other people fill them out?
    Yes
31. Are you now, or have you ever been, involved in a pseudoscience?
    Not that I'm aware of.
32. What are your car/truck radio buttons set to?
    FM1:
    Public Radio News
    Classic Rock
    80s Rock
    Heavy Rock
    Light Rock
    Public Radio Classic
33. When you're completely burned out, what's a good way to recharge (other than sleep)?
    Coffee, SlashDot, bzflag, amagetron, Playing piano
34. What's your favorite place that you've travelled to?
    Washington, D.C. - not the most exotic, but my favorite.
35. What do you want to try that you haven't yet?
    I'm willing to try just about anything once. Nothing overtly dangerous though. For example, I don't think skydiving is overtly dangerous.
36. Five things you love to eat, and five things you hate to eat?
    Sushi, Buffalo Style Chicken Wings, Pad Thai, Medium Sirloin Steak, Angel Food Cake
    On the other hand: Okra, Liver, Ikura and Uni (Contrary to loving Sushi), Oysters (raw, cooked or fried)
37. Did you learn to drive stick or automatic first?
    Manual
38. Do you like board games?
    Some, not others.
39. Tell me your opinion about gambling.
    It's a game of trying to lose money slowly. This game can be entertaining, so long as you don't think it's a game of trying to make money.
40. How many dictionaries do you own?
    One Unabridged Websters from 1994.
    The rest, I don't think of as dictionaries, they are cheat-sheets.
41. What's your favorite medium to work in?
    Typewriter.
42. What was your undergraduate major, and was it always that or did you switch?
    Mechanical Drafting, from High-School through collage.
43. Worst physical pain you've been in?
    Sparkler meets Thumb.
44. Who's your best friend?
    My wife.
45. Was high school good? Why (not)?
    No. It was a time of defense and suspicion.
46. What kinds of music do you like best?
    Live Music.
47. Last three CDs you bought:
    Action vs. Action (local band)
    Green Day, American Idiot
    Harry Nillson, Nillson Schmillson (re-purchase of lost cd)
48. And conversely, what kinds of music would you rather never hear?
    Womanizing music (incl. most Rap and Hip-Hop), Classic Country-Western, Elvis (except Blue Christmas), Vocal Jazz
49. Five favorite movies:
    Bugsy Malone (but I don't want to see it with my adult eyes, as I'd probably hate it)
    Batman (Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger)
    The Usual Suspects
    L.A. Confidential
    Aliens (the second one, with the space marines)
50. What's something other people like that you just can't get into?
    Sports
51. When you want to look good, what do you wear?
    Black slacks, Broadcloth shirt, and a royal blue and black tie.
52. When your heart breaks, how do you put it back together?
    Writing... stories or music
53. Should the following be exterminated:
    White briefs:
    What will I wear when I turn 70 then?
    Blue eyeshadow:
    It wouldn't be Star-Trek without it.
    Pants that create the muffin-top look on women:
    Don't blame the pants, blame the muffin.
    Flip Flops in the office:
    How else can I so easily illustrate that I'm better than them?
54. Were you a Boy/Girl Scout?
    No
55. Can you swim?
    Yes, very well.
56. Tell me your guilty pleasures:
    song:
    Everytime, by Brittney Spears
    book:
    Net Force, by Tom Clancy
    movie:
    Red vs. Blue: Season 3 DVD
    food:
    Oreo Cookies
    other:
    Mecha Anime
57. Do you have a library card?
    Expired, I go to the library about twice a year.
58. What's the best present you've received in the past five years?
59. Do you have a favorite:
    Painter:
    Boris Vallejo or H.R. Giger
    Sculptor:
    David Begbie
    Photographer:
    Jean Guichard
    Writer (fiction):
    Changes monthly... right now, probably Sol ;-)
    Poet:
    Classic... Edgar Allen Poe
    Writer (nonfiction):
    Huh?
60. You're in a strange city for the weekend. What will you do while you're there?
    Find things that don't exist at home. Check out the architecture, and generally walk around. If I have time (rare), I'll see museums and parks.
61. Are you thrifty?
    No.
62. You bought tickets for a cultural event. What are you going to see?
    Probably a local band, or maybe a rock concert.
63. What's something you're hanging onto that you don't need anymore?
    A direct-drive phonograph player, with song-seek. Not that I own any vinyl since the destructive move from Florida.
64. Sol's bonus Q1:
    What was your favourite stuffed animal from childhood, and do you still own it?
    Marie, a brown bunny-rabbit. I lost her when I was 5 years old.
65. Sol's bonus Q2:
    What colour shoes are you wearing right now?
    Black; loafers

Destination In My Trek

[mercedo]

Your best friend is your wife, you are a really lucky guy.

Re:Destination In My Trek

[Allen Zadr]

Indeed, I am. I am lucky in many more ways than just this.