Five interesting things about Buddy that you DON'T already know

OK, many of you may already know them, but I read my brother's blog, and so I guess I'm tagged. Also, my wife said I need to update, which means that a nagging comment from my mom can't be too far behind. Why is my family always pestering me to write? Oh yeah, because it's my passion, and they are very supportive. What a burden it is to be blessed.

Onward!

1. I studied at Oxford. I took two tutorials, one in Victorian Gothic Literature and one in Greek Tragedy and Epic. I also took two seminars, one in Shakespeare and one in British History and Culture. The latter included several field trips, including Stratford, Portsmouth, and Canterbury. Check the archives for pics.

2. I have been to Paris, Rome, and Vienna. Whilst my wife and I were studying in Oxford, her parents came over during our travel week and took us on a whirlwind tour of Europe. We visited The Louvre and d'Orsay in Paris and Vatican City in Rome, or, more appropriately, in Vatican City. We drank amazing coffee on this vacation, which was wonderful after drinking Nescafe all the time in England. One day I had ten coffee drinks. Apparently I was pretty irritable that day.

3. For one as well travelled as I am, I consider myself a homebody. I love to spend the day reading or watching movies with my wife or playing games with friends. Game nights with my friends in Michigan were what I missed most while we were in Europe and what I continue to miss here in rural Illinois.

4. I majored in English writing. I did very well in all of my classes, but one I graduated, I found I wrote very little. I've recently realized why. When I have an assignment, I don't start writing until the night before it's due. That doesn't mean I put it off. The time before I write is spent constantly thinking about what I want to say. Then, with the pressure of a deadline, I sat down and the words poured out of me. Now that I no longer have that deadline, I've spent the last two years just thinking, and as my wife will tell you, I've thought of some great stuff. Now I just need to get disciplined, give myself deadlines, and write down the ideas that I've been formulating. To that end, today I purchased First Draft in 30 Days with a gift card my sister and brother-in-law gave me for Christmas (there's that supportive family again...). I've always been a bit of a snob when it came to such writing tools, but I've had to humble myself and realize that I who have published nothing in the past two years am in no place to judge anyone who has published a book, even if it is trite in spots. I read the introduction and feel that it will be a helpful guide for me. be sure to ask me in thirty days how my draft is going.

5. I am a trivia buff. The more useless the knowledge, the longer I'll retain it. Par exemple, I know who wrote and sang the "Cheers" theme song and that he also wrote and sang the theme song to "Punky Brewster." He and his collaborator also wrote the theme to "Mr. Belvedere." Click here to find out who. This information I will remember until the day I die, and yet, I cannot remember not to leave my giant size-14 shoes in the middle of the floor. Oh well.

That's a little bit about me. I hope you enjoyed it, at least more than you enjoy Gary Portnoy's music. It sounds like Weird Al singing Contemporary Christian music.