Random Seven

Colleen tagged me with this meme: Seven completely random things about myself, and then tag seven people.

1) In college, I was a serial pratfaller. I would fall just for the fun of it. Going into class, in the cafeteria, or just walking across campus, I would take a dive on a whim. My favorite fall was down the stairs at my college's library. The stairs started right inside the main entrance and were about 10' wide, and went straight up four flights, narrowing slightly on each floor. It was a 50' drop and about a 70' run, because each floor had a 10' or so landing, which meant that I would have to do some sort of flip or roll to keep the impetus. It was a bit scary, too. I could seriously hurt myself or some other unsuspecting student, which meant that I would have to be very loud as I fell, so they'd know I was coming. I picked an early Thursday evening to do the fall, figuring that there would still be a few folks around, but not too many (the weekends at my college tended to start sometime Wednesday). I grabbed a huge pile of books and hung around the stairwell on the fourth floor until the stairs were nearly empty, and then, with a loud, wobbly yelp, I tumbled down the stairs, scattering books with me, until I landed at the bottom, where I stood up and walked out as if nothing unusual happened.

2) I don't like to order the same food as anyone else in my party at a restaurant. I always try to be the last person to order. I try to find as many things on the menu that I might like as there are people in my party. My default backup order is almost always Cobb Salad. If we're having dinner, and I order Cobb Salad, that means someone else at the table is eating my dinner.

3) My father and I shared the same middle name. When my brother was born, he got my dad's first name as his middle name. Since I was the second born, I got his middle name. That sort of symmetry appealed greatly to my father. I often wonder if the real reason my folks didn't have any more kids was because my dad ran out of names.

4) I constantly get left and right mixed up. I have all my life. Which makes it extremely difficult for me when I'm directing, and telling my camera ops to 'pan left' or 'pan right.' I almost always will say 'left' when I mean 'right,' unless I really concentrate. I used to use my wedding ring as a mnemonic. I can't do that any more.

5) I was terrified of kissing when I was a kid. I was sure I would get it wrong. Even into high school, I didn't kiss anyone. I hugged my prom dates goodnight. My first kiss was when I was a freshman in college at a costume party. I was a drunken Captain Kirk, and I found myself on a couch next to a drunken witch. Little Feat's 'Waiting for Columbus' (one of the best live rock albums ever) was playing, and the song was 'Mercenary Territory,' and we were both singing along:

And I did my time in your rodeo
Waited so long and I've got nothin' to show
Don't you know, that I'm plain ol' loco
But the fool that I am I'll do it all over again

And then the Tower of Power Horns' Doc Kupka starts laying down the most growling, soulful, aching bari sax solo, that screamed a lifetime of unrequited desire that builds and builds and builds to this incredible fifteen second, two-plus-octave glissando that I don't think one sax player in a thousand could pull off...*

...and I found myself with a tongue in my mouth. Thank you, Lowell George. Thank you, Captain Morgan. By the way, I have no fucking clue as to who that witch was. Whoever you are, thank you, too.

I didn't kiss a sober girl (or a girl while sober) until several years later.

6) I've haven't had a whiskerless chin since January, 1980. I trimmed the full beard down to a goatee about seven years ago, but I've had a beard for more than a quarter century. None of my kids have ever seen my clean-shaven. I mentioned that I was considering shaving it off to my two youngest, and they both wailed in protest. So I guess I'll keep it a while longer.

7) Every morning, I meditate for half an hour. I begin my meditation with this prayer:

O God! Refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. Thou art my Guide and my Refuge. I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being. O God! I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life. O God! Thou art more friend to me than I am to myself. I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord.

Random enough, I hope. As far as tagging--I'm not sure the readership of this thing gets up much past seven anyhow, so if you've read this far, consider yourself tagged.

yeharr

*Seriously, if you've never heard this album, buy it. Or just download this one song off the album. It's worth 99 cents just to hear that solo.