I'm Never Tagged, But Guess What . . .

I was tagged by The Magic Violinist, so here goes:

1. Post these rules.
2. Post a photo of yourself and then write eleven things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions for you in the original post.
4. Create eleven new questions and then tag three people to answer them.
5. Go to their blog and tell them you have tagged them.

From our 8th grade trip to Washington, D.C.
I'm sure Michael and Steve would be thrilled that I'm sharing

11 Facts About Me


1. A guy in Japan once told me (in heavily accented English), "You look like Tom Cruise." I don't see it.
2. In the 8th grade I got to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier in Arlington.
3. I could eat Mexican food every day and be satisfied, but those who spend much time with me may not appreciate it. I do enjoy a variety of foods, though. Indian, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, etc.
4. I have seen San Francisco, Tokyo, New York City, Boston, and St. Louis from great heights.
5. I once saw Jerry Rice make nine 3-pointers in a basketball game. Yes, a basketball game.
6.  A homeless woman barked at me and our dog while I was walking her on the streets of Atlanta. I was walking the dog, not the woman.
7. Semi-fermented soy beans don't taste as good as you would think. I know from an unfortunate experience.
8. I played trombone in a dance band while reclined in a wheelchair. I couldn't sit all the way up because of my half-body cast.
9. I entered college as a Physical Education major. I planned on doing athletic training and then medical school. It's almost the same as what I ended up doing: Japanese, medical school, then acupuncture.
10. I don't like wearing shoes. I much prefer sandals.
11. I don't like buying new things for myself. In fact, I am typing on a laptop computer with a missing U key. For real.

The Magic Violinist's Questions for Me

1. What is your favorite color and why? Probably green. I've always liked how it looks throughout the year--green grass, evergreen trees, green leaves. Blue is a close second, though.

2. What is your favorite book and why? I have a very difficult time with favorites since I like so many, but I really like The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemmingway. It is about Americans living in Europe int the early 1900s, and I think that is a fascinating time in history. The running of the bulls in Pamplona is in there, too, and what's more exciting than half-inebriated adults running along narrow streets, hoping an angry bull doesn't impale their backsides?

3. What is your favorite movie and why? I still really like "Field of Dreams." It's about baseball history, which I love, and it's also about people and relationships, which make a movie very interesting to watch.

4. What is your dream pet and why? Aside from the obvious answer, our dog Scout, I would love to have a monkey, as long as he didn't fling poop or bite me, or smoke. Monkeys are as close to humans as you can get so I think it would be really fun to have one hanging around.

5. What is your dream vacation and why? A beach vacation where I open the door to the house and walk right onto the sand. It is a very relaxing place to be and I always feel energized and peaceful all at the same time.,

6. What is your favorite song and why? Again, favorites are VERY difficult for me. I don't even know where to start with this one. Lately I find myself being drawn to John Mayer's acoustic version of "Free Fallin'." His voice is very cool and I love his guitar playing. Peter Gabriel's "Book of Love" is a close second.

7. What do you daydream about? Having no student loans and being able to write books and music, hang out at home with my family, and relax on the beach.

8. Who is your best friend and why? Stacy. I could come up with a million reasons, but mostly because she makes me so incredibly happy. My kids are up there, too. They are great and make me smile a lot.

9. Is there a famous person you would love to meet? Why would you want to meet the person? Neil deGrasse Tyson. He's a brilliant physicist that not only is able to explain complex mysteries of the universe very easily, but he can converse on a wide variety of subjects. He's a breath of fresh air among other, more socially awkward scientists. Also, Harry Connick, Jr. would be a very interesting person for me to meet since I'd love to talk to him about his musical career, from his club days in New Orleans to his multiple Broadway runs.

10. Do you sing in the shower? Not as much as I should.

11. Do you ever think about doing something to change the world? If you do, what would you want to change? It could be a law or different way of doing something. I often wonder what I could do to make a huge difference, but unfortunately I haven't come up with anything specific. Sometimes I feel like I see a lot of improvements that need to be made without seeing he solution.

My Questions for You

1. What is your ideal weather and why?

2. If you could pick anywhere in the world to spend just one day, where would you go and what would you do?
3. If the invitation says "black tie optional," what do you do?

4. What old movie would you like to see with today's editing and special effects technology?

5. What is one dish you wish you could make, but have never tried?

6. What one vegetable could you eliminate from the world and feel no loss?

7. If shoe size determined intelligence how large would you want your feet to be? Remember, you still have to walk on them.

8. You wake up one day and have only retained one of your senses? Which one would you prefer it to be? (You can have all of them back the next day.)

9. If you had a time machine, to which day in your own life would you like to return? Does it make a difference if you knew you couldn't actually change anything that happened that day?

10. Think about your meals yesterday. How well would your food pyramid stand?

11. When you let yourself daydream, where does your mind usually go?

OK, I tag my sisters-in-law Emily and Jessica, and Jimmy. Jimmy, you can put your answer in a comment, or you can start a blog!