ABC's of My Awesome Life (the Mark Edition)

One of my goals for the summer is to blog a bit more, so I am going to run with this one. Thanks to The Magic Violinist and Stacy for doing this and giving me a way to procrastinate so many things I really should be doing! I appreciate that, sincerely.

Ambition: World domination. Oh, but before that, I really want to publish the book Stacy and I wrote and finish a teleplay for one of our favorite TV shows and finish a screenplay idea I have.

Bad Habits: I procrastinate a lot. I don't mean to, but I do. I'm actively working on it. The fact that it is still listed as one of my "bad habits" should tell you something. :(

Celebrity Crushes: I've actually never been a huge celebrity crush kind of person, but Stacy laid all of her cards on the table, so here goes. My "laminated list." Kate Beckinsale; Evangeline Lilly; Catherine Zeta-Jones, the Zorro era as well as the "Ocean's Twelve" time period; Amanda Peet; and Keira Knightly. Man crush? If I had to pick, I'd go Harry Connick, Jr. because I'd love to be a musician like that guy. He's got serious talent, swagger, and likability.

Drink: Water, especially cold. It's clear, clean, pure, and so refreshing.

Education: High school, Bachelor's, and Doctorate degrees. If time and resources were no object, a Ph.D. in ethics, law degree, and Ph.D. in something totally unrelated like Revolutionary War history, focusing on the philosophies of the Founding Fathers all sound fascinating. Also, I wouldn't mind getting a degree in film scoring. That should do it.

Food: So good. Mexican is a cuisine I never tire of, but I will eat just about anything. As long as mayo and eggs don't appear in it, bring it on. I also love Japanese food--sushi, sashimi, shabu-shabu, whatever.

Guilty Pleasures: I won't continue the debate over whether or not these are guilty, but I'm with Thing 1 and Stacy on this one. Since I'm forced to pick one, however, I'll say that James Bond movies would be one of my "guilty" pleasures.

Hometown: I was raised in Northern California, but consider where we are in Pennsylvania my hometown right now. I think that term is problematic since things change so much through the years. Unless you've lived in the same place your entire life there comes a time when your hometown is more of a memory than a location. At least that's how I see it.

Ice Cream: Mint Chocolate Chip. Always has been. I like the all natural, white ice cream, though. That's changed since I was a kid. I don't need the green coloring any more.

Jonesing for: a big ol' Lalo's burrito. In Arizona that was our go-to place for Mexican food, and it was SO awesome. Once you've experienced Mexican food in the west nothing really measures up.

Kryptonite: My wife's coy smile. Do you need me to go to the store at midnight and get all the ingredients to make you (insert current craving here)? I'm there, gladly. :)

Look-a-like: My evil twin. He's to blame for anything wrong or annoying I've ever done in life. But seriously, I'm terrible at this so I don't even know what to say. Someone told me I looked like Sylvester Stallone in his "Tango and Cash" time, but I'm not sure if I should have been insulted.

Movie: Favorites are so tough for me. "Field of Dreams" is still a very sentimental favorite, but really, I like anything that is well-written and has a good payoff. Indie films often fit the bill.

Nickname: My wife calls me Sweetie, more of a pet name than a nickname, but that works. Otherwise, I cannot think of a single nickname. In middle school someone started calling me Fartus for some reason, and no, it was not for somewhat obvious reasons. Gladly that died out by the time I entered high school. Also, I was a lot taller than most of the kids in middle school so I didn't have too many people causing trouble for me.

Obsessions: Family, of course. Recently, the Song of Fire and Ice book series by George R.R. Martin (A Game of Thrones, etc.). I haven't read the fifth book yet because I really want to read some other things first, but my mind wanders there a lot when I think of what to read.

Perfume: I'm not much for those kinds of smells. Clean and fresh are good enough scents for me.

Quirk: Does alphabetizing CDs count? I can get hung up on patterns. When I climb stairs I often count them in my head as I go. Also, I pay attention to cracks on the sidewalk and will often try and either step on them or not, depending on the pattern I'm going for.

Regret: I don't really like to focus on the "would haves" and "could haves," but I agree with Stacy. We really should have gone to Europe. I'm happy with my life and think that career choices I made years ago have helped carve out this life, but sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I had chosen to make music my career. I wouldn't want to be a touring musician but a local performer and composer type.

Starbucks: I like the free mp3 download cards you can get there. It's how I knew Dave Matthews' newest album had dropped. The Starbucks menu is definitely too confusing. Plus, what's with all the "Secret Starbucks" drinks out there. Apparently there is a whole secret menu of drinks that once appeared on the official menu in the past, but were removed, but can still be made by some baristas, but not all, but if you know how to make it you can tell your current barista how to do it, and he or she can make it. Isn't that a bit too much work? I also think they are a little overpriced. Let the complaints begin.

The Last Book You Read: All Men of Genius. It was the first steampunk novel I'd ever read. I really enjoyed it.

Unique Feature: Can't think of one. My legs are a bit shorter than you would think when you consider how tall I am. Sorry, no secret birthmarks or distinct moles. I know you are all disappointed.

Vacation: Simple family vacations are the best. Going to the beach is a nice way to spend a week, that's for sure.

Wine: If you're cooking with it, you've got to use the good stuff. What a nice flavor it adds.

X: Are we so uptight that we insist on including this letter and yet so lazy that we cop out by not assigning it an actual word. Here. I'll go for it. X-rays: They've not always been my friend. Fractured wrist, age 13. Fractured femur, age 14. Xenophobia: Not a fan. It's a bit ironic that it even exists in this country considering we are, for the most part, descendants of foreigners. Xylophones: Not as fun as a marimba. I like the wooden keys better than the metal ones. Xantham gum: Does anyone really know what this is? It's in a lot of foods.

Years: Really do play tricks on us. Why did the years pass so slowly when I was a kid, but now that I'm adult, they zip by without any regard to how I feel about it? Relativity is not just for time travel . . .

Zen: Is the ultimate in mindfulness. Finding complete and total happiness, contentment, peace, and balance in my daily life makes me feel like I am experiencing Zen.