Tag, I'm It...

Dan Ciruli, the "I did 66,795 pushups last year and now my wife loves that I'm chiseled" guy tagged me.  I'll play along.

Five Things You May Not Have Known About Me:

1. College?  Uh, Yeah... I Went to College

Despite being a decent student and taking college-prep courses in high school, I didn't start college right away, opting instead to work as a sorter for an overnight freight company.  When I did start at the University of Toledo, I only attended part time while I kept working for the same company.  I might have accumulated enough credits to be classified as a Sophomore before moving from manual labor into a programming position "upstairs".  Shortly after, I took a break from school in order to concentrate on my career.  That break is still continuing today, a decade later, as is my successful career...

2. Sure, I can swim.  Watch me!

The summer between my 2nd and 3rd grade, I almost drowned at my town's public pool.  I wasn't a strong swimmer, and leaped into the "5-foot section".  I found myself further away from the wall than I should have been, couldn't touch bottom, and began to panic.  I remember being out of breath, and starting to take in water before a friend (Myles Cartwright) pulled me to safety.  Thanks, Myles!

For the record, I'm a great swimmer today, despite my adversion to cold water (and thus, my general adversion to swimming when presented with the opportunity)

3. I've Traveled the World..... of Warcraft.....

I'm hopelessly addicted to the World of Warcraft at the moment.  I resisted playing for so long, because I know my inability to control myself when presented with a game, let alone a never-ending game.  But, a couple of friends finally convinced me (damn you Blizzard and your free trials), and now I have two Tauren Druids that I'm alternating between (Jaesyn of Dalaran is currently a level 42, and Jaesyn of Dragonblight is currently a level 22).  Interestingly enough, my wife now plays, too, and her Dwarf Paladin is a level 28 on Dragonblight.

4. Potty Pumper

I am an Eagle Scout, and worked at different summer camps for 3-4 years.  One of the most respected camp employees, IMHO, was the Camp Ranger who lived on-site year round and served as a caretaker for the property.  The ranger at the first camp that I worked for became a very influential role model to me, and helping him out was a very desireable activity among my circle of friends (because we drove trucks and tractors and did cool things that nobody else got to do). 

Interestingly enough (as I look back on this time of my life), a great assignment to receive was to "pump potties".  This involved pulling a large "honeydipper" (tank) behind a tractor, backing up to the latrine, connecting a big hose to a pump, and filling the tank with whatever was in the latrine vault before you got there...  I'll leave that to your imagination.  Then, you had to transport the "stuff" to a septic pond and switch the pump from "suck" to "blow" in order to empty the tank.  I'll let you ponder the visual on that detail for a moment, too.

Another interesting fact: I later married the daughter of a different camp ranger.

5. Skilled Performer

In high school, I used to perform for audiences all of the time.  I was a member of our Choir and Show Choir, and also acted in plays and musicals.  This is probably why I don't mind standing up in front of a group.  However, don't ask me to sing or dance today...  These activities are no longer performed... in public, at least.  I don't think I was exceptionally good back then, and certainly things have not gotten better over time.

 

Now, in the honored tradition of this Meme, I come to the point where I must tag five other bloggers in order to keep this pyramid scheme alive (and to give future Googlers more fodder to enjoy): Greg Huber, Dustin Campbell, Bill Wagner, Josh Holmes, and Jim Holmes...  Have fun, guys!