100 things about me, Part 1

1. I used to be the young guy. At my first job out of school, I was the first person hired there who was born in the 70s.
2. I am no longer the young guy. That changed quite abruptly when I was 26, and every bit of weakness I've felt since 30 makes me feel older.
3. And yet, I still like South Park. (The one in which Stan joins the Goth kids is on now -- I love the way Butters sets things straight at the end.)
4. And Beavis & Butt-head.
5. And I think Family Guy is the best pure comedy since the Marx Brothers.
6. And I think The Simpsons is the best satire ... ever.
7. And yet, the "bumps" on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim strike me as self-indulgent "hipper than thou" nonsense I'd expect from one of those college radio station DJs who think he's cool because he plays music no rational person would want to hear.
8. I did really well in school and went to a great college, then went back to the same school to get a master's degree, but I feel like I didn't get excited about learning until I saw the History of Britain series.
9. I love dogs.
10. It's no surprise or shame that we often get more worked up about mistreatment of animals (in movies and in real life) than we do about mistreatment of humans. I think the reason is that dogs and cats -- dogs especially -- have an understanding with us in which they are completely devoted to us in exchange for the care that we give them. When we fail in that care, we break a covenant.
11. I like cats, too.
12. If I were on death row, my last meal would consist of pepperoni pizza.
13. In retrospect, I was happy in high school, but I hope I can steer my son away from being the total geek I was.
14. I hated mowing the yard as a kid, but I feel a strange satisfaction in doing it now.
15. My first celebrity crush was Debbie Harry.
16. Fifteen years ago, I never imagined I'd be so happily married now.
17. I'm a fairly decent cook despite knowing few fundamentals.
18. I watch HGTV.
19. I went to the Lilith Fair.
20. I've seen Indigo Girls outside the Lilith Fair.
21. I'm not gay.
22. I served at the altar of my church as a teenager.
23. Though I've developed several reservations about organized religion, I'm still quite religious and recently started attending church again.
24. My best memories of college include religious conversations with dormmates of diverse faiths.
25. I think if more people had conversations like that, they'd be less willing to wish evil -- in this world or the next -- on others.
26. I'm not the least bit hung up on cars.
27. Or guns, though I earned a riflery award at summer camp 20-some years ago.
28. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.
29. I used to be a good guitarist, a good bassist, a good percussionist, a competent pianist and a so-so clarinetist.
30. I am now half as good at all those things.
31. I used to be good at calculus.
32. I can still juggle.
33. I think people who sound authoritative at Home Depot are either contractors or posers on the verge of seriously damaging their houses.
34. I'm not doing all 100 at a time because I know I'll forget something. Also, I don't have that kind of uninterrupted time. The next 33 will come later; the final 33 much later.