Scott Monty tagged me on this meme, which some have been saying is a little too self-absorbed, but since I haven’t even been blogging for a year yet there is probably still a lot that you don’t know about me. (Plus the items on my list are hardly anything to brag about.)
With that said, here are my eight random things about me (8 for ’08, or as I like to call it, “random bio”).
- I was born in Fort Worth and lived there for the first 21 years of my life.
- I scratched the cornea of my right eye two different times, both before I had even made it to High School. One time involved a Ninja Turtle theme, a pile of sharp rocks and some shoe strings. (I’ll let you figure that one out.) The second time a rough basketball practice along with an elbow to the face was the culprit.Both times I had to wear a patch on the eye for 24 hours. The made for some interesting questions from kids who thought I had lost one of my eyes.Yet, I still have 20/20 vision somehow.
- My dad and I have hiked to the Grand Canyon from rim to rim twice. This summer will be our third time, but this time my wife will be making the trek us.
- I am famous for my role as Paul Bunyan in my 1st grade school play.
- I was a huge fan of catcher Iván “Pudge” RodrÃÂguezwhen he played on the Texas Rangers. I would scan the sports section of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram every morning for pictures of “Pudge” which I cut out and kept in huge three-ring binders. (Sounds a little stalkerish, but it doesn’t count since I was only kid.)I collected any and every piece of Rodriguez merchandise that I could get my hands on. I’m pretty sure my parents still have all the stuff in the attic somewhere.I got to meet “Pudge” one night after a game. Coincidentally, it was his first game back after a few games out with a broken jaw. He signed a baseball for me but it just looks like someone scribbled on it. Evidently he was still on heavy medication from his jaw injury.
- Baseball will always be my favorite sport. I played for 14+ years of my life; from t-ball all the way up through high school. I would have played in college except OCU didn’t have a team at the time.
- My first car was a black Isuzu Rodeo. I wrecked it in a week.
- I was married in Fritch, TX, which is also the hometown of Blue Collar Comedy comedian Ron White.
Next up: Kelly Beall, John Lampard, Cubus, Nathania Johnson, David Gillespie, Bill Gammell, John Spence and my new friend Tzaddi Gordon. List 8 things we don’t know about you and tag 8 more people.
Congratulations on getting this up – I saw you were having troubling thinking of 8 things. 🙂
It was actually pretty tough. So many secrets. None I wanted to share.
🙂
Chris — thanks for the tag. I am in the Jacksonville airport about to board a flight for Philly — but here are 8 quick… and almost completely useless facts about me – should anyone be even slightly interested.
1. I studied Martial Arts from most of my youth and by college was a third-degree black belt. And I have never been in a fight.
2. My nickname in high shcool was “Bear” and it stuck with me all the way through college and even into my first job where my boss – Winthrop Rockefeller — actually called my that when I was CEO of one of his foundations.
3. I have traveled so much I am on my 5th passport.
4. I have broken more than 50 bones — many of them while I played Rugby for the University of Florida.
5. My mom was one of the top lady-anglers in the world and caught the first 500-pound blue marlin in Kay West since Hemmingway.
6. I used to raise show hunting dogs and one of my pups, Coppertone’s Brown Bear, won several prestigious field trial awards.
7. I used to help run one of the largest marlin fishing tournaments in the world — the Bisbee’s Black and Blue out of Cabo San Lucas – which gave away nearly 4 million dollars in prize money last year.
8. I went to cooking school years ago (with my mom) and recently won a celebrity chef cook-off in my home town — my specialty is BBQ!
There is 8 — and I will tag 8 = hope you found something at least entertaining in that list! Take good care — John Spence
John,
Man you have definitely experienced a lot.
From what I’ve read here I’ve learned some things about you.
1. You, your mom and I need to hang out sometime. We could go hunting, angling, and then have a scrumptious dinner together.
2. With your fighting skills and multiple passports, you just might be Jason Bourne.
Thanks for playing along.
You know Chris, I only noticed this linking to me just the other day!??! I suck (basically). I’ve now posted about it, thanks for the tip, I’ll try to be a bit more vigilant in future!
Cheers mate =]
David