100 things to know about Andre

I was over on Diane's page the other day. I noticed a post with "1oo things..." about her. Since I'm in the habit of stealing her ideas, why stop now?

I had been working on this one for quite some time; adding tidbits as they came to me. I would've never guessed that talking about myself could be so exhausting.

At any rate, here are 100 Things to Know about me:

1. I’m the fourth of five children; the oldest boy.
2. I’m stubborn as a mule. No. Worse...
3. I worry about stuff too much.
4. Opposite of the previous point, I can also be annoyingly apathetic about many things (so I'm told). “Whatever” is probably the most frequently used word in my vocabulary.
5. I’m the only person in my immediate family with green eyes.
6. In high school, I got the sixth highest ACT score in my entire graduating class, despite sleeping through large chunks of it.
7. I'm a perfectionist.
8. I hate long distance driving.
9. I’m lazy.
10. I’m not very sociable.
11. I don’t care that I’m not very sociable (refer back to point #4)
12. I’m cheap.
13. Likewise, I hate spending money.
14. As much as I talk about how I don’t like them, I get along well with young children. For some reason, they seem to be fascinated with me.
15. I hate un-straightened rugs.
16. I’m a neat freak at home.
17. Inversely, I’m an unorganized slouch in my office.
18. I hate making up my bed.
19. I’m very impatient.
20. I can draw just about any cartoon character around.
21. My favorite food is pizza with feta cheese and black olives.
22. I hate reality shows.
23. One of my eyes is smaller than the other.
24. I'm an 80's brat. I've seen every episode of Jem, Transformers, Thundercats, and He-Man.
25. I don’t like politicians.
26. I’m very argumentative. Sometimes I play Devil’s Advocate just to find something to argue about.
27. I talk in my sleep.
28. I can’t swim.
29. I stutter. When I’m presenting at large forums (conferences, workshops, etc.), I don’t stutter as much. Odd, huh?
30. I’m a nice guy. A really nice guy. A really, really, nice guy. Sometimes to my detriment.
31. I hate ironing clothes.
32. If you look closely, I’ve got small freckles on my cheeks.
33. I don’t like holidays.
34. When it comes to “courting” with women, I’m incredibly shy.
35. I hate admitting when I’m wrong.
36. My favorite beverage is Apple Juice. A close second is my Kool-Aid. Third is my sister’s Kool-Aid. Fourth is my nephew’s mother’s Kool-Aid. Rounding out the group is A&W Cream Soda.
37. I try to avoid confrontation. Both a good thing and a bad thing, it seems…
38. I gripe too much.
39. I hate feet and toes. Unless I’m just getting out of the shower, you probably won’t catch me without socks on.
40. My favorite TV show is the Twilight Zone. Others include House M.D., Alias, Spongebob Squarepants, Law & Order: SVU, Nip/Tuck (before the Carver nonsense at the end of season 3, anyway), and Married w/ Children (*wink @ Greeny).
41. I’m the only male employee in my department (we’ve contracted a guy from Ann Arbor, but he’s only here once a week).
42. I hate losing to other people in Jeopardy.
43. I’m a procrastinator.
44. My favorite book in the Bible is Proverbs. It’s the only book I’ve read in its entirety.
45. I tend to provide unsolicited advice (though I’m really getting better at this one.)
46. I can’t dance. My running joke is that I’m the only black person on the planet without rhythm. But I’m starting to think it’s true.
47. My favorite song is “In the Still of the Night”
48. I correct people’s grammar (but only when it’s just horrid).
49. I often say stupid things at the wrong time.
50. Fall is my favorite season.
51. I find value in what people say and think; even if I disagree with it.
52. I can’t parallel park.
53. I’m very moody.
54. I don’t like flowers.
55. I’ve got small moles that stick out on my neck and under my left arm.
56. My favorite musicians are Earl Klugh, Norman Brown, Tony Roster, Jr., and Miles Davis.
57. I don’t know how to sew.
58. I get irritable when I don’t get enough sleep.
59. On a related note, I sleep too much.
60. As an undergrad, I had a crush on a professor on our campus. Too bad she's married.
61. I’m a self-taught drummer.
62. My favorite colors are earth tones; especially green.
63. Sometimes I act first and think second.
64. It’s always been my dream to play in a band.
65. I don’t take compliments very well.
66. I love working outdoors.
67. Ironically, my favorite quality in a woman is sociability (odd for someone who isn't sociable himself).
68. My ultimate career goal is to become a Chancellor or President at a major college or university (The University of Michigan, perhaps?)
69. I get defensive easily.
70. I think that good can be evil and vice versa; depending on whose version you hear and why they say/believe it.
71. I once had a crush on Babs Bunny, from the Animanics cartoon.
72. I look too much into some things.
73. I have a bad habit of getting people angry, even if it’s not my intention.
74. I can cook pretty well.
75. I’m not very good at making small talk.
76. I have a fervent dislike for most celebrities
77. I try to find shortcuts too often.
78. I was accepted into six out of seven colleges I applied to as a high school senior (Arizona State, U of M – Ann Arbor, U of M- Flint, Depaul University, Morehouse College, and the Ohio State University; denied by Kettering University)
79. I was only accepted into three of the five grad schools I applied to (U of M-Flint, U of M-Ann Arbor and Indiana University; rejected by Arizona State and the University of Chicago; my two top choices).
80. I was a vegetarian for four weeks. Then I had a hamburger.
81. As a child and an early teen, I habitually suffered from nose bleeds.
82. I don’t have a hard time making friends. The challenge comes in keeping them.
83. I want to write at least three books before I die.
84. When I first started understanding politics in high school, I wanted to register as a Republican. Pretty ironic, huh Hippie?
85. My siblings jokingly nicknamed me “The Captain” because I’m selfless and always “saving” others, even when they don’t reciprocate it. But lately, this is starting to change a bit for me. I’m starting to get more self-centered; but not in a bad way.
86. I’m allergic to cats. Interestingly, I just found this out with my neighbor’s feline.
87. I get comfortable/complacent too easily.
88. I’m pretty submissive to others. Very seldomly do things happen “the way I want them to.”
89. I’m horribly ticklish on my neck, especially around my mole.
90. My political views are slanted toward being socialist.
91. I’m highly opinionated…about everything (I mean, you’ve read my blog, haven’t you?!)
92. I don’t drink alcohol, do drugs, or smoke.
93. I can move my left ear.
94. I don't like waiting at traffic lights (if no one's around, I'll run them). Goes back to being impatient.
95. I don't always speak my mind when I should. Oppositely, sometimes I do speak my mind when I shouldn't.
96. I’m ignorant when it comes to cars.
97. I love watching lightning storms.
98. My favorite game is Monopoly.
99. If I could between being rich or being in love, I’d choose being rich.
100. Above everything, I'm a sinner redeemed by the Cross.

Well, that was fun. Now it's back to work I go. Lots to do before this weekend. Have a blessed rest of the week!

- ACL