25 Random Things About Me

I'm a little hesitant to write this post. Mostly because it seems so self-involved. "Here are some things that I think will make me interesting to you." Ya know? But I've been asked to play along by a couple of friends, so I'll indulge. Here are 25 random things about me. And you just might not find any of them interesting.

1. I have artificially inseminated a cow. Yep...got all up in Bessie's bidness. Used to work on a ranch and it's one of the many disgusting things I had to do.
2. I stole a car once. It's a really long story. I was young. Took my best friend's car and drove 1200 miles away. He didn't press charges and I eventually just bought the car from him.
3. I love to eat raw potatoes. (With a little salt. Mmmm.)
4. I'm extremely claustrophobic. As in, I absolutely "lose it" if I'm confined in a small space.
5. I hate bugs. I squeal like an 8-year old girl if I find one on me.
6. I have traveled to 9 different countries. Bolivia, Canada, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Kenya, Peru, Philippines, Thailand
7. I have ridden a bull in a rodeo. His name was Black Sabbath. I only lasted one second!
8. I'm an introvert. In fact, if I could spend most of my day not interacting with anyone, I'd be ecstatic.
9. I don't believe in aliens. I do believe there could be some amoeba-like living substance on some planet somewhere, but I don't believe there are any creatures on other planets.
10. I fantasize about dying...everyday. For as long as I can remember, I've imagined dying at least once every day of my life.
11. I have horrendous nightmares. Usually about larger than life animals (alligator the size of a school bus or a bear the size of a U-haul truck) chasing me.
12. I have jumped out of an airplane. Twice. One tandem, one solo.
13. I hate to read. Love to write...but hate to read. Seriously, who has the time to read an entire book anymore these days?
14. I have started writing two different novels. And lost interest in both. Maybe if I enjoyed reading more?
15. Someday, I want to own a 1966 Ford Mustang Convertible. Mostly because it's the year I was born and I just think they are cool!
16. I used to be on television. Morning news anchor for 7 years. Actually won some awards! (Spent 7 years as a television producer before becoming an anchor.)
17. I love superheroes. Don't know why, but I've always been fascinated with Superman, Batman, etc.
18. I'm horribly depressed at how ugly I've gotten. I'm not aging well. I know it shouldn't matter. But it does.
19. I'm terrified of being a bad father. I'm just that much in love with my son. I don't want to screw it up.
20. I enjoy cooking. Especially when I get to experiment and try new things. I make a mean chicken fried steak, by the way.
21. I have never tried illegal drugs. Although, technically alcohol is a drug and I did engage in some underage drinking in high school. (Not proud of it.) But I've never smoked pot or done any other illicit drug.
22. I'm addicted to Diet Coke. Thank God it's not an illicit drug!
23. I don't drink coffee. Love the way it smells. Hate the way it tastes. But for some reason, I've been given at least $15 in Starbucks gift cards per year for the past four years.
24. At one point, I thought I was going to be a pastor. But I have too much respect for the profession to taint it.
25. I'm an aggressive driver. If you're in the fast lane going slow, I should have the right to run you over.

Rude in New York

I'm at a conference in upstate New York right now. And I'm miserable. I'm way too far away from my wife and son. The "conference" is being held at a YMCA campground...which is beautiful and all, but there's no cell phone service here. (I can't believe there are still places in this country where you can't get cell service.) The wireless service goes in and out. It will likely take me over an hour to write this post, with the service going down and such. Oh, and let me not forget to mention that it's in the 90's here, ridiculously humid and the rooms don't have air conditioning.

This is 2007.

Who holds a conference in a place with no cell service, poor wireless service and no air conditioning!? Ugh. That's not a conference...that's camping! And remember the "forced socialization" I wrote about earlier? Yeah, there's been a lot of that throughout this "conference" too. Ugh. I am so out of my element. I just want to be home. I just want to hear my son's coo...hold him in my arms. I want to be back in my comfort zone.

When I get uncomfortable, I retreat into myself. There's been a lot of retreating these past couple of days, let me tell ya. Trust me, it's better for everyone if I just disappear by myself and stay away from people when I'm this uncomfortable. For example:

Last night, at dinner in the dining hall here at the camp...er, I mean "conference", I was sitting in the farthest table away in the back corner. Two ladies and two kids came up to the edge of the table and one of the ladies asked:

"Are you expecting more people at this table?"

"No. I was trying to be unsociable." I answered, without even looking up.

"Oh." She paused for a moment, not sure what to do with that answer.

"Well, if we promise not to talk to you, can we sit here?" she asked.

"Sure. That sounds like a plan."

It was rude, I know. Like I said, it's better for everyone if I can just disappear away from people.

Myers Briggs says an introvert is a person who does not get their energy from other people...in fact, may even find other people draining. They focus on their "inner world" rather than the outer world. That's definitely me. Given the choice between solitude and mingling with other people, I choose solitude 10 times out of 10.

Because we prefer solitude over crowds, we introverts rarely have a long list of close friends. For me, the list is very small and I'm okay with that. But I would say that none of my friends really "knows" me. I guess I'm a secretive introvert. Or perhaps we all are, I don't know.

I am an introvert. And though I sometimes feel compelled to apologize for that, I won't. It's who I am. I know I do owe that lady at dinner an apology.

Go figure. I came to New York...and *I* was rude!

Someday, I'm going to hold a conference for introverts. It will have 300 attendees...and will be held in 300 different locations at the same time. But there will be wireless, cell service...and yes, even air conditioning.

Seat for one, please.

I'm sitting here in the airport in Colorado Springs...heading to California. I'll be there for three days for some meetings with an advertising agency. This will be the longest time I've been away from my beautiful little boy. Leaving this morning was extremely hard. And he was in such a good mood..."talking" up a storm. For some reason, he does this thing where he kinda squints his eyes when he tries talking. It's absolutely adorable. He and I "talked" for nearly half an hour before I left. Man, I'm gonna miss him. As I'm sitting here in the waiting area of the airport, I can't help but notice something interesting about the chair arrangements. This isn't the gate area, where there are just rows of seats...but this is a nice lounging area, with much more comfortable chairs. There's one sofa...the rest of this large area is all single seats...each with a little table between them. As I watch people come and go, I see how the chairs farthest from anyone else are taken first. Only when there are no chairs all by themselves, will someone consider sitting across the little table from a stranger. Isn't that the way we are, as Americans, I mean? We all want our own space. We want to keep to ourselves. I've traveled quite a bit internationally, and you just don't see that in other countries. Total strangers don't think twice about bumping elbows with you in a waiting area...even if lone seats are available. As I've traveled through Europe, I've found myself uncomfortable a few times with that scenario. And it bothers me. Why do we go out of our way to keep from interacting with other human beings? We're not all that way, I realize. I'm traveling today with a co-worker who has never met a stranger. She'll talk to anyone. And even that makes me uncomfortable to be with her, sometimes. I can't help but think, when she starts a conversation, "What if they don't want to talk to you, Krissy?" But she plows right through. And people are always pretty receptive. Maybe there's something to learn there. Anyway, I just thought I'd share this realization with you. I'm going to go sit next to someone I don't know now. If I get extremely brave, I may even say hello. For more information about Tim Glenn, visit timglennmusic.com tim glenn