100 Things About Me

1. I'm 52 and counting. (I don't feel 52 though.)
2. I am wildly passionate about life.
3. I believe everyone basically creates their own reality.
4. Mayfield Village (Eastern suburb of Cleveland) is home.
5. Mary is the love of my life. She keeps me focused on what matters in life.
6. Mary is a health care administrator at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. She would like to be a professional volunteer with animals in need in her next career. (Maybe that is why she likes me?)
7. Jeff, my oldest son, is an EMT and is studying at Hiram University. Jeff has my sense of humor.
8. Jason, my youngest son, works at Fed-Ex and is a student at the University of Toledo. Jason has my curiosity about how things work.
9. Evan, my grandson, is eight and goes to Fairfax Elementary School in Cleveland Heights. He is both athletic and creative.
10. I am more physically fit now than I was as a grid-iron star in high school. (Thanks to the Progressive Fitness Center and Mary.)
11. Our house is a Nature preserve, or as close to it as you can get.
12. Music is a passion, especially fast and energetic stuff that you can run and dance to.
13. I won the Arizona Air Guitar Championship in 1969. Lost the Western Regional Championship to Eric Clapton.
14. Dad is 82, writes poetry daily, heads the Lions Club in Mississippi, and is an active community volunteer in Tupelo. He taught me the importance of doing the best with whatever assets and resources you have, and that life starts over everyday of your life.
15. Doug, my younger brother lives in OK City, works for Yale Material-Handling, and he and I are tied as the best-looking guys in our family.
16. Diana, my younger sister, lives in Tupelo, MS, has a heart of gold, and has some special powers that I do not claim to understand.
17. Mom departed Planet Earth in 1986. She taught me to laugh at myself, take risks in life, and not to forget who I really am. She visits every Christmas.
18. Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I wish everyday was Christmas.
19. Derk is my best friend. We were college roommates at the UA in Tucson in the late 60s and early 70s. Derk is one of the most creative and fun-loving people I have ever known. He lives in Prescott, Arizona.
20. I started getting gray hair when I was 18 years old. Now I am just working on keeping my hair.
21. I have always been a maverick...that is an "unbranded range animal."
22. My leading strength is my passion for life. My leading weakness is my passion for life.
23. We have 11 bird feeders and spend more on bird seed each year than the gross domestic product of some small countries.
24. I have three blogs, which is a sign of my craziness.
25. I am one of the few people you know who accidently dragged a stuffed chair on the back of a red VW for three miles before noticing that the damn thing was attached to my rear bumper. (Now you know why I need Conscious Living).
26. As a child, I couldn't decide if I wanted to be a missionary, world explorer, or a comedian. I became an economic developer instead because it combined the best of all three worlds.
27. I love to travel and have had the good fortune to see much of North America, Asia, and Europe. I just returned from a trip to Mars. It was great, but wow what a long trip.
28. The Southwest has been a special place for me since my college days. Arizona is great. Nothing like Arizona sunsets. It's magical.
29. Reading is a daily habit for me. I need to read more fiction to offset all the business and other nonfiction stuff that I consume.
30. Ice cream is the food of the gods because it is effortless to eat.
31. I blog because I can't help it. It's like eating potato chips.
32. Deep down inside I feel exactly like I did when I was 20 years old.
33. Growing up I had too much religious training, which caused my hair to turn gray, drove me to drink, and led to my maverick and rebellious personality.
34. I got back on the spiritual growth wagon in the early 1990s. Pluto flew through my 11th house, or was that Saturn collided with Mars. I know there is an astrological answer for all this.
35. The older I get, the more comfortable I am with myself. Why the hell can't other people share my comfort with myself?
36. In 1969 I gave up a college football scholarship at a Midwestern church college to go to the University of Arizona and hang out in the desert.
37. I have a vivid imagination and can entertain myself for hours on end with my imagination. (Am I nuts or what?)
38. My grandmothers had a huge influence on me growing up. They were two of my best life teachers.
39. I believe in lifelong learning. I don't have a choice because I am such a slow learner.
40. I've published almost 50 academic and professional articles in the economic development field and co-authored an ED book in 1999. I enjoy writing.
41. I remain optimistic that I will win the Mega Lottery and retire early in Arizona.
42. My in-laws Ginny and Ken are like second parents to me. Ken departed Planet Earth four years ago. He always said that I was his favorite bartender. Ginny just celebrated her 80th birthday.
43. I love blazing fires in the fireplace. As a child, I was a borderline pyromaniac.
44. I love parties, meeting new people, telling stories and having fun.
45. In 1970, I won the Yavapai Hall fart-lighting contest at the UA. (Must have been a carryover from my pyromaniac youth.)
46. I think it's fun to be outrageous at times. I like people who are not afraid to "let it rip" and do outrageous things.
47. Many people say I am a born teacher. I love teaching because it's fun to watch and help other people learn new things.
48. I could never work for anyone else. I guess that is why I am in business for myself. (Must have something to do with rebellious and independent sides.)
49. Life gets funnier the older I get. More and more I am finding that a good laugh is the only solution to some of our worst problems.
50. I hate people who complain about stupid things in life. Whiners are dead meat in my company.
51. Sometimes I have so much fun in life that I forget what I am really supposed to be doing.
52. I researched and wrote my family history. It took four years to finish. It reads like a Michner novel. No long-lost rich relatives in the family. Everybody in the family tree was "out of their tree," poor and ugly.
53. Sometimes I drive people crazy because I am too f_ _ _ ing intense.
54. I collect "old" baseball cards. We're talking cards before 1960. My oldest card is a tobacco series card from 1914.
55. I grew up in the Ohio Valley along the Ohio River (Martins Ferry and St. Clairsville.) For some reason, we were called "river rats."
56. As a kid, I was surrounded by lots of family who loved me and encouraged me to grab the brass ring in life.
57. There is nothing prettier than a decorated Christmas tree...well, except Mary when she is dressed for a big night out.
58. There is nothing better than that first cup of hazelnut coffee in the morning.
59. The older I get the more I like my blue jeans, tee shirts and running shoes.
60. Mary has the green thumb in our house. The only thing I grow is paper in my office.
61. I do most of the cooking in our house. I love food...sometimes too much.
62. Life is a gift! I really believe that.
63. Star-lit nights are a real inspiration to me.
64. I procrastinate on things that I don't like to do. Mary uses the whip on me to get these things done.
65. My philosophy of life is simply "make it happen."
66. I can be very competitive at times, but I have learned to work with other talented people. It feels good to connect with other creative "make it happen" people.
67. I hate whiners...did I say that already?
68. I get nostalgic at times...it's a cyclical thing with me.
69. Freedom is VERY important to me.
70. I can't decide if I am a liberal conservative or a conservative liberal. No, I'm a liberal conservative!
71. Many of my friends have tried to convince me to run for political office over the years. I'm smart enough to know that people who throw stones should not live in glass houses.
72. I need to finish this half-written book that I have been looking at for the past 2 years. It's about my encounter with aliens, or something like that.
73. I subscribe to the "new sciences" (quantum physics, complexity theory, etc.) and think they are changing every aspect of our lives.
74. Ego is my worst enemy at times.
75. I love butterflies because of their grace and beauty.
76. Life is transformational if you just let it happen.
77. We are not our work, as much as we think we are at times.
78. I have a love-hate relationship with my computers. I love them when they overlook my mistakes and hate them when they don't.
79. I think we have a lot to learn from young and old people alike. Lately I have been learning a lot from young people in my life.
80. We need to be concerned about the long term. We are too short-term oriented in how we live our lives.
81. I believe in karma. Even writing this list of 100 things as a karmic trail to it...so watch out.
82. We need to reinvent ourselves on a regular basis. People unwilling to change really bug me.
83. I hate spending too much money for a car. What a waste of money. I'd rather spend money on nice vacations, great dinners out with friends, our home, and other people.
84. I love flying. Sometimes I wish I had become a pilot.
85. Archeology is one of my secret passions. One of my undergraduate degrees was in the field.
86. One of my favorite work projects was working with Indian tribes for three years. I learned many things about patience, how perceive life, and how interconnected everything and everyone is in life. My best friend Derk was my co-pilot on the project.
87. I spent 15 years at the university. I was smart enough to get out while I was still ahead. What I miss most is the contact with young people.
88. Cleveland has been a great home for me. It has brought out the best of me, even though it pisses me off at times.
89. I enjoy public speaking and giving seminars. I tell more stories now and engage the audience more fully.
90. I want to do some really innovative things in the economic development field in the future. I have worked in the field for 27 years and see the need for new ideas in how we create and sustain local economies.
91. I am thankful for the people who have shaped my life. I would have screwed up royally if it were not for others' guidance and support.
92. I have always felt a need to give something back to the community.
93. I used to worry more about acceptance by others. Now I worry about not being outrageous enough.
94. The older you get the faster time goes. That is really true.
95. Writing 100 things about youself takes a long time. I might need to change this list tomorrow.
96. I believe there is a reason for everything in life. If there isn't one, I believe we make them up.
97. A picture is worth a thousand words.
98. I love baseball but was a lousy player as a kid.
99. Life is a lot simpler when we just take it one day at a time. That is not so simple.
100. I am glad that I am done with this list so I can have a glass of wine.