100 things

in no particular order, and only because i’ve been reading others’ lists and want to see if i know 100 interesting things about myself, i present to you all of the things i know about myself (we’re not up to 100 yet).

1. i love the sound that a record makes when the needle first touches it.
2. i have the number 27 tattooed on my right shoulder.
3. i only use black inkpens. in fact, i will search my house to avoid writing with anything else.
4. i write my best songs when i’m exhausted to the point of collapse.
5. i have 2 younger brothers. the one in the middle was born with a hole in his heart and died shortly after his birth.
6. his name was derek. i want to name my first kid after him.
7. my mom died when i was 23. the nite she died, i got drunk on southern comfort, sat outside in the drizzle and smoked lots of cigarettes.
8. that nite was the only time i remember crying myself to sleep.
9. my wife (best wife ever) is the most important thing in my life, and i say that without hesitation.
10. music comes in a very close second.
11. my first name is james. i hate it.
12. i dropped out of college (and have no desire to return).
13. i’ve been told that i have perfect pitch (i think i have relative perfect pitch, but i’m no expert).
14. i like falling back asleep in the morning to the sound of my wife blow drying her hair.
15. i’ve performed on stage with members of both the e street band and bob dylan’s band. at the same time.
16. if i were a hockey player, i would be a defenseman with a wicked hard slapshot and an uncanny ability to deliver a hip check.
17. my favorite movie is that thing you do!. it’s criminally overlooked.
18. i’ve tried reading on the road twice, but have yet to finish it. i have no idea why.
19. i read east of eden and zen & the art of motorcycle maintenance in the same summer.
20. until i was 27, i’d never been further north than cincinatti, ohio or further west than santa fe, new mexico.
21. my grandfather gave me a pair of gold cuff links shaped like texas when i was 18. they are one of my most treasured possessions. i wore them at my mother’s funeral, my wedding and at his funeral.
22. i really wish that i could sing like chris robinson of the black crowes.
23. bruce springsteen, elvis costello, joe strummer, bob dylan & paul westerberg are all geniuses. this is not open to debate.
24. i believe you should open presents on christmas morning, not christmas eve.
25. contrary to popular belief, steroids did not ruin baseball. the designated hitter did.
26. my three biggest vices are scotch, american spirit lights and mushroom & onion pizza.
27.
28. i like to talk to the girl in the moon. google it.
29. my youngest brother’s name is the combination of all of his initials. he & i get along swimmingly. this is not because he outweighs me by 50 pounts and could probably break my legs.
30. i think that falling asleep while you’re praying is like falling asleep in the arms of God.
31. i either want to be buried in corduroys, a tshirt & vans or a brooks brothers’ suit. i haven’t decided which just yet. i’m hoping i’ve got a loooong time to think about it.
32. i have 4 dogs, a chinchilla and a cat. i also have a 55 gallon aquarium but, unfortunately, it’s only got 1 fish in it now.
33. i have 4 guitars, 1 bass, 2 keyboards, a piano, a melodica, and a drum kit that’s as old as i am.
34. i’ve given serious thought to becoming a session drummer.
35. my top 5 rock/pop albums, in order of year of release are: 1. bob dylan, blonde on blonde, 2. bruce springsteen, born to run, 3. the clash, london calling, 4. elvis costello, my aim is true, 5. michael jackson, thriller. this will probably change next week.
36. i’m a sucker for any movie with john cusack in it.
37. ed was my favorite tv show in the past 20 years. i had a crush on carol vessey (and probably a man crush on ed if we’re being perfectly honest). bwe understood.
38. wkrp in cincinatti is the best sitcom ever. bill cosby can suck it.
39. my first concert was survivor in 1984. i was 8. hell yeah.
40. i like to run. this is a new development in my life.
41. i think every man should grow a winter beard, at least once in his life, regardless of whether or not it’s a good beard. have you seen that thing that bob dylan called a beard?
42. the day after i win the lottery i will do the following, in order: quit my job, contact my “money guy”, find a bunch of charities to work with, pay off my house and the houses of all of my immediate family, and start shopping for a 2nd house in the mountains.
43. i see the glass as half empty, but i don’t stress out about it.
44. i very recently made a “design” out of my wife’s name and had it tattooed on my left forearm.
45. i heart gibson guitars.
46. i pull down.
47. i’m vegetarian. i want to be vegan, but i have a love/hate relationship with cheese and ice cream.
48. i’m a liberal. not a democrat. a liberal.
49. i belong to both peta and the aclu. if number 42 ever comes true, they can expect to get a fat check from me.
50. i’m a pacifist but that doesn’t mean i won’t beat your ass if you mess with me.
51. white sands, nm is one of the coolest places that i’ve ever been.
52. i’ve used apple computers since they had green & black screens.
53. i drive a saturn station wagon. i wish it was a hybrid, or an electric.
54. iced americanos are one of my favorite sunshiney drinks.
55. i have two globe lamps: the first, a “full size” version given to me when i was a kid that sits on my piano at home. the other, a “mini-globe” that a co-worker gave me after a conversation about the royal tenenbaums, sits on my desk. the differences between the two are pretty cool. think of all the countries that changed in the last twenty years…
56. when i was a kid i wished that i had to wear glasses.
57. according to a personality test i took recently, i am sanguine. i think that sounds like some sort of water fowl, so i like to say that i am cheerfully optimistic.
58. i pick at my fingernails.
59. to be truly comfortable, i believe that a couch must have good corners. that’s where i like to sit: in the corner of the couch.
60. i’m certified in wilderness/backcountry first aid, as well as how to operate an aed and how to deliver child and adult cpr. shit goes down? i’m ready.
61. to me, being in the woods/mountains is like being in church, except with bugs.
62. i was born in tyler, tx. on january 5th, 1976. bicentennial baby!
63. for a kid born in texas, i don’t deal so good with the heat. i’d much rather be in the cold…
64. i’m an e-n-f-p. or, as i like to put it, i’m a spontaneous, macro-guy.
65. i purchased a rock climbing gym in february 2008. i now work more hours than a junior law clerk, but couldn’t be happier.
66. in another life, i could’ve been a graphic designer.
67. i am a bit of a sock-monger. i have 3 drawers full of socks. socks with skulls, socks with stripes…all sorts of socks. except those “make your toes look like they’re in gloves” socks. those are creepy.
68. i like to see how far i can make my car coast (near the speed limit) on the hilly road on the way to my house. the record is about 1.5 miles.
69. 5 people that have most affected my life(in order of importance, not appearance): Jesus. BWE. Bruce Springsteen. Ghandi. Marcus Buckingham.
70. my black dog, mugsy, is my shadow. i’m on the couch? he wants to be on the couch. i’m in bed? he wants to be in bed. i’m in the kitchen…you get the idea. this is his most endearing quality. i love my dog.
71. joints/areas of my body that i can easily “pop”: 3 finger joints, toes, ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, neck, back.
72. (more coming soon…)