My Belated Thursday Thirteen -- Friday Thirteen? Seems Unlucky... how about Friday Fourteen!

Fourteen Things about The Movie Monkey 1. I always have loved elephants. Which is strange because now I seem to be surrounded by monkeys. I think it all started when I worked at Walt Disney World and met one of my best friends who began calling me Monkey Boy. So that somehow began equating in people's minds that they must give me monkey trinkets. [Well, talk to my wife, Paisley, and she'll tell you that I have a thing for buying monkey trinkets too. Damn -- I thought I could blame that on the Monkey Boy thing...] Back to elephants, though. I still have my little jade elephant that I got when I became a member of the Cards of Knowledge club. Do any of you remember that? 2. I also love turtles. I have a really cool hand-carved stone turtle that I bought from a little old lady on a trail up a South Korean mountain that lead to an ancient Buddhist temple. It'd look really cool on a leather necklace, but I don't wear jewelry so it just sits on my desk. Staring at me. They represent longevity, you know. So maybe that's why my stints in front of the computer are so long... 3. I'm just all around a nature lover. I love being outdoors, hiking, biking, or just staring at the amazing wonders around me. 4. When I first moved to Arizona (from Colorado via a 1/2 year stint in the Bay area), I thought it was the ugliest landscape I'd ever been in. A few years later, I finally realized how beautiful the desert is. Definitely a different kind of beauty, but I love it now. (Of course this 110+ day drought we're in isn't good for the desert, nor any of us living here.) 5. Speaking of the desert and droughts, that reminds me of a time when I lived in Steamboat Springs, CO and we had a HUGE snowstorm that came up to our roof. I remember banks of snow piled up along the windows. I don't remember how my dad managed to shovel a path for us to get outside, but he did somehow. Now that's a snowstorm! (Of course I was probably 6, so there may be some childhood imagination enhancing the snowbanks, but I'll pretend that it was exactly as I pictured it.) 6. I become obsessed with things; sometimes it's a good thing, other times it's not. An example of a good obsession -- I like to make CD mixes for my friends. An example of a bad obsession -- I can't just stop there; I have to design a CD case with detailed track listings; I have to come up with a CD theme or feel; I have to do whatever I can to mix the music so it all balances out; I have to find the right order of songs. You should see some of my CDs. I made a kick-ass 5-CD set with the theme of Colors. 2 CDs were all songs that had Black or White in their title, 2 CDs were colors, and 1 CD was all songs with Blue. It's pretty sweet. But yes, I obsessed. 7. I worked on a gig for the Oakland A's a few weeks back and made it a point to get an autographed ball. I'm not really a baseball fan, but I felt like I couldn't leave there without it. How strange is that? And I did that when I worked the gig for them last year, too. 8. On July 24th, 1998, I met my wife in person. She flew me from San Francisco to Phoenix for my birthday. Up to that point, we'd been serious pen pals (introduced by a mutual friend, my best friend from Disney World) but we both felt like there was potential for more. When I got off the plane and saw her waiting at the gate (back in the day when you could...) I had a total Sleepless In Seattle moment: I saw her and it was magic. I just knew that she was the one. It was so weird. I didn't think that sort of thing really happened, but there it was. The best part was she felt the same. 9. My sister and I have almost always been great friends. We even were roommates in college. We're still great friends, though we don't talk as much as we used to, which makes me a bit sad. 10. My mother is an Australian citizen. Still. To this day. She met my dad in Europe, they married in Switzerland, and then moved back to Colorado, where he was from. They're now divorced, but she still has never gotten her US citizenship -- she has always been a Registered Legal Alien. Yes, I can say my mother is an alien. The best part is that when my sister and I were born, she registered us w/the Australian consulate as well, so we're both dual citizens: here and in Australia. 11. I have a caffeine addiction. Well, I had one. Last fall, I quit cold turkey. I felt like I had the flu for a week and my whole body ached for another week on top of that. Then it all went away. I felt more awake and felt great. I only drank root beer and an occasional decaf latte at Starbucks. But in the past few months, caffeine has been sneaking back into my diet. (See how I make that sound like it's not my fault? I'm brilliant that way.) ;) My wife busted me on it the other day and just to prove it to myself that I could still go w/o caffeine, I didn't have any caffeinated drinks all day yesterday. I had a bad headache. I need to watch it. 12. I love to read but don't put it in my schedule anymore. So now the only reading I do is on the computer monitor. Bad. 13. I have a problem with how I eat and drink -- I have a compulsion if food or drink is in front of me to eat/drink it as quickly as possible. And to not stop until it's all gone. This is why I'd be a great alcoholic. It's not that I love drinking but if I have a beer in my hand, I feel the need to constantly put it up to my lips and sip. I can't just stand around with the beer for an hour. I must drink it. Same if I have food in front of me. Even a bottle of water. People wonder why I have to pee so much -- it's because I guzzle water like it's going out of style. And why do I do that? Because it's in front of me. And just to keep from being unlucky. 14. I love believing in ghosts and aliens. But I've never encountered either. I believe in them and wish I'd have an encounter, even though I know I realistically never will. It makes me wonder sometimes why I believe. But it won't stop me from believing. That's it, campers. Sorry about the delay in being on my blog the past week or so. I hope you all enjoy! The Movie Monkey Links to others who dropped by and may or may not have a T13! 1. Just Takes a Minute (Kodijack) 2. Portal of My Mind 3. Paisley Propaganda 4. Snickerdoodles (Kimmy & Jacob) 5. Gary's Filmmaking Journey

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