1) You get to pick one thing, anything at all that you could instantly have changed about your life (current, not past) what would it be?--I would have money. I have none now, and I'm OK with that. But living from paycheck to paycheck sucks. I tend to adjust to the amount of money that I bring in. I can guarantee you that 90% of you make more than I do, yet many of you also do that paycheck to paycheck thing. For me, it's living within my means. I would love it if I didn't have to worry about it all the time though.
2) What is the best compliment you have ever gotten?--Over the years I've gotten huge compliments for various musical performances I've been involved in. I've had strangers tell me at the grocery store that they loved the last symphony concert, or I'll be in a bar and some drunk will tell all his friends about this kick-ass band that I play in. Without wanting to sound conceited, I've pretty much gotten used to it. Then I got this in an email regarding HNT:
- I wanted to thank you for sharing this idea with the rest of us in Blogland. I have never felt beautiful or comfortable about my body. HNT has liberated me! I'm a little bit more proud of myself. A little bit more appreciative of what God gave me. It has been a positive thing in my life. Everyone is so beautiful, each in their own way. Whether it's a hand or a shoulder or something more obscure...it's been fascinating and wonderful. You are a wise man.
3) What is your all-time favorite beer?--Double answer here--prior to the days of microbrews being readily available, it was probably Miller Genuine Draft. Or Killian's, if the bar had imports. These days, however, I drink alot of Northern Light Ale (Lewis & Clark Brewing, Helena), Beltian White (Harvest Moon Brewing, Belt, MT) or Alaskan Winter Ale (Alaskan Brewing, Juneau) during the season. I'm also a sucker for Kokanee out of British Columbia. In any case, it's a far cry from the Olympia, Ranier or Hamm's I used suck down in high school!
4) What grosses you out/scares you the most?? Talkin' something along the lines of snakes, spiders, carnies...etc.--I don't really mind creepy crawly things, if I'm aware of them. I could easily do "Fear Factor" with bugs, as long as I didn't have to eat them. But moths will scare the bejeesus out of me. Not as they're walking around minding their own business, but when they fly around in the dark, checking out my ears as a possible haven for the evening. I'll go ballistic to get away from them.
5) Why did you start this blog?--Simple question. My best friend Moose decided to start one, so I just followed suit.
6/7) What inspired you to start half nekkid thursday and what is your favorite pick to date? (I know, its really 2 questions, but they're related!)--I answer the first part of this alot. I refer you to here to read up on the inspiration (first paragraph).
As for my favorite--that's a loaded question. First of all--I love them all! Even the very simple ones--that's a big step for some! And those of you who don't have any problems showing off--yours are great. There are the obvious ones that are quite enjoyable for all of us. But my favorites would be those who were terrified of stepping off the edge, but did it anyway. Those who never thought that they could do it. And there are others. Even though there's some great male shots, my favorites are the ladies. With that in mind--
8) What makes your head snap back from thought/day dreaming?--If I'm asleep and dreaming, it's generally a sudden loud noise in the dream. If I'm in a power nap mode, I almost always jump up when my leg twitches because it's gone to sleep on me. Sometimes it's my arm.
9/10) Who, IRL and currently, has had the greatest impact on your life? and why? i know...2 questions...but they are related...and i wanted to know the reason...--Probably would have to be my parents. They just celebrated their 49th anniversary, and are as much in love as they ever have been. They raised 4 children who were good students, had very minor brushes with the law as they grew up, and none of them smoke or do drugs (other than alcohol, in which case we excel, without being alcoholics!). The children who have children of their own are raising them in the same manner. None of us are on welfare. We have all carved our niche in life without depending on the parents to bail us out. We still gather on a regular basis. My parents are my heroes.
11) Is there a song you absolutely hate?--Without a doubt, it's the Chicken Dance. Of the "Big Three" that some old lady wedding planner thinks should be played (Chicken Dance, Macarena, Hokey-Pokey), it's the only one that we might consider playing. Anyone who requests it should be severely beaten, preferrably by the bride's bouquet.
12) In conversations, do you tend to listen or talk more?--As you can tell by my writing, I tend to be verbose. In conversation, I generally start out listening, but eventually I find myself pontificating to the masses. To the point these days that people will actually ask if I'm OK if I haven't jumped into a conversation. Yes, I talk too much. And what's worse, I generally don't have much to say.
13) If you had to choose one thing to do for a living besides what you already do, what would it be?--I'd love to be a helicopter pilot. Or be a back-up musician for Jimmy Buffett (that would be the Coral Reefer Band, for those who didn't know).
14) What is your greatest accomplishment in life?--Tough question. In my mind, it would be the impact I have had on former students, particularly the ones who have continued on in music over the years, either as teachers or as amateur performers. I hear from alot of them and it's a great feeling to know you impacted their lives in such a way. From an outsiders perspective, who knows? Perhaps getting my Master's degree in music ed.
15) Paper or plastic?--Plastic. Easier to carry alot of sacks.
16) What part of you is least likely to end up half-nekkid on a Thursday?--The possibility of seeing anything from between my belly button to my mid-thighs (front or back) are as slim as Bush pulling the troops out of Iraq in the next month. There's way too much belly to show, and nothing below that to brag about. But who knows? Just don't wait in anticipation!
17) Coffee or tea?--Coffee is the devil's drink, and Starbuck's is the temple of the devil. I have probably had a total of 10 cups of coffee in my life, and those were out on Boy Scout camping trips. Except for the drunk high school nights where we'd go to Denny's and have coffee, but pour half of the blueberry syrup in. Tea, on the other hand--I'll drink tea in the summer if it's available. With sugar and lemon. I'm not a tea snob as far as varieties go. Just give me the generic Lipton's.
18/19) Where is your favorite place in the world and why?--Northwestern Montana and the Idaho Panhandle. You can find some of the most beautiful and pristene country around here. And I've got alot of memories from my childhood in the Montana part. I fell in real love for the first time at Lake Coeur d'Alene, ID, so I generally go into a trance any time I pass through the area (which is about once a year).
20) I just paid $2.75 a gallon for gas here in southern cali. piece of crap oil company... don't they know i'm poor?--No they don't, nor do they care. Bastards!
21) What is one thing/event/situation/conversation/action in your life that you wish you could have the opportunity to do over? In other words your biggest regret?--Laurie Mayfield, 1981. You don't get any of the details, but I do believe my life would be vastly different had something not happened (yes, I could have done something different at the time). Interesting--I've never mentioned that to anyone, ever. Let your minds wander!!
22) Can i still ask a question?--No, because by the time I get done, I will have answered 25 questions. Sorry!
23) I know I am not supposed to ask but... what are the coat hangers for?--I generally will hang my Hawaiian shirts (of which there are many) outside to dry, rather than use the dryer. It was really windy and they were blowing all around, so I moved them inside. I just never moved them to my closet. So I'd just pick a shirt on my way out the door, leaving the hangers. It's a bachelor thing....
24) What volume of "condensation" does your trombone produce daily?--Finally! A truly odd question! First off, it's not "condensation". It's spit. Say it with me. "SPIT." The little thing that empties it (ala "Mr. Holland's Opus") is not a "water key", it's a spit valve. And it is perfectly acceptable to empty your spit valve on the floor, or the shoe of the person next to you, or on the flutes and clarinets in front of you.
As for the volume--I can't give a daily amount, because I don't play daily. The amount also varies with the amount of playing being done. In symphony rehearsals, that's not much, because we don't play near as often as the strings or woodwinds do. But for a 4-hour gig with In Cahoots, I'd guess that I empty between a third to a half a cup. Other factors include alcohol intake, food intake, and environmental conditions (damp and humid, or dusty and dry). If I can remember, I'll spit into a cup at our next gig and get a better measurement for you.
25) If you were on death row, what would you ask for as your last meal?--I'd start with an appetizer of Hoagie Cheese Fries from Hoagieville in Missoula. For dinner, I'd want a big honkin' steak, medium-rare, my mother's potato salad (ideally, my grandmother's recipe, but no one could find it after her death), shoepeg corn in butter, a Caesar salad, made and tossed by my father (complete with the anchovie paste), and a couple of bottles of Kokanee to wash it down. If I couldn't have beer, then a half gallon of chocolate milk. And maybe some fresh asparagus in butter--just a little treat for those doing the autopsy afterwards. For dessert, my sister makes this mean chocolate pudding/Oreo cookie/fudge/and other stuff monstrosity that, if I ate enough of it, would give me a heart attack before they could strap me down.
That's it. Twenty-five questions. It took me 2 and a half hours to answer these. Please remind me of this the next time I decide to do another one!
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