ABC meme

As if I need the distraction, when I'm finally getting productive again. But Prof. Me has tormented me into it.

Accent: Waddayu tawkin about? Let's just say, my dialect contains a few vowels that are not common in American dialects. I pronounce Mary different from marry different from merry. Caught and cot are not homophones. And the clincher of all, have and halve contain different vowels.

Booze: Shiraz is wonderful for sipping and conversation. Good vodka in shots (especially when saturated with fresh fruit), but only in moderation.

Chore I Hate: Unstacking the dishwasher, especially silverware.

Dog or Cat: Cat! We currently have three. Number four was run over. Very sad.

Essential Electronics: Laptop (my mistress "DI" for Dell Inspiron), cell phone (I don't know why, but still).

Favorite Cologne: We're supposed to wear smelly things on our bodies? What's wrong with natural musk?

Gold or Silver: Silver, I suppose. My wedding band is gold. But I normally wear a silver "engagement ring" that matches one The Rocket Scientist wears, which we designed and had made. No diamond, sorry. I always thought a diamond engagement ring was a bit too one-sided, and smacked of buying me a bride down at the well.

Hometown: Born in The City (come on, can't you figure that one out? see Accent above)

Insomnia: Sometimes. But having young kids means I'm in a constant state of sleep deprivation.

Job Title: Visiting Scholar sounds so, uh... well, let's just say I'm an intellectual, father of two, husband to one.

Kids: two boys (4, and 16 mos.) Funny aside: my mom had three boys of her own, adopted another boy, and now has three grandsons. The fast swimmers are all boys in my gene pool.

Living arrangements: Grumble, grumble. I hate renting, again. But in this market, it's either that or commuting a long way. So, we've got a decent (if remarkably overpriced) three bedroom, two bath ranch. Me, the Rocket Scientist, the Painter, the Inventor, the Au Pair, and three cats.

Most admirable traits: I'm smart, I'm kind, I'm thoughtful, and I have magic hands (so says the wife).

Number of sexual partners: Not telling.

Overnight hospital stays: Twice, when my wife had just given birth to the Painter, then again with the Inventor.

Phobias: This is a hard one. At an earlier time, I might have said I was afraid of becoming my father. I can't stand cockroaches (I pronounce it with four syllables), ever since I munched down on an egg sack in my peanut butter and jelly sandwich about 30 years ago.

Quote: Shakespeare's Sonnet 29 and Poe's Alone

Religion: Ethnically and culturally a secular Jew. That's as close as I come.

Siblings: Two older brothers. One adopted significantly younger half-brother.

Time I wake up: Usually around 7:00 am, but often my sleep is interrupted between 1:00 and 5:00 by one or the other of the boys. This morning, I was up at about 5:50, to remove the Painter from my bed, where I had awakened curled up like one of the cats (don't know when he got there), convinced him to pee, then tucked him into his own bed. Then I sat for about 10 minutes or so with the Inventor, who had awakened by the commotion, until he was convinced to return to sleep in his crib. I was wide awake (actually went to bed around 10:00 last night --okay we sat up talking until 11:00--which is quite early for us). So, I took the opportunity to get out of bed and read.

Unusual talent or skill: I'm an accomplished performer (that's all you get), a fine gardener, and a good cook.

Vegetable I hate: I've never been too fond of peas, but I'll eat them in a mix, or fried rice. I used to hate asparagus, until I realized you can eat it fresh. I guess I must have once had it from a can as a kid, and wouldn't touch the stuff until my 20s.

Worst habit: Impatience.

X-rays: I don't know. I always hate filling out medical forms for new doctors. I don't know when I last had some shot or other. I don't have rabies though, see... I'm not drooling!

Yummy foods I make: Hungarian goulash, just about any pasta sauce.

Zodiac sign: Capricorn. One of the weirdest things about the friend of mine who snagged the job I almost had last year (my one campus visit) was that he gets quite serious when discussing zodiac signs, and seems to remember the birthdates and signs not only of his friends, but our siblings!

So, there Prof. Me. See, you've effectively distracted me from work for nearly an hour. I guess you got me back for my statcounter recommendation, eh?