James tagged me - I guess it was only a matter of time. Being the avid Snow Crash fan that I am, I feel like I'm propagating a virus...

gen(n-1) tag: James

Five Things You Didn't Know About Me

1. In the same vein (no pun intended) as James', I was quite accident-prone as a child, such that it's somewhat miraculous that I survived this long. At least a half-dozen trips to the ER, at least 3 concussions; perhaps unsurprisingly, I have trouble remembering exactly how many head injuries I've suffered. Most of you don't know this, but those who learn frequently remark that "explains so much" about my personality - I really WAS dropped on my head a bunch as a kid. Sadly, it was mostly my own doing! :)
2. In 5th (or 6th? See #1) grade, I got separated from my school tour group while visiting Colonial Williamsburg. It was a defining moment for me - where previously I would have panicked, cried, and basically waited for someone to help me, I (somewhat spontaneously) decided I was going to get myself out of trouble this time. I explored virtually the whole area, asked for directions, even climbed a wall, got sunburnt, but finally found the group more or less on my own. While in hindsight, I would probably have "been found" sooner, the determination to act, rather than be victimized, has stuck with me ever since. Particularly in cases where I get myself into a jam - my single-minded fascination with a firearms display is what let the group leave at least 15 minutes before I noticed.
3. I can't decide what "mature" really means. When I was a teenager, I thought it was being independent. Since I've fallen in love and gotten in married, right now I think a big part of it is having things (people in particular, but perhaps causes as well) that you care about more than yourself; I wonder if the definition will continue to refine (I won't say change - I do still value my ability act independently when appropriate) over time, whether it's a natural function of age, or merely another of my (many) quirks.
4. I like being wrong more than being right. Many who know me will think I've just hit my head again, but it's true. I'd much rather advance an idea or belief about something and have it debated - even proved wrong - than blindly accepted as accurate/correct/gospel/etc. Why? Because I learn a lot from the debate, or the correction. Finding out I'm right about something is nice but not nearly as satisifying. I guess I'm saying that I love to learn.
5. My birthday is on (what is often) the shortest day of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere) - December 21st. Again, upon learning this, many people find this to be entirely appropriate.

Now, whom shall I tag? I must admit my "blog circle" is rather limited - many of those I'd like to tag have already been tagged in previous generations.

gen(n+1) tags:

I'll pick Josh, Korby, Joel, Jason, and Hans of BugBash. I'm not sure if any of them will notice, but I've always liked reading what they have to say and it'd be nice to know a few things I don't know about them...