Four Things...

I want to thank Ed for this idea. He got tagged and followed through on it like a good trooper.

Four Jobs You've Had

1) Since I was 10 yrs. old I had been involved in the “construction” industry. I started out policing building sites and taking the scrap wood to the “bone” pile, running errands for the carpenters and cleaning the job sites. As time progressed and I got older I started framing walls, setting trusses and generally building houses… well, roughing them in… shells. When I reached 18 years of age and in my Senior Year in from High School I was promised a job as a carpenter so long as I kept my grades above a 3.2 average and continued to participate in sports. Little did I know how much my world would change by the middle of my Senior year.

2) In the middle of my senior year in high school I rebelled against all that “made sense” in my life and ended up tossing away the promises of full ride scholarships to some pretty good colleges and universities, took up smoking cigarettes and pretty much quit sports altogether… after completing my football season, of course… I used to love playing football.

No, what I did instead of all of those promising opportunities was join the U.S. Army on their 6 month “delayed entry” program. Which simply meant that when I graduated from High School I was compelled to attend basic military training in Ft. Polk, Louisiana… June through August… how sweet! Yeah, right.

By the time I had completed my army commitment I’d been in several foreign countries (who really didn’t like the idea of me being there), had parachuted out of all kinds of aircraft to include helicopters, transport jets and planes, had been bitten by insects in swamps and jungles all over the place and had rolled up probably ten years of “growing up” experiences in a scant three year commitment.

When I finally got out of the Army I was a much more mature young man than I was when I went in. My carpenter job was still available if I wanted it…

3) This part’s going to shock some of you who know me. A month after I got out of the Army I became a Police Officer for a small Washington State burg. I worked the law enforcement field as a city cop and then as a deputy sheriff… not moving around much… satisfied with my duties and patrols for about 5 years. I also married my very lovely wife. We’re still together and will forever be together…

4) After the uniformed police officer/deputy gig I became a detective and started putting puzzles together. That became my forte. I’ve been solving puzzles all over the place for over 25 years now and still enjoy the challenge of each “test”. Oh, over the years as I gained experience in the profession I’ve had to accept a managerial role as well but my heart and soul is still so much in the puzzle solving arena. I’m not fond of supervising others but realize it needs to occur… especially in a rather regimented profession where there exists all kinds of rules and regulations that need to be applied and adhered to.

Four Movies You Could watch over and over

1) The Bridge over the River Kwai- My Dad loved it when I was younger. We watched it together several times. I can still sit down and watch it from start to finish without a break. Dad’s 84 years old now… we really haven’t watched it together for quite awhile. This brings up an idea…

2) Predator- I don’t know why… perhaps because the fictional setting was in one of those areas where I “visited” as an “ambassador” of the United States Army… see number 2 in the job thingy. (For those of you who saw this post earlier I screwed up and wrote Alien here... I now realize Predator was the actual title. I knew in my heart just not in my mind).

3) Life As A House- Gut wrenching, funny, awkward, emotional, real, mentoring. It’s one of those movies where everything starts in chaos, seems to come together then, in the end… ah, never mind. If you haven’t seen it yet you should.

4) The Beast- An overwhelming movie that depicts the cruelty of war. A ruthless Russian tank commander and his not so loyal crew trying to survive in a harsh, thankless, seemingly endless environment.

Four Places You've Lived

1) Washington State (Several places… no large cities though. I grew up here, left and came back.)

2) New Mexico (Crown Point… a brief mining stint… not mentioned in the “jobs”.)

3) A couple of distant “forests”… part of that “ambassador” thing again. Not for any extended periods though.

4) North Carolina (I still love that state… I just love Washington more!)


Four TV Shows You Love to Watch

Though not much of a television show “watcher”…

1) Survivor- I think it’s just the competitive thing that gets me.

2) CSI- The original one… in Vegas. Although some of the stuff is impractical it’s fun to watch.

3) Lost- The challenge, the plot twists… simple “out and out” adventure and drama.

4) The O’Reilly Factor- “The No-Spin Zone”. I don’t always agree but a lot of stuff happens on this show and there are times he does make a difference.

Four Favorite Books

1) Of Primal Minds – Jamake Highwater. Fantastic collection of history, prose, poetry and native american folklore. Philosophical and so damned insightful!

2) Cannery Row- John Steinbeck. I saw this one on Ed’s list and agree it’s one of my all time favorites too.

3) The “Lord of the Rings” trilogy – J.R.R. Tolkien. When I first read them I was in 7th or 8th grade. I remember being “taken away” to Middle Earth… I don’t think I’ve ever fully returned.

4) Of Mice And Men- John Steinbeck. Simply a fantastic book of the study of human character. One of my all time favorites.

Four Places You Have Been on Vacation

1) Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

2) Arizona (Several areas in Arizona… Globe, Tonto Basin, Snowflake, Payson)

3) Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada

4) The Oregon and Washington coasts (Cannon Beach, Copalis, Ocean Shores, etc.)

Four Websites You Visit Daily

1) Yahoo home page- (then off to news, sports, etc.)

2) NFL.com- (http://www.nfl.com)- GO SEAHAWKS!!!!

3) Weather Underground- (http://www.wunderground.com)- pretty ‘dad-gummed” accurate weather info. I subscribe to it.

4) All of those (and a couple of more) on my “blog” list shown on the left, here.

Four Favorite Foods

1) Asian- All types

2) Cajun

3) Good old down to earth American home cooking

4) Mexican

Four Places You'd Rather Be Right Now

1) On a hammock tied between two palm trees on a white sand, tropical beach with J, “The Wife” laying right beside me. Drinks nearby, warm, gentle breeze, crashing waves… mmmmm. (pinch)

2) Out in the dense forest of our foothills and mountains on an azimuth walking through areas that haven’t experienced human footfalls in decades, if at all.

3) In a hot-tub with J, “The Wife” somewhere away from here on a well planned and very accomodating, “nothing to worry about” vacation.

4) Having a good, loud, happy dinner with all of our friends and our entire family somewhere fun... exciting.


Okay, there’s a bit about me and my life… a “snapshot” so to speak. I don’t tag folks so Give It A Try on your blog if you feel the urge.