Catholicism, holiness and spirituality

8 things

Tagged by Alan for 8 random things about me... so here goes:

1. I've had about 75 stitches and 7 broken bones in my lifetime; my knee still has metal in it.
2. I have an eclectic taste in music; from Allegri Miserere to The Clash to John Coltrane, The Dixie Chicks and Mocean Worker.
3. I've been self-employed for about 11 years now and I have a hard time seeing myself work for anyone else ever again.
4. I'm introverted and left-handed both, at the same time.
5. I drive an SUV but offset the emissions; I know it's a carbon hog, but it runs fine and it's paid for.
6. I like to cook, and I enjoy grocery shopping.
7. I really don't like shopping for Christmas presents.
8. I'm chairperson on the board of directors at a pro-life pregnancy counseling center; I've chaired parish councils and Habitat for Humanity coalitions.

Well that does it then. I don't spread tags around - but feel free to pick it up and run with it if you want!

A meme

Mark tagged me on this one, and I'm happy to oblige!

Accent: Generic Midwestern, which some say is 'no accent'; though some have said I sound like a New Yorker(?)
Chore I Hate: Laundry & dishes
Dog or Cat: Dogs - two beagles
Essential Electronics: My laptop
Favorite Cologne(s): I don't wear colognes - I smell pretty good as-is ;)
Gold or Silver: Gold
Hometown: Born in Parsons, KS - lived in Tulsa, OK for 12 years but Cincinnati is my hometown now
Insomnia: Hardly at all
Job Title: Consultant / Partner / Husband / Dad
Kids: Two boys - 11 and 12, plus many wonderful nieces and nephews
Living arrangements: With my wife & kids, in a nice house in the woods
Most admirable trait: Depends on who you ask, I suppose. Hard worker, leader, generous in sharing knowledge
Overnight hospital stays: Twice - once due to a really bad car wreck to repair my leg and stitch-up my face; second for a follow-up operation on my leg a year later
Phobias: Touching my eye, which is why I don't wear contacts
Quote: "Love ought to manifest itself more by deeds than by words." (from St Ignatius)
Religion: Roman Catholic
Siblings: One younger brother, three older brothers
Time I wake up: 5:30 most days - 7:00 is 'sleeping in'
Unusual talent or skill: Unusual? Hmmm.... Not much. I'm good with remembering directions & changing time zones (too much business travel!)
Vegetable I refuse to eat: Sauerkraut (is that still a vegetable?)
Worst habit: Procrastination
X-rays: Dozens; I've had seven broken bones. The metal in my right leg shows up really good!
Yummy stuff I cook: Rotisserie leg of lamb on the grill with rosemary roasted potatos and steamed asparagus, seafood pasta in basil pesto cream sauce, chocolate fudge

Four Things

This one seems to be pretty popular, so here goes:

Four Jobs I've Had in My Life

1. Systems Engineer
2. Business Analyst
3. Project Manager
4. Consultant

Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over, and Have

1. Chocolate
2. The Thomas Crown Affair - the remake, not the original
3. Hmmm... even those two were a stretch. I'm out of ideas here.

Four Places I Have Lived

1. The Marriott - in several cities
2. Tulsa, OK
3. Cincinnati, OH
4. In the country outside Parsons, KS

Four TV Shows I Love to Watch

1. I don't really watch TV regularly, sorry.

Four Places I've Been on Vacation

1. Grand Cayman Island
2. Jamaica
3. Costa Rica
4. Hilton Head, SC

Four Websites I Visit Daily

1. My Yahoo home page
2. Daily Reflections at Creighton Univ
3. Universalis
4. Weather.com

Four Favorite Foods

1. Lamb - chops, rack, leg, shanks, whatever
2. Good, crusty bread warmed in the oven, drizzled with good olive oil, soaking up whatever is left on my plate (i.e. from the lamb)
3. Steamed asparagus (with the lamb & crusty bread, of course)
4. My wife's home-made cherry pie

Four Places I'd Rather Be Right Now

1. With my family, hiking in the Costa Rican rain forest
2. Watching a really good opera production
3. But really, it doesn't get much better than right here, right now

Five things... I got tagged

Normally I wouldn't do this one, but Jenn asked me. How can I refuse?

5 things I plan to do before I die:

Retire
Play with my grandkids
Travel all around the country/world with my wife (instead of by myself, like I often do now, for work!)
Take the real-deal 30-day Spiritual Exercises
Clean out the basement

5 things I can do:

Cook
Fix most anything around the house
Drive tractors, operate back-hoes, front-loaders, etc
Lead groups of people - such as non-profit boards, parish councils, projects, etc
Say really awkward things in social gatherings

5 things I cannot do:

Dance, not very well anyway
Paint or draw pictures
Ride wooden roller-coatsers; too bumpy!
Run for a long distance (bad knee)
Watch my sons play soccer without standing up & pacing

5 things that attract me to the opposite sex:

Eyes
Smile
Positive attitude
Confidence
Compassion

5 things I say most often:

Hmmm (as I process and contemplate things)
OK
Let's go!
Why do you do that? (to my clients, mostly)
Good job / That's great / Way to go!

5 celebrity crushes:

Now, is this a fair question to ask a married man who hardly watches TV? I haven't had a 'crush' in 20 years. How about, 5 celebrities I admire? No, I can only think of two. Sorry folks - no data in the memory banks for this one.

5 people I want to do this:

Here's my standard line: I don't tag folks, but if you want to do this one - go for it!

A mystery

Well, I'm a mystery, a jack-of-all-trades, a puzzlement according to this quiz I found at Jocelyne's blog. Or, maybe I'm just confused! The quiz is supposed to tell me what kind of person I'd be in the 1400's:

The Harlequin You scored 18% Cardinal, 56% Monk, 52% Lady, and 54% Knight!

You are a mystery, a jack-of-all-trades. You have the king's ear, but also listen to murmurings of the common folk. You believe in the value of force and also literature. Truly you are the puzzlement of the age.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 10% on Cardinal You scored higher than 84% on Monk You scored higher than 86% on Lady You scored higher than 62% on Knight

Link: The Who Would You Be in 1400 AD Test written by KnightlyKnave on Ok Cupid

An agreeable centrist

Nathan forwarded me a request to take a couple surveys - one on politics and one on personality. And as I had a few free moments towards the end of the day, here are the results. Not surprising, really. It says I'm an agreeable, conscientious centrist. At the bottom is the list of people who have taken this before me - if you take these surveys, then add your name to that list when posting the results.

Age: 39
Gender: Male
Location: Cincinnati, OH, USA
Religion: Christian (Roman Catholic)
Occupation: Consulting
Began blogging: (dd/mm/yy): 08/1/03 (approximate)

Political Compass results:
Economic Left/Right: -2.50
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -1.64

IPIP-NEO results:

Extraversion: 35
Your score on Extraversion is average, indicating you are neither a subdued loner nor a jovial chatterbox. You enjoy time with others but also time alone.

Agreeableness: 82
Your high level of Agreeableness indicates a strong interest in others' needs and well-being. You are pleasant, sympathetic, and cooperative.

Conscientiousness: 68
Your score on Conscientiousness is high. This means you set clear goals and pursue them with determination. People regard you as reliable and hard-working.

Neuroticism: 35
Your score on Neuroticism is average, indicating that your level of emotional reactivity is typical of the general population. Stressful and frustrating situations are somewhat upsetting to you, but you are generally able to get over these feelings and cope with these situations.

Openness to Experience: 15
Your score on Openness to Experience is low, indicating you like to think in plain and simple terms. Others describe you as down-to-earth, practical, and conservative.

Track List:
1. Philosophy, et cetera - pixnaps.blogspot.com - pixnaps97a2
2. Parableman - parablemania.ektopos.com - p8r8bl9m8n18
3. Rebecca Writes - everydaymusings.blogspot.com
4. Ales Rarus - alesrarus.funkydung.com - ales2112avis
5. Here I Stand - exiledcatholic.blogspot.com - exiled323catholic
6. Catholicism, holiness and spirituality – bogners.typepad.com/church

Movies

John tagged me on a little movie survey... so here goes:

Total number of films we own on DVD/tape

Probably 70 or so. But honestly, they are spread out in various places and I have no real idea how many there are. It's a guess.

Last film I bought

Probably the Star Wars trilogy on DVD. I really don't buy movies often - we just rent them most times.

Five favorite movies

The Star Wars trilogy (counts as one) and the Lord of the Rings series (counts as one) are favorites. Why do I like them? Great stories, imagination, action, drama and so on. They are classics. We just got through watching the three LOTR movies - one each night.

I really like It's a Wonderful Life - it's a great story, any time of the year.

O Brother Where Art Thou? is a new favorite - it cracks me up and the music is great.

And, finally, Gandhi. When it came out, I didn't know much of anything about him, so this film had quite an impact.

I'm not into tagging folks, but please feel free to participate!

World's shortest personality test

Found at Penni's blog Martha, Martha...

You are elegant, withdrawn, and brilliant. Your mind is a weapon, able to solve any puzzle. You are also great at poking holes in arguments and common beliefs. For you, comfort and calm are very important. You tend to thrive on your own and shrug off most affection. You prefer to protect your emotions and stay strong.

The World's Shortest Personality Test

Spookily accurate, and a bit arrogant, at least according to my own self-perception.

Upbeat Idealist

Not only am I Upbeat, but I am an also an Idealist. An Upbeat Idealist - I like that. I found this survey at Fran's site 'Sacred Ordinary.'

Idealism centers around the belief that we are moving towards something greater. An odd mix of evolutionist and spiritualist, you see the divine within ourselves, waiting to emerge over time. Many religious traditions express how the divine spirit lost its identity, thus creating our world of turmoil, but in time it will find itself and all things will again become one.

Idealist 69% Cultural Creative 63% Postmodernist 50% Fundamentalist 38% Materialist 31% Romanticist 31% Existentialist 25% Modernist 19% What is Your World View? (updated) created with QuizFarm.com

In good company

Found a Medieval Personality quiz at Flos Carmeli... and though the description sounds strange, at least I'm a bilious Choleric in good company:

You are a "bilious" Choleric, with an abundance of yellow bile (believed to have originated in the kidneys). Cholerics are characterized by the element of Fire, the season of Summer, early adulthood, the color fiery red, and the characteristics of "Hot" and "Dry." Famous Cholerics include St. John the Baptist, St. Paul, and St. Ignatius of Loyola.

If you were living in the Age of Faith, perfect career choices for you would be Crusader (leader of the Crusades, of course), the knighthood, King, mayor, head of a guild, founder of a new religious order, or housewife or father with a well-organized, well-behaved brood, each of whom you expect to excel.