Bit by Bit

Ceej did an entry using a theme which has apparently been going around a number of journals, that of a list of (seemingly) random facts about the journaler. (There's even a collection of these journal entries.) Since I obviously have no original ideas ¹, I figured I'd use this entry to produce something similar.

I don't eat seafood, rarely eat eggs (unless baked into some other substance, such as cake), and eat very little cheese (mainly on pizza). I don't have any allergies, I simply don't like the taste of these things. Although I seem to be warming to cheese as I get older. I liked seafood more when I was younger.

Other than that, I'm a raging carnivore, and also love potatoes and bread.

I started programming in 1980 at the age of 11, on a TRS-80 Model III, in BASIC. Moved to an Apple IIe a few years later (wrote a whole database system on the thing for my own purposes!), and got into the "hard stuff" (UNIX) in college. Started using Macs in high school.

My apartment is decorated in a strange mix of contemporary, self-built, and urban curb. I have a preference for wood furniture. I still don't have a good place to read in the living room.

Madison is the smallest city in which I've lived. It's barely big enough. I live four blocks from the state capitol and still feel like I'm living in the suburbs. It's still miles better than New Orleans and its amazing exponential murder rate, though.

I've probably owned over ten thousand comic books in my lifetime. Many of these went out the door in a big purge last summer - the ones which were coverless or otherwise had no value other than kindling. Many others have been sold to various people over the last eight years. My collection still fills more than two six-foot-by-thirty-inch bookcases.

I'm very stuff-oriented, much like many programmers/fans/you-name-it. However, I'm also scrupulously organized, and I don't expect my next move to be very traumatic. I keep things organized by making sure papers, books, and such are always moving more-or-less in the direction where they'll ultimately reside. Filing cabinets are our friends.

I think being an adult is a hundred times harder than being a teenager. Sometimes I wish I could be 17 forever.

I've been on the Internet since 1989. For two years I was one of the 25 most prolific posters on the net, regularly posting 10-20 articles a day.

I have serious telephonephobia. I will usually drive or walk to a store rather than call ahead to ask if they have what I want. I also don't much care for social group activities with people I don't know well.

I have a fairly deep voice, but a surprising vocal range when I sing. Not to imply that I'm a good singer; in a car at 75 MPH with the windows open, anyone can sing.

More than one person on the Internet has inferred that I am black. I'm not. I had light blonde hair as a kid, probably the result of my grandfather's Swedish heritage. Now my hair is nondescript brown, kept short because it itches if it gets very long.

I went to Tulane University because the other ten college I applied to rejected me.

I discovered rock music by listening to Styx on the radio. I got into science fiction by reading H. Beam Piper.

I had an utterly areligious upbringing. One girlfriend told me I'm the least spiritual person she knows. Despite this, I'm an agnostic, not an atheist.

I've had three girlfriends, lasting a little over 2 years, 6 months, and a little under 2 years. I've dated one or three other women, depending on your definition of "dated". (Okay, I think two of the women thought they were dates, and I didn't. The third was clearly a dating situation.) Although in each case I've sometimes thought of getting back together with them, realistically I find that once the water's under the bridge, I don't have any actual interest.

Except when I sleep, I almost always need to have noise around me. So I always have music in the background, ot the television, or National Public Radio. When I worked in a cubicle, I liked the noise there, except that cubicles make it easier for people to deliberately interrupt you.

My basic arithmetic skills are extremely good; I can do long division in my head, for instance. I'm good at algebra and basic calculus, but not so good at advanced calculus. I have no aptitude at all for foreign languages.

I grew up with a Welsh Corgi dog. Dogs are okay, but I wouldn't want to own one. I don't want kids, neither.

I seem to set off many peoples' "gaydar". I also have fairly accurate "gaydar" myself. I'm straight, though.

I hate The Beatles' White Album. I also can't stand The Rolling Stones or Bob Dylan.

I live in the north because I like having four seasons during the year.

That should be enough.

Michael Rawdon (Contact)