About a hundred years ago, I was tagged by kipperny to tell you all “Ten Things About Me.” I set the idea aside, and did what I usually do, put it off until I had time. Procrastination should be my middle name.

Part of my resistance had to do with my desire to hold onto as much privacy as possible. We live in a world where everyone is so desperate to divulge the minutiae of their daily lives. In some cases, when a person is sharing experiences that may be helpful to others, it’s a good thing. But generally, I like to keep much of my personal life private.

Does anyone really care?

I must admit the idea of sharing some personal details is attractive. Who doesn’t want their fifteen minutes of fame? Besides, kipperny asked me to do it, so if the following bores you to sleep, blame her. ;)

So, to make a long story short …too late …here is a little bit about me.

I studied communications in school. My goal was to work as a video editor for a major television network. Times were tough. I couldn’t afford to further my education beyond technical school. But I made a decent living as an A/V Technician.

It was the 1980s. I was that guy at conventions and hotels with a spool of cable slung over my shoulder pushing a cart loaded with equipment through crowded halls. My specialty was assembling slide shows with twelve or more slide projectors. This was before Powerpoint. Everything was manual. It took hours, sometimes days to set up and coordinate the projectors, lenses, dimmers, and cables. God help you if you dropped the client’s slide tray.

•   Today, all you need is a laptop and OpenOffice.

My career as an A/V Tech ended as everything went digital. I got a summer job as a bouncer/door man, and eventually became a bartender at a local bar. What started out as a “temporary” summer job lasted two decades. Interestingly enough, the skills I learned as an A/V Tech served me well at the bar. I used the same digital technology that replaced my career field to create in-house video entertainment and promotions. Unfortunately, when the economy tanked, so did the bar.

•   If I was still tending bar, I’d probably find a way to incorporate social media into a bar experience.

I do Twitter, Tumblr, and am experimenting with Wordpress, but I resist facebook. I don’t feel the need to disclose so much of my private life. This post is probably the most I’ve revealed since adopting the ADignorantium persona.

Because I chose an anonymous identity, I try to keep certain standards for myself. Abuse isn’t my style. It’s too easy to hide behind anonymity. My rants are my opinion. If I write anything other than opinion, I provide a source.

I read and follow opinions that I don’t always agree with. I stand by my opinions, but they are not set in stone. From time to time someone will shed light on an issue and I will see something new. This is called growth. Above all, I try to be consistent.

If I say something that offends you, let me know. But be prepared to explain why it offends you. Understand too, that it’s difficult to gauge tone from a printed page. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment if you don’t have the whole story. Let’s give each other the benefit of the doubt.

I like humor, television, movies, music, reading, Politics, and a good Twitter HashTag game. …and I hope for world peace some day. ;p

Up in Smoke: Why the GOP’s Views on Pot are Showing Signs of a Shift

“A softer stance could also help Republicans compete for young voters, who overwhelming favor legalization and who fled the party in recent presidential elections. “It’s one of the easier things for them to do,” says Larry Sabato, the University of Virginia political scientist whose class Cuccinelli visited. “It’s easier than immigration. It’s easier than supporting gay rights.” And pot is as much a touchstone social issue for young voters as abortion and gay marriage.”

source

…you’re welcome Jr High School students everywhere. :)

The origins of the once popular ‘Hide and Seek’ phrase. …and No, it wasn’t an Amber Alert for Escaped Oxen…

• “…In the case of “Ollie ollie oxen free” and its many variants, we have a mutated form of the original “all clear” signal. This was probably something like “All’s out come in free” or “All ye out come in free,” meaning that anyone still hiding (“out”) can now come back into the group without fear (“free”) of being tagged “It.” Since the game “Hide and Seek” itself is at least four centuries old, there’s been plenty of time for that original phrase to be filtered through small ears clogged with dirt and come out almost unrecognizable…”

Read More about the origin of “Ollie Ollie Oxen Free” from The Word Detective… http://www.word-detective.com/2011/07/ollie-ollie-oxen-free/

I was one of three boys in my Jr High Prom Committee, headed by my Science teacher, Ms. Cantrell

Early in the process, while thinking of possible theme ideas, one girl suggested “We’ve Only Just Begun.”

Without missing a beat, Ms. Cantrell replied “And with what shall we decorate the gym? Unfinished Term Papers?”