Lots of my obscurities have been mentioned in other threads or told to various 'Catters at one time or another. I'll try to consolidate some of them here:

1. I have had an incredibly wide variety of jobs and so many that I have totally lost track. I don't claim to have "done it all"; but I may be approaching it! Currently, I am a night auditor at a Best Western Hotel.

2. Even at an early age (18 months,) I am told that I loved to "sing". Unfortunately, it came out more as a screech in those days and in doing so, I managed to wear three holes in my windpipe. A large bubble of leaked air filled the skin around my neck and began to choke me. The hospital told my parents that I was not expected to live through the night. I am happy to say that I somehow managed to surprise them all.

3. I enjoy working with wood - especially carving. I don't do much of it; but seem to do okay. Recently, I have also made some things in bone (deer and cow) as well as some experiments in brass.

4. It was through the encouragement of the folks here at the Mudcat that I have been able to overcome a deeply entrenched stage fright. I feel I have come a long, long way since I first signed on here in May of 1998. The stage fright still haunts me from time to time; but I am happy to say that it is no longer debilitating. Thank you! Thank you all.

5. I'm a landlord. I own a duplex that I have been remodeling almost constantly for the past four (or is it five?) years. I very much enjoy doing carpentry and plumbing as well as working with drywall. I hate the idea of painting; but take pride in it when I actually get to doing it. One of my next projects is to replace some kitchen cabinets.

6. I can't read music. By that I mean that I have never learned how to apply written notes to a musical instrument - fluently. I can sorta figure out which notes are which and can plunk them out with painful slowness on a keyboard; but cannot sight read very well either vocally or otherwise. I have resolved to take piano and voice lessons next year. It can only help!

7. I have an abiding interest in wildflowers and edible plants. Besides the usual field guides, I also have a small collection of guides to the medicinal uses of wild plants. I once created a field guide titled, "Edible Vascular Plants of the Back Bay Area". (It was self-published and so cannot be found at your local library or bookstore.)

8. As might be deduced from #7, I am very fond of the outdoors and am very much at home in the woods. I enjoy observing and tracking animals. I also enjoy canoeing - no thrill rides, please - just pleasant float trips where I might even have an opportunity to do some fishing. About four years ago I backpacked more than a hundred miles of the Appalachian Trail - from the southern end of Shenandoah National Park to the northern end.

9. I love mentoring people. I have sometimes been in a position to give a boost to some folks and always have been pleased for the opportunity. While I'll have to admit that doing so has sometimes been like pouring sand down a rat hole; there have been many other times that have proved extremely worthwhile. It is a lovely thing to watch someone grow and to feel that something I did may have been helpful toward that end.

10. I am omnivorous. I love to eat all sorts of foods. Eating something new or exotic is to me both a treat and an adventure. Tied in with this is the fact that I love to cook and to bake. With a bit of notice and a little planning I can put together a very nice meal at times.

Gee, can I squeeze one more in here, please?

11. I am a fan of all of the following (in no particular order): Perry Como, Uriah Heep, Lou Rawls, The Seldom Scene, Ricky Nelson, Los Indios Trabajaros, George Winston, Starland Vocal Band, Buddy Guy, CSN(&Y), Brahms, Jo Stafford, Lenny Welch, Wes Montgomery, Glenn Miller, The Kingston Trio, The Spencer David Group, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Michael Martin Murphy and of just about any Do-Wop group you might ever think of. Oh, and if you have bothered to read this far, I am probably also a fan of yours.