7 things you probably don't know about me

I been tagged. By RedWifey. She wrote recently about "7 things you probably don't know about me", and now it's my turn. Here goes!

1. I don't know how to tie a necktie. I mean, I could do it if I had a computer where I could look up the instructions, and a spare hour to experiment until I got it right. Since I don't need neckties at work or church, I just never got the hang of it. My few ties in the closet are pre-tied.
   


2. I have three recurring nightmares or fears. Two happen in my sleep, but one while I"m awake. My two sleeping nightmares at that I : 1) check in the mirror and see that my teeth are loose, and start falling out 2) am startled to find that I'm back in school, and didn't realize that I was enrolled in a very tough class so I never attended it, leaving me a certain failing grade as the semester is almost over. My waking fear happens about once every six months, around 2am. I wake up suddenly and realize I'm actually doing the whole "grown up" thing -- wife, kids, job, house... it's all on me, and I'm hundreds of miles away from the home I grew up in... how shaky is it all? The feeling lasts about 20 seconds and then subsides, and I go back to sleep.



3. My perspectives on God, faith, salvation and redemption are so completely different than most people in my church and in my family that I've never really shared them (except with Jamie). I'm afraid of the consequences, and don't want to be a source of tension to those I love.



4. Most people think I have a good memory, but they don't know the half of it. Often I will fake that I barely remember something, and will talk in general terms about something I heard or read, when in actuality I remember the entire thing verbatim. I guess I do this so that I don't freak people out.



5. I was a jerk as a baseball player. My athlete persona is one of complete narcissism and superiority. For some reason, I had to feel like I was absolutely the best player on the field (Earth to Michael -- I probably was not actually the best player every game). Even though my playing days are over, I'm certain that the old persona would return for a softball game. Whenever I've tried to play "nice", it didn't work, and I didn't have fun.



6. I cook the breakfast for me and Jamie at least four days a week. The craziest part? It always has spinach in it. Yes, me, eating spinach. I make scrambled eggs mixed with shiitake mushrooms, baby spinach leaves, cheese and salsa. Sometimes we'll add turkey sausage on the side. We've been eating it for a few months now and are feeling better than ever -- it's been a healthy, consistent way for us to start our day.
   
   
7. I was born in Arkansas and now live in Texas, but really don't care for hunting or fishing. It's just not my thing. And in college, I even joined the "redneck" fraternity that was all hunting and fishing. I just thought they were great guys and wanted to be a part of the friendships. Even today I'll go hunting or fishing with my father-in-law, or my family during summer vacation, and I'll certainly teach my kids how to fish, but it's never something I'd choose to do with my time. I expect this may change as I get older (my dad would have never considered gardening at 30 years old, but now he loves it).

OK, that'll do it. :)

Hal and Rob, if you're up for it, if you're man enough... tag, you're it!