July 23, 2007

8 1/2

Carol Novack has invited me to a game of revelation tag. These are the rules: 1. The rules must be posted by each participant at the beginning of the post. 2. Each player posts 8 facts about himself/herself. 3. Tagged parties post their own 8 items in a blog, and post these rules. 4. At the end of the blog, each player or 'tagee' must post the names of eight people s/he is tagging in turn. 5. And inform said tagees by e-mail, telegraph wire or telepathy if blessed with such ability, but in any case inform them or they'll have trouble participating.

My random facts:

1. I've frequently entertained the suspicion that I'm not who I think I am. In some ways this is the story of the human race.

2. The first time I saw newborn kittens I thoght they were mice.

3. I read window signs, billbords, poster boards and graffitti tags for clues to the zeitgeist. "Aeon 101." A young girl from the front of whose jeans the sun spectacularly rises. (Lois Jeans, I think that one was.) "Honest Ed's an honest man. People look at him and say 'Honest, is this a man?' " How microscopic would such examination have to be to achieve total insight? How macroscopic? "Our prices will make you come."

4. I recently started a blog, The Evitable. My secret plan is to use it as a base from which to become a presence in the world of ideas and maybe eventually make a few bucks. So far, my progress is, regrettably, easy to gauge.

5. Picasso couldn't learn arithmetic as a child because the number 7 looked like an upside down nose to him. I wonder what my excuse was? (I don't even know why I'm saying this, except that it's classic schtick. I was actually pretty good with numbers. Certainly very attentive to figures, once I noticed girls had 'em.)

6. I love classic schtick.

7. I work as a walking courier. I have pages and pages of material towards a Catch-22 of the courier business, but I won't have the free time to pull it into shape as long as I continue working full time as a courier.

8. There's no reason, apart from universal human destruction or sudden widespread disinterest, that this chain of octopedal personal data entries should ever cease. Curious what people will be posting in a thousand years' time. Better get a good health plan installed pronto if I want to find out.

8 1/2. I was never any good at colouring between the lines. I wonder if Michelangelo had the same problem.


The people I'm tagging are:

1. Nonnie Augustine.
2. Andrew Tibbett.
3. J.A. McDougall.
4. G.C. Smith.
5. David Coyote.
6. chancelucky.
7. Antonios Maltezos.
8. Anne Chudobiak.

8 comments:

GC SMITH said...

I’m honored to have been selected as one of Martin’s eight, but for the life of me I don’t know why.

Following up on the I don’t know why, I’ve been clueless on most things for most of my life.

At age 12 I went into a partnership in the rabbit breeding business. My partner had two females. I had a big male New Zeeland white. He loved the females, jumped their bones at every chance, but turned out to be sterile. First business failure.

I was a practicing Economist for nearly 34 years. It’s a profession with a wide sweep of practitioners ranging from geniuses to charlatans.

I haven’t ever practiced religion though I have a Catholic education.

I love good food.

A few Zoetropers are friends who rock.

The number one rule in life that I’ve learned from repeated experience is: ~if one attends a party and goes over to a far corner to fart silently sure the best looking woman in the room will follow and seek you out.


I've tagged

Liesl Jobson
Marty Ison
Carol Novak
Nonnie Augustine
Marcel DeClerq
Donia Carey
D Coyote
Chris Morrow

GC SMITH said...

corrected list


Bob Arter, Donia Adzima Carey, Marcel DeClercq, Marty D. Ison, Liesl Jobson, christopher morrow, Pepe Nero, Maryanne Stahl

Unknown said...

I know how I got here but I don't know where I'm going. Am I there yet?

My earliest memories revolve around eating everything on my plate. "Think of all the starving children in China".

More than anything, I wanted to ride horses. I had dreams about riding horses before I ever saw one in real life. I told my mother about my dreams in which I rode a horse with men who mostly rode bareback and had long dark hair pulled back in ponytails. I had never seen photos or movies of such events.

I wanted to be an explorer but went to work with my dad, driving one of his delivery trucks. Not much exploring.

I became enthralled with Gypsies and learned the Corrida, capped bulls in pachangas, tientas, and arenas all over Mexico for two years. They called El Gringo Mujado.

For five years I worked in San Francisco for one of the world's largest insurance companies as a "special agent". Company car, briefcase and a London Fog rain coat.

I gave that up for a short career in optics as a dispensing optician, working with large corporations to prevent workers' loss of vision from industrial accidents. For a year I was the president of the Northern California Safety Society.

Because I love good food and love to cook, I gave up the suit and tie attire to run my own specialty restaurant in Oakland. The Egg Shop And Apple Press. Hard work.

I lived in the rainforests on the Big Island of Hawai`i for almost a dozen years - completely off grid - outhouse - furo bath - no phone or electricity - delivered my son when he was born.

I've tagged:


Ramon Collins
carver adams
Melanie Ann Campbell
Ginger Hamilton Caudill
Linda Evans
Raymond Grant
Ben Henry
Sue Thurmon

Nonnie Augustine said...

My Catholic school didn't have speech therapists, and I had a bi-lateral list until I was 28, when a drama teacher traded me speech therapy for movement classes for his acting students. He taught me exactly where to put my tongue when I made certain sounds. I practised night and day and after three weeks the lisp was gone! Somewhere in Wyoming a TV station may still have a tape in which I lisp (earlier interview) when I first appear, and I don't when I'm interviewed live.

I remember walking around my family's new house when it was under construction and wondering how we were going to live without a roof. I was 2 and a half.

I'm much more gullible than I let on.


I've never been any good at sarcasm, and have only just learned not to be intimidated by those who are.

Eight, huh? When I auditioned for Juilliard, I slipped at the beginning of my solo and slid under the judge's table. i think that's why i got in. They remembered me.


i would like to fall in love again. No, I like to think I would like to fall in love again.


I stayed drunk the entire year of l981. I haven't had an alcoholic drink since january of l982, So it goes...

I never expected to become so fond of certain people who I know only through my computer. I'm a little uneasy that they'll disappear. I hope not.

i've tagged: Diana Ferraro, Marie Lynam Fitzpatrick, Becky Soto, Frank O'Connor, sj sumner, Mike Woof, Yvette Nmi Managhan

Martin Heavisides said...

That's a good set of responses so far. (It'll take me a while to study the list.) It's convenient having them here in the comments section, but my understanding of the rules is that tagged people would post them on their blogs. I may have been unclear on that point. No objection to having these and the various newly tagged people all adding their lists to my comments line, if space doesn't run out. (I don't know what a comment line will support.) But you can post this challenge in your own blogs. (I picked you partly because I was pretty sure you all had them.) Cheers all.

J.A. McDougall said...

I'm on it Martin! Thanks for the tag :) ~ Jen

Andrew Tibbetts said...

Thanks for the tag, Martin! I appreciate the appreciation.

carver adams said...

David Coyote challenged me to this game of revelation tag (and Martin Heavisides was kind enough to allow me space on his blog.

I've tagged these Zoe Marvels:
Maia cavelli, zett aguado,pepe nero
grace murray, paul murray, philip scott rader, ray norsworthy,and jeff rose
_______________________________

At 3, said I wanted to be a garbage man when I grew up because they were always singing, and made me believe they were happy.

At 9, rode wildly away from church on my little red bicycle as I yelled at the “authorities” something like “just because my aunt’s a missionary doesn’t mean I have to go to G.A.’s (girls auxiliary).

Studied under Paul Baker and Eugene McKinney, learning and participating in repertory theater, summer stock comedy, and internalizing the message in “Integration of Abilities” classes, now taught around the world.

Consider my three grown children to be the prize of my life, and think my only granddaughter’s the original cat’s meow, roar, purr, and independence all in one.

Spent 2 years teaching below-average 7th graders how to read and write (and sometimes that meant how to read, write their own names).

As an RN, cared for cancer patients/ hospice patients from diagnosis ‘til death. Focused on “living in the moment” rather than anticipating the end. Learned more from them than they did from me.

Owned and ran a Hydro-sports Bass boat and entered bass tournaments. (Never won a prize, but felt like I had).

Remain wild, but not particularly wooley and make it my mission to set Aging straight about its rules: Who says ya gotta sit around and watch yer skin sag and yer boobs droop? My plan is to have to be knocked down before I quit.

Carver Adams, in progress (working on my "not me yet" blog.