7 Things About Me
In the spirit of social media, here are 7 things about me that you probably didn’t know:
- My great-grandfather was the Prime Minister of Slovakia in the 1940’s, just before Russian occupation forced his family to flea to the Vatican City (Italy) for refuge. He was a prominent Roman Catholic so Pope Pius XII gave his family (including my grandmother) a place to live during the turmoil. After a harrowing, 3-week escape from Slovakia, the family finally made it to Rome where my grandmother met my grandfather, also a refugee. At the time, my grandfather was the poet laureate of Slovakia. During his escape, he heroically helped his best friend (a priest) with a broken leg over the Alps to safety. My grandparents got married in St. Peter’s cathedral and went on to have an oldest son named Peter, my step father. Kind of a long story to condense into a paragraph, but you get the gist. Sadly, I have no blood relations with this side of my family and I know nothing about Slovak culture except for their amazing food. Today, my grandmother and aunt work furiously to publish books from my great-grandfather’s personal diaries to correct over 40 years worth of lies and inaccuracies.
- I can solve a Rubik’s cube. My slightly autistic nephew taught me during Christmas vacation. He can do it in less than 2-minutes. It takes me about 15-minutes.
- I worked on a camera crew in 1996 Atlanta Olympics. I ran the point-of-view camera that was inserted into the bullseye of the archery targets. They were super high speed cameras that only captured 2-3 frames of arrow video as they pierced the target. We blew out 4 cameras from direct hit bullseyes during the gold medal round.
- I’ve seen a ghost. Seriously. Mind you, I’m about the most normal dude you’ll ever meet. I go to church. Have a wife & kids. I balance my checkbook every week. Pick up the dog poop, hope that it’s hard (thanks Joe Walsh). On a hot summer night in July 2002, I awoke to see a young woman waving goodbye while holding a baby near my bedroom closet. There was nothing fuzzy about it; it was distinct. My reaction was very matter-of-fact: “Fuck me. Our house has a ghost. Oh well, I’m a good person so I have nothing to worry about.” I told no one for obvious reasons. The next night, I awoke to see a man, also waving goodbye. I either willed myself back to sleep or passed out. Seven days later my sister was murdered by her husband, effectively orphaning her infant daughter and 2 toddler sons. It took me years before I could tell my wife this story. I’ve told no one else (including family) about it until this blog post. While I’ll never understand “how” or “why,” I’m resigned to having a sad peace about the entire situation.
- I’ve been in a real Indian Sweat Lodge. A bunch of Athens (Ohio) hippies invited my wife (then girlfriend) and I to “clense ourselves” in a sweat lodge ritual. It basically involve sitting inside a 140-degree, steaming hot tent in the middle of the woods while chanting and banging drums. I sat naked with a river of sweat pouring over my body. It was awful. My wife loved it. Maybe it was because her DAD was the main hippie leading the event!
- Crappy Places I’ve Worked
- Golf Course Maintenance CrewStart @ 6am. Weedwack for 8 hours. Clean port-a-porties. Not a great job for a kid allergic to grass. Sadly, I worked there for 4-years.
- Plastics FactoryStood for 8-hrs/night pulling hot, plastic flower pots off assembly lines. A greenish-gray chemical cloud loomed ominously overhead in the warehouse.
- Sporting Goods StoreDuring a college break (6-weeks), I “worked” in a store 8 hours/day and saw less than 10 customers. It didn’t occur to me then, but the store was a front for the mafia. I’d put in a link, but I’m afraid to get whacked.
- Resort HotelAfter graduating from college with honors, I had a hard time finding a job (1993 = recession). I moved in with my grandparents and worked as a bag boy. $1 per bag baby. Oh ya….
- Happiest Days of My Life:
- Birth of both my children (May 24th and January 25th)
- Wedding Day (July 5th)
- Being selected for a college (1992) internship with the US Olympic Committee (Colorado Springs, CO)
- Beating a member of the varsity golf team during our 1988 high school golf tournament. It was the classic David (me and my 3-5-7-9 irons and driver) vs. Goliath (the quintessential country club prep boy). It was more a battle of classes instead of a golf match. It gave me the notion that maybe I *can* break the mold and mix things up in life.
Hope you enjoyed a sneak peek into my brain! Time to create YOUR OWN 7 Things list!
Tags: 7 Things
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Comments
Wow — I’m so sorry for the loss of your sister. Thanks for writing this. My “X Things About Me” are *never* that interesting!!!
Gary, I was tagged to do this 7 things meme and never did it but now you’ve inspired me. Also wanted to say I am so sorry about your sister and utterly blown away by your story of the visitors you had before her death. Wow.
Nick on January 20, 2009 @ 9:05 pm
wow, and just think what i’ll be able to get out of you with a purple bag in tow.
seriously though, very interesting and very g$