Who Am I? (Clue: Not Slim Shady)

I don't do the 'chain post' things too often.  I consider them the equivalent of blogging herpes.

You get infected, and you're obligated to spread the disease to your bloggy friends.  And so on, and so on.

Lady Estrogen summed it up really well when she made her STD award...

But Heather from My Husband Ate All My Ice Cream is an awesome person who manages an awesome blog, so I decided to do this 'Who Am I?' post.

I answer 25 questions about me, so you can understand your *cough* favorite blogger a little better.  Here we go!

1 - Where were you born?  Orange County, California.  On a rainy January afternoon.

2 - Were you named after someone?  Nope.  I'm not a 'junior' but my nickname was 'bub' as in Bubba Smith.  My mom said I was born with shoulders like a linebacker, so I was her big boy bub.

3 - How many children do you have?  Two.  Both boys, both live in California with their mom.  I love them both, and they may end up having a little sister soon...

4 - How many pets do you have?  *I* have one cat:  Weeble.  But there are 3 cats and a dog in my house.

5 - Your worst injury?  Honestly, I've been lucky here.  I was bitten by a dog when I was 8, which resulted in two stitches on my arm.  I was in a car wreck once, but only walked away with bruises and soreness.

6 - Do you have any special talents?  I'm a musician, and I love to write and arrange music.  I was a flutist in college, and once transcribed the music from Super Mario Bros for a 60-piece wind ensemble.

It was epic.

7 - Favorite thing to bake?  I love making cookies.  If you've ever had a cookie from a Doubletree Hotel, I do better.

8 - Favorite Fast Food?  I'm in sales, and spend a lot of time on the road.  I eat too much fast food, and I'm over it.  That said, a Miguel's Jr. burrito is a must-do whenever I'm in Southern California.

9 - Would you bungee jump?  FUCK. YES.  ...but I'm afraid of heights, so there's that.

10 - What is the first thing you notice about people?  How they carry themselves.  You can tell if a person is timid or confident in a matter of seconds.

11 - When was the last time you cried?  Last weekend, when I was told my dad is probably dying.  I don't like him, but I still love him...

12 - Any current worries?  Well, #11... and my kids.  I'm 900 miles away from them, and I'm pretty sure they're being raised well, but I'm not 'actively' in their lives.  Not nearly enough.  I don't like being there.

13 - Name 3 drinks you drink regularly:   Water, Iced Tea (unsweet, sweet tea is NASTY) and Dr. Pepper.

14 - Favorite Book?  Does Penthouse count?  (kidding)   I really enjoyed the Dark Tower series by Stephen King.  Think a cowboy Harry Potter with naughty language and sex.

15 - Would you like to be a pirate?  Only if I can 'plunder the booty...'

16 - Favorite smells?  I think Alice sums it up really well...  I like spices (cinnamon, cloves) and strong scents.  I wear Chrome and Polo Explorer, so smell those and you'll know.

17 - Why do you blog?  The long version can be found here.  The short of it is Idaho sucks and is very strange.  I love to share the lunacy of this state and the surrounding areas.

(and I'm an attention whore)

18 - What song would you like played at your funeral?   A slowed down version of Enter Sandman.  'Off to never never land...'

19 - Least Favorite thing about yourself?  I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller, I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat and a '64 Impala...

20 - Favorite Hobby?   Music, blogging, and I like football.

21 - Name something you've done that you never thought you would do?  I thought I'd never leave Cali.  Idaho is something I never expected.  (fucking Idaho)

22 - What do you look for in a friend?   Benefits.

23 - Favorite fun things to do?  See #22.  And I love to travel.  I do that for my day job, so I'm living the dream.

24 - Pet Peeves?  Spelling/grammar issues, a superiority complex (politics and religion ESPECIALLY) and cockiness.

25 - What is the last thing that made you laugh?  My fiancee is getting her hair colored right now, and the girl-talk coming from the dining room is hilarious!  Chatty chatty...

And now, I have to tag 8 bloggers to do this too...  Time to spread the herpes!!!

...

...or not.  I don't feel like infecting you, but if you would like to do it, feel free.  I'm not gonna blog-fuck you, but you can blog-fuck me if you'd like.

Basking in the Spotlight, and Paying it Forward

I haven't done one of these in a while.  I haven't earned one of these in a while!  Maybe I'm losing my touch?

I received this award this week from not one but TWO bloggers!  Both writers are absolutely amazing and I felt honored when they chose me.

First was Heather from My Husband Ate All My Ice Cream and Blogger Idol fame.  She is a fantastic writer, and does not let anyone dictate her actions.  She gets a boatload of respect from me because she writes what she wants to write about.  A recent post talked about her religious views.  I can speak first-hand that this topic is extremely controversial, and people often lose followers when your views are different.  She does it anyway.  She will not be swayed.  She is awesome.

Next was Mama Spaghetti from The Spaghetti Westerner.  She chose me as one of her five to write about for her Blogger Idol assignment.  I was the only male of the bunch, so I represented the penis population with pride.  Her humor is amazing, and I love every post she writes (even when they're reeking of mommy-blogger).  She keeps things fresh, keeps things funny, and will keep you smiling.

I have received recognition from good bloggers, and I have received recognition from great bloggers.  This is the latter, and I couldn't be happier.

And now, as the award suggests, I get to pay it forward.  I pick 5 bloggers to mention, tell you why I love them, and then you all go follow and adore them (and they pimp the shit out of me on twitter & their blogs, right???)

My 5 are:

Leeanna at Can We Have A New Witch?  Ours Melted.  Pick any three posts of hers at random and you will instantly be hooked.  She tells it like it is, snarks with the best of them, and is probably dancing around in her skivvies as we speak.  Her hubs is out of town, so she's going wild.

The Simple Dude at Simple Dude in a Complex World.  He writes entertaining material.  He writes books to help bloggers improve their game. (on sale now)  He's so damn awesome, he was picked by blogger as a Blog of Note.  He was my benchmark when I started blogging, and he needs to be on everyone's list of blogs to read.

TFV at The Frisky Virgin.  Why her?  She's a virgin and that's ok.  It goes against the norm of society for someone her age, but who the fuck cares?  She waves her hymen like a proud flag, proclaiming her awesomeness for all to see.  Oh, and she loves sports, which makes her cooler than Chilly Willy.

Jillsmo at Yeah. Good Times.  She's a mom of two, and doesn't let any bit of shit slow her down.  She sees the humor in everything, has become a 'go to' resource on the web for autistic children, and... wait for it... she's a reddit geek.  If you're not laughing within 45 seconds of reading her blog, there's something wrong with you.

Last but not least, we have Zombie at Zombies Everywhere.  He's the ultimate follower.  He comments on every post, was the first to jump into my advertising idea, and IT GETS BETTER!! has a great blog about everything zombie.  Humor, tattoos, survival guides and everything in between.  Variety is the spice of life, and his blog is very spicy, to say the least.

So there you are.  5 to follow if you're not already, plus the 2 that bestowed this award upon me.  All great bloggers, all great writers, all worthy of recognition.