I don’t really believe in anything “odd” as in paranormal or superstitious (unless you count Catholicism and its associated beliefs, but I think the shear number of Catholics means that it is not odd).

I do believe, however (and this should come as no surprise to you, dear reader), in libertarianism. I think that probably is still odd. Most Americans seem to believe in government interference in personal lives as a net good (whether they are attempting to influence my morals, tell me how my earned paycheck ought to be spent, or killing thousands of innocent people on the far side of the world in my name). As long as their guy is in charge, they don’t much care what he does.

I believe that power corrupts, and governmental power is a cancer that corrupts inexorably. The more aspects of society and the market government takes as its own, the more it will take, to no good end.

Aside from my theology and ethical/political philosophy, most things I “believe in” are more like plausibilities (I think I just made up a word). For instance, UFOs/aliens: I don’t believe or disbelieve in the existence of them. I would simply be unsurprised in either case — excited if we found them, sure, but not surprised. In the same way, I’m fascinated by futurist concepts like the technological singularity, but I would be unwilling to say, “Yes, I think this will happen,” or, “Nope, not possible.”

That’s how I approach most conceptual things in life — I evaluate whether I find it plausible, and then wait for evidence to confirm or disprove my logic.

(This post is part of a series of more personal posts. Thanks to Lauren for starting it, and you should go leave her a comment if you join in!)

1. What age did you learn to ride a bike?
2. Do you remember your first day of kindergarten? What was it like?
3. What was your first car? What did you love/hate about it?
4. Who is/are your hero(es)?
5. What is one of your favorite memories from your childhood?
6. Do you play an instrument? If not, what would you want to play if you could?
7. What’s something that’s on your “bucket list”?
8. What were you like in middle school? What were your clothing/music choices? (Around 12 years old.)
9. What is something adventurous you’d like to do someday?
10. Do you believe in anything “odd” – UFOs, ghosts, horoscopes, superstitions, etc.?
11. What’s something you’re interested in that no one really knows about or no one would really understand?
12. What’s your favorite nostalgic song? What does it remind you of?
13. If you could learn one new skill or pick up a new hobby, what would you like to do?
14. What’s your favorite book? Magazine?
15. What’s your religion/religious beliefs?
16. What are you going to name your children? Or, what are your favorite names in general?
17. Who was your childhood best friend? Do you still keep in touch?
18. Tell us your life philosophy?
19. Tell us a secret talent!
20. Create your own question and answer it!

So, I already told you about the most adventurous thing I think I could do, on the bucket list question. Actually, that was the only “adventurous” thing on my bucket list, so I’m going to have to dig a bit deeper. Let’s go with something less adventurous-because-I-could-die, and more adventurous-because-it-would-be-an-adventure: I want to live for a time outside the contiguous 48 United States.

I would be happy to live for two or three years in London, or Hawaii, or somewhere in Germany. Living where I am (Baltimore/DC) is different from where I grew up (small-town midwest), but those are still the same culture at their root. Getting geographically away from this would be a proper adventure. I would want to come back eventually, but… eventually.

(This post is part of a series of more personal posts. Thanks to Lauren for starting it, and you should go leave her a comment if you join in!)

1. What age did you learn to ride a bike?
2. Do you remember your first day of kindergarten? What was it like?
3. What was your first car? What did you love/hate about it?
4. Who is/are your hero(es)?
5. What is one of your favorite memories from your childhood?
6. Do you play an instrument? If not, what would you want to play if you could?
7. What’s something that’s on your “bucket list”?
8. What were you like in middle school? What were your clothing/music choices? (Around 12 years old.)
9. What is something adventurous you’d like to do someday?
10. Do you believe in anything “odd” – UFOs, ghosts, horoscopes, superstitions, etc.?
11. What’s something you’re interested in that no one really knows about or no one would really understand?
12. What’s your favorite nostalgic song? What does it remind you of?
13. If you could learn one new skill or pick up a new hobby, what would you like to do?
14. What’s your favorite book? Magazine?
15. What’s your religion/religious beliefs?
16. What are you going to name your children? Or, what are your favorite names in general?
17. Who was your childhood best friend? Do you still keep in touch?
18. Tell us your life philosophy?
19. Tell us a secret talent!
20. Create your own question and answer it!

I was amazingly cool in middle school. I rode a BMX bike with pegs (for stunts I was too chicken to really try, given my leg-breaking bike wreck in fifth grade). I wore those sunglasses where the reflection is all multi-colored. I wore flannel shirts unbuttoned over my t-shirts. I slicked my hair straight back with about five pounds of hair gel from the dollar store. I had this kick-ass tee with a print of black horses stampeding under a thunderstorm with a bolt of lightning flashing down. How awesome is that?!

You know, this description just does not do me justice. Here’s a picture of me from sixth grade:

Look at the socks. Look at them.

I listened to oldies and country. Those bastions of badassery.

(This post is part of a series of more personal posts. Thanks to Lauren for starting it, and you should go leave her a comment if you join in!)

1. What age did you learn to ride a bike?
2. Do you remember your first day of kindergarten? What was it like?
3. What was your first car? What did you love/hate about it?
4. Who is/are your hero(es)?
5. What is one of your favorite memories from your childhood?
6. Do you play an instrument? If not, what would you want to play if you could?
7. What’s something that’s on your “bucket list”?
8. What were you like in middle school? What were your clothing/music choices? (Around 12 years old.)
9. What is something adventurous you’d like to do someday?
10. Do you believe in anything “odd” – UFOs, ghosts, horoscopes, superstitions, etc.?
11. What’s something you’re interested in that no one really knows about or no one would really understand?
12. What’s your favorite nostalgic song? What does it remind you of?
13. If you could learn one new skill or pick up a new hobby, what would you like to do?
14. What’s your favorite book? Magazine?
15. What’s your religion/religious beliefs?
16. What are you going to name your children? Or, what are your favorite names in general?
17. Who was your childhood best friend? Do you still keep in touch?
18. Tell us your life philosophy?
19. Tell us a secret talent!
20. Create your own question and answer it!

I would love to publish a book. I have been thinking about this for a few years now. I have a title, a cover, a publishing avenue (yay Kindle store)… now if only I had some content to put in it!

I have written a fair amount of poetry, of which maybe two poems are actually publishable. I’ve written quite a bit of prose, too, far more than has ended up online here. I intend to just keep writing until I can gather enough good stuff together to make it worthwhile. If I can keep going at a decent pace (I have hit 1000 words per day at times), I think I could do it soon. It’s those two-month chunks of no writing at all that throw a wrench in the works.

Since this is a bit short, here’s a bonus bucket list item: physically go into space. Given my relative youth and the rise of commercial space pioneers such as SpaceX and Virgin Galactic, I think this is entirely possible. Maybe I’ll conduct a reading from my book while I’m up there!

(This post is part of a series of more personal posts. Thanks to Lauren for starting it, and you should go leave her a comment if you join in!)

1. What age did you learn to ride a bike?
2. Do you remember your first day of kindergarten? What was it like?
3. What was your first car? What did you love/hate about it?
4. Who is/are your hero(es)?
5. What is one of your favorite memories from your childhood?
6. Do you play an instrument? If not, what would you want to play if you could?
7. What’s something that’s on your “bucket list”?
8. What were you like in middle school? What were your clothing/music choices? (Around 12 years old.)
9. What is something adventurous you’d like to do someday?
10. Do you believe in anything “odd” – UFOs, ghosts, horoscopes, superstitions, etc.?
11. What’s something you’re interested in that no one really knows about or no one would really understand?
12. What’s your favorite nostalgic song? What does it remind you of?
13. If you could learn one new skill or pick up a new hobby, what would you like to do?
14. What’s your favorite book? Magazine?
15. What’s your religion/religious beliefs?
16. What are you going to name your children? Or, what are your favorite names in general?
17. Who was your childhood best friend? Do you still keep in touch?
18. Tell us your life philosophy?
19. Tell us a secret talent!
20. Create your own question and answer it!