It’s a fair cop.

Fish tagged me. Or, more precisely, fouled off a pitch he’d already been thrown and showed yours truly one of the perils of box seats behind the dugout. His heart was in the right place, though.

So. Five Things About Me You May Not Already Know (and Have Never Before Revealed on This Blog).

1. My first live “rock” concert was Styx at Veteran’s Auditorium in Des Moines, IA. I think it was the Paradise Theater tour. “Tonight’s the night we’ll make hiiiissssstoreeeeeee…”

2. I have congenitally crooked pinkies. (Imagine a little finger that’s a little too needy-clingy with a ring finger.) The left more than the right. The person in my family who had them before me was my maternal great-grandmother. But I passed them to my son. Go figure. So far, this genetic mutation has yet to translate into anything resembling a super power. Although it’s good for one-fifth of a blog post, and that ain’t nothin’!

3. I was an Armed Forces Radio DJ. Yes, like “Good Morning Vietnam” only 15 years later and about 85% less funny. I must've done something right, though; I managed to woo my wife, who applied for a work-study job at the station so she could stalk me. So far, it’s worked out pretty well. I have to say that being a military broadcaster is (or was) about the least military job you could do and be in uniform. What attracted me to the Army life, you ask? The thought of moving around only once every year or three was somehow strangely appealing. Maybe it was because...

4. I went to five high schools in four years. One in Oregon; four in Iowa. Go Millers! Rail-splitters! Indians! Cardinals! Tigers! My sophomore year, I was the new kid three different times. Which blew every bit as much as you can imagine. But wait, there’s more: I also went to five middle schools in two years. The fact that not one had the Nomads as their mascot is, I think, a sign that the universe has no sense of irony. It just enjoys fucking with me.

5. I’m pretty handy in the kitchen.* When we lived in Seattle, I came up with a recipe for salmon with blackberry sauce that got me into the finals of in the first Sunset Salmon Cook-off. The magazine flew five finalists and their guests to Palo Alto for a weekend of food, drink and conviviality that remains a gustatory high-water mark for me. Still, I can’t believe I came in second behind a guy from Phoenix. The shame! The ignominy! Don't get me wrong. It was a really good dish, but still. Phoenix!

*Actually, ADS regulars and pork-loving googlers know this, but I thought some elaborating evidence might be nice. If you ask nicely (maybe in the comments section [nudge, wink]), I’ll consider sharing the recipe.

As I understanding these things, this being my first tagging and all, I'm supposed to spread the love to five other unsuspecting fellow-rubesbloggers. So I nominate:

Ed, who despite being an old friend and a founding inspiration for A Drinking Song, is always good for something unexpected.

Tammara, who's probably weary of these things and will be hard pressed to come up five things she hasn't already blogged about with great eloquence and wit.

That Little Round-Headed Boy, the hardest-working, most underrated arbiter of the zeitgeist.

Irene Done, about whom I know only that we share the same job title and the same shameless zeal for Battlestar Galactica.

Mr. Seed, who seems to be having a little trouble getting out of the gate.

And, as a special holiday bonus, I'd love to know more about Aunty Christ, the second coming of one of my all-time faves.