Better Know an ahab

Apologies to Stephen Colbert for that title.

Friend to IIRTZ George has tagged me with my first meme, and I'm just green enough to be pleased about it.

First, the rules:

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write to their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. (You’re not the boss of me!)
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Here are my eight personal facts, but I'm afraid they are not random:

1. I broke into blogging at the very top of the game, co-guest-blogging (scroll down at the link to see my best post, "Seattle Erupts Into Holy War") for a couple of weeks last summer for no less than Roger Ailes. Oddly, Roger has never again used guest-bloggers.

2. I’m the oldest of four brothers. The first three of us were born within 38 months of each other. Growing up we had a strict rule regarding doll commercials during our long hours of Saturday morning cartoon viewing: if you saw it, you wanted it. No exceptions were made for daydreamers too slow in looking away.

3. In the 3rd grade I developed a crush on Abraham Lincoln. I read every book on Abraham Lincoln in the local library and for many years afterward I resented any student or teacher who so much as mentioned Abraham Lincoln in my presence. Abe Lincoln was mine.

4. I played trumpet in the junior high school band under bandleader Mr. "Pants" Pelham, who wore his pants up over his lower ribcage. I quit on "Pants" in the ninth grade when I heard all the cool kids were quitting. This did not make me a cool kid.

5. In my adolescent years I took up coin collecting. I stayed with it until my little brothers stole my collection and spent it on cigarettes and candy. I had lots of silver dimes, quarters, half-dollars, and even a couple of silver dollars. But my sentimental favorites were always my Abe Lincoln wheat pennies.

6. I was a tough kid for a while. I broke my hand in a fistfight when I was 14 or 15, yet I was able to continue my dishwashing job at the mob-connected Wilkes-Barre institution, Perugino’s Villa, which was local hero Jack Palance’s favorite restaurant. When Jack heard my story from the waitresses (who all worshipped him like a god), he insisted on signing my cast. I was unimpressed.

7. Growing up my family always had at least one Labrador retriever, but soon after I got my own house I was adopted by Tony, the Greatest Cat of All Time (scroll down at the link to "Friday Cat Blogging!"). I have another cat now that kind of resembles Tony. But he’s not fooling anybody, believe me.

8. I am a major pain in the ass about books – I want the whole world to read or at least to hear about the last book I enjoyed. As a result, my poor, loving, loyal wife Mary is one of the best-read and -informed people you’ll ever want to meet. Lucky Mary.

And now to spread the infection, I nominate all of my co-bloggers here at IIRTZ to suffer this meme: Nobody in Particular, Kathy, Shiltone, Deb, Deborah, Kvatch and even Tom. That's only seven, I realize, but I don't know very many small bloggers yet and I seriously doubt the Roger Aileses of the world are going to do this thing. Anyway, I'm very curious to know more about the gang Tom has assembled here. Kathy, what's it really like down south? NiP, why so modest? Tom and Shiltone, any chance you'll dish some dirt on each other for us?

Sorry to be a pain in the ass, but George made me do it.

Update: Coincidentally, Roger Ailes is rolling the dice and soliciting guest-bloggers again. Some people just never learn.