ethnicomm – the blog part I

One of the many good people that I have met through social networking is Kellye Crane.  Kellye writes about the solo PR field and is someone that I respect – for her writing and her inclusive nature.  So when she “tagged” me in her meme blog, I was honored and felt compelled to participate even though I’m not one for doing things just because others are doing them.  So here it is – seven little known facts about me in addition to the fact that 7 is my favorite number!

1. In high school, I was a motorcycle jacketed, black Led Zeppelin T-shirt and Kodiak work boot wearin’ rocker with long curly hair to my shoulders and a penchant for all things loud and explosive!
2. While studying anthropology at the University of Toronto, I discovered a way to determine the sex of human remains via visual examination of a part of the skull that was not previously considered – useful for forensic anthropology and picking up curious co-eds. My professor suggested that I make that a research project so I ended up spending the next term in a dark and dingy basement handling 100’s of skulls, observing, measuring and recording.  My advisor was horrible and I hated having to quantify something that was qualitative so I ended up NOT doing a Masters in Anthropology. As far as I know, no one has picked up on this research.
3. I do weird things just because I can. I can write in a straight line without even glancing down at the paper.  I can wriggle my eyebrows independently, often to music. I can flare my nostrils to a beat. Weird? Yes.  Entertaining? Perhaps.
4. I am not lucky. If there was a contest to determine the unluckiest guy on earth, I’d lose! The only contest I ever won was a “guess the number of jelly beans in the jar” but that was not an honest win. The girl who was taking the ballots apparently liked me and told me what number to put in.
5. I used to frequently get bronchitis as a child and was terrified of running for fear of spending a couple of nights under an oxygen tent. My friend Ajay convinced me to try running the Nike Run TO 10K in 2003 and I’ve been running ever since.  Lately from deadlines and creditors j/k
6. I publicly urinated in a water fountain at Expo 67 in Montreal. A precocious 3 year old,  I figured this was as good a spot as any.  I mean, come on,  I saw the water draining down so what’s the big deal right?  My family still laughs at the audacity. Remember that I do weird things because I can?
7. My confidence in public speaking was shattered during a Pub Night in 1990 where my friend Joel and I had volunteered to MC.  A legend in my own mind, I thought my funny wisecracks and witty sayings would wow the audience like Jay Leno, Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert.  Boy was I wrong.  I was a bigger failure than Microsoft’s launch of the Zune! Total bomb. It was a horrible experience – I feel bad even remembering it. Luckily most of the people were drunk so I guess they don’t remember (I hope).

Whew…that wasn’t too hard or humiliating.  Now I have to let the following bloggers know that they’ve been “tagged”.

Jane Chin
Dev Basu
Ann Handley
Alexis Martin Neely
Ruud Hein
Miranda McCurlie
Paul Baranda

Anything that YOU would like to share in this intimate medium called the internet? Don’t worry your secret is safe with me.