Subtle Coolness

1. What is your favorite childhood memory?
   The only thing I can remember from my childhood is my brother, and our good friendship.
2. If you could be reincarnated as anything besides human, who would you want to be?
   I always wanted to fly, so some kind of bird is an obvious choice. I also thought that a turtle reflected my personality the best. He’s deliberate and thoughtful and patient. I’d like to be more like him.
3. If you had to start your life all over, what are three things you would change?
   This is a tough question, and I might have to cop out and say that I would never change anything. But in the interest of The Friday Five, the three changes I would make are:
   1. I would spend more time practicing the piano while I was young. I wish now more than anything that I had taken the time when I had it!
   2. I would say, “I love you,” to my parents and siblings more often.
   3. I would listen more.
4. If you had to forget everything in your life, except one thing, what would it be?
   I would never forget that God lives!
5. Do you have a lucky charm?
   As people have flown into and out of my life, I have had many different “lucky charms”. They are usually connected with people. A dollar coin from my grandparents, a bracelet from a good friend, and even a ballpoint pen from a British bank have been “lucky” to me.

I failed to mention the fact that yesterday was Pirate Tuesday. For those who were unaware, Pirate Tuesday is a frequently-occuring day of celebration and recognition dedicated to pirates and their culture.

There really is only one way to properly celebrate Pirate Tuesday: commandeer something. Consequently, the traditional salutation of the holiday is, “What have you commandeered today?” This commandeering can be done at anytime, and should preferrably be unique and creative. For example, there is no need to commandeer a car on Pirate Tuesday; the commandeerment of modes of transportation is as old as the pirate himself, and is therefore considered uncreative piracy at best.

It is also necessary to mention that “legal piracy” is encouraged. This refers to acts of piracy, commandeerments, etc., that neither break nor are intended to break the local laws of the community in which the would-be Pirate Tuesday celebrationist lives.

Colloquial language (“arrr”, “yo ho”, “avast ye scurvy dogs”, etc.) is encouraged and enjoyed, but non-offensive expressions are suggested. When using the word “wench”, please be aware of the usual connotations and make certain there is no doubt to the audience that the context obviously lends itself to comedy rather than criticism.

In celebration of this past Pirate Tuesday, I commandeered the hour between 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM, which I used for sleep.

Today’s Photo of the Day has been brought to you by scissors. “Scissors: they’re not just for paper anymore.”

The summer is upon us, and my head was feeling a bit warm. So, after I got out of work today, I strolled down to Sophia’s Beauty and Barber on Guadalupe and asked for a trim. You are looking at the best $6.99 I’ve spent this week.

In an unrelated story, I suddenly feel several pounds lighter.

I added a poem to the weblog today, but it was something I found buried in my email archives. I wrote it in 2000, so I tweaked the authored-on date for the post, and it doesn’t appear here because I made Movable Type think I posted it in October 2000.

The poem is called “Mix-it-up”.

I learned something new today. Apparently, I am a “hard core Mormon boy”. Hard core, eh? Well, I suppose that phrase could apply. It wasn’t really at the top of my list of ways to define myself, though. Perhaps it should be.

Hard core. I do wear khakis all the time (and I mean all the time). That’s pretty hard core. Oh, and I part my hair in the middle. Watch out, I’m on the edge! My bicycle is a Liahona. That tag in the top left corner says “Property of California Sacramento Mission” (it belonged to my brother).

Need I say more? But I will … I own about two dozen ties. I could wear a different tie every day for almost a month and never repeat. This was a blessing when I served a mission, because I did wear a tie every day.

I have ten siblings, and they are all my best friends.

The voting appears to have been unanimous. Yes, I am a “hard core Mormon boy”, and have been so for a long time now. And I like it.