Blog tagged?
Hmm, I was Skype chatting with Rich Palmer and he mentioned he was updating his blog. Nice guy that I am, I offered to look it over for him-low and behold I was tagged there.
So the topic is, “5 Things About the Real Me”
1) Despite living in Taiwan and eating some of the best Chinese food in the world on a regular basis, I miss the cheapo fried rice and lobster sauce we used to get on lunch break from Andres Hudde JHS240 in Brooklyn, NY. It was tasty and iconic of a magical time in my life I guess.
2) I tried out for and made the above mentioned school basketball team wearing desert boots. Unfortunately, my poor attitude and rebellious teenager punk ethic affected my attendance at practice. I showed up after missing 2 practices and asked coach about uniform. He looked at me and laughed. Oh well, mark that as opportunities lost!
3) When I was 16 I worked as a volunteer for some special kids program in Astoria (close to the Steinway piano factory). This was after having worked one summer as a camp counselor for special kids. It was a great experience but it helped me realize that my thoughts on entering special education were probably misguided. My hat very much off to the wonderful people that show so much love for these cool but challenged people.
4) Was on the Manhattan Beach hanging out, home from U of A on summer break when we heard the news that “Elvis is Dead!” during the “Summer of Sam” and around time of major blackout. Met a cute girl from Bay Ridge, but that’s all ancient history. 
5) I walked round trip from central Brooklyn to mid-town Manhattan for the premier of Star Wars. It was a a matinee and filled with screaming kids so totally the movie experience. Magical day from every perspective. Walking through half of Brooklyn and Manhattan, the sights from the Brooklyn Bridge, George Lucas’ cinematic magic. Days like that make life worth living!
Well I guess here is where I extend it to 8 to keep up with the Joneses and the “Palmers.”
6) I called sports broadcaster Frank Gifford when I was in 3rd grade for some comments on an essay I was writing. 5 minutes into the conversation he stopped and asked me how old I was. 
7) I went on a “teen tour” a traveling summer camp that brought us through 30 some odd states. I was 13 at the time and was totally blown away buy the diverse beauty within the continental US, particularly in the western US.
When I was 16 I regularly went to uptown NYC jazz club Storyville to listen to regular jam session of top jazz musicians in town on those Saturday nights. I had enough money to get there on subway (free round trip on weekends then) and buy the one drink minimum. I became a regular and wait staff knew I was young but cool(not bragging about being hip, but meaning I wasn’t a trouble maker), so they didn’t hassle me or push drinks on me.
So now my turn to pay it forward. I tag Evo Terra, Bryce Moore, Aron Michalski, Brad Pendegraph and JC Hutchins.
