March 23, 2007

• 100 Things Mostly About Me

  Well, here it is. Thanks to the brilliant bloggers over at Addison Road, you now have a gigantic post to read. Props to you that make it to the end!

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  1. I grew
     up in a small, mountain town named Twain Harte, and lived in the same
     house my whole life. My parents still live there and it looks quite a bit
     the same; however, they did change some of the furniture a couple of years
     back.
  2. I went
     to the same school for 13 years, from Kindergarten until I graduated High
     School. Mother
     Lode Christian
     School.
  3. I
     played Alto Sax in my school band starting in 4^th grade. I
     continued playing into college until my junior year.
  4. I was
     the class president my junior and senior year MLCS, and a pretty awesome
     one, if I say so myself.
  5. The
     first and only time I ever punched someone was in the 1^st
     grade. His name was Ryan Derrick, and he had just destroyed my newly made
     rubber-band ball (fashioned after Pee-Wee Herman’s). Ryan threw it so hard
     that all of the rubber-bands flew off. It was a spiraling hurricane of
     rubber and hate. I punched him right in the stomach as hard as I could.
  6. Nintendo
     is way better than Sega, and that was probably most of what we talked
     about in 5^th and 6^th grade. There were some fierce
     fights about which was better. The banter continued on well into high
     school due to the release of the SUPER Nintendo and Sega Genesis…good
     times…
  7. I
     spent many of my lunches in junior high and early high school in the
     computer lab with Mrs. Elliott. She was very sweet and let me play Oregon Trail a lot.
  8. I was
     also the Editor of the Yearbook my senior year. That was the first year we
     used a computer to design the yearbook instead of doing it all by hand.
     The program was Adobe PageMaker and it was running on a MAC II-GS. I’m
     pretty sure she took the risk to let us even attempt it because I spent all those lunches in there playing Oregon Trail.
  9. I
     directed my first Easter Musical at the age of 17. Choir, Orchestra and
     the whole bit. I didn’t direct the drama, just the music. My rehearsals
     were dreary, and the whole thing survived based mostly on my enthusiasm
     and passion for the play we were doing.
  10. I
      learned conducting in about 10 seconds from my piano teacher. “But what if
      it’s in 3/4????”
  11. I
      check the break room in my office about 30 times a day looking to see if
      anyone has brought in some new food for me to eat.
  12. I
      don’t touch the bottom of swimming pools, ever. Not with my feet, not with
      shoes, not with sandals. I don’t do bottoms of lakes or oceans, either.
      I’m pretty much deathly afraid to. I’m sure there will one day be a phobia
      named after me about this.
  13. My
      first email address was manlydan@hotmail.com
      in 1996. I kept it until sometime in 1998, until I started applying for
      real jobs.
  14. My
      first job was at Sierra Belle Bakery. Everything was made from hand and by
      scratch. It had been in the owner’s family for 35+ years. I loved and
      hated that job because I could eat whatever I wanted while I was working.
      Unfortunately, I think it’s now a Chinese Restaurant.
  15. I hate
      bugs, and spiders are the worst. This stems from a bad experience with the
      Twilight Zone when I was much too young to be watching.
  16. I was
      anorexic in the latter part of high school. The things you discover about
      food and yourself during the time you have anorexia never really go away,
      they just get pushed around inside your psyche.
  17. I lead
      worship at my high school during the last two years.
  18. I met
      my wife in Concert Band at APU.
  19. We
      fell in love during the Innermission tour of 1998. We started dating soon
      after the tour was over, and were married about 14 months later. Yeah, I
      don’t mess around.
  20. My
      wife is 4 years and 11 months older than I, and I got MAJOR respect for
      that, especially from Chad
      and Matty.
  21. I met
      one of my closest friends in Concert Band at APU. He was playing 2^nd
      chair Alto Sax and his scholarship was more than 3 times as much as my
      own. He’ll never let me forget it, either.
  22. I
      started playing piano at the age of seven.
  23. I
      can’t look people in the eye when I sing. It’s weird, but I just can’t do
      it. Ask Christy-I had a strange meltdown when she asked me to sing for
      this old dude once in his living room, a capella. I just couldn’t do it.
  24. I
      thought my college friendships would last longer than they did. I hardly
      talk to anyone I was close to in college, and it’s not because I don’t
      try.
  25. I
      would much rather spend $20 to see a movie in the theater than spend $4 to
      rent it.
  26. I
      don’t rent movies, ever. I’d rather buy a DVD than rent it.
  27. If you
      happen to come across someone among the 6 billion people on this planet
      that has the same last name (with same spelling) as mine, they are
      directly related to me by blood or marriage. There are only a handful of
      us around. Thank God I have two boys to carry on the family name!
  28. I own
      many DVDs that are still on my “to-watch” list.
  29. Favorite
      comedians, in order of funniness: Jerry Seinfeld, Will Ferrell, Steve
      Carell.
  30. I
      watch Saturday Night Live religiously.
  31. I own
      two iPods, a 3^rd Gen 20GB, and a 5^th Gen 60GB iPod
      Video (black).
  32. I
      don’t download music I don’t pay for. It’s just illegal.
  33. I
      believe that iTunes is perhaps the greatest invention of our time.
  34. I’m a
      Trekkie, and I have a uniform to prove it (complete with medical tricorder).
  35. I have
      a hard time taking a compliment. I’ve learned to do it quite graciously,
      but I never think about it after the moment I receive it.
  36. In
      that same vein, I often have a hard time giving compliments.
  37. The
      first thing I notice about any person is their hair and their teeth. These
      are obviously the things I’m most self-conscious about.
  38. I have
      a tooth that fell out and never grew back on my right side (MY right).
      Making matters worse? The pointy tooth that consequently moved over
      directly next to my big tooth, which was then shaved down and the gap
      filled in by my dentist to make my mouth look somewhat symmetrical. This
      really bit me in the butt because now there is a giant black line
      permanently down the middle of one of my teeth that looks like a huge
      piece of spinach or something.
  39. I
      watch every keynote speech delivered by Steve Jobs via the web. Those
      things are like sermons for Apple products, and I seem to come forward
      every time.
  40. Oh,
      and I LOVE Apple. PCs suck.
  41. If I’m
      going to watch something at home, I’d rather watch a TV show than a movie.
  42. Copy and paste alert: I grew up
      believing that losing your virginity before marriage was just about the
      biggest sin any child could commit. In order of severity, it was above
      assault and battery, just below murder, tied with smoking.
  43. Our
      second child was diagnosed with autism about 18 months ago. It has been
      the biggest challenge Christy and I have ever faced. It has also been
      incredibly rewarding. Go figure.
  44. I
      destroy every vehicle I drive. Not by way of accidents, or abuse—they just
      fall apart after I’ve driven them for some time. We’ve donated or had the
      CHP pickup almost all of our cars unless we could use them for a trade-in.
      I’m like Goldfinger, except with cars…so, I guess that would make me
      “Unusable-Heap-of-Metal Finger”.
  45. Although
      I probably went on a hundred wood-cutting trips with my dad and grew up in
      a house with a fire place as the main source of heat, I have never once in
      my life been able to start a fire that lasted more than 60 consecutive seconds.
  46. I
      don’t like going to doctors for small and common ailments. It seems to be
      a waste of time and money, especially when they just tell you it’s a virus
      and give you some cough medicine. I actually called in a month ago and
      told the doctor to prescribe me some eye drops because I had pink eye. He
      did. It’s better. Problem solved.
  47. I love
      pop and rock music, although film music is my favorite genre to listen to.
  48. I hate
      country music.
  49. I have
      three goals that I want to accomplish by the time I’m 30. Finish my
      Master’s Degree, work on a film/TV score, and run a marathon. I’m pretty
      sure I’ll do the first two.
  50. I once
      had to play Jesus in a 20-minute drama/pantomime. It was the most humbling
      experience of my life to attempt to portray the savior of the world.
  51. I am a
      workaholic, and have to work very hard to overcome that tendency. HAHA,
      the irony…
  52. I am
      very stubborn. My wife or my mother will gladly verify that.
  53. I am
      not a quitter.
  54. I am
      horrible at sports, but I love to play soccer.
  55. I
      watch the Superbowl every year, but mostly just the commercials. During
      the actual game I’m usually getting more food and/or yakking away.
  56. If it
      were healthy I would eat dessert for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I have
      a pretty massive sweet-tooth.
  57. I
      don’t like steak. The only steak I’ll eat is from Ruth’s Chris steakhouse,
      and we only go there once every couple of years. 
  58. I tend
      to be pretty passive-aggressive.
  59. I’m
      very competitive. Funny that I’m horrible at sports…
  60. My
      dream job is arranger/orchestrator for film and TV.
  61. I
      think I am technically working 5 jobs right now (see #51).
  62. I
      don’t believe that my wife and I will ever actually afford to buy a house
      in Southern California, but I don’t know
      that we’ll ever move out of the area, either.
  63. One of
      the most fulfilling (if not THE most fulfilling) and satisfying things in
      my life is hearing music that I’ve written performed live by good
      musicians.
  64. I’ve
      never seen The Sound of Music, West Side Story, or Fiddler on the Roof
      (see #26).
  65. I get
      pretty stressed out if things aren’t clean in my surroundings.
  66. My
      favorite beverage is water. I don’t really drink much else.
  67. I have
      a very obsessive and addictive personality. This is why I don’t drink or
      smoke. I’d surely be dead by now.
  68. I
      think I’m an excellent driver. My wife does not.
  69. I
      never really kissed anyone before I started dating Christy. I tried one
      other time, but it didn’t really go well. There’s way too much pressure in
      high school to do these things.
  70. I had
      only one other girlfriend when I was a sophomore in high school—but she’s
      not the girl I almost kissed. I was 15 years old. We rode the bus
      together. Her favorite movie was The Lion King, and I bought us Simba and
      Nala stuffed animals—those ones that have magnetic noses that makes it
      look like they’re kissing. We never kissed, and eventually grew apart over
      summer break…
  71. If I
      had to get another degree, it would be in business. I have a small
      obsession with leadership, and that way I could work for Apple or
      Starbucks at the corporate level.
  72. I
      prefer orchestral music to vocal. However, I conduct choirs way more than
      orchestras. I also like it when vocalists sing with orchestras.
  73. I
      dislike confrontation. I’ll have it when I believe it’s absolutely
      necessary, but I’d prefer to avoid it.
  74. I hate
      listening to music in the car. I can only do it if there is complete
      silence. When I’m driving alone, it’s usually just silent. Me and my
      thoughts. No radio.
  75. I once
      went to a band camp in the summer after my 6^th grade year. It
      was one of the worst experiences I can remember. I was way too immature
      and delicate to be in that kind of a situation. They kept having to move
      me from room to room, and then half-way through the week they discovered
      that they had placed me in the wrong band and I wasn’t going to get to
      play the music I had been rehearsing all week. I think I left early.
  76. I gave
      blood two or three times at the beginning of college. I haven’t had the
      courage to go back. I like my blood, and I kinda want to keep it.
  77. I’m
      very quiet when I’m around people I don’t know. Otherwise, I’m not.
  78. I
      don’t value loyalty as much as people 20 years older than me do. I value
      commitment and passion to a cause, but not blind loyalty to any person.
      People fail and are flawed.
  79. I
      don’t mind making hard decisions if I believe it’s the right thing to do.
  80. One of
      the most valuable things I’ve ever learned from reading a book is how to
      have clarity as a leader in times of uncertainty. That principle spills
      over into many aspects of my life, and has drastically changed me.
  81. I had
      two semesters of voice lessons with Mrs. Reinebach that changed my voice
      forever.
  82. I hate
      T-Shirts. I only wear them when I’m jogging, or underneath a sports coat
      with Jeans—and even THAT has only been in the past month or two.
  83. I look
      at the time probably 400 times a day. (Based on being awake 18 hours a
      day, that averages out to once every 2.7 minutes, which is probably pretty
      accurate.) Additionally, I get antsy and uncomfortable if I can’t find a
      clock somewhere and/or I forget my phone. Henceforth, I don’t like
      casinos.
  84. I value
      my time, and I value yours. If I’m supposed to meet you somewhere—barring
      a death in my immediate family, or some absurd circumstance that I for
      some reason have not been able to predict—I will be early. Time is a gift,
      and it is something that once you take away from me, I can never get back.
      Don’t waste my time.
  85. I have
      absolutely horrible penmanship. My wife can’t even read it.
  86. I will
      communicate with you via email more quickly and effectively than by any
      other means. If you want to talk, email me.
  87. One of
      the coolest experiences I’ve had in the recent past was watching the 50^th
      Anniversary fireworks show at Disneyland.
      The first time I saw that show I was flabbergasted. The creativity and
      innovation in creating it blew my mind. I truly worshiped the Lord during
      that show.
  88. I
      don’t think I dream. I can remember only one time in the past couple of
      years that I had a dream during a night’s sleep. I don’t know what this
      means, but it has to mean something.
  89. I
      prefer to over-communicate rather than under-communicate.
  90. I was
      a cub scout for a short time. They started my pack too late for me to get
      the wolf patch, and was shut down right before I got my Webelos. I really
      wanted that darn Webelos. I cried for a long time when I found out they
      were shutting down my pack, good ole Pack 560.
  91. The
      vacation we had in New York City
      a few years ago was by far the best vacation I’ve ever had.
  92. I’m
      not a hard-core Broadway fan (much-less a buff) but I do think that WICKED
      is the best musical ever written.
  93. I
      don’t like to make fun of other people, and I don’t like listening to you
      making fun of other people. However, I will make fun of you to your face if you’re my good friend and I think you’ll find it funny–all in good fun. I’d never do it in seriousness or with malicious intent-never.
      
  94. I
      believe that words are more powerful than we give them credit for. We
      either speak life or we speak death. And we also speak when we say nothing
      at all.
  95. Christy
      and I took our N64 on our honeymoon. We loved playing Tetris and Super
      Mario Kart. I remember one day specifically, Christy was off getting a spa
      treatment and massage for a couple of hours, and I pulled out the 007 game
      (GoldenEye, I think?) and called my ex-roommate for help on one of the
      levels. He turned around and told the entire University Choir and Orchestra that I was playing Nintendo on my Honeymoon, and they all clapped and laughed at me when I returned…I learned two things from this: first, don’t ever call anyone on
      your honeymoon; second, two hours is not enough time to actually
      accomplish anything on that game, even if you have plenty of grenades.
  96. I
      don’t like excuses. If you say you’re going to do something, then do it.
  97. My
      first few cars were stick shifts. Everyone should learn how to drive a
      manual transmission vehicle, ‘cause what if there is an emergency and you
      have to drive me in my hypothetical stick shift vehicle to the hospital or
      I’ll bleed to death? In related news, Christy does not know how to drive a
      stick shift. Another reason why I’m a much better driver.
  98. I
      stink at writing. I’ve used the backspace button on this single line about
      five times. I just can’t organize my thoughts into any sense of coherency,
      especially if I have to prove something.
  99. The
      best gig I ever did took place this past fall. I played piano for a
      private cocktail party in Long
      Beach for a lawyer. I played for about 3.5 hours
      straight, with a few breaks for grabbing some food (provided at the
      party). I got paid my full rate, and the guy rented the brand of piano I
      asked him to. I feels good to have somebody pay you your full rate…
  100. My
       college buddies had some strange nickname for me based on a type of fish
       that goes around eating the remains and/or leftovers of other fish’s meals.
       They called me this name because they said I always made jokes on the
       heels of other dudes’ jokes. I don’t deny this (indeed it happened all the time) nor did it affect me all
       that much…I can’t even remember the name of the fish.
  101. BONUS: I’m somewhat philosophically opposed to the fact that a portion of my income comes from a church. I mean, this is other people’s tithe money we’re talking about. As a professional musician I’m used to getting compensated for my artistic services, however, since this has to do with serving the Lord it just rubs me the wrong way to negotiate salary…It’s completely normal for music pastors to be paid-it’s a huge thing in churches all over the country. Someday I truly hope to be in a place where I can serve God the way I do without getting my salary from the offering plate.
  102. BONUS: My parents made me sign a dating contract when I was 15. I don’t remember exactly what it said, but I can tell you that it didn’t really matter since I didn’t actually go out on dates…

   

   

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