25 Random Things
About Andrew Looney
Over on FaceBook, there's this chain-letter meme thing going around, where you're supposed to make a list of 25 random factoids about yourself, send 'em to your friends, and challenge them to do likewise. I don't usually go for this sort of thing, but this one's become so perfasive and interesting that I decided to participate, and having done so, I figured I should post my list here at Wunderland.com so my non-facebook friends can read it too.
1) I love games: playing them, designing them, talking about them... games are my life, my lifestyle, and my livelihood. I'm sure this is obvious to anyone reading this, but still, I felt it needed to be said first.
2) I love women (particularly the two I live with). Most of my closest friends are women, and I shun most "manly" activities like sports and war. I joke that I'm only 64% male (but 100% heterosexual).
3) I'm a devout skeptic with an open mind. I pride myself on being able to change my opinions when the facts challenge my beliefs.
4) I'm a radical liberal who is deeply opposed to social prohibitions. I believe that drug use, prostitution, gay marriage, group marriage, and gambling should all be legal for American adults, just as they are in my favorite place, Amsterdam. I also favor full access to birth control and abortion, and I support doctor-assisted suicide.
5) I'm an outspoken advocate for marijuana legalization. I have many friends who smoke pot (some for vital pain management reasons for which it truly is singularly effective medicine) and they don't deserve jail time. Pot is safer than alcohol and tobacco and should be sold by regulated, tax-paying businesses, not gangsters.
6) I dislike the taste and effects of alcohol and almost never drink it. I hate bars. I love coffeehouses and caffeine but I dislike coffee. I drink a lot of caffeinated diet soda. My favorite is Diet Mountain Dew.
7) I'm a super-taster with the food preferences of a six year old. I'm a meat-eater who dislikes vegetables. I admire the ethical dedication of my many vegetarian friends, but I do not choose their path. Given the way I eat, I should be obese. I eat chocolate every day.
8) I work out often, doing a simple routine that requires just a set of dumbbells and a chin-up bar. I prefer working out alone, and I listen to books-on-tape while I do. My routine takes about 45 minutes, and I have a goal of working out 100 times a year, with sub-goals of 10 times a month, and 3 times a week. (My current weight is 161, which is 11 pounds less than my all-time high, 11 pounds more than I'd like it to be, and basically the same as it's been for about 20 years.)
9) In 1993, I had a vasectomy, and I still rejoice almost daily in my decision to never become a father.
10) I love bathing but I hate showering. I don't like the feeling of rain on my skin.
11) I love traveling, but I'm also a hermit. I like visiting exciting faraway places, but when I'm in town I prefer to hang out at my own place.
12) I have totally random sleep patterns. I love staying up all night. I take a lot of naps, I stay up for long stretches of time, and then sleep for similarly long periods. Circadian rhythms do not apply to me.
13) I'm an INTJ and it was life-changing for me to realize this and to understand what it means to be an introvert living in an extrovert's world.
14) I worked for NASA for 8 years and continue to be a huge fan of the space program. I think going to the moon was our people's most important accomplishment, because I believe our race's future depends on finding another Earth and colonizing it before we either totally ruin the one we've got or suffer the fate of the dinosaurs.
15) For most of my life I was a dog-hater but now I understand why dog-lovers think dogs are so awesome. I still like cats better but I'm glad to finally know the love of a dog.
16) I'm a relentless multi-tasker who is happiest when doing several things at once. (As I write this, I'm also watching a movie on TV. (Superman just died, and his funeral was quite moving.)) I love playing several different games at the same time.
17) I love music but I'm not into going to concerts. Live performances do not excite me. My favorite music is instrumental electronica and sixties psychedelica. I hate the sound of silence and prefer to always have music playing. At night I like listening to artificial sounds like surf or crickets.
18) In the 8th grade, I abandoned trying to learn to write with cursive letters, and even rejected the use of lowercase letters. My handwriting remains entirely in uppercase.
19) I love driving cars (and operating equipment in general). If I'm in a car, I prefer being the driver. I also enjoy and excel at driving-style video games.
20) I strive to be Cool, i.e. a fun, personable, generous, and accepting sort of guy, but I sometimes lapse into being Uncool, i.e. an arrogant, overbearing, and egotistical jerk. It's an on-going struggle.
21) I was blessed with a naturally loud voice. I'm often seen as yelling when I'm simply passionate or worked up about something.
22) I am not a fan of Villainy. My favorite stories involve struggles against forces of nature, not forces of evil.
23) I enjoy watching competitive cooking shows, game shows, and other reality programs, but I hate spectator sports.
24) I've been carrying a Marxhausen "Stardust" sound sculpture in my pocket every day since 1987.
25) My greatest wish has always been the ability to travel through time.
26) I'm a big believer in the importance and value of humor, and of breaking unimportant rules for comedic effect.
26-B) I'm a non-conformist with a rich inner life who had no trouble finding a lot more than 25 things to say about himself.
26-C) I'm a writer, and like most writers I have trouble limiting my words to the number requested.
