8 Random Things You Never Really Knew About Me

David Dalka from Chicago tagged me in a relatively recent meme, and although I’ve already answered this question once before, I decided that I’d do David a favor and oblige. 😉

It took me a good deal of time to find eight things that people don’t really know about me, but I think I have it…

1. When I was young, my mother always said I was going to be a lawyer. I guess I always had a disposition for playing devil’s advocate (or fighting for something I firmly believed in). I still do try to make strong arguments, but I’m not an attorney. The closest thing to that was being a private investigator post-college.
2. I used to read books. A lot. Then, at age 12, I got my own computer. Reading was put on the back burner for about 14 years. I only started picking up books again recently after a close friend suggested that I read some good books.
3. If it’s not obvious, I’m a computer geek and proud of it. My family’s first computer, which we received when I was 7, was an Apple IIgs. Just a few years later, I was playing with my personal IBM PS/1 386 and discovered the Internets. One summer, the modem fried due to lightning from a thunderstorm. It took 3 months for the distributor to replace the modem. That’s what happened when you bought computers from the store back then. Since then, I went with a combination of Dell desktops/laptops and desktops that I built myself. Life is easier when you have a solid warranty and/or are in control of your hardware.
4. I actually spent 8 summers away from computers as a kid. Each of these summers lasted between 6-8 weeks. I went to a sports camp in the middle of the country (Catskill Mountains, New York State) for six of those summers, and I went abroad and on a college summer program for the other two. I have to admit that I didn’t really miss the computer at all back then, and I particularly welcomed the countryside and the serenity it brings. But much has changed in the last 10 years. I don’t think I could do it again.
5. For the record, I’m 26 years old. However, for whatever reason, people think I’m much younger. I think they’re really discriminating against my height (I’m 5’1″). Last week, I went to a club for the first time in years and got carded … except I didn’t have my ID on me. I was at a convention and had to take a cab back to the hotel just to prove myself worthy of entrance to this club, even though I wasn’t planning on drinking anything anyway. On a similar note, when I was 19, I got carded (?!) for a PG-13 movie. I don’t get it.
6. I am a huge fan of entertainment: music, TV, and movies, but I still haven’t seen any of the following: the Godfather trilogy, Indiana Jones, Scarface, Pulp Fiction, and a bunch of other movies I know I must watch (yeah, you don’t have to rub it in). I own the DVDs for all of these, though, but most of them are still in shrink wrap.
7. When I was in college, I had this strong desire to collect Garbage Pail Kids. I then realized I had no need for them. I ended up selling a bunch of them in sets on eBay, but I got lazy, as I used to get weird stares in the college mail room for bringing baseball-card sized boxes to be shipped everyday. I still have lots more, so if anyone is interested in taking them off my hands, give me a shout and a few bucks. 😉
8. I used to be a huge forums participant in a variety of tech forums, particularly AnandTech. I occasionally drop in (but not so much anymore), since I’m happily blogging (and reading books) instead. However, my claim to fame is that on AnandTech, I have over 10,000 posts, which puts me in the category of “Lifer.”

That’s all. I’m not tagging anyone else because I know I won’t hear the end of it. 😀