100 More Things About Dean

100 Things About A Blogger

I took a long hiatus the last couple of weeks from this weblog. The last couple of days I’ve been getting back into gear.

There are some changes going on here at Dean’s World. The first, best news is that Rosemary now has her own weblog. I think it’s great. Rosemary and I are best friends in addition to being man and wife, but our styles, the way we like to talk about and address things are nearly polar opposites. We also disagree on some fundamental issues. That sometimes makes blogging hard, especially when people confuse the two of us. Her World Wrestling Federation style of blogging is lots of fun, and needs its own arena. I’m sure proud of her for starting her own blog. I hope you’ve all visited it and if you have a blog I hope you’ll blogroll her. (Hint, hint.)

Another thing you’ll notice is that I’ve decided to bring in a Permanent Guest Blogger. I’m pleased to say that for two days a week from now on, usually Fridays and Saturdays, Joe Gandelman will be taking over. This will give me two days a week to recharge my batteries and, I hope, help Joe promote his own work as a professional journalist and freelance writer. Joe will start next week. Joe’s a great guy with a pretty amazing background, and I sense that he’s got big things ahead of him in the blogosphere.

By the way, that doesn’t mean we’ll never have another guest blogger. I like bringing in guest bloggers because I like to give new bloggers a chance to shine before a bigger audience. But Joe’s definitely my kind of guy so you should all have lots of fun with him on a regular basis.

Now, another thing my hiatus gave me was time for reflection, and I’ve decided lately that I’m done being angry about certain things that have burned my wick this last year or so. I warned everyone a few months ago that I was getting more irritable an wasn’t sure what was going to come as a result of that. Well, I think I’ve worked through it, and both the vacation and some recent changes will contribute to a moderate change of tone around here. I think it’s noticeable already, but we’ll see.

Finally, it strikes me that this is a good time to sort of ‘re-introduce” Dean to his audience. One of the more common ways bloggers do this is through a tradition known as “100 things about a bloger,” a list of 100 random facts about a weblogger. As it happens, I’ve never done one. So what the heck. After two years, maybe it’s about time eh?

100 Things About Dean Esmay

1) I once broke my back in a skydiving accident.

2) I made sure to jump at least five times after the accident, because I don’t believe in letting fear control me.

3) I consider both El Paso, Texas and Chicago, Illinois to be my home towns. This is because I was born in and spent the first 7 years of my life in El Paso, and often spent my summers there as a kid, but I also lived in the Chicago area for over 20 years.

4) I have also lived in Indiana and Louisiana, and spent one fine summer as a kid in Virginia.

5) I own exactly one gun. I have never fired it.

6) I fired my first gun in a plinking session in the desert near my home town of El Paso when I was about five years old. It was a revolver owned by my stepfather’s best friend at the time.

7) Unfortunately, ear protection wasn’t in vogue in the early 1970s, and the sound was so loud it caused a stabbing pain in both my eardrums the first time I fired it. I shrieked in pain and fear, dropped the gun in the sand, ran into the family car and locked all the doors, and wouldn’t come out for about 10 minutes. It took ‘em a while to clean the sand out of that gun from what I hear.

8) That said, I have no aversion to firearms whatsoever and am rather amused by people who fear them.

9) It bothers me that I haven’t taught my 6 year old son how to shoot yet, because I believe the absolute best way to keep kids safe with guns is to teach them exactly what they are and how to handle them appropriately. People who say that the best way to protect kids from guns is to “keep them as far away from guns as possible” are just plain nuts: that’s how you get kids killed with guns, not how you keep them safe.

10) I cast my first vote for President in 1984, the year I turned 18. I supported Jesse Jackson in the primaries, though I switched my loyalty at the last minute to my Congressman at the time, Paul Simon, because I met him personally and was so impressed with him. In November of that year I voted for Walter Mondale, and was horrified that Reagan beat him.

11) I was even more depressed when George H.W. Bush beat Michael Dukakis in 1988. But by 1992 I was no longer a loyal Democrat, and voted for the libertarian because I didn’t like any of the other choices much. I had some hopes for Clinton though.

12) In retrospect, on a policy level, I’m still bemused by how much left-wing Democrats worship Clinton and how much hard-right Republicans hate him.

13) I still believe that George W. Bush was the only progressive liberal running for President in 2000, and have no regrets whatsoever in having voted for him. I would, however, vote for the right Democrat in November. But Kerry isn’t that Democrat.

14) I was a very pretty boy as a teenager and more than once attracted the aggressive advances of gay men and older women.

15) You would laugh at me for saying that if you saw me now.

16) I met my first wife when I was 15 years old. She was 15 years older than me. Marrying her was a mistake, and our divorce was (eventually) amicable. I regret having lost touch with her.

17) The best thing my mother ever did for me was teach me how to read, and to love reading, from an early age.

18) My stepfather used to mock and deride me for reading too much as a kid. I still resent him for that, although I like him a whole lot otherwise and get along just great with him.

19) I have Tourette’s Syndrome. No, I’m not kidding. I don’t mind jokes about it though.

20) I hate classroom education with a passion, and think it’s worthless for most subjects. Yet oddly enough, what I’d most like to do for a career is be a college Professor. It’s probably a hopeless dream anyway.

21) I am a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, and hold several other intermediate and advanced computer industry certifications.

22) I used to have an almost encyclopedic knowledge of computer technology. I have almost completely lost interest in the subject, however, to the point where I can’t even tell you how much RAM is in my laptop, how big its hard drive is, or exactly what kind of processor it has. If you had known me 10 years ago you would find that an astounding statement.

23) I do not believe in the supernatural. This includes ESP, precognition, astrology, numerology, ghosts, reincarnation, or God.

24) I don’t view people who disagree with me on the supernatural as stupid, dangerous, or destructive. I view them as probably mistaken.

25) I think the term “brights” is a cute, fun term for people who share a non-supernatural world view. But whenever I bring it up it utterly infuriates people, so I’ve stopped.

26) I am amused and bemused by people who profess a belief in evolution but then get all freaky and weird when contemplating how evolution shapes human behavior.

27) I am a philogynist, and most of my favorite bloggers are women.

28) I am a masculist. I do not view this as antithetical to feminism, although it is antithetical to a certain nasty breed of feminist.

29) I think many so-called feminists are actually closet misogynists, and believe many deeply misogynist things.

30) I think most leftists are not liberals, and wish more people would learn the distinction. This is not a pointless argument.

31) I am a natural horseman. I prefer to ride English, but I’m fine with Western.

32) Besides Tourette’s Syndrome, I have several other minor and uninteresting medical problems. The medical problem that bugs me most, though, is my tinnitus.

33) I studied martial arts for a few years. I would like to study either judo or aikido, but haven’t got the time or money right now.

34) I used to be a repo man. I loved it, but started having nightmares about my wife and son being left without a father, so I quit.

35) I am unusually and deceptively physically strong. I believe this is partly genetics, and partly due to the fact that I mask my Tourette’s by clenching my major muscle groups.

36) I recently lost a front tooth. This bothers me a lot.

37) I have a visceral loathing for anyone who tells a child that any form of reading–comic books, science fiction or fantasy books, or really, any kind of reading–is a “waste of time.”

38) Ditto anyone who says kids should be made to read “the classics.” The reason they became classics is because people loved to read them, not because some pompous gasbag declared that we should read them.

39) People often find me difficult to understand. I believe this is primarily because I have a personality type dubbed as INTJ by the classic Myers-Briggs personality inventory. If you think I seem quirky at times, this is probably the best description of my personality you will ever read. If you ever wonder why I seem irritable about some things but completely laid back about practically everything else, that might give you some insight.

40) I love practically all forms and styles of music. I have literally thousands of compact discs, in styles including classical, opera, reggae, blues, country, folk, rap, hip-hop, pop, jazz, and every style of rock music. Despite all this, I’m very picky about what I listen to.

41) I think classical music is badly overrated and excessively revered, but I’ve listened to a lot of it and do like some of it.

42) Bigots and prejudiced people bug me. But an awful lot of people who say they hate bigotry and prejudice are actually very deeply prejudiced.

43) With the possible exception of my maternal grandfather and uncle, I believe that every single person I ever knew growing up–friends, relatives, kids around the neighborhood, everyone–used the word “nigger” unselfconsciously. As a result, while I do not like this word I do not have the electric, visceral reaction to it that other people do.

44) I like to cook, and am quite good at it, but my wife usually won’t let me cook for her.

45) I love beer. Unfortunately, I had to give it up.

46) I haven’t had a drink since late February of this year.

47) 12 step programs bug me.

48) If I could be any historical figure, it would probably be either Gene Kelly or Frank Sinatra, although if I were Sinatra I’d try not to be such an asshole.

49) People who don’t use four-letter words (or “colorful metaphors,” as my mother likes to call them) make me uncomfortable. I mean, I understand that they have these feelings about colorful language, and I try to respect it, but they strike me as weirdly uptight.

50) I think women who swear are sexy.

51) I also think women smell better when they don’t wear any perfume.

52) That said, I have a horrible sense of smell. If I were to change two physical things about myself, the first would be to get rid of my tinnitus, and the second would be to get a better sense of smell.

53) I think a doctor permanently damaged my sense of smell when I was a teenager.

54) I am very nearly impossible to offend unless you question my intellectual integrity, or are willfully obtuse. If I accuse you of either, you can assume I’m very angry with you. In fact, if I call you “willfully obtuse” or “intellectually dishonest,” you can safely assume I’m a lot angrier (or at least more irritated with you) than if I just call you an asshole or a fuckhead.

55) I don’t view ignorance as a bad thing, nor calling someone ignorant to be an insult. But I view willful, correctable ignorance on any matter of importance to be among the gravest of personal sins.

56) I view the pursuit of truth as the highest calling of the human mind. People who engage in circular or unprincipled arguments therefore tend to drive me into a rage. (It’s probably that INTJ thing.)

57) Mental illness runs all through my family. I thus don’t react to insane people the way most people do, since I find genuine insanity to be neither frightening nor disturbing nor pitiful.

58) I once dated a girl who was half black, half Jewish, and was a lesbian who had sworn off women. She was also one of the most intelligent people I ever knew. I kind of regret losing track of her.

59) I think Kary Mullis is the most interesting guy working in science today, although Steven Pinker is a close second.

60) I used to despise Robert Heinlein, but over the years he eventually grew to be my favorite philospher. I have read every single one of his novels and short story collections save one. Yes, even the crappy ones, of which there are quite a few.

61) I think the biggest idiot in the field of philosophy who ever lived was Jean-Jacques Rousseau, followed closely by Karl Marx. Yes, I said “idiots.”

62) I probably agree with roughly 70% of what Ayn Rand believed. That said, I think she was as crazy as a shithouse rat, and that many of her biggest fans are both obnoxious and silly.

63) I tend to view the human animal through the lens of evolutionary psychology.

64) I hope Rosemary and I can have at least two more children before we quit. I very much hope that at least one of them is a girl.

65) I had more fun at Grateful Dead concerts than just about anything else I’ve ever done.

66) With the exception of heroin and ecstacy and PCP, I have tried practically every illegal drug available. I have no shame about this, and no regrets.

67) I’m particularly glad I’ve tried LSD. I don’t actually recommend it, but I count the times I’ve used it as important life experiences. You may think I’m saying that because I’ve romanticized it, but you would be mistaken.

68) My primary interest in history stems from the view that it can teach us things about the world today.

69) I view “I don’t know” and “I was mistaken” to be the most important phrases you can ever use, and think everyone should use both of them a lot more often.

70) I believe in facts. I believe you must always be prepared to surrender everything you believe in the face of an incontrovertible fact. I find people who can’t do that to be either sad or infuriating, depending on my mood.

71) I love hot, spicy foods.

72) Some of the greatest scientists who ever lived were wrong about everything. We should celebrate scientists who get things wrong more often than we do.

73) I enjoy comic books, cartoons, and well-crafted science fiction and fantasy.

74) I don’t like most organized sports, either to play or to watch.

75) My son plays soccer. I don’t like going to his games because I find them boring. But I try not to let him know this, and try to encourage him since he enjoys it so much.

76) Before you ask how I would feel about this if I were his age: it wouldn’t have happened because I would never have played a team sport when I was his age. Indeed, my parents used to harass me for not wanting to get involved in team sports, and I still resent them for doing that to me. I go to my boy’s games, I smile and I clap and I tell him he does a good job. Fuck off if that’s not good enough for you.

77) The one organized sport I ever followed closely was football. I eventually decided, however, that NFL football is corrupt and immoral, and that college football is even more corrupt and more immoral. I thus no longer watch any of it.

78) My view of college and professional football is so negative that, while my son can get involved in any sport he wants to, I intend to discourage him very strongly from ever playing football (beyond pickup games in the local park, anyway).

79) All that aside, I don’t hold it against you if you like team sports. Not even football.

80) I enjoy watching martial arts competitions, but I think professional boxing is barbaric and if I weren’t a libertarian at heart I’d probably want to outlaw it.

81) I love watching the X-Games.

82) The proper word for my political worldview is “liberal,” although “classical liberal” or “libertaranoid” may be words that some people would understand better.

83) I resent the fact that I was circumcized without my permission. While I’m willing to (reluctantly) look the other way when people do it to their children for religious reasons, I believe that it borders on child abuse and should be frowned upon. This is why, despite the fact that I have many Jewish friends, I will never willingly attend a bris.

84) I think all children should be taught basic economics and basic statistical analysis in High School.

85) I think hatred is a normal, healthy human emotion when it’s channeled in appropriate directions. The same is true for anger, fear, disgust, love, lust, joy, sorrow, and all other human emotions. All can result in bad or good, so the real question is how and where you allow them to inform your actions.

86) One of my hobbies is the history of genocide. I know a lot more about it than you probably want to know.

87) I used to be a communist apologist, and one of those idiots who said things like, “well they were bad, but….” This is something I am ashamed of now, and have absolutely no patience with when I encounter it in others.

88) I am a huge Penn & Teller fan.

89) I can eat almost any food, but I’ve gotten a little pickier as I’ve aged. That said, picky eaters annoy me. I’m not sure why.

90) I’m an ex-smoker. If I could take a shot once a month that would reverse all the negative health effects of smoking, I’d probably smoke two packs a day.

91) I love ballroom dancing, but I can’t get my wife to take lessons with me.

92) I think I’d make a good clergyman, although the whole atheism thing would probably get in the way.

93) I type well over 100 words per minute.

94) This weblog once literally saved my life. I’m still a little embarassed about that.

95) I don’t much like dogs. Puppies especially annoy me. That said, I do respect dignified, well-behaved dogs. I otherwise prefer cats, ferrets, horses, birds… really, I’d rather have almost any companion animal over a dog. But I’ve come to like our dog Buttons.

96) The most valuable lesson I learned from reposessing cars is that the best way to intimidate people is to show absolutely no fear, and to stay utterly calm in even the most frightening circumstances.

97) Conquering my fear of death is the single most psychologically empowering thing I ever did.

98) I blog because I care. Seriously.

99) I’m an excellent public speaker, and I kind of miss it.

100) I’m working on a novel. I may be wrong, but I think it’s pretty damned good.