Some Curious Facts About Yours Truly

Some of the following is weird, some interesting, and the rest is just silly. Yes, I recently got caught up in the recent Facebook craze: 25 Random Things About Me. Composing this inventory was like throwing various objects into a tank, then skimming off whatever floated to the top - 25 of which made the list. As you can imagine, this only scratches the surface of who I am. Had I given more thought to this list, I think I would have come up with a far more entertaining group of items. But then again, that just yields another open opportunity to generate a fresh list of random things for you all to read at a later time. Have I mentioned that I like lists? Well, now you know (for the count, that makes 26).

Without further ado, here are 25 random things about 408Down, Installment #1:

1. I appreciate the poetry and glory of a beautiful sunrise. Sunsets are pretty too. I take a lot of pictures of both - sometimes while driving. To the left here is a shot I captured recently on my way to work. Sights like this one often make the long commute less painful in the morning.

2. When I was a kid, I would often dance around the house imagining I was in the TV series "Fame."

3. Speaking of dancing, my childhood dance crew was called "4-D Posse." We were comprised of 4 females, each bringing our own dimension of dance to our group, hence "4-D." The "D" apparently had another meaning: we were devastating dames. Gosh, we were corny.

4. I used to have a serious aversion to cilantro because it tasted like soap to me. My tastebuds have changed as an adult apparently, because now I love it on practically everything.

5. When my mom was pregnant with my sister, she asked 5-year old me what she should name the new baby. A few of my classmates in kindergarten at the time shared the same name, which I liked, therefore I suggested the name Jennifer. These days we call my sis Jen for short.

6. Chinese food is my favorite of all foods, especially noodle dishes.

7. I love the sound of guitar music, particularly classic Blues tunes, which one of the primary reasons I own a Fender acoustic.

8. My astrological sign is Leo, and I was born in the year of the Snake. I've been told that I fit both characteristically, and I like to deny it.

9. When I am deep in thought, I have a habit of simultaneously rubbing my lower lip.

10. I was a heavy smoker from the time I was 18 years old until I decided to quit in 2004. I always knew that smoking was detrimental to my health, but my ultimate reason for cessation was purely vain: it was affecting the color of my teeth.

11. I currently own approximately 75 pairs of shoes, only a dozen of which I have rotated wearing over the past year. There are about a half dozen that haven't been worn at all.

12. As an infant, I was baptized a Catholic, but now consider myself an Agnostic. My mother would kill me if she ever read this.

13. When it comes to alcoholic beverages, I prefer beers. I like those of the lighter persuasion, but I've dabbled with some darker ales.

14. I've lived in Las Vegas now for 15 years, which by some definitions, makes me a native. I beg to differ. I was born and raised in California, and still refer to myself as a Californian.

15. The last thing that I clean during every shower is my navel. I like to think I have the cleanest bellybutton west of the Mississippi. I have no idea who might have the cleanest innie east of the Mississippi, so I'll just trust my instincts on this one.

16. Two books on my nightstand: I'm halfway through Artie Lange's "Too Fat to Fish." Warren Ellis' "Crooked Little Vein" is a new book I just borrowed from a friend, which I have yet to crack open.

17. Tiesto's Club Life Podcast #17 is my iPod track of choice for runs 30 minutes or longer. My short runs are accompanied by the Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Fuel, or Marilyn Manson.

18. My declared major when I started college was Biology, which turned out to be intensely rigorous coursework. I ended up graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business with an emphasis on Management. I have no qualms about my professional career thus far, but occasionally wonder where I'd be if I stuck out my original plan.

19. My favorite sushi rolls contain tuna, cream cheese, anything tempura, or a combination of these ingredients.

20. I spent the entirety of my 20's in a relationship (and was happy to start my 30's with a clean slate).

21. I enjoy dressing up and prefer to be clad in dressy attire as opposed to casual wear. I'd choose heels over sneakers any day.

22. If money was not a factor and I had an opportunity to take on a job of my choosing, I would elect to do conservationist/ecotourism work.

23. My first dog's name was Tootsie. If I ever decide to get another dog, I'd likely adopt a little dog and give it a big, commanding name, like Captain Xavier P. Constantinople. I'd probably just call it Cap for short.

24. The furthest east I've ever traveled in the U.S. is Chicago. One of these days I'm gonna make it to the Big Apple.

25. My absolute favorite sound in the whole world is laughter. I enjoy laughing, and do it a lot, but the uproarious sound of laughter from the people in my life that I care about the most is what brings me joy.