A Smattering of Fascinating Facts…

At the very bottom of the front page of my blog you will find a couple of short paragraphs explaining why I began blogging along with a micro-snippet on my conversion to Catholicism and a quote from quite simply the best author of the 20th century, G.K. Chesterton. Next to it is my gravatar profile with some additional personal information. While these descriptions do an adequate job of briefly acquainting you with me they don’t really give you a very full picture of who I am. Which is why I decided that for this week’s post I would share a smattering of fascinating facts about yours truly!

We should probably start at the beginning.

I was born in Germany and maintained dual citizenship until I was eighteen. When I was eighteen I went back to Germany and toured Europe for almost a month with my sixteen year old brother. I decided that I did not want to enlist in the German military in order to maintain my dual citizenship. I was however, amenable to drinking beer and eating bratwursts.

I got married when I was twenty and my wife was nineteen. It’s currently been 21 years and remains one of my best decisions ever. You’d have to ask her if she feels the same way – twenty-one years with me can be a very long time 🙂

Another fun fact? We are both black-belts in a form of Tae Kwon Do that evolved from an older Moo Duk Kwon style, and we ran a martial arts studio for a number of years. I’m currently writing a book exploring the similarities between the martial way and the way of discipleship called The Tao of Discipleship.

Yes, that picture at the top of the page is me eating cuy (guinea pig) in Peru.

Since we’re on that topic let’s get weird foods off of the list next. In Peru I also partook of alpaca and chicken foot soup. I have eaten cow tongue, heart, and stomach, sheep liver and heart (I make haggis at least once a year), goat, snail, ants, buffalo, horse, turtle, pickled jellyfish, frog, and dog. Maybe others that I have forgotten to list.

I also believe that Thai food is by far the best of the “Asian” foods – so eat it Chinese food! Oh, and I insist on eating Spam when camping. And the converse? I only eat Spam when camping (mostly). For all you haters who haven’t tried it, fried Spam is actually quite good.

Ok, on to some quick hits:

• I have been both bungie jumping and skydiving. Bungie jumping is scarier.
• I used to climb (when I was like a hundred pounds lighter) at Smith Rocks and scream like a little girl when I fell.
• Another thing I do like a little girl – but only when on roller coasters – giggle.
• I’m deathly afraid of heights. I know that may seem like a contradiction, but I keep trying to get over my fear of heights and corresponding vertigo in spectacularly unsuccessful fashions…  I have some great video of me freaking out on the inca bridge trail at Machu Pichu…
• I tend to over utilize the “dot, dot, dot” effect during written communication…
• I play the bagpipes. But not very well. But, on the other hand, people are able to distinguish between my pipe playing and a cat fight.
• I’m SCUBA certified. I once did a night dive at Waldo lake in Oregon. It is the second purest lake in the world. We laid on the lake bottom and gazed up at the stars and the moon through sixty feet of crystal clear water. It was pretty amazing to stargaze from the bottom of a lake.

I am passionate about experiencing life. I love to travel to different places, try new things, eat exotic foods, meet new people, and read a plethora of books.

Quote:

Jefe: I have put many beautiful pinatas in the storeroom, each of them filled with little suprises.
El Guapo: Many pinatas?
Jefe: Oh yes, many!
El Guapo: Would you say I have a plethora of pinatas?
Jefe: A what?
El Guapo: A *plethora*.
Jefe: Oh yes, you have a plethora.
El Guapo: Jefe, what is a plethora?
Jefe: Why, El Guapo?
El Guapo: Well, you told me I have a plethora. And I just would like to know if you know what a plethora is. I would not like to think that a person would tell someone he has a plethora, and then find out that that person has *no idea* what it means to have a plethora.
Jefe: Forgive me, El Guapo. I know that I, Jefe, do not have your superior intellect and education. But could it be that once again, you are angry at something else, and are looking to take it out on me?}

And for the record – yes I do know what a *plethora* is. I also sometimes use random quotes to amuse myself… I’m not sure if my friends are always as amused as I am.

 

My third son Seth was named that way because biblically Seth was the third son of Adam.

Interestingly Ethan’s name is spelled using elements of both Logan’s and Seth’s names and he’s sandwiched in the middle. MMMmmmm..sandwiches….

I have tattoo’s – two of them now. The first was the Crawford Crest on my left arm. The other is a Ginormous celtic cross on my back with a Chi Rho worked into the design and the words, “Way, Truth, Life” above it in Latin. It has a sunburst around it and looks very Catholic which is odd because I wasn’t remotely Catholic at the time. Is there such a thing as remote Catholicism? I think yes.

Bad habits?

I can come off as arrogant and condescending if I’m not careful. I tend to be entirely too selfish, and as a result I am often self indulgent. I’m also not overly modest, which is extremely unfortunate for any unexpected guests… One of my worst bad habits is having a few drinks and making nachos really late at night. Interesting fact? I make pretty damn good nachos. I’m also a serious over-achiever which is weird because I’m so chronically lazy.

I prefer theological discussions to philosophical, and philosophical to political. I don’t care to discuss Oprah’s show or magazine at all…

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