Random Dozen Wednesday

1. What is one really fast, know-by-heart "go-to" meal to fix in a pinch? ~ To be honest i rely heavily upon my Beloved for ideas.  If she has not givven me an idea for whatever reason i usually reach for a frozen pizza, or i take the kids out.  I know, typical father.  I have a desire to learn how to cook better (and more often), but i have allowed other things in life to creep in and take up my time.

2. What is one item you won't leave home without? (Purse and license do not count.) ~ Can i say my wallet then?  No?  Because it is in essence the same thing, just for a guy (even though women have wallets in their purse too)... fine.  Um... my cell phone.  Also known as my electric leash (for work) and connection to the rest of the world.  If i had an iPhone it would be scary, but my Samsung Reclaim is web anabled, and that is sufficient ~ for now.

3. Where is one place you never tire of visiting? ~ I love the woods, and the mountains, but i never tire of visting the beach (in the off season).  I want to live in the middle of foot hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains with trees all around, but to visit it is the beach hands down.  And it doesn't have to be Ocean City, MD.  It can be Virginia Beach, or anywhere along the Carolinas.

4. Share one factoid of your family's history. ~ We have evidence that our family history traces back to the Norman invasion of England in 1066 and beyond.  I am also a 13th generation American.

5. Complete this sentence: "Once upon a time I ...." ~ I could have trained and participated in at least two of the three events in a tri-atholon.  I loved to run and run and run.  I used to race my school bus from the first stop to the last stop (my stop was the last one).  The route of the bus was a big semi-circle and i usually beat it.  If i went and used Google Maps i could probably figure out how far the respective distances were.  I would also ride my bike forever.  I remember riding my bike from our appartment in Annandale, VA all the way out to Burke Lake, around to where the concession stand was and back again.  Just for fun.  If i tried either today, i am pretty sure i would have a coarnary.

6. If you could win a one year's supply of anything, what would it be? ~ Dr Pepper.  Puh-leez, like there was anything close.  But not just any Dr Pepper, no sir.  Dublin Dr Pepper, made with real cane sugar.

7. "One quirky thing you may not know about me is ...." ~ Um... i'm pretty sure i've covered most, if not all, of my quirkiness.  Thinking... Ok, i couldn't answer this for myself so i polled my Beloved and two friends... each of them had the immediate response, "Just one!?".  So, here is a brief list: My sense of humor (specificaly computer related, and how i can find something funny when others do not), how particular i am about getting comfortable when going to bed, My flair obsession on facebook, painting my "little army men", whistiling with "incredible" accuracy.

8. You have one dollar in your pocket. What will you buy? ~ This is a tough one.  Not a big fan of The Dollar Store, or The Dollar General.  I will probably go for a handful of the Carmel candies, the ones with sugar in the middle.  Love those things.

9. "One thing that always makes me laugh is ...." ~ My Beloved's laugh.  Some things get kind of old and i will not always laugh.  Although Calvin & Hobbs comes close, it's still not 100%. 

10. What is one thing you could do today to help yourself reach a personal goal? ~ Write out several hundred words on my short stories.  Get the character descriptions done, and maybe outline their main character personalities better outlined.  The word count could apply to any number of steps along my personal goal. 8)

11. What is one thing you could do today to bless someone else? ~ I try and keep my eyes open for opportunities.  For me, i think a good one would be to try and discern a way to serve my Beloved without having to be asked.

12. What is one thing you're looking forward to soon? ~ Soon is a relative term.  Something locked in, or something hoped for.  For the former i am going to take DS1, DS2, and COWGIRL's DS1 to see Iron Man 2 next week.  I am hoping to go with RAM and PETRA as well.  For the latter, well... i would love for a long 3 or 4 day weekend at the Beach.