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November 12, 2007
The Seven Meme
Susie tagged me with the 7 Things You Don't Know But I Do meme. While it would have been easy enough for Susie to claim Finnish and Swedish (and, well, English if you consider that too many of us have trouble with the language) as two of the seven items, she went well beyond those things. I don't know if I'll be able to be as revealing.
Here goes:
1. In college I was recruited by the CIA to be a field agent. In the end I didn't make it as I was too tall. At the time the CIA was using a particular rig when they'd wire their agents for communications. Due to my height, the distance between my butt, where the battery would have been hidden, and ear was too great.
Wait, that wasn't me. That was Chuck.
This is going to be hard as I pretty much put anything that's ever happened to me in this blog. I haven't posted pre-gyno pictures of my chest, but I probably would if I didn't have kids.
Let's go again. Some of this may have appeared elsewhere in the blog. Some of these things may not be secret to anyone but me for other reasons:
1. I do a thing with my tongue that women can't believe. I keep it in my mouth and listen to what they have to say rather than wag it around in an attempt to dominate dinner conversation. At least I think I do. I'm a guy, how smart can I be? (Lunch is when I do all my talking.)
2. I am quieter than you might believe. If I see you and don't know you well I'm not likely to walk up to and start a conversation. I don't know that I'm particularly shy, I just assume you have better things to do that talk to me and I don't want to be a bother. If you've made the mistake of getting to know me well, ah… you get what you deserve.
3. It is rare for me to compliment the wives of my male friends. There are exceptions to this rule, for example if the woman was my friend before I knew the husband or was my friend independent of the husband. It isn't a terribly complex formula, just the one I use. This is all tied to something that happened on March 21 many years ago, and if you want to dig through the March archives you can sort it out yourself. Those of us that know what happened don't need the link. (And the reason why I don't compliment wives of friends will not be in the least bit apparent.)
4. Until recently I thought I chose to do the things I do as a way of insulating myself from others, specifically women. Believe me, if you get divorced you'll understand exactly what I mean here. In the past couple of weeks, though, I've come to understand I really like doing what I do for no other reason than I enjoy it. I like riding my bike. I think I'd like it more if I joined a group ride, but so far I've been too lazy to find one. Not long ago someone asked me to meet them for lunch and I wondered if I'd be able to pull it off and still ride my bike to work that day. I like lifting weights in my garage; I don't have to wait for equipment and my son can lift with me.
5. My high school French teacher thinks I made horrifically obscene phone calls to her while I was in college. I didn't. I have a friend who is a teacher and would, eventually, teach with this person. The French teacher, all these years later, still thinks it was me. This troubles me more than I can explain and more than it ever should have. (I think that's a new one; something I've never mentioned in the blog.)
6. I don't tell people I write a blog. I may have, at one time, when it was about my kids. Of course, if you're looking for me and Google 'Delmer' I come up number one ahead of the weight and scale company, the director, and the journalist (I never know it that last one is a real guy or a fictional character).
7. I may say things like "my children are the second-most-adorable group of children in the world, right behind yours," and "my driving skills are second only to yours" but I really think my kids are the most adorable in the entire world. And I'm soooo much a better driver than you are.
Today's picture (from my phone): Yesterday the boys and I went and hit several buckets of golf balls. This is Jack taking a swing, and you'll have to excuse his grip; he was making better contact with the ball using the grip show, and yesterday (in the cold and rain) it was all about contact ... not form.
Posted by delmer at November 12, 2007 7:15 AM
Comments
Delmer, I usually leave a smirky comment, I'll continue after this post ... but I have to say, that list of seven?
Very nice, very smart man, very kind.
Posted by: Nancy at November 12, 2007 12:04 PM
Well, I didn't know any of those and now I don't have to dig your archives (except for the March 21 thing).
One of my high school teacher's wife is my coworker now. I'm really happy I'm not in your shoes. How awful wouldn't it be to work with a teacher that believe's you've made obscene phone calls?
Posted by: Susie at November 12, 2007 12:30 PM
Oh BTW, I forgot to say, people already knew about the Finnish and Swedish, I couldn't use it. I would have if I hadn't mentioned that before.
Posted by: Susie at November 12, 2007 12:33 PM
Tag-you're it. Love your #1. LOL.
Posted by: Black Belt Mama at November 12, 2007 1:07 PM
Oh Delmerrrrrrr! (That was for Darrel - I know he loves it.) I'm just about controlling myself here. The second Number 1?? Oh you are a beast for that one!
Posted by: Pen at November 12, 2007 3:07 PM
I tried two of the March Archives thing, but the one from 2006 jolted me to stop looking further.
Posted by: Sue at November 12, 2007 3:16 PM
1. Your nostril flairing is better.
2. You didn't used to be very quiet.
3. I remember.
4. You've got the best calves in the business.
5. Oui beaucoup.
6. "Googling Delmer"...hmmm
7. Yeah, you're right on that the adorable kids,
but I definitly drive BETTER the You!
....thanks Pen.
Posted by: Darrell at November 12, 2007 8:23 PM
lol
You made me laugh. I like your writing style and would have to agree with Black Belt Mama...your #1 is a good one! ;)
~ZZ
Posted by: Greeneyezz at November 12, 2007 8:46 PM
Nancy: We'll let you get by with a non-smirky comment this once. (Number 8 would have been, "I have trouble accepting compliments.)
Susie: I wouldn't care how many people already knew it. If I were trilingual, I'd tell people about it every day. As a matter of fact, I'd have it printed on a shirt (and do my best to hang around women who had no idea what trilingual meant.)
BBM: I'll get on that tomorrow.
Lady P: You did remember the staccato this time, didn't you?
Sue: That's the one. I didn't know what to do; I was afraid someone would ask why I was so odd about #3 and I'd feel obliged to mention it then. Of course, not long after I posted this I felt bad. I could have left it out, but it's one of the odder things about me.
Darrell: You're an excellent driver ... unless there's singing involved. Of course, you had piss-poor navigators that day (great backup singers though).
Greeneyezz: As popular as a strong #1 is, it still isn't the type of thing a person can put on a resume.
Posted by: delmer at November 12, 2007 9:29 PM
I'm still not sure how that happened (getting lost while singing)..."What's that big city we're coming to now?"! I see my spelling (or maybe typing) was pretty sad on my last post. My bad.
Posted by: Darrell at November 13, 2007 7:25 AM
Darrell don't mention spelling! I just realised I spelt your name wrong earlier, and after all that Oh Delmerrrrrrrrrring too! Sorry!
Posted by: Pen at November 13, 2007 7:57 AM
Hi Delmer,
I almost believed the one about you being recruited by the CIA! BTW, care for another tag? I have one for you in my blog...have a nice day.
Posted by: rino at November 13, 2007 8:55 AM
Hmmmmm number 3.......just not sure about that one.
Posted by: mikeo at November 13, 2007 9:28 PM
Darrold and Lady P: We don't grade on spelling here.
MikeO: Not long ago I put together, in my mind, a whole post about why you were the exception to the rule. It involved gymnastics, swimming, and the injustice (for you) that comes with them. It also relied heavily on the fact that you are an engineer.
Rino: I'm on it.
Posted by: delmer at November 13, 2007 9:44 PM