25 Things About Dave

1. Every job I've had in the past 12 years has been the result of a recruiter calling me. I actually got another call last week. If anyone reading this would like to be an IBM Netcool administrator, I have a lead for you.

2. If money were no object, I would do the exact same job that I do now. Please do not tell my employer this.

3. I sing in the car, but stop when I pass someone.

4. I drive a red Mustang and have never gotten a ticket in it.

5. I love British beer. One of my favorites is Theakston Old Peculier. You can get it at O'Connell's Pub in St. Louis.

6. I didn't drink until well after I was 21. I remember my first beer. I worked at the Radio Shack in Village Square, and after closing one day, my coworkers and I went down a few doors to the Cactus Moon bar, and they bought me a Bud Dry. It was an hour or so later when I realized that, even with alcohol, I hate Country music.

7. I am never sarcastic.

8. I have over 400 movies on DVD. I've watched most of them.

9. One of my favorite movies of all time is The Princess Bride. Inconceivable, I know.

10. Monty Python is funny. Jim Carrey, while a good actor in a serious role, is not funny.

11. I am perfectly happy to let a ringing telephone go unanswered. I hate telephones. My ideal cell phone would not have a camera, an mp3 player, or bluetooth. It would only be good for making calls, not for receiving them. And the battery would last only 30 minutes. Unfortunately, I have an Apple iPhone and I love it.

12. I love the St. Louis Cardinals, but I don't hate the Chicago Cubs.

13. My first concert was Debbie Gibson at the Fabulous Fox in St. Louis. We walked up to the box office and bought tickets right before the show, and our seats ended up being in the fourth row. This is almost as embarrassing as the fact that my first CD was Milli Vanilli. And I still have it.

14. I love the Moody Blues and have been to see them several times in St. Louis and once in Las Vegas. The coolest thing I've ever seen was the Moody Blues on stage at Riverport Amphitheater, backed by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

15. I've been quoted in the St. Louis Post Dispatch several times, and people have recognized my name because of it.

16. I met my wife on match.com.

17. We went to Spain for our honeymoon and don't speak three words of Spanish. Our luggage was lost at the Madrid airport, and Iberia Airlines gave us each a little overnight bag with essentials like a shaving kit and a shirt. The shirt has the Iberia Airlines logo on the sleeve. Now, the only people who would even own this shirt are people whose luggage was lost by Iberia Airlines. Do they want to advertise this? By the way, this is now my painting shirt.

18. Some people think my son looks just like my wife. Others think he looks just like me. My wife and I do not look like each other however.

19. When I was a child I used to ask my parents things like: is a year longer or shorter than a mile? I wonder what my son will ask me?

20. I don't mind cleaning the toilet, but I hate cleaning the shower.

21. The only thing I have ever smoked was a Cuban cigar. In international waters.

22. I believe in a God, but probably not the same way you do.

23. I voted for George W. Bush twice but I'm not a "Bushie." I voted against Barack Obama but I have nothing against him personally.

24. I would say that my political views are complex and multifaceted, but in fact they're simple and consistent.

25. I believe that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, that you should not do for someone what he ought to do for himself, and in laissez-faire capitalism. I believe that, at best, all these government bailouts will simply not work as hoped. At worst they will just make things worse.