5 subjects on thecanuckguy
vakkotaur had this meme in his LJ, I kind of liike replying to these (gives the peopel who are bored enoguh to read this insight into me), so here's my answers:
Comment to this post and I will give you 5 subjects/things I associate you with. Then post this in your LJ and elaborate on the subjects given.
vakkotaur's 5 subjects for me:
1. National Anthems: Not surprised this is tops on the list. I seem to be regarded by everyone (friends, family, the media (due to the number of interviews I've given on the topic) and even some fellow anthematologists as a "leading expert" in the field - I suppose I am, but that and $20 will get me a cup of coffee at Starbucks, so ... I go into detail on my webpage to how I got in the hobby (short story, it stems from my "geography geekery" that I developed in elementary school, but started specializing in national anthems around the time of the fall of the USSR), I stay with it partly because it's unique (I was always the type to get into something merely because noone else was) and partly because, judging from the mail I recieve from my site, there's an interest in the field by the world at large, and since there's not many others out there who study the hobby extensively, it's up to me. It's hard to explain why I like them so much, I'm sure you could go on and on about one of your hobbies and I wouldn't get why it's so interesting, so the same thing applies here.
2. Flags: Again, stemming from the "geography geek" thing (see above), I was into those much earlier than anthems - I can remember in junior high making little flags to display in my room. Today I still have a small hand-made (well, computer-made, but I designed the graphics) flag display (ie printed flags, drawn to look as if they are actually flying (that is, not just a static rectangle as in most flag reference books) and mounted on toothpicks) as well as the entire south wall of my basement is taken up with flags of 227 countries (4inx6in on plastic staffs, storebought, what I call "handwavers"). Fortunately I've been blessed with a family who is quite tolerant of these two hobbies; while they're not any more "into" it than the normal person, they (both wife and kids) find the flags a nice decor for the basement, and my wife is constantly bragging about my anthematological exploits.
3. Public speaking/toastmasters: I joined Toastmasters in January 1991 (the day of the invasion of Kuwait), shortly after I started doing standup comedy (below), mainly to give me more confidence on the stage. I've found so much more since I joined - mostly a group of friends, but also opportunities for leadership that I never thoguht I could do, the chance to be a mentor to others, and self-improvement in so many other areas of my life that I never even dreamed of! (I'm convinced that if it weren't for Toastmasters I wouldn't be married today, as I probably wouldn't have had the courage to ask my wife out (or any girl in the last 19 years) otherwise). I stay with Toastmasters becuase I still feel that there are areas of my life that it could help me improve, and I have plenty more stories to tell through my speeches. In June, 2004, I was awarded the Distinguished Toastmaster designation, which is the highest award a member of Toastmasters could recieve (I was also the first person in the then-45 year history of my club to recieve it, another one has recieved it since, and a third is scheduled to in a few months) - this I count as one of the proudest moments in my life.
4. Comedy: For as far back as I could remember, I've always been somewhat of a joker. (I remember when I met up with my old grade 2 teacher about 20 years after I was in her class and she still remembered my favourite joke from when I was her student). Comedy seemed like a natural fit for me, despite being a bit shy (see #3 above). As luck would have it, my mom was working in the same company as Irwin Barker, who was moonlighting doing standup. (He's long since "quit his day job" and does comedy full time now and has never looked back) and she mentioned to him that I like to tell jokes and might want to get into comedy. Irwin "took me under his wing" as it were and got me started doing comedy. It was quite an experience, and I'd recommend everyone try it at least once (crowds generally seem to be kind if you're just starting out), you won't regret it! Unfortunately, the past few years my life has just been too busy to write new material, I've been itching to get on stage sometime soon, so I should sit down and write one day and see what happens.
5. Winnipeg: Probably makes sense this would be on his list, I suspect that I'm the only Winnipegger he knows, much like many of my friends who live outside Manitoba. I've only lived here since 1980 (our family was up north before then, in Gillam MB) but I've grown attached to it even though I know several people who have moved away for "greener pastures". (I even had an offer recently to move when my work announced that our jobs would be transferred to a facility they're opening in the suburbs of Atlanta and we were given the option to follow our jobs there, but it never even entered my mind as an option.) I like the central location (makes road trips easy), the convenience of everything, but most of all the affordability of this city; Winnipeg's long had a reputation of being quite affordable (our house, for example, I imagine would fetch at least $150K were we to sell tomorrow, but in other cities like, say Regina, or Calgary, or Montreal, or Minneapolis or Wichita, say, it would easily get twice that, in places like Vancouver or Toronto, 3 or 4 times! (Winnipeggers also have the reputation of being frugal (or "cheap" if you want to get nasty about it ;) ) so prices here reflect that (and people still haggle over prices, and visit thrift shops without shame, and seek out the lowest price even though the highest price here would be the lowest price in many other cities!)
So that's me. As per the rules, if you leave a comment, I will associate you with five things and want a full report from you handed on my desk by tomorrow morning, mainly because I like learning interesting things about peopel that I didn't know before.
Comment to this post and I will give you 5 subjects/things I associate you with. Then post this in your LJ and elaborate on the subjects given.
vakkotaur's 5 subjects for me:
1. National Anthems: Not surprised this is tops on the list. I seem to be regarded by everyone (friends, family, the media (due to the number of interviews I've given on the topic) and even some fellow anthematologists as a "leading expert" in the field - I suppose I am, but that and $20 will get me a cup of coffee at Starbucks, so ... I go into detail on my webpage to how I got in the hobby (short story, it stems from my "geography geekery" that I developed in elementary school, but started specializing in national anthems around the time of the fall of the USSR), I stay with it partly because it's unique (I was always the type to get into something merely because noone else was) and partly because, judging from the mail I recieve from my site, there's an interest in the field by the world at large, and since there's not many others out there who study the hobby extensively, it's up to me. It's hard to explain why I like them so much, I'm sure you could go on and on about one of your hobbies and I wouldn't get why it's so interesting, so the same thing applies here.
2. Flags: Again, stemming from the "geography geek" thing (see above), I was into those much earlier than anthems - I can remember in junior high making little flags to display in my room. Today I still have a small hand-made (well, computer-made, but I designed the graphics) flag display (ie printed flags, drawn to look as if they are actually flying (that is, not just a static rectangle as in most flag reference books) and mounted on toothpicks) as well as the entire south wall of my basement is taken up with flags of 227 countries (4inx6in on plastic staffs, storebought, what I call "handwavers"). Fortunately I've been blessed with a family who is quite tolerant of these two hobbies; while they're not any more "into" it than the normal person, they (both wife and kids) find the flags a nice decor for the basement, and my wife is constantly bragging about my anthematological exploits.
3. Public speaking/toastmasters: I joined Toastmasters in January 1991 (the day of the invasion of Kuwait), shortly after I started doing standup comedy (below), mainly to give me more confidence on the stage. I've found so much more since I joined - mostly a group of friends, but also opportunities for leadership that I never thoguht I could do, the chance to be a mentor to others, and self-improvement in so many other areas of my life that I never even dreamed of! (I'm convinced that if it weren't for Toastmasters I wouldn't be married today, as I probably wouldn't have had the courage to ask my wife out (or any girl in the last 19 years) otherwise). I stay with Toastmasters becuase I still feel that there are areas of my life that it could help me improve, and I have plenty more stories to tell through my speeches. In June, 2004, I was awarded the Distinguished Toastmaster designation, which is the highest award a member of Toastmasters could recieve (I was also the first person in the then-45 year history of my club to recieve it, another one has recieved it since, and a third is scheduled to in a few months) - this I count as one of the proudest moments in my life.
4. Comedy: For as far back as I could remember, I've always been somewhat of a joker. (I remember when I met up with my old grade 2 teacher about 20 years after I was in her class and she still remembered my favourite joke from when I was her student). Comedy seemed like a natural fit for me, despite being a bit shy (see #3 above). As luck would have it, my mom was working in the same company as Irwin Barker, who was moonlighting doing standup. (He's long since "quit his day job" and does comedy full time now and has never looked back) and she mentioned to him that I like to tell jokes and might want to get into comedy. Irwin "took me under his wing" as it were and got me started doing comedy. It was quite an experience, and I'd recommend everyone try it at least once (crowds generally seem to be kind if you're just starting out), you won't regret it! Unfortunately, the past few years my life has just been too busy to write new material, I've been itching to get on stage sometime soon, so I should sit down and write one day and see what happens.
5. Winnipeg: Probably makes sense this would be on his list, I suspect that I'm the only Winnipegger he knows, much like many of my friends who live outside Manitoba. I've only lived here since 1980 (our family was up north before then, in Gillam MB) but I've grown attached to it even though I know several people who have moved away for "greener pastures". (I even had an offer recently to move when my work announced that our jobs would be transferred to a facility they're opening in the suburbs of Atlanta and we were given the option to follow our jobs there, but it never even entered my mind as an option.) I like the central location (makes road trips easy), the convenience of everything, but most of all the affordability of this city; Winnipeg's long had a reputation of being quite affordable (our house, for example, I imagine would fetch at least $150K were we to sell tomorrow, but in other cities like, say Regina, or Calgary, or Montreal, or Minneapolis or Wichita, say, it would easily get twice that, in places like Vancouver or Toronto, 3 or 4 times! (Winnipeggers also have the reputation of being frugal (or "cheap" if you want to get nasty about it ;) ) so prices here reflect that (and people still haggle over prices, and visit thrift shops without shame, and seek out the lowest price even though the highest price here would be the lowest price in many other cities!)
So that's me. As per the rules, if you leave a comment, I will associate you with five things and want a full report from you handed on my desk by tomorrow morning, mainly because I like learning interesting things about peopel that I didn't know before.