Fisher's Mom
Mother Superior
Here is our very first Net Cooking Talk Member Spotlight - Keltin! We took a little time to sit down with our spotlighted member of the month and “grilled” him so to speak. Here’s the interview:
NCT: Tell us a little about yourself - your family or household, kids, pets, occupation, etc.
Oh wow, where to start, and how much time do we have??? Ok, I won’t bore you to tears (much), so here is the nutshell version.
I was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama. Living on the Gulf Coast was great, and I’ll always love and feel tied to the water. Great times running trout lines, crab traps, trolling, etc.
I graduated high school when I was 17 and entered Tech School for an AS in Electronics. When I graduated Tech School in Mobile, I was hired immediately by a company in Huntsville, Alabama to be a Component Level Troubleshooter on the Production Floor. I took the job and moved to Huntsville when I was 20 years old.
The girl I was dating moved with me, and we soon married…..and divorced 5 years later. No need to go much further with that part of the story!
The company I worked for paid for school, so I went back and got my BS in EE. As I was finishing my degree, my company was shuddering and falling under. It looked bad and lay-offs were rampant. A buddy of mine that I worked with (that was also from Mobile) interviewed at another company in Huntsville and actually got an offer……but ALSO got a simultaneous from a company in Mobile. He decided to take the Mobile Job and moved back home, but before he left, he gave the other company my name, and gave me their number. I figured what the heck and called them.
They interviewed me 3 times, checking for BS I guess, and after the third interview, they made me an offer. The pay was only 10 cents more than I was making, but the STABILITY was incredible (and still is), so I took it. My original job tried to counter with a 2 dollar per hour raise, and I actually told my Manager’s Manager (the guy that made me the offer) that it wasn’t about the money, it was the stability, and I left. I’ve been at that new job ever since…..13+ years so far.
I currently work on a Fiber Optics project called GPON which is similar to Verizon’s FIOS. We deliver fiber to the home and triple play service. Our customers are RBOCS like AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, etc.
So, been on my current job since April of 1995.
I met Lisa in 2000. We dated for 2 months and got married. It was rocky at first, but we found our way. She had 3 kids from a previous marriage. Like my Mom, she started young and had her first child when she was 17. By the time we got together, her eldest was on his own, and the other 2 weren’t far from it. We tried to have them live with us and be part of the family, but it was too late in the game. Teens will be teens, and they moved on. We don’t see or hear from them these days. It’s their choice, and we aren’t about to force them to do otherwise.
Back then, Lisa actually had a fourth pregnancy that went horribly wrong and resulted in a still birth and hysterectomy. So, we can’t have children of our own.
I've never had children with anyone else, and don’t plan on being with anyone else, so I won’t be having kids. And to be honest, I’m just too old now to do it, and even when I was young, I was TOO young to do it. I just never had it in me to want to have and raise kids. I have nothing against them….and I love kids. I just never had it in me to go that route. Not that I didn’t try with Lisa’s kids……they just didn’t want it. And Lord knows I tried to spoil them.
What’s the phrase they say…….”If you wait till you’re ready, you’ll never be ready”? Something like that. Unlike some, I just never got confronted with children. My first wife NEVER wanted them, and while Lisa and I did think of adoption…..GOD, it’s 30,000 just to START the process here!!! To START!
Some times I wonder. But hey, there’s still a chance we can be great grandparents later on when Lisa’s children grow out of the rebellion and decide they miss their roots. Who knows?
Ok, wrapping up the family bit, I’ve got a Mom and a brother. My brother and I haven’t talked in years, and I don’t even know where he is. He’s a weird one. Mom is married to her 3rd husband now. The first man was my biological father, and I didn’t like him (drunk, beat us, etc). The second was the greatest man I ever knew, and he was my DAD! In my eyes, there is a difference between Father and Dad. In a perfect world, they are the same man! In my world, they were not.
This third guy is “Mom’s Husband”. I don’t call him step-dad, and he doesn’t call me step-kid. He’s Jim and I’m Chris. But we get along. Still, they do their own thing. He is from Canada, and this past April he pulled roots and took Mom back to Canada. She HATES it up there, but will always stick by her man no matter what. She’s old school. She doesn’t believe in divorce, only Death till we part….and she sticks to that no matter what. So they split to Canada a few months ago, and I haven’t heard from them since.
For the most part, it’s just me and Lisa. I’ve no extended family, Mom is in Canada and AWOL, and my brother, Pat…..who knows. He’s crazy. But if you ever meet him, he’s damn charming and will make you laugh your butt off.
Lisa’s family is just as dysfunctional. So….it’s just us and the cats. And I like it that way. Much easier, Christmas shopping is very abbreviated, and less Birthdays to remember.
We do have pets though. We have four cats:
AJ (Male) = 9 years old
Blade (Male) = 8 years old
Wiggy (Female) = 5 years old
V (Female) = 3 years old
All fixed and up to date on shots, and spoiled rotten.
We live in the country on a 40 acre spread. We bought 1 acre from the old man that owns the farm land, so it’s spacious with woods about….and strays walk up all the time. So Lisa is feeding everything that breathes and walks. It’s like the Ark here sometimes!
NCT: What part of the world do you live in?
Huntsville, Alabama. The most technologically advanced city in Alabama. Meaning, about the only city in Alabama where I’ll get a good job!
NASA is here, we do have rocket scientist, and you’ll also find Boeing, Redstone Arsenal (Military), and many others.
NCT: How did you find the NCT community?
I was once a prolific poster somewhere else. Got the eight ball there and just quit going to forums. Then Terry (Fisher’s Mom) emailed me about NCT, and here I am. It’s HER fault! So blame her!
But I love it here and I sincerely thank Terry for remembering and thinking of me. Thank you Terry!
NCT: Do you have any hobbies besides cooking?
Yeah, sort of. I like all things electronics. I’m also an avid gamer. I’ve written a few free Game Guides (text files that tell you how to beat a game, where the secrets are, etc) for some gaming sites on the net. One in particular is www.gamefaqs.com, although I don’t frequent there much anymore.
My work at GameFaqs drew the attention of a Publisher in Germany called Future Press.
http://www.future-press.com/
They do game manuals professionally for Europe like Brady and Prima do for the US. They asked me if I’d be interested in joining their team, and I said HELL YEAH! But, honestly, I thought it was a scam at first since it was all email….but then the NDAs came in, and next thing you know I’m a published author. So far, I’ve written 5 books for Future Press.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/God-War-II-Official-Strategy/dp/393733677X/"]
[/ame] [ame="http://www.amazon.com/God-War-II-Official-Strategy/dp/393733677X/"]Amazon[/ame]
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Bionic-Commando-Official-Strategy-Guide/dp/3940643289/"]
[/ame] [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Bionic-Commando-Official-Strategy-Guide/dp/3940643289/"]Amazon[/ame]
[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Devil-May-Cry-Official-Strategy/dp/3940643130/"]
[/ame] [ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Devil-May-Cry-Official-Strategy/dp/3940643130/"]Amazon[/ame]
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Killzone-Collectors-Guide-Campaign-Warzone/dp/3940643580/"]
[/ame] [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Killzone-Collectors-Guide-Campaign-Warzone/dp/3940643580/"]Amazon[/ame]
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/inFAMOUS-Official-Strategy-Future-Press/dp/0744011272/"]
[/ame] [ame="http://www.amazon.com/inFAMOUS-Official-Strategy-Future-Press/dp/0744011272/"]Amazon[/ame]
I actually sent Terry a copy of the Killzone 2 Guide in paperback edition, so she’s seen the quality of our work, and as a gamer, she has probably seen the crap Brady and Prima put out. So she can definitely testify that we rock!
It’s a cool job that lets me play games months before they come out, but it’s also quite a bit of work. Lots of work actually. But, it’s a labor of love…..most of the time!
NCT: Give us 5 words that describe you.
You’re really asking ME for 5 words – ONLY FIVE???
Procrastinate
Anal
Introvert
Cynical
Empathetic
NCT: Tell us one thing about yourself that people would be surprised to know.
I have a near obsessive compulsive disorder with washing my hands. Not when I’m doing yard work or working on cars, but when I’m on the computer or a game console. I can work all day in the yard and get sweaty, or work on a car to change a starter or head gasket and get greasy, and I don’t care how dirty I get because that is part of the job…..we’ll clean up later.
But on a computer, I’m crazy. I’m constantly wiping and washing my hands. I actually keep a towelette next to me when I’m gaming to make sure my hands stay nice and clean and dry.
I can not stand a greasy finger print ridden keyboard, control pad, or heaven forbid, finger prints on a monitor. Finger prints on a monitor or TV where someone has touched it makes me want to pass out!
See….there’s the Anal part!
NCT: How and at what age did you start cooking?
I was 16 when I tried it for the first time. I was dating a girl who’s mom made the best apple fritters. She taught me how to do it one day, and I ran home and tried it. It was my first dish ever, and they turned out! I was impressed. My first big, on my own dish to impress was when I was 18 and living in a 1 Bedroom apartment and had a GF over. I cooked Coq Au Vin, and it went very well.
NCT: Do you have a signature dish or one that you make especially well?
Yeah. I was living in that 1 Bedroom apartment and I called my Grandfather that was still living at the time. I asked him how to make a favorite of mine that he made often – Pork Chops smothered in gravy. He schooled me over the phone for 15 minutes, and I went off and did it. Ever since then, I’ve “owned” that dish. On special occasions, to shine it own, I make Pork Chops smothered in gravy with mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and rolls. True comfort food for me. And it was the first meal I ever cooked for Lisa and her girls – it won them over on the spot.
NCT: What is your favorite spice?
Paprika. Great color, and wonderful flavor. You can add it to nearly any rub or spice concoction for, not only color, but flavor. It’s never over-powering and the color addition is always great.
NCT: What is your favorite restaurant meal?
Surf and Turf. I love a good steak and I’ll always love seafood. Having grown up meeting the boats at the docks, it’s hard to find seafood that fresh, but I still love it all anyway.
NCT: What would your last meal be if you could choose anything at all?
A Century Egg just to say I did it, then a huge Deep Dish Pizza from Pizza Hut (yeah I said it, I like Pizza Hut Deep Dish). I really like pizza, but we hardly ever eat it for some reason. Too busy cooking other stuff I guess.
NCT: If you could host a dinner party with 6 guests, living or dead, who would they be and what would you serve?
Ahh…..I’ve seen this one before. I saw some answers that I sometimes think were scripted to make the answerer look better than they were. The pat and classic answer was always “a long lost loved one” like Mom, Grandma, etc. Most often when I see that, I wonder are they for real, or are they digging…..but no matter, that’s the Cynical part of me (remember the 5 word question earlier?). Anyway, my 6 are as follows.
1. DAD – Yeah, I know. It seems I’m contradicting myself, but I’m not. I’ll happily tell you now that Dad died when I was only 22. I didn’t fully understand him, or many things about life until I was 28 or older. Now that I’m nearly 40, I would give just about anything to sit down and have those long philosophical, and often perplexing, conversations with him. He was a “head” man, a philosopher, and a carpenter, welder, mechanic, boxer, race car driver…..hell, there wasn’t much of anything he couldn’t do. But he always read books, and always wanted me to read “The Right Brain Experience” or something by Jung, etc. I’d love to sit down with him NOW, and have that chat. I wasn’t ready when I was 16, but I’m bursting at the seams now!
2. Einstein – Brilliant.
3. Stephen Hawking – Brilliant.
4. Spartacus – What really went on back then.
5. Julius Caesar – No really, what really went on back then!
6. King Tut – Ok, how’d you build those????
I’d serve Cornish Hens stuffed with Wild Rice and Mushrooms, Grilled Bacon Wrapped Asparagus, Twice Baked Overloaded Potatoes, and Garlic Bread. I’d serve a Shiraz to drink; it would be a lovely drop.
NCT: If you were going to be stranded on an isolated island for a year, what 6 foods would you want to have to readily available?
1. Alcohol – Got to have my totty!
2. Tobacco – Yeah…..I smoke
3. Pig / Boar – Good meat, but the fat also comes in handy for cooking
4. Grain / Corn – Nice to eat, but can be dried for flour / meal
5. Artisan Spring (for water) – Infinite clean water supply, YES!
6. Bananas – Good snack, the leaves are great for cooking, etc.
NCT: Who would you most like to prepare a meal for and why. What would you serve?
Bobby Flay. I’d sprinkle some of Bam’s hot sauce on a chicken breast and say “How do you like THAT hot chit my friend????”.
Seriously……and not to sound like a cop out, but seriously……a VA Home or a Retirement home. So many of our Vets or Elderly are getting placed away and forgotten. I have no family to speak of due to early deaths and bad mojo. But it’s not my choice! I also see so many in the VA and Elderly homes that are there because they were cast off. By GOD! They raised us and made sure we are still free today. How can they be tossed off like yesterdays fashion???
My situation bugs me in that I’ve got no “elders” to honor. All my grandparents are gone now. No uncles or aunts. Nothing. I’ve no past to visit, and no heritage to praise. But past and heritage is what our country is about! I’d love to just get the balls up to go and volunteer at a VA or Elderly home to do something like that. And I may one day.
NCT: Who would you most like to have prepare a meal for you?
Emeril. I really do like him. I think he’s nice, funny, and cooks the kind of food I would like. He’d be fun to be around as he cooked.
NCT: 100 years from now, how would you like to be remembered?
That I contributed something worthwhile. That I did something worth remembering. Something that didn’t require fingerprinting!!!
NCT: Anything else you'd like to tell us about yourself?
Sure, I thought about a few question I think you missed. These are designed to put you on the spot!
List three Important Dates. Only THREE. If your memory faltered, and all you could remember was three, which would they be?
My next deadline!
Seriously, ugh. Lisa’s Birthday, Our Anniversary, Mom’s Birthday.
What’s your favorite movie. Only one, you have to nail it down!
Got to say Alien’s. I’ve seen it 30+ times and can still watch it again, and can still find something new. Love it.
What’s the craziest thing you have ever eaten.
Octopus – Raw in Sushi. It was in a Birmingham Sushi Bar.
What’s the craziest stunt/act you have performed.
Sexual????? HAHAHA, NO!
Coated my hand in a flammable gel and set it on fire in order to light a grill. The idea being that the gel will burn in layers before it burns your skin. It actually worked. Didn’t hurt a bit and no burns…..but I don’t suggest setting yourself on fire – ever!
So there you are. You now know more about me than you ever wanted to know!
Now some pics. Dug these out of the albums as they are some of my favs……
Lisa at Glamour Shots in 1996
Lisa and I at our wedding. We eloped. Seriously. It was just us!
Me at the wedding. The photographer wanted single shots and made me smile. Look at that chit. THAT is why I don’t smile in pics!!
Me at our vacation to Florida. We went to Christmas Florida just outside of Orlando to visit my Mom on the 4th of July.
Me showing love and trust with Shorty. A great dog that is no longer with us.
Our eldest grandson in some fat-baby stew!!
NCT: Tell us a little about yourself - your family or household, kids, pets, occupation, etc.
Oh wow, where to start, and how much time do we have??? Ok, I won’t bore you to tears (much), so here is the nutshell version.
I was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama. Living on the Gulf Coast was great, and I’ll always love and feel tied to the water. Great times running trout lines, crab traps, trolling, etc.
I graduated high school when I was 17 and entered Tech School for an AS in Electronics. When I graduated Tech School in Mobile, I was hired immediately by a company in Huntsville, Alabama to be a Component Level Troubleshooter on the Production Floor. I took the job and moved to Huntsville when I was 20 years old.
The girl I was dating moved with me, and we soon married…..and divorced 5 years later. No need to go much further with that part of the story!
The company I worked for paid for school, so I went back and got my BS in EE. As I was finishing my degree, my company was shuddering and falling under. It looked bad and lay-offs were rampant. A buddy of mine that I worked with (that was also from Mobile) interviewed at another company in Huntsville and actually got an offer……but ALSO got a simultaneous from a company in Mobile. He decided to take the Mobile Job and moved back home, but before he left, he gave the other company my name, and gave me their number. I figured what the heck and called them.
They interviewed me 3 times, checking for BS I guess, and after the third interview, they made me an offer. The pay was only 10 cents more than I was making, but the STABILITY was incredible (and still is), so I took it. My original job tried to counter with a 2 dollar per hour raise, and I actually told my Manager’s Manager (the guy that made me the offer) that it wasn’t about the money, it was the stability, and I left. I’ve been at that new job ever since…..13+ years so far.
I currently work on a Fiber Optics project called GPON which is similar to Verizon’s FIOS. We deliver fiber to the home and triple play service. Our customers are RBOCS like AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, etc.
So, been on my current job since April of 1995.
I met Lisa in 2000. We dated for 2 months and got married. It was rocky at first, but we found our way. She had 3 kids from a previous marriage. Like my Mom, she started young and had her first child when she was 17. By the time we got together, her eldest was on his own, and the other 2 weren’t far from it. We tried to have them live with us and be part of the family, but it was too late in the game. Teens will be teens, and they moved on. We don’t see or hear from them these days. It’s their choice, and we aren’t about to force them to do otherwise.
Back then, Lisa actually had a fourth pregnancy that went horribly wrong and resulted in a still birth and hysterectomy. So, we can’t have children of our own.
I've never had children with anyone else, and don’t plan on being with anyone else, so I won’t be having kids. And to be honest, I’m just too old now to do it, and even when I was young, I was TOO young to do it. I just never had it in me to want to have and raise kids. I have nothing against them….and I love kids. I just never had it in me to go that route. Not that I didn’t try with Lisa’s kids……they just didn’t want it. And Lord knows I tried to spoil them.
What’s the phrase they say…….”If you wait till you’re ready, you’ll never be ready”? Something like that. Unlike some, I just never got confronted with children. My first wife NEVER wanted them, and while Lisa and I did think of adoption…..GOD, it’s 30,000 just to START the process here!!! To START!
Some times I wonder. But hey, there’s still a chance we can be great grandparents later on when Lisa’s children grow out of the rebellion and decide they miss their roots. Who knows?
Ok, wrapping up the family bit, I’ve got a Mom and a brother. My brother and I haven’t talked in years, and I don’t even know where he is. He’s a weird one. Mom is married to her 3rd husband now. The first man was my biological father, and I didn’t like him (drunk, beat us, etc). The second was the greatest man I ever knew, and he was my DAD! In my eyes, there is a difference between Father and Dad. In a perfect world, they are the same man! In my world, they were not.
This third guy is “Mom’s Husband”. I don’t call him step-dad, and he doesn’t call me step-kid. He’s Jim and I’m Chris. But we get along. Still, they do their own thing. He is from Canada, and this past April he pulled roots and took Mom back to Canada. She HATES it up there, but will always stick by her man no matter what. She’s old school. She doesn’t believe in divorce, only Death till we part….and she sticks to that no matter what. So they split to Canada a few months ago, and I haven’t heard from them since.
For the most part, it’s just me and Lisa. I’ve no extended family, Mom is in Canada and AWOL, and my brother, Pat…..who knows. He’s crazy. But if you ever meet him, he’s damn charming and will make you laugh your butt off.
Lisa’s family is just as dysfunctional. So….it’s just us and the cats. And I like it that way. Much easier, Christmas shopping is very abbreviated, and less Birthdays to remember.
We do have pets though. We have four cats:
AJ (Male) = 9 years old
Blade (Male) = 8 years old
Wiggy (Female) = 5 years old
V (Female) = 3 years old
All fixed and up to date on shots, and spoiled rotten.
We live in the country on a 40 acre spread. We bought 1 acre from the old man that owns the farm land, so it’s spacious with woods about….and strays walk up all the time. So Lisa is feeding everything that breathes and walks. It’s like the Ark here sometimes!
NCT: What part of the world do you live in?
Huntsville, Alabama. The most technologically advanced city in Alabama. Meaning, about the only city in Alabama where I’ll get a good job!
NASA is here, we do have rocket scientist, and you’ll also find Boeing, Redstone Arsenal (Military), and many others.
NCT: How did you find the NCT community?
I was once a prolific poster somewhere else. Got the eight ball there and just quit going to forums. Then Terry (Fisher’s Mom) emailed me about NCT, and here I am. It’s HER fault! So blame her!
But I love it here and I sincerely thank Terry for remembering and thinking of me. Thank you Terry!
NCT: Do you have any hobbies besides cooking?
Yeah, sort of. I like all things electronics. I’m also an avid gamer. I’ve written a few free Game Guides (text files that tell you how to beat a game, where the secrets are, etc) for some gaming sites on the net. One in particular is www.gamefaqs.com, although I don’t frequent there much anymore.
My work at GameFaqs drew the attention of a Publisher in Germany called Future Press.
http://www.future-press.com/
They do game manuals professionally for Europe like Brady and Prima do for the US. They asked me if I’d be interested in joining their team, and I said HELL YEAH! But, honestly, I thought it was a scam at first since it was all email….but then the NDAs came in, and next thing you know I’m a published author. So far, I’ve written 5 books for Future Press.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/God-War-II-Official-Strategy/dp/393733677X/"]
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Bionic-Commando-Official-Strategy-Guide/dp/3940643289/"]
[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Devil-May-Cry-Official-Strategy/dp/3940643130/"]
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Killzone-Collectors-Guide-Campaign-Warzone/dp/3940643580/"]
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/inFAMOUS-Official-Strategy-Future-Press/dp/0744011272/"]
I actually sent Terry a copy of the Killzone 2 Guide in paperback edition, so she’s seen the quality of our work, and as a gamer, she has probably seen the crap Brady and Prima put out. So she can definitely testify that we rock!
It’s a cool job that lets me play games months before they come out, but it’s also quite a bit of work. Lots of work actually. But, it’s a labor of love…..most of the time!
NCT: Give us 5 words that describe you.
You’re really asking ME for 5 words – ONLY FIVE???
Procrastinate
Anal
Introvert
Cynical
Empathetic
NCT: Tell us one thing about yourself that people would be surprised to know.
I have a near obsessive compulsive disorder with washing my hands. Not when I’m doing yard work or working on cars, but when I’m on the computer or a game console. I can work all day in the yard and get sweaty, or work on a car to change a starter or head gasket and get greasy, and I don’t care how dirty I get because that is part of the job…..we’ll clean up later.
But on a computer, I’m crazy. I’m constantly wiping and washing my hands. I actually keep a towelette next to me when I’m gaming to make sure my hands stay nice and clean and dry.
I can not stand a greasy finger print ridden keyboard, control pad, or heaven forbid, finger prints on a monitor. Finger prints on a monitor or TV where someone has touched it makes me want to pass out!
See….there’s the Anal part!
NCT: How and at what age did you start cooking?
I was 16 when I tried it for the first time. I was dating a girl who’s mom made the best apple fritters. She taught me how to do it one day, and I ran home and tried it. It was my first dish ever, and they turned out! I was impressed. My first big, on my own dish to impress was when I was 18 and living in a 1 Bedroom apartment and had a GF over. I cooked Coq Au Vin, and it went very well.
NCT: Do you have a signature dish or one that you make especially well?
Yeah. I was living in that 1 Bedroom apartment and I called my Grandfather that was still living at the time. I asked him how to make a favorite of mine that he made often – Pork Chops smothered in gravy. He schooled me over the phone for 15 minutes, and I went off and did it. Ever since then, I’ve “owned” that dish. On special occasions, to shine it own, I make Pork Chops smothered in gravy with mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and rolls. True comfort food for me. And it was the first meal I ever cooked for Lisa and her girls – it won them over on the spot.
NCT: What is your favorite spice?
Paprika. Great color, and wonderful flavor. You can add it to nearly any rub or spice concoction for, not only color, but flavor. It’s never over-powering and the color addition is always great.
NCT: What is your favorite restaurant meal?
Surf and Turf. I love a good steak and I’ll always love seafood. Having grown up meeting the boats at the docks, it’s hard to find seafood that fresh, but I still love it all anyway.
NCT: What would your last meal be if you could choose anything at all?
A Century Egg just to say I did it, then a huge Deep Dish Pizza from Pizza Hut (yeah I said it, I like Pizza Hut Deep Dish). I really like pizza, but we hardly ever eat it for some reason. Too busy cooking other stuff I guess.
NCT: If you could host a dinner party with 6 guests, living or dead, who would they be and what would you serve?
Ahh…..I’ve seen this one before. I saw some answers that I sometimes think were scripted to make the answerer look better than they were. The pat and classic answer was always “a long lost loved one” like Mom, Grandma, etc. Most often when I see that, I wonder are they for real, or are they digging…..but no matter, that’s the Cynical part of me (remember the 5 word question earlier?). Anyway, my 6 are as follows.
1. DAD – Yeah, I know. It seems I’m contradicting myself, but I’m not. I’ll happily tell you now that Dad died when I was only 22. I didn’t fully understand him, or many things about life until I was 28 or older. Now that I’m nearly 40, I would give just about anything to sit down and have those long philosophical, and often perplexing, conversations with him. He was a “head” man, a philosopher, and a carpenter, welder, mechanic, boxer, race car driver…..hell, there wasn’t much of anything he couldn’t do. But he always read books, and always wanted me to read “The Right Brain Experience” or something by Jung, etc. I’d love to sit down with him NOW, and have that chat. I wasn’t ready when I was 16, but I’m bursting at the seams now!
2. Einstein – Brilliant.
3. Stephen Hawking – Brilliant.
4. Spartacus – What really went on back then.
5. Julius Caesar – No really, what really went on back then!
6. King Tut – Ok, how’d you build those????
I’d serve Cornish Hens stuffed with Wild Rice and Mushrooms, Grilled Bacon Wrapped Asparagus, Twice Baked Overloaded Potatoes, and Garlic Bread. I’d serve a Shiraz to drink; it would be a lovely drop.
NCT: If you were going to be stranded on an isolated island for a year, what 6 foods would you want to have to readily available?
1. Alcohol – Got to have my totty!
2. Tobacco – Yeah…..I smoke
3. Pig / Boar – Good meat, but the fat also comes in handy for cooking
4. Grain / Corn – Nice to eat, but can be dried for flour / meal
5. Artisan Spring (for water) – Infinite clean water supply, YES!
6. Bananas – Good snack, the leaves are great for cooking, etc.
NCT: Who would you most like to prepare a meal for and why. What would you serve?
Bobby Flay. I’d sprinkle some of Bam’s hot sauce on a chicken breast and say “How do you like THAT hot chit my friend????”.
Seriously……and not to sound like a cop out, but seriously……a VA Home or a Retirement home. So many of our Vets or Elderly are getting placed away and forgotten. I have no family to speak of due to early deaths and bad mojo. But it’s not my choice! I also see so many in the VA and Elderly homes that are there because they were cast off. By GOD! They raised us and made sure we are still free today. How can they be tossed off like yesterdays fashion???
My situation bugs me in that I’ve got no “elders” to honor. All my grandparents are gone now. No uncles or aunts. Nothing. I’ve no past to visit, and no heritage to praise. But past and heritage is what our country is about! I’d love to just get the balls up to go and volunteer at a VA or Elderly home to do something like that. And I may one day.
NCT: Who would you most like to have prepare a meal for you?
Emeril. I really do like him. I think he’s nice, funny, and cooks the kind of food I would like. He’d be fun to be around as he cooked.
NCT: 100 years from now, how would you like to be remembered?
That I contributed something worthwhile. That I did something worth remembering. Something that didn’t require fingerprinting!!!
NCT: Anything else you'd like to tell us about yourself?
Sure, I thought about a few question I think you missed. These are designed to put you on the spot!
List three Important Dates. Only THREE. If your memory faltered, and all you could remember was three, which would they be?
My next deadline!
Seriously, ugh. Lisa’s Birthday, Our Anniversary, Mom’s Birthday.
What’s your favorite movie. Only one, you have to nail it down!
Got to say Alien’s. I’ve seen it 30+ times and can still watch it again, and can still find something new. Love it.
What’s the craziest thing you have ever eaten.
Octopus – Raw in Sushi. It was in a Birmingham Sushi Bar.
What’s the craziest stunt/act you have performed.
Sexual????? HAHAHA, NO!
Coated my hand in a flammable gel and set it on fire in order to light a grill. The idea being that the gel will burn in layers before it burns your skin. It actually worked. Didn’t hurt a bit and no burns…..but I don’t suggest setting yourself on fire – ever!
So there you are. You now know more about me than you ever wanted to know!
Now some pics. Dug these out of the albums as they are some of my favs……
Lisa at Glamour Shots in 1996
Lisa and I at our wedding. We eloped. Seriously. It was just us!
Me at the wedding. The photographer wanted single shots and made me smile. Look at that chit. THAT is why I don’t smile in pics!!
Me at our vacation to Florida. We went to Christmas Florida just outside of Orlando to visit my Mom on the 4th of July.
Me showing love and trust with Shorty. A great dog that is no longer with us.
Our eldest grandson in some fat-baby stew!!
Reps to you. 
You sure set the bar high for whoever follows my man.
