I’m not good at free association. Maybe chronological?

1. I was born in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, a city that is no more and is now covered in volcanic ash.

2. In high school I did a lot of German competitions. I actually was first in the state for advanced reading comprehension, and my folkdancing team came in third. I have a trophy for this somewhere.

3. I got beat up daily in gym in 7th grade for being tall. This is the downside to being tall. Midgets want to beat you up to improve their self-confidence. Because we all know that height directly corresponds with fighting ability.

4. I have held 13 jobs. Usher, Barista, Box Office Sales, Melt Shop Worker, Ranch hand, Cafeteria Worker, Computer Lab Proctor, Phone Computer Support, Onsite Computer Support, and Programmer. Don’t let anyone tell you that switching jobs is bad for your career. They’re just trying to keep you employed for too little money. The only thing you owe companies is the labor for which they pay.

5. I don’t mind eating shrimp shells and all.

6. I haven’t driven a car in about two weeks.

7. My favorite bus driver, who no longer drives the morning route I take is the best bus driver in Austin. I really enjoyed riding with him. He was friendly and the ride was always really comfortable. I used to complain about how rough the ride was on my evening commute. He was featured in an episode of the Downtown TV show and apparently he’s won an International Bus Driving Competition twice. They compete by driving a bus through an obstacle course. Cool stuff.

So there you have it. Seven very random things.