I have to confess I’m living a double-life. I’ve been doing this blogging thing for a while now but a couple of weeks ago I finally got into the Facebook thing; mainly just so I could read what my daughters were putting on there. Of course, once the Facebook organism recognizes you it runs all of its tendrils out through your past and present in its proprietary way and starts re-connecting you with people. Which is fun, but leads to more time on-line writing notes and on walls, poking and tagging people and so on.

It’s kind of like getting a new pet. The thing about a new pet, however, is that no matter how cute it is, it’s still got to be fed. And if you’ve got other pets — like a blog, for instance — these want to be fed, too, and it can get kind of hairy trying to run back and forth between them. Then those long-lost friends want to get all caught up on your life, and get you all caught up on theirs, so they tag you with the “25 Things” Meme.

Well, my short answer to that is “Read My Blog!” because basically everything that’s gone on, or is going on, in my life shows up there in one way or another. But doing it that way is the War and Peace version (on DVD, with Director’s commentary). So I decided to do the Reader’s Digest version (albeit annotated), while simultaneously “feeding” both my Facebook page and my blog. Here then, is my “25 Things” thing, many with links to past blog-posts that provide the back-story to that “thing”.

1. I know a lot of words, but I can use just a few of them at a time if necessary.

2. I can’t access Facebook during the day because it’s blocked on my company computers.

3. Sometimes I can be a real smart-ass.

4. And sometimes I can be a fair (or, perhaps, unfair) poet.

5. A movie that I always have to stop and watch if I come across it while channel-surfing: Zulu.

6. I teach a monthly “Fundamentals in Film” class to a group of teenage boys, using popular films to illustrate timeless truths of character and honorable behavior (as opposed to the images of Homer Simpson and professional wrestlers they’re most often exposed to).

7. Sometimes, the movies and lessons come alive.

8. I’m in love with my wife!

9. I’m also Dad to the Bone.

10. My wife and I home-educate our children at the Stewart Academy for Girls.

11. And sometimes we get unexpected help and lessons ourselves.

12. And I’m still learning stuff:

13. I’ve been to England twice. Once as an exchange student in college and 28 years later with my family,

14. I’ve also been to Italy,

15. And to Scotland,

16. And to Ireland,

17. And to the Emergency Room!

18. I know the difference between men and women.

19. And I’m not afraid to stick my neck (and head) out when it comes to my kids.

20. But a lot of people think I have some funny ideas about how to go about getting married:

21. I worked for a while part-time as a scoreboard operator at the Metrodome for Twins, Vikings and Minnesota Gophers games, and the odd rock concert, Wrestlemania and tractor pull – some odder than others:

22. My life frequently resembles something out of Monty Python:

23. My 14-year-old daughter and co-blogger is already a prize-winning author!

24. My wife and daughters go out for coffee together every Friday morning and often “live-blog” the experience. I sometimes wonder just what has been poured into their stream of consciousness.

25. I’m tired.

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