Nick's 100 Things

100 Things About Me

1. I can’t pet my cat or anything small and cute without biting my bottom lip.
2. I have an oral fixation (biting nails, skin around nails, eating sunflower seeds, etc.)
3. I am partially black (roughly 1/16th, but not exactly sure), though legally I am half black.
4. I got an Excellence Scholarship (which is a full financial scholarship issued to black scholars) to Ohio State (see above for explanation).
5. I had an older sister that died in my mother’s womb. I am now the oldest of three children. Her name was Hannah.
6. I have been a Christian for as long as I can remember. I actually don’t remember what age I was when I gave my life to Christ. Similarly, I don’t remember a lot of details about my childhood.
7. I do remember playing “doctor” under a picnic table with my friend Michelle from across the alley. She had a Michael Jackson doll and her mom let her eat as much candy as she wanted before dinner. Needless to say, I was over there a lot.
8. I had surgery on my head when I was born because I didn’t have a soft spot in my skull. They placed a spacer in my skull so my head could grow evenly and now I have an 8 inch scar.
9. I was called “Ass head” and other names due to this scar as I grew up and when I got older people just asked me about it constantly. As a result, I began to create wild stories which I told to strangers who asked where the scar came from.
10. When I was around 6 years old I was walking on the brick wall outside our house and the wind blew me off the wall and I hit my head on the ground. I woke up at the hospital. I was also dropped on my head when I was one year old.
11. I rode my Huffy on the freeway (315 N) when I was 10.
12. I had my bike stolen from me when I was 13. I was riding it at the time.
13. I went to five high schools (Northland, Centennial, Columbus Alternative, Ft. Hayes, Whetstone.)
14. I home schooled in seventh grade and volunteered at COSI as my science class.
15. The first CD I ever bought was Petra and my first concert was Carmen.
16. I have 9 tattoos (1999-present)
17. Beth and I were dating for one week when I asked her if she wanted to get married. Three months later there was a ring on her finger. Five months after that we were married.
18. My favorite album has been “Loveless” by My Bloody Valentine for so long that I don’t even know why it ever was in the first place. I probably actually don’t have a favorite album anymore.
19. My favorite movies are Out of Sight, Eternal Sunshine, Royal Tenenbaums and Amelie.
20. Most of my favorite things I can only watch or listen to once a year or less.
21. My pillow is disgusting looking. Just ask Beth. It is flimsy, old and stained with spit. I can’t sleep as well on any other pillow.
22. I wear a mouth guard (due to teeth grinding) when I sleep.
23. I love the idea of reading books but can rarely make myself finish a leisure read. One of the last (also most favorite book) I have read to date is “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” by Jonathon Saffron Foer. I wept many times as I read it.
24. I found that I subtly and unconsciously change my tone of voice or mannerisms to match who I am speaking to (whether it is a black person, a gay man or someone with a southern accent).
25. I love the idea of collecting comics but don’t have the money or time to invest.
26. I love the idea of collecting vinyl but CD’s and MP3s or quicker, cheaper and easier.
27. I have been a photographer for 10 years now.
28. I can rarely look at art I have done in the past without wincing.
29. I have wanted a Jeep Wrangler since I was a kid and now that I have one it is one of my greatest prayers to be able to sell it in the next few weeks due to maintenance and fuel inefficiency.
30. When I am getting dressed each day and loading up my pockets with my wallet and pocket knife and pen and putting on my belt, I think about what exactly I will need to survive either in the wilderness or if I have to make it across the country.
31. Before I was a photographer I was a fine artist. I wanted to draw comic books and make children’s books.
32. I also wanted to be a crime scene photographer. Seriously. You should have seen the looks on my guidance counselor’s face when I asked them what steps it would take on my end to make this dream a reality.
33. At OSU I decided I wanted to be a poet too. A minor in poetry.
34. Then I wanted a minor in graphic design.
35. I never got any minor. I did want to do creative writing along the way as well. And possibly sculpture.
36. In my mind I really think I could do just about anything (play piano, do stand-up comedy, make a movie) if I had the time and the resources.
37. I hated science and history and current events growing up. I liked Math and Art. Writing and Reading were okay.
38. I make myself read the news daily though I rarely want to.
39. I make myself eat vegetables and fruit at least once a day though I don’t usually want to.
40. I hate everything Zach Braff makes.
41. I love everything Ryan Gosling makes.
42. Doo-Wop is my favorite music of all time.
43. Old school Hip Hop, piano and Brazilian music are quickly climbing my list as well.
44. When I was a kid I always thought I would eat cereal 3 times a day when I grew up and had my own rules. I don’t.
45. I don’t watch movies as much as I used to.
46. Same with television. I don’t know exactly where all my time goes exactly. As mentioned in #23, you know what I am not doing with my time.
47. The first smells of fall break my heart every year. It makes me miss school. I always loved new beginnings (hence the 5 high schools and 6 years at OSU).
48. I love when the sky is overcast but the clouds are breaking off in the distance. This usually happens a lot when it is cold outside. It is really comforting to me for some reason.
49. I love when I am already cold but know I can hop in bed or take a bath any time I want. I usually draw this process out as long as I can stand it so the warmth is even more effective.
50. I get so excited when I sit down to eat that I end up burning my tongue and sucking in air loudly to cool down my food to the dismay of everyone around me.
51. When I see someone with a lazy eye or crooked teeth or even the smallest abnormality to them I have the deepest desire to take care of them and protect them. Then I get really sad.
52. I sit by the window or natural light whenever possible no matter where I am.
53. I have been to 6 countries.
54. I have been to 32 states.
55. I wear one pair of jeans pretty much everyday until they completely fall apart on me.
56. I have over ten pairs of shoes but only wear 2 pairs regularly.
57. I have learned that I can multi-task while doing pretty much anything except having a conversation with someone else (especially my wife).
58. Sometimes I will have a high frequency tone in one of my ears for a minute or so. This has been happening since I was a kid. I have always wondered if I had a superpower and was sensing something.
59. I used to be scared to cross the street when I was a kid after I saw Back to the Future because I thought the Dolorean would appear out of thin air and run me over.
60. I LOVE documentaries.
61. I move my legs around under the covers in order to relax to fall asleep.
62. It takes me usually under 30 seconds to fall asleep. Often 10-15 seconds. No joke.
63. I think shoe choice can save most outfits and that if pants don’t hit your shoes just right, they are worthless.
64. Beth and I made our wedding bands.
65. All of a sudden I was allergic to my band a year into our marriage. I couldn’t wear it wearing tape between my finger and the ring. I prayed for healing with this allergy for 2 years. All of a sudden about 6 months ago I could wear it with no problem. I am wearing it right now.
66. We got married 2 days before my birthday four years ago this December. Needless to say, December is a pretty profitable month for me.
67. I worked at Stauf’s coffee shop for just under 2 years and at Stauf’s enemy, Starbucks, for just over two years.
68. I have worked all my jobs for around 2 years each.
69. Except I only worked at Papa John’s for 1 month.
70. I was kind of in a garage band my freshman year of high school, though I couldn’t play an instrument. I jammed on my friend’s broken, un-tuned bass guitar only when the rest of the band was playing loudly so no one could hear that I knew nothing. The band was called “Slow Squirrel”.
71. I wish I knew how to play the piano and guitar and know how to mix and record my own music. I would record just for my own pleasure and listening.
72. I freak out if the apartment or car is too cluttered. Often, I clean before I start my workday so I can feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.
73. I have been running my own photography business for almost one year now.
74. And we still have a roof over our heads and the things we need and then some. Praise you Lord!
75. I hate Star Trek but LOVE the original Star Wars.
76. I have gone to 6 annual 24-hour sci-fi movie marathons now. Every time I go I think about (while maintaining complete unawareness of self) how many nerds there are there.
77. I skim almost everything I read. If I were reading this as someone else’s blog, I would be skimming it. This results in me missing many, many important things.
78. I pull at my beard hair constantly.
79. I smoked cigarettes off and on for the better part of 4 years. Though I smoked more than a half a pack a day I had no problem quitting for four months (which I did 2 times) before quitting for good. Every time it was cold turkey, though I still often miss it.
80. I have seen the movies “Hackers” and “Toys” (yes, the movie with Robin Williams) at least 100 times.
81. I was arrested in North Carolina for speeding when I was 18. My friend and I had just graduated high school and were headed to Myrtle Beach. I was going 94 in a 70 MPH zone. They were in an unmarked car and were tailgating me as I was only going about 85 before. However, I had buried the needle in West Virginia and hit 117 MPH so I wasn’t completely innocent. I had to spend the night in jail and even wear black and white stripes. I also had to go back three months for the court date. I still am not sure whether I can legally drive through the state.
82. I had 2 box turtles named Myrtle when I was growing up. I used to take my turtle outside for exercise. The first Myrtle ran away when I accidentally left it in our back yard overnight. It was replaced with Myrtle the second, which I gave away when I got tired of changing the cage and feeding it.
83. Our house got robbed the first month we were living in it when we moved to the Linden area. It was ten in the morning and we were only out of the house for 30 minutes. The first thing I did was to see if my turtle was okay.
84. My head tingles whenever I say anything inappropriate (and sometimes if I only think it). It is to the point where Beth can ask “Is your head tingling, because it should be.”
85. I ate a banana chip muffin every day I worked at Starbucks for about 6 months. They are 400 calories each.
86. I was always skinny growing up. I remember I weighed 55 pounds but claimed I weighed 60 when I was in 4th or 5th grade. I hovered around 155 until I started waiting tables at Hoggy’s where I gained 30 pounds in a year and a half.
87. I had no chest hair or even hair on my stomach when I was graduating high school and now it looks like I wear a black snow suit year round.
88. By the time this year is out I will have been on at least 17 flights which nearly ties all the other flights I have taken in my life combined.
89. I am allergic to bees and get hives all over my body and pass out when stung. I haven’t been stung since the first time this happened to me when I was 13 or so. I run like a girl whenever I see bees.
90. I am now gun shy of most things that move sporadically (including moths).
91. I had my wisdom teeth and tonsils removed at almost the same time of year 2 years in a row and can’t keep straight which procedure was which. I was on drugs and it hurt to eat with both procedures.
92. I wasn’t allowed to date until I was “old enough” and so this caused me to secretly date, which I hated. I think this also caused me to feel like I couldn’t talk to my parents about this type of stuff. I ended up not really having many long term dating relationships.
93. I also never went to Prom or any other school dances.
94. I am currently slowly learning Brazilian Portuguese and acoustic guitar.
95. I have movie nights with my friends where we create themes in order to justifiably watch really bad movies (“Animals That Play Sports” night: Air Bud, Most Valuable Primate, Ed. Or “An evening with Clint Howard”).
96. I have seen over 1,000 films. I used to keep track of how many I had seen by highlighting them in yearly film guides. I don’t do that anymore. I am not sure what number I am up to.
97. I have flat feet which results in knee problems.
98. Last year I walked from 270 North and High St. in Worthington down past 104 in an attempt to reach 270 South. I was one mile shy. It totaled about 18 miles. I couldn’t walk for two days afterward. My goal is to walk 270 North to South and back (around 32 miles) in one day.
99. I rode my bike from London, Ohio, to Cincinnati last year with 4 friends. We rode back the next day bringing the 2 day mileage to 160 miles. Again, I couldn’t walk for 2 days afterward.
100. I love almost every Old Navy commercial I have ever seen.