Friday, January 30, 2009

More about me

Like A.T., I got tagged a few more times on Facebook. And like A.T., I'm going to give this another shot. I wasn't happy with my last performance (but not sure I'm going to post this one on Facebook):

1. About eight years ago, I covered an execution in Texas. The condemned inmate's name was Orien Cecil Joiner. He was convicted of fatally stabbing two women who lived next door to him in Lubbock. This was his final statement.

2. I've only been drunk about a half dozen times in my life. I was with my ABC, J-Will, four of those times. The last time was when I worked up the liquid coverage to kiss the woman who later became The First Lady.

3. The real reason I stopped eating pork was that I considered joining the Nation of Islam when I was a teenager. I was serious, or about as serious as any kid can be about something like that at that age. I never joined the Nation, but I also never ate pork again.

4. I don't believe in potluck dinners. It's nothing personal. I just don't eat food made at someone else's home.

5. I love talking with people whom I can ask anything, and whom feel comfortable enough to ask me anything. Curious people make the best - and most interesting - friends.

6. My homeboy keeps telling me that Spice Gold is legal. "You can blow it right in a cop's face," he says. I just don't believe him.

7. The only person whom I'll always hold a grudge against is my old high school football coach. If he was on fire, I wouldn't piss on him to put it out. F-you, Coach Davis.

8. I've only got one good Achilles tendon. The right one. I tore the other one at a bachelor party.

9. I will almost always root for the underdog. I probably should have been a defense attorney.

10. I never grew up with pets, so it's taken me some time to learn how to live with a dog. It's a continuous learning process. My moms thinks I need to consult with Cesar Millan.

11. Once upon a time, I was extremely fastidious about how clean I kept my apartment. I even made sure the lines from the vacuum were straight. I want to become that way again.

12. I really, really, really miss playing basketball four times a week at the Christus Schumpert Wellness Center in Bossier City. Few things are better than a good, clean, competitive pickup game.

13. I'm really bad at staying in touch with my friends - I've got nine messages in my voicemail from folks that I need to call. But the good thing about my friends is they understand this is one of my flaws.

14. I don't think I've ever been quite the same after one of my best friends committed suicide about 10 years ago. Hard to put a finger on why. But I'm just different. I'll always wonder if I could have done something to stop it.

15. If I could live anywhere, it'd probably be somewhere along the Southern California coast. But the Bay Area would be cool, too.

16. I've always hated clubs and parties. But a small get-together with good friends and a nice meal ... man, just tell me what to bring and what time to be there.

17. No doubt, I'm a mama's boy. But I'm also my father's son. All of my personality traits came honestly.

18. I've already got the name picked out for my first son: Denmark. Don't steal it.

19. I almost missed my high school graduation. I was one more failed pre-cal test from not walking with my class. Simply embarrassing.

20. Speaking of which, if I studied more than a total of 20 hours in college, I'd be surprised. I have absolutely no kind of study habits. It's a damn shame.

21. The only two jobs that I didn't get that I interviewed for were with newspapers in Louisville and Nashville. I consider myself lucky.

22. My first car was a 1987 Honda Civic CRX. I called it "Cletus." People used to clown the hatchback but, hey, that car got great gas mileage and always got me from "A" to "B."

23. If I have to choose, it's gotta be Melinda and I. A new, strange, bustling, interesting city. At least five days to explore. And a beach nearby.

24. I sorta think Blago got a raw deal.

25. The funniest person I know is Steven Baker. He should be making money off his comedy. Turns out he's good at law school, too.

6 comments:

Zen said...

So revealing.

blackink said...

Yeah, this ain't no diary Zen.

And the thing about revealing too much is that it can come back to bite ya, too. I can work out the really deep stuff in therapy, ya dig?

maria said...

what effect did witnessing the execution have on you? are you against capital punishment? i'm conflicted on this topic, but mostly anti.

oh and i owned the same civic. my second car. totalled it but i was ok, just a single scratch on the side of nose!

blackink said...

You know, Maria, it's weird ... the execution had almost no effect on my views of capital punishment. It was almost anti-climatic, like watching someone go to sleep. What stuck with me was that even on his deathbed, Joiner maintained his innocence. That's mighty powerful.

But in general, I'm against state executions. The punishment is too often unequally meted out, and the chance of killing the wrong person is too great. Then again, I can understand the other side of the argument - some people do deserve the ultimate punishment.

maria said...

But in general, I'm against state executions. The punishment is too often unequally meted out, and the chance of killing the wrong person is too great.

these are my thoughts as well. too many men put to death later exonerated by DNA evidence. i am certain i could not and would not want to watch it. no impact on your thinking...nor emotions?

thank you for sharing that experience. (been thinking about this lately because i finally saw deadman walking).

blackink said...

I actually volunteered to cover the execution, believe it or not. I wanted to experience it for myself, given that there's not a lot of people out there who've been able to do it. (And Texas probably executed something like 40 people that year)


I thought I might understand things more, somehow, if I witnessed it for myself.

Truth to be told, it really had no effect on me - emotionally or otherwise. I was a little disappointed in myself. But I've heard other people say the same thing.

For instance, I actually saw a man die in a car accident a few months ago. I literally saw his truck clip another car in the median, saw him tossed out of the cab and saw him land on the pavement dozens of feet away. When he hit the ground, I knew he was dead.

That's haunted me a helluva lot more than watching Joiner be put to death.

Not quite sure why that is.