I’d like to thank the Acadamy, and of course Meryl Streep

This post is my day 5 contribution to the 2015 Blaugust Initiative.

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My long-time LOTRO compatriot Haffle(heim) of Level Up Haffle has nominated me for the prestigious Liebster Award. (Is this an act of war? Weapons of mass admiration? I’d better check with my generals. I suppose the prudent thing to do is to proceed diplomatically for now.)

Since I’m a new blogger, this is the perfect opportunity to introduce myself. I’ll start out with eleven absolutely true facts you might not know about me.

SELECT TOP 11 [Assertion] FROM [FredFact] WHERE [Plausible] = 1 AND [Verifiable] = 0 ORDER BY [ApproximateDate] ASCENDING

1. I grew up on small family farm, and I can differentiate among six different kinds of animals by the scent of their manure.
2. I have between two and ten hairs on each of my toes, and I go barefoot most of the time to keep those hairs long and curly.
3. I have a moderate red/green color vision deficiency. If I ever see important information conveyed solely using color, I’ll probably complain about it.
4. I play the piano, guitar, and just about every brass instrument. The mighty tuba will always be my favorite, though.
5. I lived with a family in the former East Germany for a year as a high school exchange student. I spoke no German and they spoke no English. There was a lot of urgent gesturing the first few weeks.
6. I spent a college summer in Israel and Palestine doing archaeology. I learned virtually nothing about archaeology, but I got a great tan.
7. I served in the Air Force for a few years. My training included jumping out of airplanes and surviving alone for five days in the wilderness. This was not super helpful later when I was programming boring weather radar system upgrades.
8. I occasionally sing the national anthem at local sporting events. I even did it twice on TV for major league events. Maestro, in the key of G, please.
9. I have held the same job for the past 15 years, and I’ll be happy to keep it for 15 more.
10. I usually volunteer twice a month for charities. Sometimes I’ll challenge a random stranger I see on the way there to join me. I’ve actually made a few friends that way.
11. I jump on my bed every day, and often drink Kool-Aid. (Anything red is fine.) I believe acting young is the key to feeling young. Growing up is for suckers!

The audience is looking restless, so I’d better hurry this along. CC BY Alan Light on Flickr

Haffle has deviously posed eleven clever questions of his own for me to answer:

1. How did you get into blogging?
   

   I saw some friends tweeting about it and thought, “How hard could that be?” I mean, even Brax is doing it and he wears bifocals.

2. Describe yourself using a song.
   

   “Always Look On the Bright Side of Life” from Monty Python’s Life of Brian fits me pretty well.

3. Favorite video game character and why.
   

   Cairne Bloodhoof from World of Warcraft is one of my favorites. He was quick to think and slow to act, which I believe is a good definition of wisdom.

4. What was the first video game you played?
   

   I played Pong on a dedicated home console my great aunt bought at Sears.

5. Favorite snack while gaming?
   

   Pie. Any filling will do. You can’t do anything too serious while eating pie, so this reminds me to have fun.

6. If there was one video game out there that you’d like to see made into a movie (that isn’t already a movie or in production), what would it be and why?
   

   I think Tic-Tac-Toe would be interesting. Bear with me here. Except for errors, the player who makes the first move always wins. The film could use this game as a metaphor for the characters’ relationships.

7. Describe your perfect holiday.
   

   Literally any place on the globe outside the United States. I can find adventure or relaxation just about anywhere, so I’d want it to be in the context of living among people of another culture. I love to travel, the further the better!

8. Beer, wine, liquor or alcohol free?
   

   Usually alcohol free, but I’ll enjoy any of those options on social occasions.

9. If you could work at a game company/developer of your choice, which would it be and why?
   

   I’m not sure I’d want to work for a game studio. I often admire studios for the art and entertainment they produce, but I think working for one might take the joy out of my own gaming, rather than enhance it.

10. What was in your opinion, the worst video game you’ve ever played?
    

    I’ve never played an objectively bad video game, but then again, I haven’t really played a lot. I don’t have a Steam library filled with a hundred different 99¢ games. I mostly only play what my friends recommend, and they know me pretty well.

11. Kindle or books?
    

    I prefer the feeling of holding a real book in my hands. I also like seeing the covers of what books other people are reading, because it can be a good way to start a conversation.

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Now it’s my turn to declare interrogative war on nominate someone else for the coveted Liebster award. I think I’m supposed to nominate several writers, but I’ve never been a big fan of arbitrary rules. There’s one person who has been bringing a smile to my face for years whose blog I just discovered this week, and who I’m extremely curious to learn more about.

Congratulations, Zyngor! I’ve been enjoying your wit one sentence at a time, and now I realize you’ve written quite an impressive collection of sentences at your blog, Pleasant Gamer. It will take me weeks to read through them all.

In the meantime, here are my questions for you. And remember, this is for posterity, so be honest.

1. Which one habit says more about you than you’d care to admit? Is it something you’d change?
2. What’s a game you appreciate mostly as art, and another one you just see as entertainment?
3. When did you begin sporting your magnificent beard, and what prompted you to let it grow?
4. Aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper?
5. What do you feel has been your luckiest moment in life so far?
6. What super power would you wish on your worst enemy?
7. What’s the furthest from home you’ve ever traveled? What were you most homesick for while you were away?
8. Has a game ever made you cry?
9. Which flavor of ramen noodles is best? (Please explain your answer in less than 1,000 words.)
10. If you had to live inside a game world every day for the rest of your life, which game would you pick?
11. What have I got in my pocket?

Take a moment to introduce yourself, too! Pick one of my questions and answer it in the comments below.