A little more about me

I spend a lot of my time here just collecting random things I think are interesting or amusing, but I want to start adding some more info about me, and more of my writing and analysis. So, I stole a survey from Dennis and away we go!

1. Do you believe in spirits haunting houses?
I have never experienced supernatural, but I am open to the possibility.

2. Have you ever had an imaginary friend?
Nope, but I had an invisible dog named Zany. (short for Xanadu…Yes, named after the crappy Olivia Newton John roller skating movie)

3. Where is your home town?
Salt Lake City, Utah

4. What is you favorite Mexican food?
A shredded chicken chimichanga is fantastic, with everything else on the menu a close second.

5. Has anything scary ever happened to you that was hard to believe?
I almost fell off a mountain cliff once when I was in boy scouts. I had a top heavy backpack, a serious lack of coordination and moon boots while walking along a ridge after an overnight camping trip in the Wasatch mountains. I lost my balance and slid about 20 yards before coming to a rapid stop when I found myself wedged between two sapling pine trees. The scout master and other adult leaders came down carefully, buried themselves almost to the waist so they wouldn’t slip, and then unlatched me from my pack since it was so tightly wedged, I couldn’t move otherwise. I took their hands and they helped me climb up the hill to safety. The moment I was no longer attached to my bag, it came free and the saplings bounced back up. There is no way they should have held my weight, especially with my momentum. They should have bent down and I should have gone right over the top of the them, but I hit it just right and somehow it kept me from going over cliff a cliff almost 200 feet high.

I couldn’t stop shaking for days.

6. What weird habits did you have when you were younger?
I had OCD and had to touch things in multiples of four.

7. Have you ever wished by pulling apart a wishbone?
I have, but I don’t think they ever came true.

8. What part of your body currently smells funny?
My nose, because it is stuffy today. GET IT? It’s stuffy, so I can’t smell things well. It smells funny…oh never mind.

9. Would you rather live in a small or big house?
I think my house is just right. I wouldn’t want to live in a giant home. I get lost easily.

10. What's something not many people know about you?
That I tend to have a low sense of self.

11. What hobby of yours calms you down?
Playing video games. Not sure why.

12. Does the Discovery Channel interest you?
One of the favorites on the Dish Network Remote. Mythbusters, Everest: Beyond the Limit, Deadliest Catch...good stuff!

13. Who was your first best friend?
My wife Lisa has been my best friend since high school, though we didn’t date until college. She knows me better than I know myself.

14. Would you know what to do if there was a zombie uprising?
Find the nearest shopping mall. Though, I only have a 39% chance of surviving.

39%

15. Do you listen to hardcore music?
Not hardcore, but I like hard rock.

16. Do you own/want a Sidekick?
I prefer to fight crime by myself. "I’m a loner Dottie, a rebel."

17. Who do you know has the prettiest hair?
By default, I have to say my wife. Any other name, and the gaydar goes off like crazy.

18. What's the most colorful thing in your closet?
I have a Hawaiian shirt. Does that count?

19. Do you know anyone that can touch their nose with their tongue?
Nope.

20. Can you unwrap a Starburst in your mouth?
I probably could, but I don’t think I will try.

21. When was the last time you were disappointed?
For those that know me really well, it happened on January 10th, 2008. For those that don’t, well, I am not quite ready to blog about it yet.

22. Are you guilty of taking pictures of yourself when you go out?
Not unless someone is in the photo with me.

23. Do you know how to change a baby's diaper?
I do. Haven’t done one for a while, but it’s like riding a bike.

24. What do you think about Kim Kardashian?
Don’t know a thing about her, other than she is famous for little to no reason.

25. Have you ever watched the Proud Family?
I have no clue what that is.

26. What do you like to do in your spare time?
I don’t have much spare time since each week I work 40 hours at my job, teach two film classes (3 hours per) and work on video editing part time for freelance clients. When I do have some down time, I watch movies, read, watch sports, play video games, spend time with my wife, etc.

27. How do you picture your dream wedding?
I don’t have to picture it. I lived it. Best day of my life.

28. Is there someone you've lost contact with and miss talking to?
I am sure there are, but I try not to linger on the past.

29. Did you ever undress Barbie dolls to see what was underneath?
Wow…who thinks these questions up? Nope.

30. Who is your favorite Pokemon?
I prefer Chinpokomon. (I blatantly stole from Dennis here)

31. Where is your family from?
Orem, Utah

32. What's you favorite part of a carnival?
The big yellow slide and deep fried coke. http://scoopsmangum.blogspot.com/2007/09/fried-coca-cola-gastro-intestinal.html

33. Do you know someone that goes to McDonalds and orders burgers without meat?
No. That's a weird question.

34. What movie are you excited to come out on DVD?
Not much on DVD..."No Country for Old Men" comes to mind, but in terms of theatrical releases…The Dark Knight, Hellboy II, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, etc. Yes, I am a geek.

35. What Disney movie reminds you of your childhood?
All of them really. We were and still are a big fan of Disney in my family. If I had to pick, it would be a tie between Robin Hood and Pete’s Dragon. I always think of my Mom when I think of Elliott the Dragon.

36. Do you like Ingrid Michaelson's music?
I am not familiar with her.

37. Do the Saw movie gross you out?
I saw the first one on cable and was bored more than anything. I thought it was way over hyped and haven’t seen any of the sequels. I am not a big horror movie fan.

38. Do you have a favorite show on Cartoon Network?
I would have said “Futurama”, but it is now on Comedy Central. I would have to say “Robot Chicken”.

39. What would you like to be known for in the future?
As someone that was decent to others, a good friend and someone that tried hard at life.

40. Do you like Butterfingers?
I do, but it gets caught in my teeth really bad.

41. Do you like the smell of Sharpies?
They don’t really do anything for me, but remember…my nose smells weird. (See question 8)

42. What's the most amount of money you've seen in front of you?
In person? Probably a few hundred dollars.

43. What color is your favorite jacket?
Grey.

44. What project did you enter for the science fair?
A pinhole camera.

45. Can you handle looking at someone being operated on?
No. I don’t like those medical shows. I don’t even like to look when they poke me with a needle when I donate blood.

46. If you were sent to prison, do you think you'd survive?
I’d be the new fish so fast. I have a higher chance of surviving a zombie apocalypse and that is only 39%. Not looking good for Scoops. Plus, that nickname takes on a whole new meaning there. "I don't know what that means, but it sounds disgusting!" - Buster Bluth.

47. How do you change a flat tire?
Usually in the rain or snow, or when I am late for work. It's always whenever it is most inconvenient.

48. Which of your male friends has good fashion sense?
See the answer to question 17.

49. How do you want to change the world?
Just by making a difference in someone’s life for the better. I have had students say that they went back to school full time because of my class. One student said I inspired her to contact her estranged sibling and begin to heal old wounds. I had one student from Nigeria tell me that before my class he had seen one film his entire life, and now had seen 12 times that amount, so he wanted to major in nuclear engineering, but minor in film. True story. Honestly, I just want to be the best person I can be, and make a difference where I can.

50. What makes you an individual?
I am a complicated mashup of quirks, idiosyncrasies, and general geekdom. I'm an enigma, wrapped in a mystery, wrapped in a vest. To quote one student’s review of my class…”He’s no Roger Ebert, but he tries hard.” Can’t argue with that.