So there's no lead in paragraph this week, I'm just jumping right in. I hope that's OK with everyone.
Each week, I sit down and try to share a story that gives you guys a better look at who I am and what my life is like. It started out as a chance to share my experiences as a new father and get feedback from my readers. Then I transitioned a little to include other aspects of my life (hobbies, vacations, weird random thoughts, etc.).
As a result, I feel like a lot of you have gotten to know me pretty well, which is evident in the things you say when you approach me in the grocery store or at the gas station.
But this week, I thought I'd give you guys a glimpse of some of the little, seemingly insignificant things that don't normally shine through but definitely have an impact on who I am as a person. So here are 10 things that you may or may not know about me.
1. I like to think President Obama is an avid Dungeons and Dragons player. There's really nothing to back this up, but to me the same characteristics that make someone a good D&D player would also make them a good president.
2. I love steamed broccoli. I know what you're thinking. Pizza? Sure. Burritos? Absolutely. Hot wings? All day, every day. But broccoli? No, not Chris. But I love those tiny green trees. No cheese. No rice. Just steamed broccoli.
3. I hate brushing my teeth. It's the thing I put off the longest when getting ready each morning. I'm not sure why I hate it so much, but I do. When I was a kid, I used to imagine that someone would invent a way to clean your teeth without having to brush. That hasn't happened so I'm still brushing everyday like a troglodyte.
4. I've seen the movie "Frozen" more times than I've seen "Star Wars." I was thinking about it while watching Frozen with Caroline this weekend (we watched it five times between Saturday and Sunday). I think in the 20+ years that I've been watching Star Wars, I've only seen it about 25 times. Roughly once a year. Frozen has blown that out of the water just since Caroline's birthday in April.
5. I'm not usually a spontaneous person, but a few weeks ago I woke up one morning and decided I wanted to live in Canada. I spent a whole day telling myself that we could just pick up and go. Nothing's holding me here. I looked at housing and even talked to a few friends who live in Canada. Then I went to bed that night and it didn't cross my mind again until just now.
6. I don't like fried chicken. It's probably my least favorite food next to tomatoes, which taste like dirt. However, I absolutely love chicken nuggets and chicken strips, which are both technically fried chicken. It's a real conundrum.
7. I have dyslexia and am terrible at remembering people's names. Just think about how difficult that makes my job at times.
8. A group of physicists have posited that the universe is actually just a computer simulation and are testing that theory. I think so much of life would make more sense if it turns out they're correct. But what I really hope they find out is that we're actually in the Matrix. How cool would that be?
9. Teenage boys have this stereotypical proclivity to toilet humor. As a former teenage boy, let me set the record straight ... poop jokes are funny. But as a parent, I talk about poop more regularly than I ever did as an ill-mannered 14-year-old.
10. I really love socks. Ashley is constantly teasing me about having more socks than any person should ever own, and she's right, I have way too many. But I can't stop. I like buying socks. Fun printed socks. Dress socks (my personal favorite). Soft, absorbent sport socks. I just really like socks.
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OK, so I may have said some of these things before, and most of this list is almost certainly too much information (is saying TMI cool again?). But it's these little things combined with the big things in life that makes us who we are. It determines how we communicate with others and how we see the world around us. It's the small, day-to-day things that give the bigs things, like having a child or getting married or losing a loved one, their meaning.
Follow me on Twitter at @CN_ChrisP. May the force be with you.
cpinkard@blythevillecourier.com