Oh, what the hell...

I was tagged for the 8 Things Meme again, this time by Dr. Criddle. Although I've already done my official entry in the meme, I figured I'd oblige with 8 more things, what with it being a slow work day and all. I won't burden you with the rules again, nor will I tag 8 more unfortunates. I've done my duty to the meme- this is just gravy.

1. I know this won’t sound very politically correct, but since we’re being honest here… I find the word "homo" hilarious. In particular, every time I hear someone whose age is in the double digits say "homo" in reference to a homosexual, I have an almost unbearable time containing my laughter. It’s one thing to hear a kid use it- kids are often prone to using cutesy names for stuff that shouldn’t be talked about in "polite" conversation (see also: "doody," "nards," "frenching," "cooter," "doing it," "wiener," and so forth), but adults who wish to be taken seriously at all have no call to say "homo." It’s just so bizarre to hear it in a supposedly grown-up voice that I’ll end up laughing to myself about it all day. I wonder what gay people make of this word- it’s undeniably a smear against homosexuality, but at the same time it’s so childish that laughing seems practically the only reasonable response. Thoughts?

2. I’m probably in the minority on this, but I don’t find Kirsten Dunst hot. I know plenty of guys who are into her, but not me. The only movie I find her even remotely appealing in is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which oddly enough had perhaps the least flattering cinematography of any movie she’s made. In the Spider-Man movies, on the other hand, I’m just not feeling it.

3. I was pretty musical in my youth, taking piano lessons for ten years and playing in the marching and symphonic bands in high school. I would like to learn another musical instrument. Several, eventually, but one to start out with. I’m not all that jazzed on learning to play the guitar, woman-attracting potential aside. I’m thinking something more along the lines of a classical instrument- perhaps the violin, or even the flute. The flute would be a better option given my current living situation- if I had my own house, I wouldn’t have to worry about noise so much, but in an apartment complex you don’t want to disturb the neighbors. Or maybe I could learn to play the theremin…

4. In addition to my instrumental music endeavors, I’ve also done a lot of singing in my life. Between some musical theatre, high school choir, and Men’s Glee Club in college, I was pretty active there for a while. And I was pretty darn good, if I do say so myself- I had a strong, clear baritone voice, well suited to both solo and ensemble singing. Unfortunately, in the intervening years my voice has suffered, due to lingering issues related to allergies and a seemingly endless string of minor respiratory ailments. I just can’t sing like I used to, and when I try I can’t keep it up for long. Damn.

5. I’m the only member of my immediate family who has never worked for Goodyear. Then again, I’m also the only one who doesn’t live in or around Akron, home of their world headquarters, so I suppose that makes sense.

6. Of all the movies I haven’t seen in my life, the one I’m most ashamed of is Pialat’s A Nos Amours. There are others I’m more eager to see, but of all the films on my lift, Amours is the only one I actually own. I’ve had a VHS copy for about 5 years and I STILL haven’t gotten around to watching it.

7. The more I think about it, the more I’ve warmed to the idea of naming my purely hypothetical daughter Muriel. I originally named my guinea pig Muriel in part because I liked the name but didn’t consider it something I’d name a child. But given my love for somewhat outmoded names, I could do a whole lot worse. And it beats the hell out of the lame crappy names you hear nowadays. I can’t tell you how sick I got of hearing the name "Chelsea" while working at the movie theatre. Gee lady, I wonder who was president when you had HER?

8. The thumb on my right hand is double jointed, but not on my left hand. So much for bilateral symmetry.