200 Posts, 25 Things, And A Contest.

If you have noticed, I try to match my pictures with the content of my blog. This is my 200th post. The picture you see is Henry Gibson, who appeared on Laugh-In. Henry has a connection with the number 200. What is it? This is my contest. The first person who answers this actually gets something. What, you ask? That will be revealed at the bottom of this post, after the Fifth Grader question. Some of my friends have been posting lists of 25 things about themselves. Here is mine.


1. I read J.R.R. Tolkein's The Hobbit and the Lord Of The Rings trilogy every 2 years.

2. The Lord Of The Rings movies are my favorite movies, but Gettysburg is a close second.

3. I never dated in High School.

4. When I am home I rarely sit down and watch television or a movie. I have it on but am usually doing something else too.

5. I am a great procrastinator.

6. I have three children that were part of the package deal with my wife. They were 7, 6, and 4 when we married.

7. My daughters do not speak to me.

8. I have 5 grandchildren. 2 of them I have not seen since my wife's funeral. The other 3 I have not seen in over 5 years.

9. I spent 16 years cleaning in hospitals and nursing homes.

10. My senior year in High School I was a sports reporter. I wrote about every game or event for the local newspaper.

11. I always wanted to be a writer.

12. My favorite television show is Babylon 5. My second favorite is Ellery Queen, which starred Jim Hutton.

13. I am a die-hard Cubs fan and have been since 1969.

14. I don't watch or listen to sports, I just follow the results.

15. I was married for almost 22 years, lived with someone for 4, and have been dating a woman for over a year now.

16. I like all kinds of music, but my favorite is classic rock.

17. I have attended 3 concerts in my life. I saw Harry Chapin, Barry Manilow, and Blue Oyster Cult, and spent less than $20 to see all three.

18. The movie I saw the most times in a theater was Grease.

19. I have lived in Mason City, Illinois; Springfield, Illinois; Hanover Park, Illinois; Auburn, Illinois; and Calhoun, Georgia.

20. When I was 13 my hands were frostbit.

21. I broke my arm when I was 4.

22. I cut out newspaper clippings and glue them on a sheet of paper, forming something like a magazine. I make copies and send to a friend in Auburn, Illinois.

23. I tried smoking and drinking after I turned 21. I have not smoked since then and I very rarely drink.

24. Outside of where I have lived, I have visited Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

25. I have never seen the ocean, but I hope to change that this year.
The answer to yesterday's question was true. Today's question is Grade 4/Literature.

Where did Robin Hood live?

Another easy question for me. My total is 23-7. The prize for my contest is a Superman embossed foil card from the Superman Returns movie. The scan isn't great but it looks like this.