100 Things About Me (tagged by Ryan)

1. I have never responded to a tagging…until now.
2. I started the blogging trend in my family.
3. I am the least proficient blogger in my family.
4. Nicknames I’ve had: DT, Thurmanator, Del, Derek the perek, Derelichte, Mago
5. I am a geek.
6. In grad school, I had 7 PC’s, at the same time. All of them worked.
7. Currently, we have 4 PC’s, 1 Mac, and 1 handheld computer.
8. My favorite hobby is gaming.
9. I am a big geek.
10. Calling me a geek or nerd will not hurt my feelings.
11. I started playing soccer in the first grade when I was 6 years old.
12. I still play soccer on an indoor team once a week.
13. I was inspired to play indoor soccer by Ryan.
14. I don’t enjoy interior decorating.
15. I mow my own lawn because it is the only time I regularly spend outside and because I am cheap.
16. I reached my full height by the 10th grade.
17. I weighed 165 lbs. from age 15 to 29.
18. I had my first stitches at age 2.
19. I have had stitches 4 times…all on my head or face.
20. I subscribe to A Word A Day.
21. I still remember the first word I learned on A.W.A.D. 6 years ago: Potemkin village.
22. I have been accused of having a photographic memory.
23. I rarely remember things my wife just told me 5 minutes earlier.
24. I have lived in 9 cities.
25. I had my first paying job at age 9: paper boy.
26. My formal education spans 24 years.
27. My favorite color is blue.
28. During junior high school I rarely wore clothing that was not grey, black or blue.
29. I played organized football for the first time in the 8th grade. I made the starting team.
30. In the 9th grade, I played football and soccer at the same time and often left football practice after school and went to soccer practice.
31. My personal best in the high jump is 6′.
32. Growing up I often claimed my goal was to be a garbage man.
33. My boys get up early on Tuesdays and Fridays to wave at the garbage man.
34. I eat the same breakfast and lunch almost every weekday: bagel and coffee for breakfast, PB&J, chips and an apple for lunch.
35. I am a creature of habit.
36. I love cars made by Honda and may never buy anything else.
37. I have performed x-ray scattering experiments on two continents at 3 synchrotron sources.
38. I enjoy reading science-fiction and western novels.
39. Being a good dad is one of my top goals in life.
40. I have no fashion sense and it does not bother me at all.
41. I wear a size 8.5 shoe.
42. I like sports but rarely make time to watch them.
43. The World Cup is the exception.
44. I have written a simple computer program before.
45. I like skiing.
46. I have not skied for nearly 10 years.
47. I would like to learn snowboarding.
48. I tore a ligament in my knee.
49. I have never broken a bone in my body.
50. I have worn a beard since high school with only short clean-shaven stints.
51. I don’t like to shave.
52. Growing up, I was the only one in my immediate family who did not wear corrective lenses.
53. Growing up, I was the only one in my immediate family without mold and pine alergies.
54. Growing up, I was the only one in my immediate family with blue eyes.
55. My wife married me for my blue-eyed genes.
56. Science-fiction is my favorite genre for movies and television.
57. I believe chocolate and coffee are better the darker they are.
58. Lately, I only read books while on an airplane.
59. I love electronic gadgets but don’t care about advanced mobile phones.
60. Of the 350 minutes of cell phone airtime we use in a typical month, my calls account for about 25 minutes.
61. I always liked dogs better than cats until we got a cat.
62. I saw the recently released The Transformers at the theater by myself.
63. I have an original series Optimus Prime toy along with original packaging in my parents’ attic.
64. I have a box a box full of all my old soccer jerseys since I was 13.
65. While in college, I once got two speeding tickets in the same week.
66. I got my driver’s license at age 17 (a year late) because I didn’t own a car at 16.
67. I get freckles.
68. I got braces when I was 18.
69. I don’t wear hats anymore. Not as a rule but as a habit.
70. I think khaki pants are the new blue jeans.
71. I haven’t bought a new CD for more than 5 years (with the exception of Zane Williams music).
72. I am an author on 5 scientific papers.
73. At one point, I had a library of nearly 200 videos and DVDs.
74. I only purchase children’s movies now.
75. I have been bungie-jumping.
76. I asked my wife to marry me in a magnolia tree.
77. I hate local news programs on television.
78. I get my news from the internet.
79. I don’t generally care for politics or politicians.
80. I read the newspaper when I am traveling but never when I am home.
81. I don’t get sick very often.
82. I taught myself to play guitar.
83. I was in a band in college.
84. I like fixing things.
85. I actually like my commute to work. It’s relaxing.
86. I always eat italian dressing or vinagrette on salad.
87. Between January and May this year, I spent 0 of my working days on business trips. 
88. Between June and September this year, I spent 1/3 of my working days on business trips.
89. I prefer water to carbonated drinks.
90. I have a fear of riding motorcycles that stems from childhood.
91. I read slowly but tend to retain what I read.
92. I am not a picky eater and I will eat almost everything except liver.
93. I think chiropractrics is useful.
94. I never wanted to be a medical doctor because I get shivers just thinking of bodily harm to other people be it accidental or intentional.
95. I have a very high pain tolerance.
96. I have visited Carlsbad caverns.
97. I have never visited Niagra Falls.
98. I think boxing is a good way to hurt your face.
99. I am a good speller but I missed the first word in the only spelling bee I ever participated in.
100. The longest blog entry I have ever posted is this list.

I tag Patrick and Caleb. They are the most likely people to still be reading my blog.