I said I would...

...so I will.

A good friend decided to involve me in the bizarre "tagging" ritual, in which one answers questions/reveals deep, dark secrets about oneself and then picks five other victims to do likewise. The instruction is this: name five annoying, weird, surprising or different things about you and then tag five others.

PARENTHETICAL PRE-CONFESSION WARNING: Don't expect anything that can and will be used against me in a court of law, or any revelations useful for extorting money from me (as if I had any). Nor will I name names; I still believe in protecting both the innocent and the guilty.

1. I have owned three Kaiser automobiles. Most of you have never seen one. I had two 1953 models, and one '52, all of which had different grilles than this '54-'55...

Wish I still had one. They were neat cars, very comfortable and reliable.

2. I have met famous people without knowing it. For example: when I was quite young, I was taken to visit Stan Laurel, and later met Frank Sinatra in a hallway at Capitol Records in Hollywood. Neither encounter left any impression on me for many years; in fact, when I finally recalled the visit to Stan's apartment, I had to ask my sister to confirm that we had actually met him and not some other nice elderly man with a Scots burr in his voice.

3. In a true case of self-annoyance, I have been cursed with a mind like a dumpster. If I learn something wacky and useless, it's stuck in there and will come out at the strangest times. While this is good for playing trivia games, it sometimes cheeses off editors who don't understand truly obscure references when I drop 'em into articles. It's like having google in your head, without the really helpful stuff.

4. I am one of two people (I doubt there are any others) who actually crawled under a border fence to get into Russia. I was there for perhaps two minutes, before crawling back into Norway. There were consequences, but that's another story....

5. (My one serious "confession") I am disgustingly, almost self-destructively loyal. My friends know I can't say "no" to them when asked for favors large or small, regardless of my schedule or personal priorities. The truly bad part is that the loyalty extends to people who, to be blunt, no longer deserve it. I'm thinking of a couple of individuals in particular for whom I would still go down the line, even though they have done me some damage.

Okay. There's your five, Scott.

I am not going to "tag" anyone, however. If any of y'all want to do this, just let me know and I'll enjoy reading your answers.