24 Personal Facts and 1 Lie: A Contest
Jonathan alerted me to the "25 Things You Might Not Know About Me" meme. I'm not big on memes, but this one seemed like a great way to open up a bit.
But I thought I'd spruce things up a bit. Here's what I came up with.
24 of the following personal facts are true. One is completely fabricated. The first one of you guys that can guess which one wins the book of her/his choice (under $20, please) from Amazon. One guess per person. Deadline is Friday, January 30th. I'll keep the comments hidden until then to keep things fair.
Simple enough?
OK, here we go.
1. I'm not very social in the brick-and-mortar world.
2. On five separate occasions, I should have died.
3. Serj Tankian, lead singer of System of a Down, was my childhood friend and played keyboard in my band in the early 90's.
4. I'm an attorney.
5. My favorite food as a kid was boiled cow tongue.
6. I've never been to Europe.
7. I caught a foul ball from Reggie Jackson in the 1977 World Series.
8. I recently lost 85 pounds on a modified Atkin's diet.
9. For the first 5-7 minutes after I wake up, I am completely different person: much less bright and much, much less nice.
10. As a freshman in college, I started a business that provided people with recycling bins that would be picked up (by us) alongside the regular trash. Three months later, the City initiated the exact same program. Snuffed by The Man.
11. Movies I've seen more than 7 times: Braveheart, My Cousin Vinny, A Few Good Men, The Breakfast Club.
12. Books I've read more than 3 times: The Divine Conspiracy, Jesus and the Victory of God, The Beauty of the Infinite (which I still don't fully grasp).
13. When I was just a lad, I was hospitalized for one month with a rare form disease called Erythema Nodosum.
14. I can't count the number of laws I've broken. I've never been arrested.
15. My first car was a light blue Toyota Celica, dubbed "The Radmobile."
16. I won $250 dollars for finishing off "The Biggest Steak West of the Mississippi," an 82-ounce porterhouse.
17. First album I ever bought: Queen's News of the World.
18. The song that I take to summarize my life: Pearl Jam's Given to Fly.
19. I was the tallest kid in my class until the third grade.
20. I'm a 14 handicap.
21. In the third grade, I tried to pass off "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" as a poem I had written myself. Didn't fly.
22. I got caught red-handed using a cheat-sheet on a midterm exam. Teacher took the sheet, stared dead in my eyes, and handed my test back the next day with a big "B+" in the corner.
23. I spent the summer of 1986 in the former Soviet Union.
24. I saw Dennis Martinez throw a perfect game against the Dodgers.
25. I love karaoke.
Good luck.
Grace and Peace,
Raffi
UPDATE: I'm getting some votes for #6 based on #23. Let me clarify. Yeah, I had a stopover in Paris en route to the U, but I never considered that "being in Europe." So, no, neither #23 or #6 is the right answer. If you voted for either, you get a re-vote.
#6 - Never been to Europe
----------------
Not if #23 is true.
Phooey, I was sure the lie was your liking boiled cow tongue as a child, but then I got to #25 and thought, no, he can't be a karaoke fan. How many men are? So I pick #25 as the lie.
Alright, my official guess is #10, but I really have no clue.
I thought about guessing #2, because I suspect the real statement should be "On five separate occasions, I should have dyed my hair." But I'm sticking with 10.
On a side note, I'm a Pearl Jam fan and really like "Given to Fly". Also, from that Queen albumn - "Spread your wings" is a great song.
my guess is number 6 is a falsehood.
Hi Raffi...I am going out on a limb and suggest that #25 is a lie...that you do not, in fact, love karaoke.
~mp:)
my guess is #2
#7 is fabricated
OK, since all who responded failed so miserably, I'll give you a hint. All the above are wrong. And, yes, some men love karaoke...when done properly (private room with a bunch of close friends and a few beers).
Yeah, Mofast...something about songs about wings. And 10 was a terrible guess, BTW.
Grace and Peace,
Raffi
I think it's #22. It's the only one that didn't ring true to me.
JONATHAN!!!!!!!!!!.....
Nope, sorry.
must be no.3
Nope. #3 is true.
Time's running out people. Tell a friend to take a stab at it. *wink* *wink*
Grace and Peace,
Raffi
Dear brother,
This is the first time I visit your blog (thank the NT Wright-Bart Erhman debate for the flow of strange creatures from the virtual world), so I know nothing about you. But I will still plump for statement no. 8, as no one could survive the Atkins diet for that long, and have any brains left to keep this blog going.
Much love to you in the name of our Lord Jesus,
Carcaman (London)
Carcaman,
You may very well be right about the cognitive effects of the diet, but unfortunately, you pick just didn't slice it. *wink* *wink*
Grace and Peace,
Raffi
LAST DAY TO WIN A JUICY NEW BOOK!!!!
Sorry, Mofast and Janet. This ain't Chicago. One vote only, please (with the caveat in "UPDATE").
That was a fine SECOND guess, however, Mofast. You wouldn't happen to have any friends as blessed with the spirit of discernment, would you?
Grace and Peace,
Raffi
Okay, I am going to guess number 20, based on your *wink after the word slice above (though I am having a tough time reconciling it with the *wink on stab- though I know sometimes a shot can be called "a stab," especially if there is wind- or maybe I am wrong about that, too, and have no clue what I am talking about!)
Or am I too late? It is almost midnight on Jan. 30th, my time, so am I still good?
Still good, Cody.
Dead wrong, though, brother.
10 minutes left. I guess nobody's gonna cash in on this sizzling, juicy deal. *WWWIIIIIINNNNKKKKKK!!!*
Grace and Peace,
Raffi
Game over, people. Thanks for playing.
By the way, it was #16. Love me a good porterhouse, but 82 ounces is a little beyond my gastric capabilities.
Grace and Peace,
Raffi
Crap! I almost went with that one because of the "cutting" hints, but I didn't think stab went with it all that well. Though I guess it goes better with that than with golf!