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Do you want to know what turns me into Mr. Hyde or why I’m chronically unemployable? Keep reading…

Leesa Barnes of Podonomics tagged me to participate in the "5 Things You Don’t Know About Me" chain (I was trying not to say "meme"). The idea is that you post five unique things about yourself on your blog then you select five other bloggers to also participate. So here it goes…

1. I started playing guitar at 17 and earned a 2-yr guitar degree in college

Thirteen years ago, almost to the day, I picked up my mom’s guitar and asked her to teach me a few of the most important chords. I was home for Christmas break and needed something to do. A couple month’s later I performed for the first time on stage. At that point I knew it was something I would do the rest of my life to some degree.

While I was studying to get my Bachelors in Electrical Engineering, I also studied jazz guitar. I took sight singing and all the other basic theory classes that music majors take. It kept me sane and was a lot of fun. I’ve played in alternative rock, folk, jazz, classic rock and funk bands since I was 17.

I still pull my guitar out now and again but am not currently gigging out actively. If you saw me perform on stage with a band, you would think it was a different person. Can you say "Jekyll and Hyde"?

2. I speak French

I had the opportunity to live in France for awhile where I was able to take my high school level French to a more functional level. I absolutely love the French language and culture. French pastries are the best! My favorite is the Chausson aux Pommes.

3. I’m chronically unemployable

After five years earning an engineering degree, followed by only three years as an engineer, I quit my first and only "career" position. That was in 2003. I’ve sworn to never again work for someone else as an employee.

For me to enjoy life I have to be in a position where I’m constantly learning and pursuing my own ideas. After quitting, I did a short stint as a real estate investor and was the President of the Salt Lake City Real Estate Investors Association. Now I prefer to concentrate on podcasting and other internet ventures.

4. I love hiking in the desert

I used to live in Utah where they have some of the best National Parks anywhere. I think there are 11 parks and monuments in Utah and I’ve hiked/camped in all of them. There’s nothing like hiking through the red rock desert and sandstone slot canyons of Southern Utah. You experience a rare stillness when standing between sheer cliffs of twisting rock that are just shoulder-width apart and extend hundreds of feet above you allowing only glimmers of light to  break through to the canyon floor.

5. I eat a Waldorf Salad every morning for breakfast

Well, it’s really a modified Waldorf Salad (which had its origins at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in NYC in 1896). My mom introduced me to this and then I changed it up a bit. It’s the perfect combination of tangy, sweet, creamy, crunchy, and nutty flavors. And it’s pretty healthy, too. If I could, I would insert an affiliate link for Waldorf Salad right here (and yes I am serious that I eat this every day).

Here’s my recipe:

• 1 granny smith apple (chopped into small pieces)
• A handful of chopped walnuts
• A handful of dried Craisins (or golden raisins)
• 3-4 large spoons full of low-fat plain yogurt
• Sugar or Splenda to sweeten it to taste

Oh man! I gotta go make one right now.

But first, I’m supposed to tag five more bloggers to participate. I’m going to go for broke and choose five of my favorite bloggers. I would love to know more about the person behind the genius with five things about:

• Rand Fishkin (SEOMoz)
• Darren Rowse (ProBlogger)
• Brian Clark (Copyblogger)
• Andrew Baron (Dembot)
• Robert Scoble (Scobleizer)

…if they choose to participate.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 07th, 2006 and is filed under Misc. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.