Mike Nicholson

This time it's FreeBSDGirl's fault.

In a shocking divergence from the typical list of 87 poorly spelled and barely cohesive questions that make up the usual myspace blog tag questionnaire, all that's required of me this time is to list five things that my readers don't know about me.

This actually is an interesting task since I really have no idea who reads my blog. Based on my logs a typical reader is either on page 43 of a search engine result and disappointed finding that my entries with Google and interview in close proximity actually contain no useful advice, or came from the blog tag from FreeBSDGirl that spawned this entry. This means that you know almost nothing about me! This should be easy.

1. I've submitted a bug fix for the FreeBSD kernel yet never actually used it: (Since most of you are probably FreeBSD nuts, I'll start with this.) Although I was tasked with submitting a bug fix in the kernel as part of a class towards my MS, I've never actually used FreeBSD for anything other than hacking at its own kernel. This is a surprising feat considering I'm an active engineer at Yahoo! which makes heavy use of FreeBSD
2. I own a home in the most dangerous city in the US: Although I rent my primary residence, I'm the partial owner of a rental property within the city limits of St. Louis, MO, which was recently found to be the most dangerous city in the US.
3. Mike is not my first name. I'm a fraud: Like C. Montgomery Burns, I actually go by my middle name. I do this to reduce confusion with my father who has the same name. My real full name is Terrence Michael Nicholson Jr.
4. I watch anime: Even with the fresh memories of what anime addiction can do to your body, and an innate fear of otaku, I've recently expanded my cartoon library to include some anime (because The Simpson's, Furutama, and Family Guy just aren't as good the 50th time around). I'm actively following Naruto and Bleach.
5. I met my gf on the Internet: I met Winnie, my girlfriend of ~2 years, on the Internet in 1997. However, we didn't meet up on the net via typical means. There was no internet personals site involved, nor did we meet on the leading MMORPG of the time. We met using the cutting edge random chat feature of the popular ICQ messaging service. Was it fate? Only time will tell.

And now to declare my victims and link to their respective active blogs:

• Winona Tong
• Steve Beeby
• Lupita Escobar
• Jeannie Tran
• Lorraine Tsang

Posted by at 12:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1. Have you ever been searched by the cops?
Chased? Yes… searched? No.

2. Do you close your eyes on roller coasters?
No.

3. When was the last time you went sleigh riding?
Never

4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone?
This depends on the person.

5. Do you believe in Ghosts?
Ghosts are as real as dreams.

6. Do you consider yourself creative?
More creative than the questions in this survey, yes…

7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife?
Yes

8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie?
Who?

9. Can you honestly say you know anything about politics?
I know enough to not bother learning more, so no.

10. Do you know how to play poker?
Yes. I’ve played a ton, but I’m still no good.

11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight?
I have been many times, but never for a good reason.

12. Do you kill bugs that are in the house?
Yes.

13. Have you ever cheated on a test?
Yes.

14. If you're driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around. Do you go through red lights?
No. That’s an expensive ticket, and some pedestrians wear black.

15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you?
No.

16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees?
Duke sucks!

17. Have you ever Ice Skated?
Yes.

18. How often do you remember your dreams?
Not for very long.

19. When was the last time you laughed so hard you were crying?
I do not remember. It’s been more than a year.

20. Can you name 5 songs by The Beatles?
Yes, of course.

21. Do you believe in love at first sight?
No.

23. Do you know who Ba-Ba-Booey is?
No. I suppose I’m not hip any more.

24. Do you always wear your seat belt?
Yes. To not do this is profoundly stupid.

25. What talent do you wish you had?
I wish I could speak many languages.

26. Do you like Sushi?
Yes.

27. Have you ever narrowly avoided a fatal accident?
No.

28. What do you wear to bed?
Boxers.

29. Have you ever been caught stealing?
Nope. I’ve never stolen, so it’d be hard to be caught.

30. Does size matter?
Yes. Lighter cars are faster, handle better, and are more fun to drive.

31. Do you truly hate anyone?
No.

32. Rock and Roll or Rap?
Since when has anyone called it rock and roll? Rock, of course.

34. Do you have a relative in prison?
Not any more.

35. Have you ever sung in front of the mirror like your favorite singer?
No.

36. Do you know how to play chess?
Yes, but I do not have the patience to do well.

37. What food do you find disgusting?
Balut

38. Did you ever play, "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours?
No.

39. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back?
Not really. More often I’ll complain about them being a C.D. (you know who you are).

40. Have you ever stood up for someone you hardly knew?
Often at the workplace when they’re correct and some manager is… well... not.

41. Have you ever been punched in the face?
Yes. You should see the other guy though…

42. When is the last time you threw up from drinking too much?
After a beer drinking session at the Mission Ale House shortly after I dropped my only masters degree course.

43. Have you ever walked out on a movie at the theater?
No, but I was sure tempted to at King Kong.

44. Do you ever sit through a bad movie, just to see how bad it can get?
Yes: Blair Witch 2

45. Would you consider yourself obsessed with anything/anyone?
Not really.

46. Have you ever met someone famous that you really wanted to meet?
Nope. I’m not a big follower of those famous people.

47. Have you ever been stood up?
Yep, a few times long ago.

48. When's the last time you screamed at the top of your lungs?
I do not remember. Probably some time as a young child.

49. Did you ever do something that you didn't want to, but did anyways just to fit in?
Probably, but nothing comes to mind right now. I’m more often the person who comes up with the fun idea and pressures others into it.

50. Was this fun?
No!! Yar!! This was too long!! YAr!

Posted by at 7:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I've been tagged for these surveys countless times... Time to do one.

Four jobs I've had:
1. Product Engineering Intern (aka master the pico-probe) at Xilinx
2. Computer Scientist Intern (aka granite table scrubber) at NASA
3. Senior Technical Sales Consultant (aka title inflation example) at I-many Inc.
4. CTO and partner in MRM Realty LLC.

Four movies I can watch over and over:
1. The Matrix
2. Titan AE
3. Apollo 13
4. Star Wars – A New Hope

Four places I have lived:
1. Des Peres, MO, USA
2. Santa Clara, CA, USA
3. Pittsfield, MA, USA
4. Belmont, CA, USA

Four television shows I love to watch:
1. Futurama
2. Star Trek – The Next Generation
3. Top Gear
4. Bleach

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Maui, HI, USA
2. Hong Kong, China
3. The ocean near the keys, FL, USA
4. London, UK

Four of my favorite dishes:
1. Corned Beef
2. Imo's Pizza
3. Unaju
4. Beef Chow Fun

Four websites I visit daily:
1. search.yahoo.com
2. news.yahoo.com
3. fark.com
4. boingboing.net

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Hong Kong
2. Hawaii
3. The Moon
4. Camping in the woods

Four bloggers I am tagging:
Everyone who reads my blog already did this survey (I think). But I’ll try anyway.
1. John
2. Jeannie
3. Lorraine
4. Phung

Posted by at 11:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)