In no particular order:
1. I’m ridiculously picky with my writing utensils. If it’s not with a fine tip, then it ain’t getting written down.
2. I have internal monologues and play out scenes from the film “How Alberto’s Life Should Be” over and over. Life rarely imitates my film. (Note the lack of amazing apartment and lack of quirky best friend.)
3. My first kiss and girlfriend was in nursery school. I have a feeling that my relationships have just gone downhill from the moment in time when chocolate milk could make everything better.
4. I sing in the shower..in the car..in my head..all the time. It could be said that my life is a constant soundtrack. The invent of the iPod made me happy.
5. I’m slightly OCD, so happiness and contentment mean even and symmetric things for me.
6. I like classical music for the reason that it makes me find the symmetry and patterns in chord progressions and the such. Taking me to see post-modern art can be frustrating at best.
7. But it makes me really good at those pattern finds in IQ tests.
8. I chose to play the trombone in the 4th grade because of a Bugs Bunny cartoon in which the aforementioned character hits another character with the trombone slide.
9. I don’t get art.
10. I lie about stupid things.
11. I liked Nancy Drew novels more than Hardy Boys novels as a kid. The Hardy Boys seemed to be a little dumb while Nancy Drew had her own car.
12. I cry every time I read The Little Prince.
13. I’m extremely proud of the fact that I’ve read The Little Prince in French, Spanish and English.
14. Movies with Father/Son issues make me cry.
15. Movies with scary little kids scare the bejeezus out of me.
16. I believe in past lives. I believe that I was an Egyptian priest and was murdered.
17. I tell everyone that I lived in England. I never did. For some reason I believe that this means that I’m less cultured than everyone else.
18. I have, however, lived in Honduras, China and the US. Not bad at my age. And yet, not good enough for me.
19. People that use “your” instead of “you’re” really bother me. Same goes for “its” and “it’s”.
20. I love to travel and see different places, but I hate all modes of transportation. I think that this makes me cute rather than neurotic and annoying.
21. I’ve always hated people with “100 things about me” lists. I firmly believe that it is nothing more than an exercise in ego inflation, that everyone sounds the same in their search for “quirkiness” and “uniqueness”. We’re all unique…just like everyone else…and yet here I am…just like everyone else.
22. I don’t deal well at all with death. I don’t know how to look at it and I don’t understand the concept of it. I’ve always admired Alicson for her strength to face it and her understanding of how the universe works.
23. I want to attend a comic book convention. I think the dressing up is sorta cool…for others to do so I can silently admire the fact that one can be so passionate about something that they are willing to put themselves out on the line like that.
24. I’ve tried pot twice in my life. At 18 and 21. Both times were less than exemplary. I find cigarettes and alcohol much more fulfilling. I wish I had gotten into pot in college, but I feel as if my window of opportunity has closed.
25. I’ve never liked the idea that certain windows close…especially when it comes to love and things that matter.
26. My hands (and the rest of me, come to think about it) are almost always warm. I like the idea that I’m naturally helpful to those who suffer from cold noses, cold hands, etc. I always have seen it as a sign…like jigsaw pieces.
27. I write in journals. I’ve only finished one. As with anything truly worth writing down (and I firmly believe this one), it’s all about a girl.
28. When I was in the 4th or 3rd grade I watched TMNT: The Movie so many times that I memorized every single line of dialogue…even the background noise and all the songs.
29. My freshman year of college I ran out of money on my meal card, didn’t have a credit card and didn’t have time to ask my friends to take me out to eat. I used my last $5 to buy jelly, peanut butter and bread. I then proceeded to eat PBJ for a week straight. It took 6 years for me to be able to eat a piece of PBJ after that.
30. When I was 10 I read Machiavelli’s “The Prince” by accident. (I thought it was “The Little Prince”.) I found the book fucking amazing and, hands down, the coolest thing my father ever recommended at the age of 10.
31. I’m convinced that I should have an amazing sense of direction based on the fact that I am me. I don’t.
32. I breathe, think and live the news. The ironic thing is that breaking political, economic and IR news has very little to do with me, my job, or my life. Regardless, I think of it as practice for my dream job. I once got mad at my girlfriend for keeping me in bed when former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was captured. Her crime? Being naked in bed with me.
33. I’m also an idiot.
34. I’ve run a marathon. I thought that I would be proud of saying that I did it by myself…but the truth of the matter is that crossing the finish line was all the much sweeter knowing that I had help. I ran it, I walked every single foot of those 26.2 miles, but I certainly didn’t do it on my own. I was incredibly lucky and blessed for that.
35. I like running. A lot. When I feel like I’m losing myself, I find that three things help: Running; Going to Mass; and looking into her eyes. I worry that I won’t get to do the third anymore.
36. One day I would like to just…drive. And not stop until it seems like the right time to stop. I tried it once. Doing it by myself is not nearly as exciting as it seems to be in the movies. I want to do this with someone else before I die. I would also like to take this someone else to see the world’s largest freshwater aquarium in TN, the world’s largest rubber band ball and the Virgin Mary made out of butter.
37. One of my favorite memories was swimming over an Octopus and watching it throw out all of its arms and swim away.
38. There’s a lot that I’m afraid to write out on this site.
39. I got a 1520 on my SATs. (out of 1600, that is.) This was something to be moderately proud of. My LSAT scores, however, were nothing to be proud of. (158. One of the things I’m afraid to write out, by the way.)
40. I don’t think I could grow out a full beard…and yet I believe I would look amazing with one.
41. I’m often scared. The sad thing is that I’m scared of what could be…rarely about what is. This often leads me to freeze. And at other times, I make decisions rather boldly and once I make up my mind, I move forward quickly and with focus.
42. I have a scar over my right eye due to a childhood accident that required stitches. My father has a nearly identical scar. I’d be a terrible parent for the sole reason that I think it would be amazing if my son had a similar scar.
43. I broke my right arm my high school and became ambidextrous afterwards.
44. I get about 4 hits a day on this site. I think I’d be happier if I got no hits. But my goal is to build this site up and put myself out on the line.
45. I think I’m hilarious.
46. I like dry red wines. She likes fuller and sweeter wines. Our favorite wine was the 2000 Diamondback vineyards Cab/Syrah blend. I’m not sure whether or not to use the present or past tense. That makes me really sad.
47. The Josh Ritter March 2006 concert at the Birchmere was one of my happiest moments.
48. I don’t think I’ll ever get over her.
49. I wrote my 10th grade high school English paper on how Iago from Othello was misunderstood. I got an A.
50. Cleaning the bathroom for me requires drinking lots of beer prior to the act.
51. Etymology fascinates me. Etymonline.com is one of my favorite sites.
52. It’s not that the dark scares me, but I love well lit rooms. I associate dark rooms with loneliness and a sad sort of solitude.
53. I don’t cook. I’m proud of myself when I get Mac & Cheese right.
54. In the fifth grade I wanted to be a rapper.
55. I don’t fully identify with Americans or Hondurans. I like it. It makes me feel like I can form my own identity and personality.
56. I am also born on a cusp. According to some zodiac calendars, I am a Sagittarius while others consider me a Capricorn. I once found one that skips my birthday. I liked it…I have my own destiny.
57. There is an Albertosaurus. I tell people it is named after me. I tell girls that it’s the slightly shorter, but significantly cuter, smarter, and funnier cousin of the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
58. As of the writing of this list, I can’t roll my Rs. I am Hispanic. That is bad.
59. I’ve given a $100 tip…I was drunk. But I think I’d do it again.
60. I have three younger siblings. I’ve never really fought with them…I’m very proud of that.
61. I respect them immensely and fear that they’ll realize that I’m not worthy of their respect or admiration.
62. I try very hard to be worthy of their respect and admiration.
63. I don’t trust people who don’t like sushi.
64. I like to think of myself as a pretty good judge of character. Within a couple of minutes of meeting someone I can pretty much tell whether or not we’ll get along. I’ve only been wrong twice.
65. I snore after I’ve been drinking or if I’m really tired.
66. My middle name is Jose. I hate the fact that it’s such a common name, so I tell people that it’s Josep. My confirmation name is Ignatius. I always appreciated his thirst for knowledge.
67. I can’t whistle. I was able to in the third grade when I lost my two front teeth. It was amazing.
68. I fear that I won’t live up to my potential. It terrifies me more than anything.
69. I don’t do empathy. I was proud of that, but not so much anymore. I’m trying to fix it because the more and more I think about it, the more I realize that empathy is a magical thing.
70. I first had sex at 17. I had read that the average age for boys was 18 and I didn’t want to be average.
71. I really wish I had waited.
72. I tell people that I don’t like ice cream. While it’s generally true, I enjoy saying it more for the shock value than anything. The truth of the matter is that I don’t mind it anymore, I got used to it thanks to a girl.
73. Pearl Jam was my favorite band from middle school to college. I’m sad that I’m not as big a fan anymore.
74. I’m very white for being Honduran. I like this. It makes me feel like I can blend in in most places. I’ve been confused for western chinese, european, turkish, and Canadian. Then again, most people I’ve spoken with think that Honduras is either next to Brazil or they mistake it with Hungary.
75. Autumn is my favorite season. I think it’s more the idea of what Autumn represents and the fact that I’m able to wear sweaters all the time.
76. I own a lot of clothes. I have two favorite sweaters, three favorite shirts and two favorite pants. I wear them all the time. I wish I had known this before buying all that clothes.
77. I go to lots of fancy restaurants and I like living the life of a relatively wealthy person, but I’m happiest at a small mom & pop restaurant trading stories over beers. I’m resolving to do that more frequently.
78. Umberto Eco is my nemesis. His books are full of recondite information and languages and that makes me feel like an idiot for only being able to read in four languages and not being fluent in Greek and Hebrew. Vonnegut’s Timequake was like magic. But none of it came close to Steinbeck’s East of Eden.
79. I’d like to live my life according to the tenants of “Timshel” and Musashi’s “Do Nothing Which Is Of No Use”. I think that seeking an understanding of those two things are some of the most important steps in becoming a worthwhile and great individual.
80. I’m a sucker for Shakespeare. A Winter’s Tale is my favorite play with Hamlet not too far behind. Wilder’s “Our Town” blew me away.
81. I was actively involved in theatre when I was in high school and in college. It made me ridiculously happy and I wonder why I don’t do that anymore. I also got to kiss a girl in one of the plays. That, also, made me pretty happy.
82. I’ve cheated. I used to be proud of it. I’m not anymore.
83. I think that I’m a great dancer. This is not the case.
84. I used to play the piano and guitar. I’m scared of forgetting both, but I’m also scared of realizing that I’ll need lots of practice to get to where I once was.
85. I like to sleep naked.
86. I play chess. But not well.
87. I don’t really want to go to law school or to be lawyer.
88. My favorite color is blue.
89. I miss her.
90. I cried when Mustafa died in the Lion King.
91. I would like to be a trucker for three days and a bike courier for a week just to say that I’ve done it. After retirement I’d really like to teach or to own a nursery and sell flowers.
92. I used to have issues with sharing dishes at restaurants. In retrospect, I realize that that’s a pretty dumb issue to have.
93. I dislike the rule that says that periods should be inside quotation marks even if it’s at the end of a sentence. So I ignore it.
94. I tend to walk pretty fast.
95. I was Linus in the play “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown”. Twice.
96. My blood type is O positive. I was afraid of giving blood until 2006.
97. I’ve spent over 100 hours playing Final Fantasy 7, 8 and 10. I’m okay with this.
98. I’m bothered by people who use more than one exclamation mark.
99. I have a dance I’ve been working on for Erasure’s “A Little Respect”. I think it’s the most amazing thing ever and am pretty okay with the fact that only one person will ever see it.
100. I’d really like for people important to me to be proud of me for the things I’ve done. I’d really like to be proud of myself. I’m working on it. I really believe that I am on my way.