25 Random Things
OK, I’ve been tagged by several friends with this Facebook meme, so here goes. I’m posting it here for those of you who are not on Facebook:
25 Random Things About Darrell:
1. I’m a bit of a coffee snob, unable to drink inferior coffee. I’m lucky because there’s a wonderful coffeehouse, Cool Beans on Marietta Square (within walking distance of my office), that sells my favorite coffee by the pound: organic fair-trade Sumatra coffee, fresh-roasted on their own roaster. That’s what I usually buy for morning consumption at home. The baristas at Cool Beans know me by name, and they know I like a double-shot of espresso in a big cup of their coffee of the day.
2. To a large extent I have built my whole career as a counselor on a fictional character: Dr. Berger, the therapist played by Judd Hirsch in the movie Ordinary People.
3. My favorite living artist is Brian MacGregor, who incorporates dreamwork into his art.
4. I’m still mourning the loss of my favorite restaurant, Three Bears Cafe on Marietta Square, which closed in December.
5. My favorite restaurants, now that Three Bears Cafe has closed, are The Vortex in Little 5 Points and The Flying Biscuit (the original one, in Candler Park).
6. When I was a little boy I wanted to be Perry Mason, and I wanted to have my law office on Marietta Square. I did not become a lawyer, but I do have my office on Marietta Square and I do work in the court system. (I’ve been told by two different attorneys that I am “an imposing presence” in the courtroom – I’m not sure I believe them!)
7. I collect Perry Mason and Frasier on DVD. I have all 11 seasons of Frasier, and I’m collecting Perry Mason as each season is released (currently up to Season 3). I’ve read about 40 of the 82 Perry Mason novels by Erle Stanley Gardner.
8. If I had to live anywhere other than Marietta, I'd live in Savannah or Asheville.
9. I love trail-walking on Civil War battlefields, and sometimes I’ll have a sandwich for lunch at the Confederate Cemetery near Marietta Square.
10. I’m fascinated by the life of Leonidas Polk (1806-1864), an Episcopal bishop who was also a Confederate General. He fought in the battle of Picketts Mill, one of the battlefields where I love to go trail-walking.
11. I get most of my news from the two NPR stations in Atlanta, WABE (Classical) and WCLK (Jazz and Gospel).
12. I spend way too much money on books: not just regular books but antiquarian books and limited editions from the Easton Press, the Folio Society, and other specialty presses. If you’d like to see my collection, stop by my office sometime. Call me first, to make sure I’m not with a client.
13. I have “action figures” of Oscar Wilde, Edgar Allen Poe, and William Shakespeare.
14. The oldest book I own is a 1783 edition of Poems Upon Several Occasions, by one of the “Graveyard Poets,” Thomas Parnell, published by Alexander Pope.
15. I once defended myself and disarmed a mugger in Washington DC who was trying to take my wallet at knifepoint. When he came at me with the knife I broke his thumb, causing him to scream, drop his knife, and run away.
16. I love the compilation CD’s Starbucks sells (especially the jazz and indie-rock CD’s), although my commitment to independent coffeehouses dictates that I only go to a Starbucks when there is no locally-owned coffeehouse nearby.
17. I will sometimes read “cozy” mystery novels with my cat, but this does NOT mean (as my roommate sometimes claims) that I am turning into a cat lady.
18. I also love reading Hard Case Crime novels. I plan to write a Hard Case-style novel someday, loosely based on my experiences as a Probation Officer and Parole Officer. Working title: First Offender.
19. I love Turner Classic Movies, especially film noir and old Barbara Stanwyck movies.
20. I am ready for the new season of Holly Hunter’s TV show, Saving Grace, and the new season of True Blood.
21. I recently bought a leather-bound edition of my “desert island book” – the Book of Common Prayer and the NRSV Bible, together in one volume. My cat Kato appreciates that the deutero-canonical books are included, but he wishes some of the Gnostic gospels had been included, especially the Gospels of Thomas and Mary Magdalene.
22. My favorite holy days are Ash Wednesday (the most existentialist of holy days) and Easter Sunday.
23. I identify with much of the Emergent Christian movement, and I claim the label “Anglimergent” (although no one can really define what “Emergent” means), but I think I’m too much of an existentialist to truly be postmodern.
24. I sometimes think seriously about memorizing a book the way the rebels did in Fahrenheit 451. If I do, the book I memorize will be the same one Guy Montag memorized in the novel (but not the 1966 movie): the Book of Ecclesiastes.
25. I would love to learn Hebrew so I could read (and maybe memorize) Ecclesiastes in its original language.
.
25 Random Things About Darrell:
1. I’m a bit of a coffee snob, unable to drink inferior coffee. I’m lucky because there’s a wonderful coffeehouse, Cool Beans on Marietta Square (within walking distance of my office), that sells my favorite coffee by the pound: organic fair-trade Sumatra coffee, fresh-roasted on their own roaster. That’s what I usually buy for morning consumption at home. The baristas at Cool Beans know me by name, and they know I like a double-shot of espresso in a big cup of their coffee of the day.
2. To a large extent I have built my whole career as a counselor on a fictional character: Dr. Berger, the therapist played by Judd Hirsch in the movie Ordinary People.
3. My favorite living artist is Brian MacGregor, who incorporates dreamwork into his art.
4. I’m still mourning the loss of my favorite restaurant, Three Bears Cafe on Marietta Square, which closed in December.
5. My favorite restaurants, now that Three Bears Cafe has closed, are The Vortex in Little 5 Points and The Flying Biscuit (the original one, in Candler Park).
6. When I was a little boy I wanted to be Perry Mason, and I wanted to have my law office on Marietta Square. I did not become a lawyer, but I do have my office on Marietta Square and I do work in the court system. (I’ve been told by two different attorneys that I am “an imposing presence” in the courtroom – I’m not sure I believe them!)
7. I collect Perry Mason and Frasier on DVD. I have all 11 seasons of Frasier, and I’m collecting Perry Mason as each season is released (currently up to Season 3). I’ve read about 40 of the 82 Perry Mason novels by Erle Stanley Gardner.
8. If I had to live anywhere other than Marietta, I'd live in Savannah or Asheville.
9. I love trail-walking on Civil War battlefields, and sometimes I’ll have a sandwich for lunch at the Confederate Cemetery near Marietta Square.
10. I’m fascinated by the life of Leonidas Polk (1806-1864), an Episcopal bishop who was also a Confederate General. He fought in the battle of Picketts Mill, one of the battlefields where I love to go trail-walking.
11. I get most of my news from the two NPR stations in Atlanta, WABE (Classical) and WCLK (Jazz and Gospel).
12. I spend way too much money on books: not just regular books but antiquarian books and limited editions from the Easton Press, the Folio Society, and other specialty presses. If you’d like to see my collection, stop by my office sometime. Call me first, to make sure I’m not with a client.
13. I have “action figures” of Oscar Wilde, Edgar Allen Poe, and William Shakespeare.
14. The oldest book I own is a 1783 edition of Poems Upon Several Occasions, by one of the “Graveyard Poets,” Thomas Parnell, published by Alexander Pope.
15. I once defended myself and disarmed a mugger in Washington DC who was trying to take my wallet at knifepoint. When he came at me with the knife I broke his thumb, causing him to scream, drop his knife, and run away.
16. I love the compilation CD’s Starbucks sells (especially the jazz and indie-rock CD’s), although my commitment to independent coffeehouses dictates that I only go to a Starbucks when there is no locally-owned coffeehouse nearby.
17. I will sometimes read “cozy” mystery novels with my cat, but this does NOT mean (as my roommate sometimes claims) that I am turning into a cat lady.
18. I also love reading Hard Case Crime novels. I plan to write a Hard Case-style novel someday, loosely based on my experiences as a Probation Officer and Parole Officer. Working title: First Offender.
19. I love Turner Classic Movies, especially film noir and old Barbara Stanwyck movies.
20. I am ready for the new season of Holly Hunter’s TV show, Saving Grace, and the new season of True Blood.
21. I recently bought a leather-bound edition of my “desert island book” – the Book of Common Prayer and the NRSV Bible, together in one volume. My cat Kato appreciates that the deutero-canonical books are included, but he wishes some of the Gnostic gospels had been included, especially the Gospels of Thomas and Mary Magdalene.
22. My favorite holy days are Ash Wednesday (the most existentialist of holy days) and Easter Sunday.
23. I identify with much of the Emergent Christian movement, and I claim the label “Anglimergent” (although no one can really define what “Emergent” means), but I think I’m too much of an existentialist to truly be postmodern.
24. I sometimes think seriously about memorizing a book the way the rebels did in Fahrenheit 451. If I do, the book I memorize will be the same one Guy Montag memorized in the novel (but not the 1966 movie): the Book of Ecclesiastes.
25. I would love to learn Hebrew so I could read (and maybe memorize) Ecclesiastes in its original language.
.
Labels: G.Bear
posted by Darrell Grizzle | 11:25 AM
4 Comments:
If I was cool, I'd be Darrell Grizzle.
What fun! I've posted mine, finally.
Where does one acquire an Oscar Wilde action figure? I desperately want one (grin).
Aah...action figures.
My own personal favourite action figure is St Augustine with moveable limbs, x-ray vision and utility belt.
What a marvellous site!! What an incredible character! What a vivid, evocative profile! One of the unexpected tragedies of having access to the net is not being able to be physically with the person about whom you are reading, but in this case, in my minds eye, I was aware of the sense that I was with you very much in spirit! Now, either that is your remarkable flair for painting a picture with words, or it is my imagination. (or both)
The only codicil to that is that I have felt for such a long time my imagination has been slowly dying, overpowered by the hate, fear and death in the world.
I am one of those souls who feels other peoples pain; when I hear people have died in Pakistan or Afghanistan, or Iraq, I feel it. As pompous as that might sound (and I hear George Carlin crying 'bullshit' in my head) it is what it is. I used to be a cop, and whenever I saw someone die, a part of me died with them. Over time, it became too much for me, and my soul slowly began to evaporate.
Reading your site...
It's like...
some kind of rejuvination??
Thank you. Wish I could meet you.
Wow. Thanks for the kind comments!
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