The World's Common Tater

I saw this blog post from Our Favourite Jar on Twitter and decided to give it a try. This was a lot harder than I expected.

A – Anxiety

I decided I can’t just put positive things on the list and ignore things that are a part of who I am. I struggle with anxiety. It’s one of the reasons I finally decided to go to therapy. It’s better, but the intrusive thoughts still sneak in now and then.

B – Books

I could use my son’s name here, but I can put the kids in another letter, so I am going with books here. I’ve been a big reader since I was a kid. My reading has slowed down some lately, but I’m still on track to read 90 or so books this year.

C – Coffee

I love coffee. I’ve been drinking coffee since I was in middle school. I generally drink two or three cups a day – two in the morning and one early afternoon. I mostly drink coffee from home these days, but I used to go to Starbucks multiple times a week for a caramel macchiato.

D – Dog

My dog is pretty much a constant in my day. She wakes me up way early to go out, so she is responsible for my new schedule. She then sleeps beside me on the couch while I drink coffee, read the paper, and write for the blog. Some days the only time I leave the house is to walk her.

E – Entertainment

As you can tell from the fact that I post about TV every day, entertainment is a big part of my life. I still subscribe to Entertainment Weekly. I follow multiple sites that cover movies and TV. I watch a lot of TV.

F – Family

Family is the most important thing in my life. My most important job ever was being a dad. Every career decision I made for 25 years was based on what was best for my wife and kids. My favorite trips each year are the trips to Kentucky to see family.

G – Games

Most of the time I’m with a group of people, I am playing some sort of game. When the kids are both home for dinner we play a game. When we are with family, we play games. When I’m with friends we play games. I play SimCity on my iPad.

H – Holidays

We are getting close to my favorite time of the year. I love the holidays. Thanksgiving to Christmas is the best time of year. Decorations. Christmas shows. Christmas music. Family. People are a little nicer. It’s great.

I – Introvert

I’m the guy who stays on the fringes of groups and can be found in a corner at a party watching the crowd and only talking to the people who approach me.

J – Jokes

I am probably not as funny as I think I am. I think I’m pretty hilarious.

K – Kentucky

I lived in Kentucky for the first 26 years of my life. I’ve now lived in Maryland for 26 years. I still consider Kentucky home and would move back tomorrow if my family would go with me.

L – Loneliness

I’ve written about this. I deal with loneliness a lot, especially now that I spend my days at home alone. I’m also very good at being lonely when I am around other people. Sometimes that is lonelier than being alone.

M – Marriage

I’ve been married for almost 30 years. It would be impossible to do a list of what makes me without including her.

N – Nice

I think I am basically a nice person. I try to be. Usually. Maybe?

O – Odd

I’m weird. I’ve always been weird. Weird isn’t necessarily bad, but being the weird kid when you are younger is harder than being a weird adult.

P – Parent

I’m cheating here since I included this in family. Being a dad is the best part of who I am. Being a dad is the most important job I’ve ever had. I hope I am good at it.

Q – Quiet

This goes along with introvert. I’m generally a very quiet person. I listen more than I talk. I’ve always been quiet, possibly because my siblings are so loud.

R – Rest

I’m a big believer in rest. Too many people think you need to work and be on the move all of the time. I don’t agree. Rest is important.

S – Sports

I watch a lot of sports. I have Ravens season tickets. I go to at least one baseball game every season. I love college basketball. I play fantasy football. I do a March Madness bracket challenge every year. I’m glad we have regular sports seasons again.

T – Taters

I have to go with taters here. It’s how I got my nickname that led to the name of the blog. I love tater tots. I used to work in a jail where they sometimes had tater tots in the officer’s dining room. I used to talk about how free tater tots were the best part of the job. Enough so that my friends started calling me Tater.

U – Unpopular

I’ve never been a part of the “in crowd” I’ve always felt like I’m on the outside looking in. I still feel that way in most places and groups. It’s part of the loneliness mentioned above.

V – Vacation

I love to travel. Since taters took the T spot, I will put it here. The pandemic has taken away much of my travel. I have been to Kentucky to see family and we did go to Cancun this summer. I’m hoping at some point my wife will start going to interesting places for work again so I can tag along.

W – Writing

I write on the blog every day. I have tried some long-form writing. I think I’m more of an essay guy than a book guy. I would love to figure out how to make enough money writing so that I wouldn’t have to consider any other job.

X – Xtremely Aware There Are No Good X Words

I don’t think there is an x word that fits most people unless they play the xylophone or are an x-ray technician.

Y – Youths

Much of my life has been spent working with teens in some way. 14 years working with a church youth group. Acting teen specialist at the library. Teen literature expert. It’s the only part of the job that I miss.

Z – ZZZ

None of the z adjectives fit me, so I will go with sleep. I wake up way too early which means I try to go to bed earlier than I used to. It’s still not enough sleep. I need to take naps.