The 10 Truisms of Adam (Not the Only 10, But a Good Start)

Ok, so the challenge of being true, not only to myself, but to my readers at large, has arisen.

The truth to be told, you ask? Ten; count them t-e-n (oops, I spelled that). I don’t know how many people here have ever attempted something as bold as this, but it’s actually quite difficult. How honest should I be here? Where do I draw the line between simple honesty and a complete and total bearing of my soul?

Ok, perhaps that was a bit over dramatic? I think so. Ok, lets get this started.

1.  I actually spent an unbelievable amount of time trying to decide if should start this thing at one and count up, or start at ten and count down. This is indicative of my nature to seriously over think things. For example, my thought process was such:

• If I started this accounting of self-truisms at ten and counted down, it would imply I was leading to some grand finale, something everyone would either find ridiculously funny or completely amazing. I have nothing like that going on here. The sad fact is, there is a very real possibility by the time I get to number ten I’m going to be reaching pretty deep and the actual description of this end-all truth might be rather boring, and in turn a big let down.

2.  I am a total geek, in certain areas of my life at any rate. Mainly because I love all sorts of techie-type gadgets. I’m always looking for the next little gadget to add to my arsenal of electrical equipment that really serves no purpose in life other than to entertain me. But in my quest to find the next technical wonder that will turn my life around, I read every review I can find. I scour the internet for various user opinions and thoughts. For example, CNET is one of my favorite places for technical reviews. I feel like Bonnie Cha and I are close friends by now (she’s a senior editor for CNET.com). It’s to the point where I affectionately call her Bon-bon (that’s a complete lie, and since this is all about truth I felt compelled to come clean; but at least it gets the point across).
 

3.  My first experience with swearing was walking to school one morning with friends whom I can’t even remember. The one thing I do remember is the thrill of doing something I had been told all my life (which at the time was only 8 or 9 years, and on top of that I don’t really remember the first four or five; so it was a relatively short span of time when I really think about it) was oh-so-wrong. “Damn.” “Shit.” Oh yes, I experimented with them all. This whole culmination of events ended with me and a bar of soap in my mouth after a passing car received a hearty, however completely unprovoked (unless you call driving a flashy corvette through our shabby, middle-class neighborhood a provoking action), “F**k you!” I don’t actually remember this event, but my mother retells it often and finds it quite amusing. I doubt, at the time, I did.

4.  I am scared to death of heights. Seriously, looking over the railing from the second floor of an indoor shopping mall gives me the willies. I know, that’s rather pathetic. But its true, and this post is all about truisms. Lets take Knott’s Berry Farm for example. There, in southern Cal, is a ride called the Supreme Scream. In essence, they take you into the air an astounding 254 feet (for those of you who can’t really imagine 254 feet as anything tangible, think of it as being on the roof of a 25 story building), and then it drops you. The distance to travel before the seats come to a halt allows you to attain speeds of 50 mph or more. Holy S**t that’s fast. I have actually ridden this ride. And I whined and complained to my friends they entire time while we waited in line. They, in return, made a show of how proud they were of themselves after convincing me to ride. Selfish buggers.

 

5.  I love video games. So what? It’s a great way to pass time. Now I don’t spend all my spare time sitting in front of the TV vegetating while being sucked into some mindless activity such as “fragging” my friends in a Halo Death match. However, I have at times done just that. I also love puzzle games, and those that actually challenge the brain a little. I own an Xbox 360 and a Playstation 3 (however, the PS3 was purchased mainly as a Blu-ray player, thanks to the review from CNET, which to this date still rates it as one of the best Blu-ray players on the market). Am I a geek? You bet. Do I mind? Nope, not at all.

 

6.  I do all the cooking in the house. However, I don’t wear an apron. I do like to cook. Its an enjoyable hobby. However, I am not a very adventurous cook. I generally stick to a few certain recipes that I have down pat. For example, I make a pretty mean chili that is extremely health conscious. Perhaps I should post this simple recipe for others to enjoy? Or perhaps I should simply hint at its goodness and leave others to wonder.

 

7.  Reading is something I do for enjoyment purposes only. I have never really been into true crime, or historical accounts. I like fiction. I like to read something that could simply never be, for the sole purpose of escaping the monotony of regular life and losing myself in something that could only be seen in my own brain. This sadly, leaves me with a very limited selection of books. Over all, I find the science fiction and fantasy genres hold my interest the most. I have tried others, but in the end all this leaves me with is a bookshelf full of books that I will never finish. As a side note to this, I am a book hoarder. I can’t get rid of them. I don’t know why. I can’t give them away; I can’t sell them, nothing. Fortunately, I’m still able to cram all my books into a smaller bookshelf. Eventually, though, I will need something bigger.

 

8.  I’M A LIBERAL. Yes, that’s in capital letters and yes, its in bold on purpose. Over the last 15 years my views in life have certainly changed. And slowly but surely, I’ve come to the realization being registered as a republican is a lie, and somewhat contrary to my statement made here on number eight. My friends in general are decidedly conservative. This makes me a quiet liberal. Remember people, “If don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

 
9.  As a guy, I want to believe that I can do anything. This was never proven more wrong than when I attempted to teach Wife the sport of downhill skiing. She wanted to set me loose on the slopes for the morning while she attended some private lesson with a guy whose name would obviously be Sven and would resemble Fabio in general looks. However, I thought I would be able do the job. In the end, I knew things were going horribly, horribly wrong when I had finally talked her into getting on the ski lift and she looked at me, with a tear running down her cheek, and said, “I hate you.” Lesson learned, I can’t do everything on my own. Next time we attempt this, I’ll be looking for Sven.
 
10.  I’m on a continual quest to be more organized and efficient. I started with a Palm TX, hand held organizer. Palm, the old stand-by in PDA’s, didn’t disappoint. With what I would call superior calendar features (something of which I find pretty important) and lots of software extras, I found myself overall pretty pleased with it. Soon, though, I found myself annoyed by carrying the PDA and my cell phone. Seriously, two different devices? So the evolution of my own organization and productivity has taken an unexpected turn. I bought a small zip binder and printed out a calendar. Strange. All this technology and I find myself completely motivated by the use of good, old fashioned paper and pencil. Figures.
 

So, in the end I don’t think I let slip anything that would leave me feeling like my ass is hanging out too badly. But there are some truths here.

Take them for what you will.