25 things you may or may not know about me

1. I really don't think, with the exception of my wife, anyone else is going to care whether I post this or not. I just don't think I rank very highly on anyone else's priority list.
2. Living overseas gives you a very different viewpoint on things. It taught me that most people in this country both think the best of others and are incredibly naive. People who think we'll have peace if we just sit down and talk it out need to realize you can't have a conversation when only one side is interested in listening. When certain groups think it's God's order to kill you, you'd better have your guns on.
3. I didn't always like Texas. In fact, for most of my formative years, I hated Texas. I thought it was a cesspool filled with arrogant people. Then I got down here and realized I was confusing Dallas with all of Texas. I'm glad I got force-fed.
4. I have seen 37 executions. 36 of them from 15 feet or closer. For this, I am despised in Europe. And, frankly, that doesn't bother me. I do, however, find it ironic that the people who mastered genocide now have the nerve to tell Texas what to do.
By the way, my stance on the death penalty remains unchanged. I do think that DNA testing should be done every possible time.
5. I really do hate France. Everything that has ever gone wrong in American history can be linked to the French.
6. I think the media really is strongly biased to the left. And it disgusts me. And the confluence of high-minded nitwits is one of the reasons I quit.
7. When my wife first met me, she hated my guts. Not for a little while--for six solid months. I have no idea why she changed her mind.
8. I have attention deficit disorder and I know it. And it is a cause of extreme personal frustration. I would love to be able to spend an hour watching the same show or two hours working on the same project. And, most all the time, I can't.
9. I tend to cry during the playing of the national anthem. I don't care if you laugh. And it irritates me one someone tries to glitz it up. Shut the hell up.
10. One of the greatest disappointments of my life was my 15 months in Georgia. With the exception of Savannah, which I love, I would be more than happy to never return to that dump.
11. I have met a lot of famous people in my life (a lot of them in airports). Maybe that's the benefit of being a former reporter. I've met both Presidents Bush (both really nice guys, though I have an affinity for the elder), John McCain, former VP candidate Jack Kemp, Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev, SECDEF Robert Gates (when he was running the Bush School at A&M--a GREAT guy), 10 baseball Hall-of-Famers (Jim Palmer, Ryne Sandberg, Don Sutton, Brooks Robinson, Earl Weaver, Dave Winfield, Gaylord Perry, Craig Biggio, Greg Maddux and Tom Seaver), and god knows how many congressmen, big-time football and baseball players. Oh, and Mario Andretti. Gov. Rick Perry is kind of a bud. We have a deal: in College Station, I call him Rick and he calls me Mark. Anywhere else, he calls me Mark and I call him Governor. I think I got shafted on that one.
12. My family's first dog, Martin, died last year and it still hurts to think about. I hate to think about what's going to happen when Sonny the Pug goes.
13. I am a graduate of both Lehigh and Texas A&M Universities. Most of my friends pre-1997 have no idea I went to A&M; very few people post-1997 know I went to Lehigh. In fact, some people just know me as "The Aggie."But I greatly value my friends from my stint on South Mountain.
14. I'm a pushover when it comes to Ripken, Sonny and Deuce. It's pretty pathetic, honestly.
15. I don't drink nearly as much as a I used to. Can't handle it anymore. Depressing.
16. I'm much calmer than I used to be. I think that's my wife's influence on me. The only things that really drive me nuts now are big messes and Aggie athletics. Not even the Redskins, 'Stros and Orioles make me blow my fuse (too badly).
17. I type faster than anyone I've ever met and it's not close.
18. I really want to be a dad.
19. I've seen a lot of the world, but I've never been to California. Eh, whatever. I'd rather see Alaska. But I really, really want to go to the Holy Land.
20. I'm very sensitive and get my feelings hurt easily. In fact, it upset me that nobody has listed me on facebook when they've done this list already. Pathetic, I know.
21. I have fired three shots in my life. I have hit three deer.
22. I would like to play more golf.
23. I love it when it rains. I guess that comes from growing up somewhere that it never rained.
24. I admire a lot of people, but when I think about it, there are three people who stand above the rest: George Washington, my dad and my wife. My admiration for them is unbounded.
25. I hate the beach. Can't stand it. Already dealt with enough hot and blowing sand.