The cherry on top

David Reich of My 2 cents recently tagged me for the eight things about me meme.  Many months ago, there was a five things about me meme going around that I got tagged for.  You have to give the blogosphere credit - we're always trying to get even better.

So....from the past, here are my first five:

• I’ve crossed the threshold of Walt Disney World at least once a year since it opened in 1971.

• I could be President of Venezuela (I was born down there while my parents did an overseas stint for work. )

• I hung out with the movie star Ashley Judd for a weekend in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

• I really dislike feet.  Don’t like to look at them or touch them.  Have no idea why.  But, if I ever were the President of Venezuela – I would outlaw sandals.

• You can find me in the TV special (now on DVD) of a very famous country music duo.

Now, for the cherry on the top....another three.

I always read the last couple chapters of a book first.  Yes, even mysteries and whodunits.  By 12:30 am next Friday, I will know if Harry Potter dies or not.  I promise, I won't tell.  I love knowing the ending and then learning from how the author weaves the truths into the story telling.  This is especially fascinating in a good murder mystery.

In a previous career, I was the head of a detective agency.  Okay, I was about 9 or 10.  But ala Encyclopedia Brown, we were open for business and serious about our craft.  I believe we solved two minor mysteries (which I am pretty sure our parents engineered) but we earned enough money to hit the DQ.

Only counting the ones that have hospitalized me....I have had about 30 kidney stones.  The doctors have done every test imaginable but they can't figure out why.  So I drink a lot of water and take an odd mix of pills including a seaweed supplement.  Good news...the odd blend seems to be working.

Comments

[David Reich]

Hey Drew, with all your online friends, maybe we could start a "Drew for President" campaign in Venezuela. None of us will wear sandals while campaigning for you. especially in Disney World.

[Tracey Bien]

Drew,
You hung our with Ashley Judd?!?! And in Cedar Rapids?!? What the heck was she doing in the "City of Five Seasons", or otherwise known as the "City of Five Smells."
Here is my cherry on top: I am from the town of Huntley, IL, home of the Turkey Testicle Festival. Yep, hard to believe but I come from a town that gets excited about frying turkey testicles the weekend before Thanksgiving. I bet the turkeys aren't very thankful though.

Tracey Bien

[sherry Borzo]

Okay, what does it say about me that of all the great posts you write, filled with great insights and useful information about branding...I really enjoyed this one especially.

My thing is that I enjoy and am fascinated by the things that are small and seemingly irrelevant in the "bigger picture." This is the stuff that makes blogging and meeting people in business much more compelling.

Your list is fun, interesting, and I'll probably remember most of it. Thanks for sharing and I'll keep my feet far away.

[Jackie Cameron]

So you're a Harry Potter fan? My ( 20 year old) niece will be meeting JK Rowling at 2 am on 21st at the Natural History Museum in London at the official book launch to get her book from the great woman herself and she fully expects to have it read by the time she gets back to Edinburgh from London...though, even with the time difference between the UK and Iowa I think you might know the "big news" before her so she will have to have her fingers in her ears saying la la la til she gets to the end of the book :-)

[Bob Glaza]

Detective agency?!?! WOW! The beginnings of your career watching for clues, Drew. And a fine place to spend the profits - DQ - yum-yum! Ice cream sounds good right now :). SO much fun finding out more about one another -

[Matthew Hooper]

I find it hard to believe you have not taken this presidency into serious consideration. I think you should give it a serious run, with all your marketing knowledge and with Ashley Judd as a spokes person why couldn't you pull it off. If you need a Vice President or runner up let me know. I would be a good canidate so you will not have to worry about assasination.

[Drew McLellan]

David,

LOL! I do appreciate the restraint on the sandals thing. I keep teasing my family that I am going to return to Venezuela and change President to King.

I do like the sound of that even better!

Drew

[Drew McLellan]

Tracey,

It just goes to prove that we Americans can make just about anything into a festival.

Really, how large can a turkey testicle be? (Okay, this is not something I ever thought I'd wonder.) Are they like popcorn shrimp -- you have to eat a bunch to make a meal?

As for Ashley, this was many years ago. I was good friends with her mom, Naomi and her sister Wynonna. They were doing a concert in CR, so I was hanging with them. Ashley was with us because it was Spring Break. She was just a freshman or sophomore in college and I was in my mid-20's. So sadly and stupidly for me...I didn't think of her as anything but a kid.

Dumb, dumb me!

Drew

[Drew McLellan]

Sherry,

I suppose all of us want very much to know others better. Especially if we only see a sliver of them. You know me as Drew, the Marketing & Branding guy. These sorts of facts aren't likely to come up in that context.

Memes like this give us a peek into the whole person. That's part of what makes them so much fun.

Drew

[Drew McLellan]

Jackie,

You have to tell me more about your niece's JK encounter. I would love to meet her and talk about the series. I have plenty of questions about the work itself but I am even more interested in talking to her about how she knew to weave details in the first few books that she'd need in the final few.

The intricate plot is remarkable and I am in awe of the author who could, some 4,000 pages and 7 books ago, know what she'd need.

Drew

[Drew McLellan]

Bob,

Yup....if your cat or watch were lost -- I was your man! I suspect you are in Iowa by now, preparing for the great ride. Be safe and have fun!

Drew

[Drew McLellan]

Matt,

LOL! I can see through your thinly veiled plot. You don't want me to be President. You just want to cozy up with my spokesperson!

Drew