Leadership By Numbers :: 5 Things, Yada, Yada, Yada

Category Diversions

Oh, I see that Paul Mooney tagged me for the “5 Things” Meme. You know, although it's always nice to be noticed (thanks, Paul), I tend to be more quiet about myself than not. I dread it when I have to update my resume. But, this self-promotion can also be self-deprecating, so let me think about it:

I was a centerfold foldout
I can vibrate my eyes
I have two graduate degrees in theology, one Protestant, the other Roman Catholic.
I am a practicing 2^nd degree blackbelt
I have never been without a mustache or beard since High School


Ok, so let me explain a little about these “truths.” Years ago, Network Computing featured me in a centerfold where my LAN was diagrammed and spread over three pages while my face was given just enough space to be covered by a postage stamp. Still, it's a centerfold and I'm not backing down.

Some people can wiggle their ears, but I can vibrate my eyes. My daughter can do this, as well, but I don't know many others. I have no idea why I ever thought this was an important skill, but as I kid it seemed very worthwhile and I spent hours with my face in a mirror.

My academic background is very different than what I ended up for a career, but I still wish I could find time to do more with my studies. I had exceptional teachers, so many, in fact, that I don't dare mention one for fear of someone else being slighted.

About eight years ago I was looking to do a martial art with my son, who was ten at the time. We found this unusual Korean sword school: Kumdo.com. I hoped that he could stay long enough to earn a brown belt, and I decided to encourage him by joining. He went on to earn a Black Belt (it takes about six years at our school) before taking a break. I'm still practicing, and my daughter has also jumped in. It's an absolutely incredible institution of very talented professionals. It's grown into four schools around Washington, DC and has reorganized as a non-profit business. Their school competitions are larger than many national events.

Finally, I must admit that in the many years since high school, there was one moment when my face lacked the cover of facial hair. About a year ago my dermatologist insisted that my youthful years in the sun (I went to high school in Hawaii and San Francisco) had hidden repercussions which demanded treatment. I had to apply a medication all over my face--and no facial hair was allowed. On the night I shaved, my family watched each stroke. The first stage was to reduce my full beard to a biker's mustache and goatee. They thought that was pretty funny. I went back under the blade and styled a handlebar mustache that wrapped down to the chin. My family was laughing their heads off. Then I trimmed again, leaving a nice, neat, straight white-collar mustache. At this point, they were threatening to get a camera. “But wait,” I insisted, “you'll miss the best.” And, I hacked off the ends, leaving a Charlie Chaplin square of bristles on my upper lip. Everyone fell to the floor. They laughed for 20 minutes. After I finished the job, and went clean shaven I was surprised that friends I had known for years could not recognize me. Within a few weeks, everything was back to normal with a new, trimmed beard.