The secrets that I keep...

My identity is not the only one...

Having a blog is a great outlet. You always balance saying enough to be interesting with saying so much that you get in big trouble. I never know what the line is - and usually don't care.

The fact that some people - ok... 3... actually come by here and read stuff is really flattering.

Mr WC Dixon comes by often. Strange - cause he is a real professional. He knows what he's doing - is very prolific - and talented. So what he's doing here is as much a mystery to me as it is to you...

Anyways. He tagged me. And while I have been tagged in the past and ignored it... I figured its time to man up and be a sport.

Rules were as follows:

Once you’ve been tagged, as I have, you must write a blog post with ten weird, random things, little-known facts or habits about yourself. At the end, choose at least 5 people to be tagged, list their names and why you picked them. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says “you’ve been tagged” and tell them to read your latest blog.

Sad to say that my life is such an open book, some of these are repeats. But in case you missed my torrid past:

1. I'm Cheap.

This could come from growing up lower middle class? We were never poor - but we certainly weren't well off. It was never like we didn't have stuff - and no matter how many times Mom would say there wouldn't be much for Christmas this year - there always seemed to be enough... but we never were extravagant. We were never the ones to run out and splurg - or go on vacation. We lived within our means. From the time I hit high school - I had a job and made my own money. Always. If I needed something - I was taught to work for it. When I got married - for the first 7 years, we never had a credit card cause I saw too many friends go nuts and go into debt. Never liked to go out to nice places to eat cause the food was gone too fast and seemed too expensive. I remember in Grad school - when we would go to Olive Garden - we would try to drink a 2 liters worth of soda - cause it was 99cents for a drink.

Yeah. Cheap. Tight. Still am. Helped when we went two years trying to stretch a buck and get the movie going. Sad when it all fell apart.

2. I don't work for the money.

I have been ridiculously blessed. I have no complaints. And believe me, I thank God everyday for an incredible wife. We have no idea what tomorrow holds and we usually don't freak out about it too much. God has always provided and continues to provide. I got my first break as a director/producer two years out of grad school. I went claiming 12 grand combined income for the year to making 40. It was a huge change. But 10 months later - I quit. The job was becoming the same thing and I wasn't learning or doing new things. Switched to Discovery Channel and started producing. Wanted to direct - and when they wouldn't let me - I quit. A year later I was back - producing and directing. All through my career - I've quit good jobs for new or different jobs. A lot of times it was to make less money. But I've never regret it. I always want to do something new - or take a job where I learn something new. Don't let it be about the money if you can help it.

If you're just starting out... take the job. Get experience. Then quit for something new.

Plenty of people who've worked with me have gone on to make a lot more money than me and work higher profile jobs than me. I'm really proud of them...It's just not what I'm looking for.

(Just keep telling yourself that Greg....)

3. I've had the same Stereo since 1985.

I love movies. But more than movies - I love music. Always have. While kids here save and work for their first car... Growing up in Taiwan - where we couldn't drive till we were 18 - we saved for a new stereo. Between my sophmore and junior years of high school - I taught English for the summer. I saved all my money in a big pimp roll in a can I kept under my bed. I had a picture of this Aiwa component system that I saw in the International Herald Tribune. My senior year - our basketball team went to Hong Kong for the big tournament. I took my wad of cash and bought the system. My dad called it Darth Vader - cause I'd go to sleep with music on everynight and all you'd see in the dark was the lights from the stereo.

It's almost dead now. The speakers are rotted out. The turntable doesn't work. The auto reverse tape deck has been out for years. But its a hell of a receiver and the amp still kicks pretty hard - especially for a 20 year old system.

4. I have never...tasted coffee.

This is great for getting everyone to take a drink. When I was little - my dad was a big coffee drinker - and I think I'm the only person on earth that doesn't like the smell of brewing coffee. All my life I would smell that and feel a bit quesy - so I never tried it. At this point in my life - its more a point of pride and a deep seated desire to be different in one thing that keeps me from doing it.

Oh well...

5. I have produced/directed over 100 hours of television.

Maybe 20+ are any good....

Enough said.

6. I have a lot of two wheeled accidents.

When I was five - I was run over on an Olympic Time Trials Bike Track. The beveled kind. Snapped both bones in my legs. Growing up in Taiwan - I followed that up by have at least 20-30 motorcycle accidets. One time - we were riding motorcycles at night at a college in the dark - with only one bike that had a working headlight. Two of us sped ahead of the guy with the light - only to find out the road deadended into a 3 foot brick wall. I was thrown about 15 feet - but my buddy ripped his knee open. I took the bike with the light - the only one that worked - and threw him on the back. One the way to the hospital - we crashed again.

Needless to say - my wife doesn't want me near a motorcycle. She's a killjoy...

7. I've run four marathons.

None since High school though. Trained for one a couple years back - but ended up getting a job and had to leave on the morning of the race. My first race - I took ninth place in my age range. It was on the roads near the ocean on the southern tip of Taiwan. My coach got all pissed off cause the kid that took 5th road by us on the back of a motorcycle...

I really didn't care. I was happy to still be alive. Why I ever did it again is beyond me.

8. My wife is way more talented than I am.

She is an artist, a songwriter, a writer, a craftsman and a mom. She can draw, sing, play the piano and guitar, make necklaces and sell them, cook, write the most witty, insightful things - and take care of the kids.

Me? As I've said, the director is usually the least talented person on the set. I am the epitome of this statement.

I just hire good people, sit back and complain.

9. I taught Jessica Simpson Chinese.

For my show.
She's a hard worker.
Harder worker than I thought.
She wouldn't give up till she got it right.
And she did.

...Eventually.

10. I was Jason Mewes ass double.

I was also kissed by Paris Hilton. Both in the same movie.

You can read about it in one of my first posts ever:

Here

and here.

Now - I'm supposed to tag 5 people.

Here you go:

DAVID - Cause you're smarter and a better writer than me.
RYAN - Cause you're a punk kid with time on his hands.
MATT - Cause you're just starting out and deserve more links.
DANTE - Cause you're nice enough to come by - and smart enough that I want to know more about you.
SARAH - Cause you're the only one from writing class that actually still writes.

Have at it kids. Looking forward to seeing the results.

I'm on a plane tomorrow to return to China. Be gone another month.

God have mercy...