Random Facts Meme

This meme has been making the rounds of the blogosphere, and though no one tagged me directly, several people I know have done this meme, including Jim (Who did it twice . . . here and here,) and Julie.  Both of these fine folks did this meme when it required only seven random facts. I don’t know why it is now up to eight, but you can see that this is now the case here and here.  Maybe Julie should add another random fact about herself in her original post.  Since Jim has done it twice, he is covered until this meme grows to 14 random facts.

Here are the rules:
1) Players start with 8 random facts about themselves
2) Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts
3) Players should tag 8 other people and notify them they have been tagged

Here are my eight random facts:

• While in Band in Junior and Senior High school I played the Oboe, the Trombone and Baritone in that order.
• In 1976 at the Church of God Youth Camp in Kentucky I won two awards:  Mr Scholastic and the Badminton Champion Trophy.  Yes I was once a scholar/athlete.  Why I never got a Rhodes scholarship is beyond me.
• I once said that there were two things I would never do:  become a pastor and get a divorce.  Oops.
• In my first semester at Eastern Kentucky University I stayed awake during finals week from Sunday until leaving for home on Wednesday.  This was not a good idea since hallucinations are rarely conducive to doing well on tests (we were in the midst of role-playing game marathon). I have not, however, given up this kind of foolishness, since even now at the old age of 45 I find myself still doing all-nighters at times, especially on Saturdays.
• In my pre-pastor days, my senior psychology project at EKU on “Locus of Control, Death Anxiety, Seat Belt Usage and Other Variables” placed first among the student presentations at the Kentucky Academy of Science Psychology section, netting me a $100.00 award, publication in the KAS proceedings, and led to my receiving the Psi Chi Research award at EKU that year.
• My first real love and goal in life was to become a politician and get elected to the Kentucky legislature.  To this end I applied for, was accepted into, and worked for eight months as an intern in the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission in 1982.
• I believe that the only pie really worth eating is a pecan pie, preferably served warm and with a big slab of vanilla ice cream on top.
• In college I was given the nickname of “fish.”  This was because of my tendency to argue one point of view until I had almost convinced my opponent of it’s correctness, only to then turn around or “flip flop” and begin arguing the other side.  I loved and love to debate and argue!  Plus, at the time, I thought this talent would serve me well when I got elected to political office : )

Since I was not tagged, I will not tag anyone either.  Just do the meme if you feel like it.