Tag -- I'm it?

It seems that Sara over at News from NOLA has decided that I, The Hawg, am worthy of being tagged.

This is my first tag ever and, as such, I'm more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Well, not really.

However, I have been trying to figure out what to come up with as my challenge from Sara is to come up with seven facts about me that people don't know. So, after taking a hard look at myself, I've decided to come up with the fun stuff rather than the "mind your own damned business" items.

Well, perhaps "fun stuff" is a subjective term. I think these are fun items, anyway. Here goes:

1. I have a relative who fought in the War Between the States. Yes, it's true. That particular relative was from south Arkansas, so do you want to guess whether he was a Confederate or a no-account Yankee? Yep. You guessed it.

Here's a fun fact about my great-great-grandfather -- he was single-handedly responsible for losing Arkansas to the invaders! Well, not really. But he did keep the rifle he used in the war and that was passed on to my great-grandfather. Now, my great-grandfather's wife was a little bit off in the head and she hated guns. So she buried that rifle somewhere on my great-grandfather's farm. That farm is still in the family (my father owns a piece of it) and that bit of War Between the States history is lost somewhere on it.

2. I was in a band in college. Yes, indeed! We were first the Jumpin' Jehoshaphats and then the Wacky Savages after the guitarist left in a huff because he got in a fight with the bassist (our bassist thought that beer bottle solos, while novel, weren't worthy of a band that was trying to be somewhat serious).

My job was to write lyrics and sing while our stalwart bassist wrote the music. After awhile, it was my job to write lyrics, play sloppy rhythm guitar and sing. Sadly, the guitar was kind of put up after I went to law school as I barely had time to breathe, much less play guitar.

The Wacky Savages name, by the way, came from one of those cheap tabloids that were always lined up at checkout lines at supermarkets. There was an article in one of them about the "Elvis Tribe" and it was illustrated with a photo of a bunch of native types lined up in their grass skirts and Elvis wigs. The caption read, "Wacky savages sing and dance like the King." Being a major Elvis fan, how could I resist?

Our favorite songs to play were "Nazi Girl" (which I wrote in five minutes in a parking lot while waiting for a friend to emerge from his dorm so we could go to dinner) and "My Friend Rashid" (which was all about a terrorist who came to a nasty end). We were a bunch of tongue-in-cheek kids who listened to the Sex Pistols and the Ramones too much, and our music sounded like it. Fun times.

3. I used to pack heat. Back in my lawyering days, I had a couple of clients call up and threaten to beat me up over various things. One of these fellows called me at 2 a.m. on a weekend and he was upset because he was going through a divorce and his wife wouldn't let him pick up their kids for visitation (he showed up at her house drunk). The other was a meth dealer who loved to sample his product. Yes, I represented some real winners, kids.

So, I had a Charter Arms .44 Bulldog in my desk drawer. Those were crazy times, indeed, and I even went so far as to purchase bullets with very soft, hollow points so they wouldn't blast through a wall and kill my secretary if I had to pull my gun on some crazy client. I never had to pull the gun and I'm grateful for that.

Who out there thinks that all sounds insane? It's OK to admit it because it sure sounds insane to me these days.

I don't own any pistols anymore, by the way. I wound up pawning them for rent back in my lawyering days because a lot of my clients weren't the most responsible when it came to paying bills. I never replaced them.

4. I avoid weddings like the plague. I've only used one legitimate excuse to get out of a wedding and that was last year. I hate going to weddings and generally only attend if I'm in them or if a good friend is getting married. If it's a casual acquaintance or one of those weddings I should attend for "social reasons," I'll weasel out almost every time. Here are just a few excuses I've used:

a) My aunt died

b) It snowed last night and I might kill myself driving to the church

c) My brother is very upset because of something our mother said and I must rush to his aid

d) I hate your fiance and think you're an idiot for marrying her (that one was an honest reason for not attending, actually)

e) That wedding is in a Baptist church and I've been banned (not too far from the truth -- I was raised Baptist and turned Methodist a few years ago)

5. Life has made my cynical, but not toward my wife and kids. It's important to point that out as my wife, son and daughter keep me grounded very well. My wife is the most patient woman in the world and our children are just brimming with possibilities. If I can help them live up to those possibilities, then I've done my job as a father and will be proud of the job I've done.

That doesn't mean I won't reserve the right to use my grandchildren to torture my children. Kind of like this -- "Hey (granchild's name), I'll give you $20 to run through your mom's house screaming and I'll kick in an extra $15 if you're naked while you're doing it." Heh, heh.

6. I may be grown up, but I still follow my Benton Panthers. My father and I still go to almost every one of our alma mater's home games. I'm a third generation Benton, Ark., resident and high school football Friday night is still important to me.

The best thing of all, of course, is spending some time with my father. That bond is very important to me and the contentious relationship I had with my dad while I was growing up has blossomed into a warm friendship of sorts. So, go Panthers and yay dad!

7. Have you played Atari today? Yes, I'm one of those fellows who never got rid of his Atari 2600. I've got an Atari and about 200 games for it. I grew up playing that thing and I still love it. Yeah, I've got a Nintendo Wii, original Nintendo NES, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Sega Dreamcast, Atari Lynx, Sony Playstation, Atari 7800 and a couple of other systems here and there. But I still love that old Atari. For my money, gaming never got any better than that.

It's just too bad my ColecoVision blew up a few years ago.

So, that's about it. I've rambled enough so I should address the other part of this "tagging" thing. It is my role to link back to the person who invited me (I've done that) and to invite seven other bloggers to join in the fun by either sending them e-mails or posting on their blogs. I'm picking some folks who I think have fascinating blogs and people I didn't select for the Kick Ass Blogger award (I want to spread the love around, dig?) So, I'm inviting the following seven and I'm asking them to link back to me after they post their stuff. I'm also going to ask them not to write nasty comments over here after receiving the "tag" notice. Here they are:

1. The Mad Celt from Musings of a Mad Celt. I'm interested to see what this cat will come up with as he is extremely interesting.

2. The Acorn King. The Acorn King is an absolute hoot and I'd love to learn more about him.

3. Lala over at Coastal Commentaries. That's my little way of saying "thanks" for bestowing the Kick Ass Blogger award upon me. Besides, she'll come up with something nifty, I'm certain.

4. Lot 2 learn over at Time to Go Outside. I swear this fellow is an Arkie at heart.

5. Rutgerskevin at The Red Stapler Chronicles. Partially because I find that blog intriguing, partially because I feel guilty I haven't spent more time over there.

*UPDATE* Well, it would appear that Ruterskevin did one of these months ago (in my defense, that was well before my time). So there's no need for duplication, is there? To see a list of his 10 little known facts, head right here.

6. Craftymug at Crafty Cross Stitch. My mother-in-law likes cross stitch. I like my mother-in-law (I honestly do!) Therefore, I like this blog. So, join in the fun, Craftymug!

7. Ms. Orange at Orange Derange. What on earth drives Ms. Orange? I'd like to know and I'm sure I'm not alone.