My Story
I haven’t had time to post the chapters from the book I’m writing so I borrowed this from my Facebook page and the “25 Things about me” note that was going around.
1. I was born at a very young age on February 29, 1972, LEAP YEAR…which explains #2-#25
2. My lungs flooded with water and gooey stuff for 20 minutes and at the hospital later the Docs said I would die, be paralyzed or retarded. I only had seizures until I was about 11 though. My parents were in a religous cult called the “Children of God” at the time and prayed a lot so maybe that helped.
3. Around 1st grade I took ballet and piano, and was the best Tiny Tim ever in Twisp, Washington. See my photo gallery for pics of me in a Leotard.
4. Mostly, I read history and science fiction books…always wanting to escape, be a hero, and do important things. Never did much of that except for my kiddos though.
5. At a Christian (Bretheran) commune in Ohio we went “dipping” i.e. getting food from the grocery store dumpster which ended in my co-founding PAY (Poor at Yale) and “Real Diversity” in college. Bob Barnes and I advocated for financial aid and recruitment policies that Ivy League Universities did many years later.
6. I wanted to grow my hair long and be a rock star during the 80s, but settled for a Mullet and playing the clarinet in band….I was pretty good at that, and break-dancing which I still bust out at weddings if I drink enough.
7. When I visited Washington D.C. junior year, everyone else went shopping while I went to the Capital steps and thought, “I’m going to work here someday,” another dream that never came true…and I’m a better person for it.
8. I broke an egg on the Woodruff High School Dean’s head at our senior class party and he kicked me out of the Senior Class all-night Graduation party weeks later because of it. Had I known that would occur I would have given a very different prayer during graduation ceremony earlier in the day.
9. Our college room (“Cheers”) threw a party and I (“Sam”) downed a 5th of Vodka standing on the bar, climbed some scaffolding, feel down, punched a cop, and got booted out of the University Hospital for being disruptive at 3 a.m, and, oh yeah, got sent to the alcohol counselor that declared me an Alcoholic (ended up being not true but scared the crap out of me so I quit drinking and met my (now) wife who was the only other person not getting trashed frequently.
10. I ran for Student Body President twice, losing both times, and switching my major from PoliSci to Sociology. NEVER, EVER give up Art for Politics. (I wonder if that had to do with my jeans shorts and big ‘ol motorcycle I cruised around on.)
11. Zoe Baird, Clinton’s nominee for Attorney General that got booted for hiring an illegal hired me after the guy and the Press was after me to see if she paid her taxes. I would “neither confirm nor deny” what she did. The editor of hte Yale Daily News who grilled me, Dave Leonhardt, now works for the New York Times and just for the record, she did pay the taxes, but in January, which was appropriate I suppose.
12. God and I talked once. Yep. Sure did. Heard him clear as a bell…and actually talked back to him. I should have listened.
13. I get nervous and my blood-pressure goes up when I see cop cars. This has to do with being chased by Rick Taylor, local police officer in Tiskilwa, Il, for running around after curfew when I was in junior high and high school.
14. I am foot-in-mouth-honest, the same way in every situation, and “easy to read”…except if I have to lie to survive and then my acting training comes in…and did you know I am actually a multi-millionaire and taught Bill Gates every thing he knows.
15. Someone told me I’m a “Giver.” I give, give, give, and love to share and help people, and when they don’t appreciate it or respect me, I get very resentful and bitter. It’s actually why I am restructuring all my business work to protect myself from trying to help everyone.
P.S. This article about growing up “gifted” hah hah – helped me understand my, um, personal and professional difficulties, and may be relevent for you too if you constantly feel that other people don’t understand you.
16. My biggest decision came after college when I chose to stay in a relationship with my (now) wife and move to San Diego. I knew this meant I would end up on the family path and never get to live the other 50% of me which would have involved lots of travel. maybe acting, and working political campaigns.
17. Our son Gabriel has Down syndrome. This plus #16 has had a HUGE impact on how I treat other people and how my life has turned out. View Gabriel’s Story here.
18. I was sure to be a finalist to appear on The Apprentice but dropped out because I spent 3 days away from our daughter Emma who I stayed home with from the time we got her…and could physically feel the loss of not being with her…and there was NO WAY I could go away for 16 weeks of shooting in NYC.
P.S. 3 of my siblings have been on National Television (major news shows and MTV’s Road Rules) which SUCKS because I’m the one who would really have loved being semi-famous.
19. I love Therapy. We started when I was a little kid, and as an amateur pop-psychologist I love to talk about my “issues.” Sigh….I haven’t had one since we moved to PA about 3.5 years ago. Go try it. You’ll have FUN and it might even help.
20. I am 2nd oldest of 7 and LOVE babies and want 5 more. But, wife says she is, “Not a Baby Machine!” : ( Perhaps I should sperm donate. OK, I’d have to wait 18 years or so before meeting the kids….but still…
P.S. We are having a Baby boy in late August/early September 2009!
21. I once hired 42 Pakistani’s for 6 weeks at $1 per hour to run a Spam email campaign and if I ever put everything I know about internet marketing into a package and learned to charge people what it’s worth I’d make a ton of money, not work much, and be able to “Hire American.” (That’s actually what I’m doing right now.)
22. The Credit Bureaus and credit card companies Dirty Tricks and sloppy business practices have cost you thousands of dollars in higher interest payments on mortgages, credit cards, student loans, and auto loans…and I can tell you how to stop them.
23. Someday I will write many more books including one personal Memoir (40 chapters outlined) and several on personal finance issues, and several more internet marketing books. Wanna form a writing group and finally Write Your Book? Let’s do it. WriteABookNow.com
24. I’m a super-dooper Problem Solver. I LOVE to figure out how to market businesses and make them more efficient….but once I know the solution I will get bored with the nitty gritty implementation…hence my partners and staff.
25. I’m hoping to be a multi-millionaire by the time I’m 40 and focus on Gabriel’s Angel Network – the mission of which is to ensure that no parent with a child with a disability is ever without Hope and the Resources they need to live a healthier, happier life.
Did you enjoy this?
Please comment below.
