A Victim of Internet Memes: 25 Random Things

Recently I've been tagged with one of those get-to-know-you gags online. The rules read as follows:

"Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you."

Tag. I'm it. I got stuck with a smaller version of this when I got a mild cold during a snowstorm. I got the 25-random-things version while recovering a nasty cold. If I wait for a bigger list, I fully expect to be struck down with an Ebola virus.

But I'm not tagging anybody. I might be a wuss, but I'm not a rat.

Here I go. I suggest you start running now.

1. I never learned how to drive. Car insurance in California was too expensive. And my wife always has the car (bah-dump-bump CHING.)
2. I once shattered a malfunctioning typewriter out of sheer frustration. It was a cheap, creaking piece of crap anyway.
3. Halloween is my favorite holiday because it feels more positive than all the others so far.
4. I know how to make a few dishes (chicken in marsala seems the most popular, but I don't think I'm much of a cook.
5. I once had a black cat called Lilith. I still miss her.
6. My father was a US Marine at the Battle of Iwo Jima.
7. I still dream of writing and directing feature films.
8. I have nervous tremors in my face and hands. I do my best to conceal them in public.
9. The first thing I ever saw on a television screen was the laser room scene in "Goldfinger."
10. I'm a Christian who supports the theory of evolution and despises creationism. (Hey, I thought it was a sin to tell a lie....)
11. To speed up the process, I used polyhedral dice to figure out which items went on the list.
12. Black isn't my favorite color. But for some reason, it has a relaxing effect on me.
13. The streak of silver in my hair started as a big spot when I was 23.
14. For some reason, I rarely recognize actors in person, no matter how famous or distinctive they are... even when they're friends of mine.
15. I'm rather shy. I was brought up to be seen, not heard. The fact that I've dealt with a lot of really screwed-up people didn't help.
16. I based my penmanship on those of my father and JRR Tolkien's Elvish lettering.
17. I got chicken pox when I was a teenager. I've had dry skin problems ever since.
18. The backs of my hands still bear scars I gave myself from high school.
19. I'm learning how to shave with a straight razor. Rather nice, actually.
20. I once suffered with insomnia for four weeks straight because of nightmares.
21. My ankle has been sprained at least six times.
22. I don't tell my mother what I do for a living. She thinks I'm going to Hell as it is.
23. I'm Hispanic, a Mexican-American born and raised in Silicon Valley. I've been erroneously labeled white, Arabic, Filipino, and God knows what else.
24. My cognitive memory started when I was about seven months old.
25. This is one of the hardest things I've ever worked on.