Tagged and Released

I’ve been observing from afar a “tagging” game going on among edubloggers, who are asked to write five things about themselves that other bloggers may not know (are there really other bloggers out there in the world?) and then spin the game to five other people (reminds me a bit of six degrees of seperation — minus one). Cheryl Lykowski — who is part of our Youth Radio initiative — got me this morning and so here I go:

Five Things about Me

  1. My nickname Dogtrax comes from a childhood nickname — Red Dog, which is a football play. We played some tough tackle football in my apartment neighborhood and I was a blocker for my best friend, Chris, and he named me Red Dog (my hair was red back then). The name got shorter as the years went on, and was reduced to Dog, and then when I started doing some independent recording with a four-track machine, I named my “company” Dogtrax Studio.
  2. I have written more than 200 songs — most of which stink and many of which I have the lyrics (archived) with no chords, so the words are alive but the music is mostly lost. Except that I have on cassette tape about 100 songs from the last 20 years sitting around, gathering dust and losing their magnetic strips, no doubt.
  3. I was in the Connecticut National Army Guard for six years as an infantry soldier — I was a Wire Dog, which meant running communication wire through the dead of winter from one command center to another. I got a low degree of frostbite on one of my fingers to remember the experience by.
  4. A friend and I are working on a movie script that centers around our college days and an interest in Buckminster Fuller — the man behind the geodesic dome and many other scientific advancements.
  5. I have composed and played music for my family’s church and listened with pleasure as a huge pipe organ and a full choir belted out two of the songs I wrote here at home, with a guitar and a computer notation program. On one of the performances, I even had my wife play her violin and a friend play his guitar, while I played my soprano saxophone on the song. Glorious indeed.

Hmmm. Now who shall I tag?

I’m not quite sure how this whole venture progresses from here but my National Writing Project friends can consider themselves tagged.

Peace (in at least five ways),
Kevin

PS — So I began tracking the meme project backwards, just because I had a few minutes, and phew … the links track way back with this Five Thingamabob Project. I grew exhausted just following the leads.

4 Comments
  1. It’s been a year since I last did this tagging game with my blogger friends. Since it’s New Year let me do this for you as I reflect on my past. I will get back to you and post it here in your comment box. ‘Ayt? HAPPY NEW YEAR!

  2. 5 Things About Me
    (also read in my blog)

    My NWP colleague and cyberpal, Kevin, tagged me yesterday. It’s been a year since I participated into this tagging game with my blogger friends. Since it’s New Year today, I guess it’s timely to reflect on things about me.

    1. Since I got here in the US in October 2003, I gained 30 pounds! I really have to start putting out more calories than I take in to lose weight. Last year I became a Starbucks addict, I used to drink Starbucks Vanilla flavored Frapuccino as my breakfast every morning before rushing to work just to discover after a year of indulging in it that it has more or less 450 calories per bottle! Now wonder I started buying bigger sized clothes, I went from size 4 to size 8, a nightmare! My New Year’s Resolution is to shed off my unwanted 33.8% body fat and be able to wear my form fitting clothes again. I enrolled in Gold’s Gym for one year, and I’m taking classes now in yoga, power jam and power pump. I guess I have the will power now to accomplish this goal.

    2. When I was 23, my waistline was 23. It’s the reverse now, 32…waaah!

    3. I am in front of the computer every hour everyday, except when I’m sleeping. I was appointed as the Technology Liaisons to the DC Area Writing Project because they said “I eat, drink, sleep blogging”. Yes, I used to have a chronic addiction to blogging, during which I was able maintain more or less 12 websites/ blogs now and I am a member of several blog communities (I still am now). Gradually, I am able to get away with blogging now, and hopefully try to focus more on myself and the National Board Certification. But I still couldn’t last without a computer hooked to the internet.

    4. I used to be a school administrator, I guess I started my professional life at the age of 23. I used to run my own center for children with special needs way back home in the Philippines. Before coming here in the US, I sold my school to a sorority sister who was also in the education field. Now I never want to be an administrator anymore, I’ve had enough stress in my 7 years experience! I just want making a difference by being a classroom teacher.

    5. I love music but music doesn’t love me. Both my husband and daughter can sing gloriously, my hubby plays the guitar well and was a vocalist in his band (back in the Philippines), my 8-year-old daughter plays the violin and got her singing prowess from her dad. Well at least I can dance!

    Why is this more difficult than when I wrote 101 Things About Me in my personal homepage two years ago. Reading again the list, I realized that it was much easier because I just wrote anything, whatever, that first came to my mind about me. Please take note that this was written in 2005, and was unedited. No inhibitions, no cuts, no censorship (please pardon some of them, it show that I’m only human).

  3. Whoops, I didn’t realize I got tagged, but I just figured out who to use bloglines, duh! and how it figures into my net life. Karen mentioned that you tagged me, Kevin, but I didn’t know what she was talking about. I just saw Troy’s list and the lights came on so I guess I will post on my blog http://blk1.edublogs.org. Love this. But how come I didn’t see this myself? Where did you send the tag, Kevin?

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