01) My full name is John James Toomey, Jr. My father had the same name (less the "Jr," of course), and his father had the same name, less the middle name.
02) I work for a software company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. I've been working in the software industry since I graduated from college, despite my degree in Electrical Engineering.
03) I really don't like driving. Really.
04) I drive a nearly hour-long commute twice a day. Go figure.
05) There's really no genre of music which I flat out don't like. At least, if there is, I've yet to discover it.
06) I've read a great deal of science-fiction and fantasy, but I find that I seem to care about a novel's genre less and less as the years go by.
07) It's not that I don't like shopping for clothes; it's that I don't like shopping for clothes when I don't feel like shopping for clothes.
08) My attitude about books and music, cited above, extends pretty well across my entire life. I tend to try and enjoy everything for what it is, not for what it should be. It's all about zest. Bob the Angry Flower taught me that.
09) There's a lot of music from the fifties that I really like, but I've noticed that a lot of online discographies tend to peter out right about then.
0A) I find that numbering lists of lengths between 100 and 255 is significantly easier and more compact if done in hexadecimal.
0B) I bought my wife a diamond engagement ring because she likes diamonds, but man, diamonds piss me off.
0C) I find that there's a fine line between people with strong opinions and self-satisfied assholes. I sincerely hope I fall on the proper side.
0D) I don't mind her work, but I'd place Joni Mitchell on the asshole side. Sorry, Joni.
0E) I quite like cats in theory, but not quite as much in practice.
0F) If I got to name a band, I'd probably name it Buffalo Springboard.
10) When I was a kid, I'd play the same computer game for months, pushing and prodding at puzzles I couldn't solve until they finally gave way. The feeling of accomplishment when I'd finally figured it all out made it worthwhile. These days, my patience seems in much shorter supply.
11) My favorite games are games from when I was a kid. Go figure.
12) I love card games, and have a near perfect memory for card game rules. I'm like the Hoyle Two-Legged Edition.
13) I don't buy into superstitions. Perhaps this should have come 6 entries ago.
14) Corgis seem nice, but that could be Cowboy Bebop talking.
15) I never used to drink coffee. These days I drink it frequently, but not religiously.
16) Jackson Browne is one of those musicians who really knows how to twist the knife. Warren Zevon too, but his knife was serrated.
17) When I saw that Jim Carrey had been cast as Count Olaf in the Series of Unfortunate Events film, my first thought was, "What, is Tim Curry dead or something?"
18) I made an effort to read a bunch of the "classic" sci-fi short stories over the past year. I think my favorite was Zelazny's "A Rose for Ecclesiastes."
19) What I said about cats pretty much goes for snow, too.
1A) Prisons and compost piles: nobody wants either right on the edge of their property.
1B) I have no sense of direction. I can get lost in my hometown. No, I do get lost in my own hometown.
1C) That may have to do with the fact that I can't "picture" things in my head. I close my eyes and get a blank, black slate. That's it. Unless I took particular note of a visual detail, don't expect me to recall it later.
1D) I really like interactive fiction. I've had a game kicking around inside my head for years now that needs to come out eventually. I'm just letting it simmer until someone else writes it for me.
1E) Yeah, I guess I can be a bit lazy at times. Sorry.
1F) There are 10 kinds of people in the world: those who understand binary notation, and those who don't particularly like geek jokes.
20) Some bands you need to hear, if you haven't already: Moxy Fruvous, Neutral Milk Hotel, Jim's Big Ego, Our Lady Peace, Fountains of Wayne, James, Steely Dan, Phish, Toad the Wet Sprocket, They Might Be Giants, Jethro Tull, Guster, Rush, XTC, The Postal Service, and Death Cab for Cutie.
21) Some solo artists you need to hear, if you haven't already: Vienna Teng, Warren Zevon, Jackson Browne, Ben Folds, Josh Rouse, Lyle Lovett, Marc Cohn, Mark Knopfler, Tori Amos, Damien Rice, and Ray Charles. Not that you haven't.
22) I tend to work late. It's primarily because I refuse to commute during rush hour, but also because I'm a bit of a night owl and tend toward getting in late.
23) Sometimes I go on Google and do searches on people I used to know. I usually find nothing, so I'm either not a stalker, or I'm a highly unsuccessful stalker.
24) I love the phrase, "Bus' a cap in yo' ass."
25) I'm always taken by surprise when someone whips out a checkbook in a retail store in order to make a purchase. I'd be taken further aback if they expected to barter using livestock, but not by a whole lot.
26) I'm a terrible guitarist.
27) One of my college roommates and I agreed that you can stop wondering and definitively put a song in the "Cheeze" column when it rhymes the words "girl" and "world." I stand by this assertion. A recent Grammy winner does it TWICE. It sucks.
28) Some online comics you need to read, if you don't already: Achewood, Dinosaur Comics, PvP, Scary Go Round, Sluggy Freelance, Something Positive, Ozy and Millie, Penny Arcade, Death to the Extremist, Bob the Angry Flower, Cat and Girl, Cigarro and Cerveza, and VG Cats.
29) I'm a member of the "punctuation police." If you're reading along in England, make that the "punctuation police".
2A) Yes, I know that the world has moved on, and that I'm not supposed to use two spaces after periods anymore, but I just can't manage the change. Luckily, most web browsers hide my anachronicity for me.
2B) If anachronicity isn't a word, it should be.
2C) Some TV shows I've enjoyed: Twin Peaks, Lost, Quantum Leap, and The Prisoner.
2D) I watch VH1. I'm not proud of it, but I just can't turn the goddamn channel.
2E) I find my lack of artistic ability extremely frustrating.
2F) I was thinking of slipping some major revelation into the middle of this list, figuring nobody would read this far anyway, but then you went and ruined it. Yup, you, the one reading this right now. Way to go.
30) I played a lot of role-playing games in high school and during the first couple years of college. Every now and then I get the urge to dust off the old rulebooks, but there's not a crowd I'd really care to play them with anymore.
31) I need a muse. Maybe I could keep her in the attic.
32) People who diss John Denver make me angry.
33) I've adminned on a number of MU* systems, but, honestly, I just don't like people enough to put up with their shit to that kind of extent.
34) One of the nastiest substances in the known cosmos is Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi in a can.
35) I'm not so much a fan of corn nuts themselves as much as I'm a fan of their name.
36) I want an iPod. If I ever get one, I'm going to call it an "Ipod."
37) I have a pretty pissah Boston accent.
38) I really, really wanted a Hercules Graphics Card for my 8086, and eventually managed to snag myself one.
39) I love Perl.
3A) I have no piercings.
3B) I play piano. I don't claim to play it well, but I play it.
3C) You know what's a great old song? Midnight Train to Georgia. Just saying.
3D) I liked The Da Vinci Code. Yeah, it was fluff. Sue me.
3E) I used to love BBS "Door" games. Operation Overkill, Trade Wars, Barren Realms Elite -- man, I played them all.
3F) Back in those days, I typically went by the handle Thantos. Yep, misspelled -- and that wasn't the most embarrassing handle I used.
40) Some authors you need to read, if you haven't already: Neil Gaiman, J. K. Rowling, Susan Cooper, Nick Bantock, Ursula K. LeGuin, Kurt Vonnegut, and Douglas Adams.
41) What the Hell happened to Rod Stewart? Early in his career, he wrote such great songs, and just look at him now. What a waste.
42) I hate watching programs in which a person/character is belittled, mocked, and/or embarrassed. I got enough of that growing up, thanks. I'll pass on American Idol.
43) I have a fairly extensive vocabulary.
44) It's not that I don't like Macs, it's just... er, actually, let's leave it at that. I don't want to get proselytized at.
45) Well, let me add this: The Apple Store makes me uncomfortable. Especially when I wear my nasty plaid coat and badly need a haircut... which is pretty much all the time.
46) I was once hospitalized for dehydration. I hadn't eaten silica gel.
47) I think Cyndi Lauper was (and is) underrated.
48) My college roommates were, in no particular order: a music major, a comp-sci major, a poli-sci major, a comp-sci major, a physics major, a chemical engineering major, a comp-sci major, and a doorknob. I think that's all of them.
49) I got married eleven days after September eleventh. Our Maid of Honor ditched. We were better off without her.
4A) I have a bumper sticker stuck to one of my work computer monitors that says, "I GUESS THERE IS A LESSON HERE FOR US ALL." And there generally is.
4B) I heard it as, "I keep wondering what magic candy bar." If that's not ringing any bells, think Debarge. If that's not ringing any bells, you're better off than I, sir. Or madam.
4C) You know what rock? Capybaras. No, really -- I mean, look at this! Huh? Huh?
4D) I fiddle with things. I can't help it. Most of my remote controls have battery covers that constantly fall off because I remove and replace them over and over while watching TV. THe plastic fatigues. My wife angers.
4E) I was one of the editors of my high school newspaper.
4F) I have two cats. Well, my wife does, but they make my life difficult too.
50) I know of at least one person willing to read through eighty random facts about me.
51) Owning a house has taught me to appreciate living in an apartment. I like the privacy, but it's a huge time and money sink.
52) I once met Steven Spielberg. I am 100% certain he would not remember me.
53) The buttons has been falling off my nasty plaid coat in droves of late. What's that all about?
54) I have two sisters, one older and one younger. We all live in the same state.
55) I think that the vast majority of Republicans aren't evil; they're just too lazy to fully consider the repercussions of their actions.
56) I once had a character on a MUCK named Flippo the Wonder Pantry.
57) The first MU* I was ever on was a Vampire: the Masquerade themed MUSH. I remember having one of those "Where are you located?" type conversations with a fellow MUSHer, and finding out that she lived next door. I went over and said hello. She seemed nice.
58) I could stand to lose a few pounds.
59) I read books about prime numbers for fun.
5A) I have this trick for counting fifteens in cribbage hands: if the cards total to just over fifteen, then count the number of ways you can subtract the overage rather than then number of ways you can sum up. For example, with a hand of 23445, you can only subtract three in one way, so there's only one fifteen in there. A3356 has two ways to subtract three, and, thus, two fifteens. A3445 has none. Works faster for me.
5B) In vino veritas. So true.
5C) I carry a Leatherman. I used to carry a Swiss Army Knife. I have to hide them from myself the night before I intend to fly anywhere, because I tend to grab them automatically in the morning, and that could be bad.
5D) I've never seen Casablanca.
5E) I'm a big fan of the Final Fantasy series. No, not one of those fans -- you know, the ones who dress up and stuff.
5F) I like Fresca.
60) We're almost done!
61) I am good enough at chess to beat people who sorta know how the pieces move.
62) I'm not looking for your pity, damnit.
63) I went to band camp one year, and nothing like that happened.
64) And, speaking of Alyson Hannigan: rowr.