It is written…

There are certain facts about me that are undeniable:  I have a specific birthdate, a physical address, and a social security number.

There are certain things about me that are observable: I’m 5 ft. 10 in. tall, have brown hair on the top of my head (thinning) and in my beard, and I drive a Toyota Corolla.

These things about me are all true, but they don’t say much about the kind of person that I am. However, from some of these facts, much more can be learned.

A lot of analysis has been written about people based on things like their birth date.  For starters, I was born during the month of August, making Leo my astrological sign.  According to www.astrology-online.com:

“The Leo type is the most dominant, spontaneously creative and extrovert of all the zodiacal characters. In grandeur of manner, splendor of bearing and magnanimity of personality, they are the monarch’s among humans as the lion is king of beasts. They are ambitious, courageous, dominant, strong willed, positive, independent, self-confident there is no such a word as doubt in their vocabularies, and they are self-controlled. Born leaders, either in support of, or in revolt against, the status quo. They are at their most effective when in a position of command, their personal magnetism and innate courtesy of mind bringing out the best of loyalty from subordinates. They are uncomplicated, knowing exactly what they want and using all their energies, creativeness and resolution to get it, as well as being certain that they will get whatever they are after. Their followers know where they are with Leonians. Leonians think and act bigger than others would normally dare; the ambitiousness of their schemes and idealism sometimes daunt their followers, their practical hardheadedness and ability to go straight to the heart of any problem reassures those who depend on them. If Leonians meet with setbacks they thrive on the adversity.”

I find that interesting…and mostly true. (…except got the word “Leonians”. Who came up with that one?)

According to the Chinese Zodiac, being born in 1977 puts me under the Year of the Snake.  Here’s what the placemats at the West Lake Gourmet Chinese Restaurant have to say about that:

“Wise and intense, with a tendency towards physical beauty.  Vain and high tempered. The Boar is your enemy. The Cock and Ox are your best signs.”

I have just one thing to say about that. I AM NOT HIGH TEMPERED!

(Okay, maybe they’re right.  Maybe I *AM* a Snake.  I *do* have a low tolerance for people who are bores…)

A more in-depth description of ”Snake” people can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_(zodiac)

Is that who I really am?  No, not totally.  If you asked me who I am, I’d tell you something like this:

I think of myself as a mild-mannered thrill seeker.  I’ve been skydiving, I love roller coasters, and I have a strong attraction to being in and under water (swimming, snorkeling, SCUBA diving). I am happiest being on my own, working independently toward my own personal and financial goals.  I see myself as being moderate in beliefs and even-tempered, like a mediator or a wishy-washy fence-sitter.  I listen more than I speak, always observing people and my surroundings.  I am shy and reserved by nature, content most of the time to remain in the background, though I do enjoy getting in the spotlight every once in a while.  I spend a substantial amount of time in preparation for most activities or social situations in order to hide my discomfort with them and reduce the potential for embarrassment through bungled or stammered speech.  I treat life like a performance.  When in public view, I’m on my best behavior, as you never know who could be watching.  My private life is spent toggling between my various circles for friends and quiet, alone time.  Being at home by myself lets me unwind and re-charge my social batteries so I can go out and once again face the world in public view.  I desire to have jobs, and not a single career.  I am a “Jack” of many trades, finding it hard to focus in true depth on just one field or activity.  There’s a huge variety of interesting stuff to do and experience out there in this world, and I only have 60 more years to experience it all.  Success for me is not defined by the traditional things: a nice house, a fast car, a wife and 2.5 kids.  I seek friendship and intellectual stimulation, and I choose to surround myself with people like that. I do crave success, and have delusions of winning the lottery or getting discovered as a singer, movie actor, or game show host. I feel that my best or most marketable attributes are my thoughtful and considerate mind, my versatile singing and speaking voice, and my feet (look out, foot models!).

I’ll write more about my Corolla in a later post…

–Harrison King, III

I “Wanna Be Starting Something”

I can’t quite put my finger on why, but a Michael Jackson song has ”spoken” to me. And, because of that song, I think today is finally going to be the day. I’ve had the idea to do this rolling around in the back of my head for a good long while, but I kept putting it off, again and again. But no more!

A couple years ago, I was watching TV. (That fact in and of itself is not unusual.  I studied TV production and Communications in college, so my TV’s generally on a lot.) On this particular day, something in particular grabbed my attention. I heard the booming narration of voice actor Keith David asking the important question: “If someone wrote a book about your life, would anyone want to read it?”

What a deep and profound question. It resonated with me (despite it only being said as the tag line for a U.S. Navy recruiting commercial). That question stayed with me for over a year and grew from being a timid, back-burner suggestion to being a loud and nagging reminderto complete a task on my life’s “to-do” list.

Shortly thereafter, I turned 30. (Actually, this next bit happened following my surprise 30th birthday party. Technically, I was 29 and 3/4 at the time, but lets just call it 30 for now.) I looked ahead in my life and figured that, given current mortality statistics and the rate of lengthening life expectancy, I had a good shot to live to be 90 years old. And then, I looked backward. The fact that 30 years of my life had gone by gave me pause……and a little woe. (Not the Joey Lawrence kind of “Whoa” either.) The months that followed became a time of reflection and personal evaluation.

What a kicker it was to realize that my time of existence on this Earth was 1/3 over. Wow. 30 years. As I looked back, I wondered: What had I accomplished during that time? What kind of person did I grow up to be? More importantly, do I like the person that I have become? Have I made some choices that I regret?

“If someone wrote a book about your life,” he says, “would anyone want to read it?” I figure that if I’m ever going to get that question answered, I’d better start writing! And besides, who is more qualified to tell the story of my life than me? I now have 30 years of material to draw from. That’s three decades worth of ups and downs, highs and lows, joys and sadnesses with which to start telling my story. That should be more than enough to get started with.

This morning as I was driving to work, I followed my usual routine, taking Interstate 291 west into Springfield, listening to my favorite radio station. Christine Lee played a song from Michael Jackson’s upcoming re-release of his album, “Thriller”. The album was first released in 1983 (when I was 5 years old). This is a special 25th Anniversary set with new material. In addition to the original tracks, Michael is including new recordings of his songs as modern duets with some of today’s hottest R&B names. The folks at WTIC radio gave their audience a preview of the album and played the song “Wanna Be Starting Something”, a duet of Jackson with Akon. Catchy, I thought.

The song stayed with me all day today. I thought about the last 25 years, and how Jacko’s career has had its highs and lows. I started thinking about how time has been passing in my own life. A lot has happened.

Therefore, tonight I’ve decided to start something……and here that something is! I present you entry number one chapter 1 of the book of my life. I give many thanks to Keith David, the ad agency who made those “Navy: Accelerate Your Life” commercials, and Michael Jackson for giving me the inspiration to turn that nagging voice into printed words. Also, thanks to WordPress for having a site that loads properly in my Opera internet browser! Just imagine this: if blogger.com weren’t such a pain for cookie-blockers to use, my life story might have ended up there!

–Harrison King, III