Well, it finally happened. I’ve been tagged. Now I’m supposed to release private information about myself. Do people really care if I was born on another planet, or if I’ve lived with wolves? Apparently my friend, Linda Richards, does. Thanks so much Linda… You asked for this, so here goes:

1) I play several musical instruments – guitar, bass guitar, drums, trumpet, tuba, piano, and a few more.

2) One of my favorite books of last year was Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen.

4) I also write fiction. In fact, I just handed over a novel to my agent.

5) I have a toy poodle that lays at my feet all day while I write. I honestly think I’m her soul mate. She cannot stand to be away from me for a second. I guess it’s because i rescued her after her former owner abandoned her on the street during a rainstorm.

6) I’m a grandfather.

7) I was in the high school band (1st chair, 1st trumpet) and on the football team at the same time. At half time I had to run to the locker room to change into a band uniform so I could march with the band. I did the same in reverse at the beginning of the game after we played The National Anthem.

8) I can write forward and backward at the same time, using both hands. I write backward with my left and forward with my right. Mirror images. Hey, I know I’m weird, but don’t judge. DaVinci wrote all his important notes backwards.

9) I have bench pressed over 400 lbs. Notice I said “have.” Those days are long gone, although I can still do 300lbs or so, once.

10) My relative, Dr. John Lofland, the first poet laureate of Delaware, was a good friend of Edgar A. Poe.

In fact, Lofland and Poe once entered into a contest to see who could write the greatest number of verses. Lofland won and Poe had to buy dinner and drinks for his friend. I’ve always said that’s proof that a Lofland won the first Edgar Award.

11) My first after school job during high school was as an assistant to an appliance repairman. I earned $1.65 an hour for working on washers, dryers, and refrigerators. I was hired as an electrician for the county soon after (I took college courses at night). My salary jumped to a whopping $4.00 an hour. I was elated.

12) I’ve played guitar and drums in several bands over the years. I’ve actually played with some pretty famous folks, too. One of my guitar mentors learned to play from Joe Satriani, so I like to think of myself as a third generation Satriani. Yeah, right… I wish.

12) I met Tony Lindsay, the lead singer for Santana, several years ago. He, Eddie Money, and Greg Kihn were the inspiration for a single character in one of my works-in-progress.

also was named top shooter in the police academy. My average score was 99%.

13) I’ve performed CPR on two people.

14) I suffered from a severe case of PTSD for several years after being involved in a shootout where I shot and killed a bank robber. PTSD happens to people other than soldiers.

15) I have a tattoo of Mickey Mouse.

16) The first concert I ever attended was a Three Dog Night concert in Richmond, Va. Tickets were $3.00 each. The last concert I attended was Cher’s Farewell Tour in San Jose, Ca. Tickets were $100.00.

* Bonus facts for all the tags I’ve missed in the past.

– My first car was a 1964 Rambler that used more oil and water than gas.

– I was a high jumper on my high school track team. I also ran the mile.

– I cannot sing. Seriously, I couldn’t carry a tune if it had handles on it.

– I have been stabbed, cut, and shot at…more than once.

– I DO NOT like living in the Boston area.

– I graduated from the police academy with a 99.56 GPA. I was third in a class filled with egghead cops. I also was named top shooter in the police academy. My average score was 99%.

– I used to have really long hair, and it was blond until I cut it.

And finally, when I grow up I want to be a writer.

Okay Linda, I hope you’re satisfied. I’ve bared my soul to the world. Now, one of the above statements is not true. Can anyone guess which one? The first person to respond with the correct answer will win a DVD of the entire first season of A&E’s hit TV series, Crime 360.

I’m going to leave this up through a day of left-overs. We are having a meeting this afternoon with the folks from Just Write Sites, our site buider and host, about the site upgrades and the online  police academy classes. We’ll keep you posted with the details as they become available.

We’ll be back on our regular schedule Monday morning. I hope everyone has enjoyed a wonderful holiday weekend.

We’re working out the details for the online classes and should have schedules ready soon.

 

I’ll be down for the count for a few days. I’m checking into the hospital on Monday for some surgical repair work on my tired bones. Hopefully, I’ll be back working the graveyard shift in a couple of days. In the meantime, please enjoy the musings of author/NYC medical examiner, Jonathan Hayes. Jonathan has graciously offered to join us as a regular Graveyard Shifter, so please feel free to pick the brain of a man who has been known to pick a few brains himself, literally.

Jonathan – Thanks for holding the reins for me while I’m mending. I hope to see you again, soon – as friends, not on one of your work tables.