Facebook's 25 things

I know all three of my readers are also on facebook, and you've probably already seen this there, but I thought I'd nonetheless post it on Squawking VFR as well.

1. For reasons unknown, babies, little kids and dogs are huge fans of mine. I am their pied piper. Sharon and Ericka think I should start my own TV show called “Meet Mr. Pete” and pick up where Mr. Rogers left off.

2. My favorite smell: Jet A fuel at the airport.

3. My favorite places in the world, in no particular order: Telluride, Colorado, Moab, Utah, Hanging Lake east of Glenwood Springs, Colorado and The Presidio in San Francisco.

4. From a young age, I’ve been a big Cleveland Browns fan. I never lived in Ohio. I have never had relatives there. There’s no rhyme or reason to it. My loyalty to and frustration with the franchise continues to this day, albeit at a lesser obsessive-compulsive pace than in my younger years.

5. I once went four-and-a-half years without drinking a caffeinated or carbonated beverage. Not surprisingly, I had never been healthier than during that stretch. Now? Dr. Pepper is nectar from the gods.

6. When it comes to IT savvy, gadget assembly or general handyman competence, I am a failure. A complete and unmitigated failure.

7. A lot of people have asked me if, given the Michigan economy and state of newspapers, I regret moving here two years ago. Honest truth: Not for a second. Do I regret purchasing a home 20 months ago? I love our place, but that’s a different answer.

8. That said, there are things I miss from Colorado deeply. There’s a lot of family and friends there, not to mention skiing and hiking. And the sun.

9. I’ve got five 14ers under my belt, but the hardest hike I’ve ever done was the Black Canyon of the Gunnison with Kevin.

10. I think a lot of my friends who I worked with in Colorado would get a kick out of working with me now. I’m not the outspoken pain-in-the-ass I was before. Pretty much the opposite. Apologies to Foster, Hempy and Mike.

11. Contrary to what most people think of sports writers/editors, etc., I don’t golf. And it’s probably been about three years since I’ve watched Sports Center.

12. Covering the NFL was a dream job, but I quickly realized that the daily grind of injury reports, quarterback quotes and coach-speak inevitably consumes your time and inhibits opportunities to do real journalism. I lasted four seasons on the beat.

13. On our first weekend trip together, I got Ericka lost in the Moab desert for hours. We ran out of water and, as dusk set in, couldn’t see 30 feet in front of us. Lucky for me, she stuck with me after that.

14. Academically speaking, I was a screw-up in college. So when I started studying for my FAA tests, I viewed it as a second chance to give it my all. I got so stressed out studying for my IFR checkride that I gave myself mono.

15. I got a perfect score on the instrument written, commercial written and CFI written. After the IFR checkride, which came in 30-kt winds, the examiner told me it was one of his best three rides ever. I went from total slacker to total overkill.

16. On my first flight as a student, my instructor took me directly over the Statue of Liberty, and then the World Trade Center. It was a proud moment, and it’s hard to reconcile that personal satisfaction with the sadness that now accompanies those memories.

17. I worked at a funeral home off and on during college. Yes, I did a little bit of everything. One summer, I organized a mass burial at sea for hundreds of unclaimed cremains. We dumped them not far from the splash-down spot of Flight 1549.

18. At some point in college, I got mugged at gunpoint on Central Avenue, about two blocks from my house. Who’s dumb enough to mug a poor college student? You’ve got to love New Brunswick.

19. Two of my favorite wedding moments were unplanned: When we were getting out of the car to take pictures, a little girl looked at Ericka, and gasped with pure innocence and wide-eyed amazement: “Look Daddy! … A princess!”

20. The other: I’m a terrible dancer. Between the ceremony and reception, Ericka and I took a few minutes to practice our well-rehearsed dance. We were standing near a creek doing our routine, and a deer came out of the woods, stood within about 15 feet of us and watched for several minutes as I twirled my beautiful bride.

21. Although I lived in Jersey for 24 years, I didn’t become a Springsteen fan until late in college. Since then, I’ve seen him 10 times in five states: New Jersey, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota and Florida. I’m spoiled now – I’ve been in the pit for my past four shows.

22. I’m a fanatical cereal eater. Often, I have a bowl for breakfast. I absolutely must have one just before bedtime.

23. At various times, I’ve played the piano, guitar and trombone. But I’m a jack of all trades and master of none.

24. Ericka and I have been so fortunate to travel to Belize and India in the past two years. Seeing the poverty abroad is heartbreaking, but seeing the joy people possess despite their lack of material possession is priceless. What do I remember most? Their eyes.

25. There are about five dozen more places overseas that I am dying to see.

ENCORE

26. Being a dad is the greatest thing ever.

27. I miss my two deceased grandfathers, and would love to kick back and have a beer – or Dr. Pepper – with them today. I’m grateful that I’m in my 30s and still have two grandmothers who are very much alive and in good spirits.

28. I wish I lived closer to my parents and sister. Wait. Flip that. I wish they lived closer to me.

29. My perfect retirement scenario: Each day begins with a hike of Mount Sanitas followed by a Goony Bird sandwich at Mountain Sun, with Mrs. VFR by my side.