Things you may or may not know about Brian

1. I am an only child. Something fairly uncommon in Utah.
2. I love TV. You’ve got to be pretty good if you want to stump me on obscure television/movie quotes.
3. Politically, I’m a centrist, with conservative leanings.  I don’t consider myself a member of any political party.  I vote for the person I think will do the best job.
4. I grew up listening to country and hair bands, but I now only listen to those genres when I’m nostalgic for my youth.
5. Self-righteousness and bigotry are behaviors that really bother me. I believe we are all God’s children, and He loves us equally.
6. I have career ADHD.  I haven’t stayed at a job for longer than 3 years, and I can’t understand why someone would want to work at the same place for more than 10 years. Maybe I just haven’t found the right job yet.
7. I’ve had the following job titles:
   • Yard maintenance worker
   • Pizza chef
   • Gas station attendant
   • Computer salesperson
   • Webmaster
   • Associate Quality Assurance Engineer
   • Application Engineer
   • Web Developer
   • Senior Interaction Designer
8. My favorite desert is Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cake with cream cheese frosting.
9. My favorite food is Pizza (especially chicken alfredo pizza).
10. My favorite drink is water.
11. I love British comedies.
12. I love architecture and interior design, and I think most homes (including the one I live in now) use space very inefficiently.
13. I lived in the same house for the first 18 years of my life.
14. I believe everyone should work to support themselves through college.  It may take longer, and you may go without, but it’s worth it, especially if you can get a job working in the industry you want to make a career out of.
15. I believe everyone should spend at least a semester abroad.  I never did this, and I still kick myself for it.
16. I use the internet for everything I can. Even for things that are simpler to do with a pencil and paper. My favorite use is for reference: Google, Wikipedia, IMDB.
17. When I was young and carried cash, I hated having crumpled bills, so I would get them damp and press them in a book for nice crisp bills.  I haven’t done this since I was a teenager.
18. I have a metallic silver vest with speakers in it that you can connect a music player to.  I bought this in 1988.
19. The first cassette tape I ever bought was Def Leppard Hysteria.
20. The first CDs I ever bought (all three simultaneously) were M.C. Hammer – U Can’t Touch This, Vanilla Ice – To the Extreme, and Bon Jovi – Young Guns II Soundtrack.
21. I love Hitchcock movies.
22. I hate snow and the cold (unless I’m recreating in it).
23. I still haven’t decided what I want to be when I grow up.
24. My favorite gadgets are my Mac, TiVo, and iPhone.
25. I love beautiful typography and design.  I can easily become hung up on bad design and when people use ugly typefaces, especially when that person is trying to sell me something.
26. I’ve never been outside the United States. Something that I need to change very soon.
27. I like German and Japanese automobiles MUCH better than American automobiles.
28. I’d rather buy something cheap and replace it, than something expensive and touted to last for a long time.
29. I hate meetings. 95% of the time I’ve spent in them are a complete waste of time.
30. Related to that last one, I hate PowerPoint presentations. 95% of them are a complete waste of time too.
31. I love talk radio, except for “conservative” talk radio. I’ll take NPR over Limbaugh and Hannity any day.
32. I love a great story. Especially true stories.
33. I hate having dirty hands.
34. I hate clutter, but I’m also lazy when it comes to keeping things organized. It’s a paradox.
35. Pee Wee’s Playhouse was my favorite TV show as a kid.
36. For interior design, my style is modern (Design Within Reach, Crate & Barrel), KayeLynne’s is rustic/cozy (Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn), but we are able to find middle ground.
37. I always want the latest video game console, but then I rarely play it.
38. I’m MUCH more likely to buy, use, or want something from a company who cares about great user experience. Some companies that do this: Apple, Google, Netflix, TiVo, IKEA, JetBlue.
39. I used to watch a lot of sports on TV when I was younger, especially basketball, but now I hardly watch any sports.  Maybe if we ever have a boy, I’ll start again.
40. I very rarely buy DVD’s.  My mom bought a ton of VHS tapes, and now they are all obsolete.  I think HD video on demand is the future of movies and tv.
41. I consider myself an early adopter of technology:
    • I started a blog in 2000.
    • We got our first DVR in 2001.
    • I got rid of all of my CD’s after ripping them into iTunes around 2003, and have only bought digital music since.
    • I started subscribing to blogs using an RSS reader in 2003.
    • I’ve been subscribing to Netflix since 2003.
    • I’ve been subscribing to podcasts since 2004.
    • I started watching TV shows online in early 2007, before Hulu and the networks offered their shows online.
42. My 30th birthday was the first one where I felt old.
43. I like skim milk.
44. My favorite ice cream is Extreme Moose Tracks.
45. I’m not handy when it comes to building or repairing things (much to KayeLynne’s chagrin).
46. I’ve seen every episode of The Simpsons, M*A*S*H, and Seinfeld at least half a dozen times.
47. It’s commonly a test of wills between KayeLynne and I, when it comes to loading/unloading the dishwasher, and taking the garbage out when it’s full, neither of us like to do it.
48. When I wear contact lenses I leave them in for weeks at a time, day and night.
49. I never had a cavity until I was 27. So far I’ve had two.
50. I wish I was motivated to work out every day.