Eight is EnoughSo in a never-ending quest to drive me completely insane, my arch-nemesis Jo just tagged me with the Eight Things About Eight Things meme. I can't seem to find the originator of this crazy 8-themed meme, so if anyone knows (or you happen to be reading this), please let me know and I'll link it up! (Oh and before I forget, in an attempt to gain even more friends and get healthy in the process, Jo has agreed to basically exercise for comments. So head on over to her always-entertaining blog and tell her how awesome she is and that you love her new hairstyle. And I am soooo dead...)

Anyways, this meme consists of 8 different themes that I need to list 8 things for. So here goes (and note that these are all in no particular order):

Eight Things I am Passionate About

  • Playing with my kids. There's plenty o' time left for them to learn and stuff, but they're only this young once.
  • My wife. I've spent far less time with her then I should lately since work's been so crazy, but I love whatever quiet time we have together.
  • Comic Books. (Yeah, bit of a change from the first 2 listed). I've been a huge comic fan/collector since I was in 1st grade. Spent 10 years in the industry and now just enjoy reading the occasional graphic novel.
  • Video Games. Atari 2600 is still my all-time favorite system (I've got one boxed up with about 200+ games), but I can never resist a new system, hence the Wii in our house and the Xbox 360 coming my way this holiday.
  • Sushi. Except for mackerel and some forms of yellow tail, I will devour any type of sushi.
  • Animals. Thanks to my allergies, we don't have any pets, but I still love dogs, cats, etc. I grew up with a dog, lived with a few cats after college and volunteered at an animal shelter in college. I have zero tolerance for any form of animal cruelty.
  • The Environment. Granted, I was way more into it in college, and I'm far from a true "Granola," but I do my part to recycle and reduce.
  • The Steelers. Football's my favorite sport to watch and I've been a Steelers fan (despite growing up in NY) since 1st or 2nd Grade.

Eight Things I Want To Do Before I Die

  • Visit Japan and Australia.
  • Attend a Steelers game in Pittsburgh.
  • See my kids grow up and hopefully get married and have kids of their own.
  • Take guitar lessons and finally master that should-be-easy F chord.
  • Write a screenplay
  • Finally finish off one of the numerous novels that are just piling up dust at the moment.
  • Take my wife to Europe to show her the breathtaking views of the Swiss Alps, the amazing culture of Prague and the all-out-awesomeness of London.
  • Drive cross country.

Eight Things I Say Often

  • D'oh
  • Daddy's Home
  • I love you
  • Do you have to poop?
  • What did you do?
  • Yes!
  • I'm gonna get you
  • Awesome

Eight Books I’ve Recently Read
Y'know what? It's sad but I barely read books anymore (unless you count comic books/graphic novels). I can list the final Harry Potter book here and that would probably be it for the year. So I'm bucking the system and changing this one to...
Eight Movies I've Recently Seen

  • 1408 (liked it, though the end kinda fizzled for me)
  • Michael Clayton (depressing but solid)
  • Superbad (Surprisingly super funny)
  • Spider-Man 3 (Okay, but coulda been way better)
  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (My fav film of the series so far)
  • The Fountain. (Ugh.)
  • The Bourne Ultimatum. (Good fun, though fairly similar to the other 2)
  • 300 (Awesomeness.)

Eight Songs That I Could Listen To Over And Over

  • "One For the Mockingbird" by Cutting Crew
  • "Mrs. Potter's Lullaby" by the Counting Crows
  • "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd
  • "Wasted Years" by Iron Maiden
  • "She Talks to Angels" by The Black Crowes
  • "Fade to Black" by Metallica
  • "The Needle Lies" by Queensryche
  • "L.A. Song" by Beth Hart

Eight Things That Attract Me To My Best Friends

  • Big sense of humor. They don't necessarily need to be all that funny, just able to laugh at themselves and everything.
  • Down to Earth. No phonies allowed.
  • Caring. I don't like jerks or tools. You don't need to be joining the Peace Corps., but show some sensitivity/caring about some regular everyday things.
  • Generous. I'm not talking money or gifts here, but time and effort.
  • Fun. Just being goofy, watching a flick, playing games or planning some crazy road trip. As long as they're up for a good time.
  • Thick skin. Guys are jerks and most comfortable when they're making fun of each other. So don't take anything too personally.
  • A good ear.
  • Interesting. Everybody's different and that's what makes for some great conversations and can open your mind to so many new things.

Eight Things I Have Learned This Past Year

  • Blogging is fun. No, really. It is!
  • Nothing is impossible if you just put your mind to it.
  • My wife is a wayyyy better an artist then I am. (Granted, so are my kids... but seriously, she's really impressed me with her cake-decorating abilities.)
  • Sleep is highly underrated.
  • Kids are smarter than you think. So be careful what you say.
  • Our 2 1/2 year old is quickly proving to be an awesome little brother by teaching our 4 1/2 year old so many things that we could never do ourselves (like just having a crazy fun time, coming out of his shell, etc.). And our 4 1/2 year old is quickly becoming a super sweet, caring older brother who really likes playing with his little bro.
  • If I could figure out how to bottle my kids' belly laughs, I'd be the richest man alive.
  • A house is just a building you inhabit. A home really is where you and your family share your lives together.

Eight People That Should Do This MeMe and Not Complain

  • Liza - I just discovered her blog, and for someone so young, she seems way too mature and down to Earth. I'd love to see how she'd handle this.
  • Christy - I know Christy's just too sweet to hit up with such a big meme, so she gets my most sincere and humble apologies. But I never tire of reading her stories and wish more of them were about herself so I can get to know the real coffee-guzzler even more, so hopefully this'll help.
  • Tish - Speaking of sweet, Tish has taught me way too much about blogging and given me way too many blogging awards. Plus, she's one of the most selfless and caring folks I've had the privilege of meeting (well online at least). So the least I can do is repay her. Somehow I don't think this'll make us even... Heh.
  • Kat - Another great blogger (with awesome quotes and photos) who I'd really like to learn more about.
  • Cathy - I've never seen her do a meme, so I doubt she'd start with this one. But I'd love to learn more about the CFO herself.
  • BBM - She's still hurting (physically and I imagine a bit emotionally), so there's no excuse for BBM not to be sitting around and finding time to do this one. Plus she mentioned Hines Ward recently, who's a Pittsburgh Steeler. So I'm curious to learn some other cool things about this Black Belt Mama.
  • Loretta - Another blogger I've recently started following. Her posts are very down to earth and genuinely crack me up on a regular basis. She's also been feeling a little under the weather for a while now, so I can't think of anything better to cheer her up then a lengthy meme. Heh.
  • Polli - Just 'cause.