I think it was Dark Gracie who tagged me first and then Dona. Since I have a difficult time saying “No” to most anyone, it looks like it’s my turn to blog twenty-five random things about myself.
So here goes…
1. My full name is Thomas Murphy Camp but I’ve been going by T.M. for the past fourteen years or so. I’d been trying to get people to do it for years but I had to move halfway across the country in order to start with a clean slate, nomenclaturally-speaking. My parents and brothers, of course, refuse. They used to call me Tom or Tommy when I was young — there was a minor meme of calling me Tuck when I was a kid (as in “Little Tommy Tucker”). In junior high I decided to change my name to “Thom” (the gods only know why now) and I regret it every time someone from high school tries to friend me on Facebook. Sistercat says that all of my name changing has prevented my Fate from finding me. I’m not entirely certain that’s a bad thing.
2. I’m a double Gemini and I have to say I didn’t used to believe all of that Astrology stuff until I read a description of my sign. It was hard not to feel like someone had been peeking over my shoulder my whole life. This is perhaps why I’m so interested in liminality, boundaries, and identity. It also adds resonance to my name, which comes from the Greek — Didymous, meaning “twin.”
3. I’m a Mac guy.
4. As a kid, I played with Mego dolls, Micronauts, Shogun Warriors, and Star Wars figures. Those were good times. One day when my ship comes in, I’m buying all those old toys and will spend my afternoons playing with them once again.
5. The first book I ever read all by myself was called A House for Willie and I was four years old.
6. The last book I read was the fourth volume of Neil Gaiman’s The Absolute Sandman and it broke my heart just as much as it did when I read the comics for the first time, years ago.
7. The book I’m reading right now is John Crowley’s Little, Big because Akela recommended it. The only problem is, I’ve been reading it for months. I lose a couple of days and then when I come back I find I have to start over again.
8. The only shoes I wear are Doc Martens.
9. I have a number of baby teeth still, with no permanent teeth beneath them. They weren’t meant to last this long and, one by one, they’re going to crumble. Soon enough, I will realize my dream of becoming a gap-toothed hobo named Gabby.
10. I do not believe in vampires. But I do believe in werewolves.
11. I don’t enjoy debating politics, theology, or operating systems with anyone. Ever.
12. I love kids. When given the choice, I will pick their company over grown-ups any day of the week.
13. I have a little bit of a thing for Julianne Moore.
14. There’s over 16,000 songs in my iTunes library. The oddest thing I listen to is probably The Conet Project.
15. I absolutely hate the recent reinvention of Batman as a guy in a black, molded rubber suit. For me, Batman will always (and only) be the one created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, voiced by Kevin Conroy.
16. I have no interest at all in sports of any kind. However, I took a few Fencing classes in college and enjoyed that quite a lot.
17. I hold my pen incorrectly, between the second and third knuckles of my right fist.
18. I used to be a conservative Republican and a fundamentalist Christian — but no longer. If you are any of those things, I’m probably going to Hell in your book.
19. I can do a few, moderately impressive sleight-of-hand magic tricks.
20. I hid myself in Assam & Darjeeling. So far only one of my readers/listeners has found me.
21. I hate wasps. In my personal mythology, they symbolize demonic spirits. Oddly enough, I am not frightened of demonic spirits.
22. A priest just walked by outside the window of my office as I was typing this.
23. Every so often I buy a lottery ticket, just because it’s worth a dollar to say “What if..?”
24. I cannot imagine the circumstances that would persuade me to attend a school reunion.
25. I will turn 40 in June and I’m perfectly fine with that. Life gets better the older I get and I have never been happier than I am right now.
And I think that is a perfect place to end this list. Thanks for playing along.
Oh, and keeping with the meme, I tag: Akela, Dayngr, Jesse, Twila Marie, Christine and Andrea. So there.