25 More Random Things about Me

Just in case you didn't learn enough about me on the first list, here is another list of 25 additional random things - because one list is just never enough. (Also, at the moment, I'm fresh out of ideas for new posts.) So, here are numbers 26 through 50.

26. I am fluent in Spanish and can get by conversationally in French. (I once had a nice chat with a taxi driver in Paris.)

27. I also took a semester of American Sign Language in college, though I have now forgotten most everything I learned.

28. Someday, I would like to visit New Zealand and hike the trail to Mordor.

29. I once won $55 in a raffle, but I couldn't claim the prize money because I wrote the name Doug Mulligan, instead of my real name, on the ticket. Big mistake.

30. At age 14, I suffered a concussion as a result of playing a game of "Kick the Can."

31. I have had articles published in three different magazines, including the Ensign.

32. I once pretended to be the home teacher of a new girl in the ward so that I could get her phone number.

33. When I worked at Burger King as a teenager, the sewer system, unfortunately, once backed up and splattered all over me.

34. In college, I took five semesters of ballroom dance, two semesters of bowling, and one semester of ultimate Frisbee. I count those classes among some of the best education I've ever received.

35. I did not have the courage to ride the Colossus rollercoaster at Lagoon until I was 13. I enjoyed that first ride so much that I rode it five more times after that.

36. I have sailed through parts of the Caribbean, including some shark-infested waters. The song "Caribbean Blue" by Enya always reminds me of it.

37. When I was 12, I worked a few Utah Jazz games at the Salt Lake Palace - which was where the Jazz played before the Delta Center/EnergySolutions Arena was built - selling popcorn and soda. One man gave me a $20 tip, which, at the time, felt more like $500.

38. I'm not ashamed to admit that movies often make me cry. Some of the movies that have made me cry include: The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd; Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration; The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Shadowlands; The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers; Black Hawk Down; Saints and Soldiers; Brigham City; Anna and the King; The Ultimate Gift; and Steel Magnolias.

39. I have read the Bible from cover to cover twice. I would recommend skipping a lot of those chapters in Leviticus and all of the Song of Solomon.

40. Only last Christmas was I finally able to help build a gingerbread house that did not topple to the ground.

41. I was born in Michigan and have also lived in Nebraska, but I have no memory of either place.

42. I played the trumpet in junior high school but was never very good at it.

43. I have eaten a guinea pig. It tasted like chicken. (In the Andes, guinea pigs are considered to be a delicacy. Don't ask me why.)

44. One of my goals is to become a contestant on either "Jeopardy!" or "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"

45. When I visited Chile, I was hit in the elbow by a passing car. As a result, one of the car's side-view mirrors broke off.

46. One of my personality flaws is that I can sometimes go off like a broken record (e.g., "Normal view! Normal view!").

47. When I was growing up, a friend and I actually poured salt on a snail. No, I'm not proud of it.

48. In high school, I was a big procrastinator. I would often delay reading assigned books in my English classes until the night before we were tested on them, and I would stay up all night reading them from start to finish.

49. On a dare, I once ate a bowl of sauerkraut and chili. Trust me; it's not a good combination.

50. I am a sucker for Southern accents, dimples, blue eyes, girls who wear the color red and/or bring me cheesecake, slow dancing, and hugs.