100 things about Doug

1. My father was a B-29 bomber pilot in WWII.
2. I am extremely proud of him.
3. I was born on March 14, 1963. Do the math and lose the old jokes!
4. I was born on my Mom and Dad's 16th wedding anniversary.
5. They said I was an "oops".
6. Thank God for "oops".
7. I am the youngest of 4 children.
8. I have 2 sisters.
9. I vaguely remember watching the 1st moon landing in 1969 on television.
10. My brother died of pneumonia and kidney failure when I was 7.
11. My paternal grandmother lived with us.
12. We watched soap operas together in the afternoons when I came home from school.
13. Our favorite soap was General Hospital.
14. I had a huge crush on Genie Francis.
15. My first job was picking squash at a local farm. That lasted for 2 weeks.
16. I'm amazed that I can eat squash today.
17. I saw Star Wars at the theater in 1977.
18. In high school, I worked as a stock boy at Mack's Variety Store.
19. Our manager's last name was Newton. I called him Fig but not to his face.
20. Our assistant manager's last name was Weiser. I called him Bud. He liked it because he kept Anheiser-Busch in business.
21. My first car was a white Ford Pinto with a red racing stripe, tinted windows and mag wheels. It was a chick magnet but the girls didn't know that.
22. I jammed to an AM-FM radio and an 8-track player.
23. I took two years of French in high school.
24. The most useful subject I ever studied in high school was typing.
25. I graduated high school in 1981.
26. I loved playing Dungeons & Dragons.
27. A staff member at my church had a talk with me once about D&D because he thought it was evil.
28. I was a meter reader for Duke Power during the summer following high school graduation.
29. I was accepted into North Carolina State University.
30. The School of Architecture at NCSU denied my application.
31. In August of 1981, I entered NCSU and declared Electrical Engineering as my major.
32. The first LP I ever bought was called Toto by a group of the same name.
33. I was on campus when NCSU won the NCAA Men's Division I national basketball championship in 1983.
34. I still have a video of that game against Houston.
35. After 2 years of misery and failing grades, I dropped out of NCSU.
36. In September of 1983, I entered Rowan Technical College in Salisbury, NC.
37. I received my first and only speeding ticket going to school one morning.
38. I've had very low self-esteem much of my life.
39. I met my (future) wife on April 1, 1986 at a skating rink in Hickory, NC.
40. It wasn't love at first sight but close.
41. We were engaged on July 4, 1986.
42. We were married on November 15, 1986.
43. We went to Ft Myers, FL for our honeymoon.
44. I was sunburned after our first day there.
45. I graduated in September of 1986 with an Associates degree in Mechanical Drafting and Design.
46. We bought our first house in 1987.
47. My wife and I went to the very first Charlotte Hornets basketball game in 1988.
48. We survived Hurricane Hugo in 1989.
49. My first computer was a Radio Shack Color Computer, AKA CoCo.
50. I ran a bulletin board on the CoCo called "The Port City Exchange".
51. I swore that I would never own a PC.
52. I lied.
53. My first PC was a custom-built 486 that cost $2400.
54. I ran a bulletin board on the PC called "Node Carolina".
55. I once made the statement that the internet was a passing fad.
56. I was wrong.
57. The first website I ever visited was usatoday.com.
58. I'm addicted to the internet.
59. My father died in 2002.
60. I am a morning person.
61. I am a perfectionist.
62. I hate being late.
63. I tend to procrastinate and then deliver on time.
64. I live in the heart of NASCAR country but have never liked racing.
65. I've never been to a rock concert.
66. I seriously can't stand yard work.
67. I formed a gospel quartet in 1996.
68. We traveled and sang for 9 years.
69. I believe in ghosts.
70. I have had a paranormal experience.
71. I rarely ever dream. If I do, I rarely remember them.
72. I have 2 cups of coffee, blonde and sweet, every morning at work.
73. I have the bad habit of biting my nails.
74. Fall is my favorite season of the year.
75. I am legally blind with 20/400 vision in both eyes.
76. I can't stand mayonnaise.
77. I have arachnophobia.
78. I prefer Pepsi over Coke.
79. Purple is my favorite color.
80. 80's music still rocks!
81. My favorite 80's bands are Journey and Flock of Seagulls.
82. I don't like to cook.
83. I don't mind cleaning the house.
84. I know sign language.
85. I can not read and ride at the same time.
86. If it takes longer than 5 hours to drive somewhere, I want to fly.
87. I love to watch airplanes take off and land.
88. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.
89. I don't watch much TV but I do like to watch The Travel Channel.
90. I have never broken a bone (knock on wood).
91. I'm very nostalgic.
92. I often feel like I was born in the wrong century.
93. My wife and I adopted a daughter from China in 2002.
94. I adore my wife and daughter.
95. I like to eat Chinese as long as it's scallion chicken or pepper steak.
96. I am a born-again Christian.
97. I am a registered Republican.
98. I am pro-life.
99. Yet I am in favor of the death penalty.
100. If you're not, we can still be friends.

This journal offers a peek inside the Henderson home where you'll find two Little Empresses. Eliana stole our hearts on October 29, 2002 and Karys forever became a part of our family on September 17, 2007. Is a Little Emperor in the future?