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64 Things About Me

64 Things About Me

by johnataylor · 74 things on Twos

This year I turn 64 in February. As a way of introduction, here are 64 things about me…
Born: Friday, Feb 16, 1962
My Mom was 19, my Dad 54, when I was born.
I was born and raised in Midland, Michigan.
My Dad died suddenly of a heart attack when I was 3 months old.
On the day of my Dad’s funeral, my Mom was in a car accident with me in the vehicle.
I'm the only child of my Mom and Dad, but I had three older half-brotjers from my Dad, and two younger half-siblings from my Mom.
My Mom later married my older half-brother (he was two years older than her). That makes my Mom my sister-in-law, and my younger half-brother and half-sister my niece and nephew. Talk about family dynamics!
My Step-Father/Half-Brother died when I was 29 (He was 51).
My ancestry includes a 7th-Great-Grandfather who was a friend and student of Thomas Jefferson.
I have an ancestor who was a State Supreme Court Justice.
Sam Houston is a distant cousin.
As is Confederate General J.E.B Stuart.
I’ll count this set of facts as one, but engagement with U.S. Presidents runs in our family (in a Forrest Gumpian style).
My Great-Grandmother visited the Roosevelt (FDR) Whitehouse to dine with Eleanor Roosevelt.
Ronald Reagan visited my dwelling.
I momentarily rode in Bill Clinton’s motorcade.
I visited the Obama Whitehouse to take part in the first Whitehouse Tweetup.
I have a personal library of over 10,000 physical volumes—I’m kind of known for my love of books.
E-Books add ~5,000 volumes to my library.
I’m usually reading 4-7 books at a time.
My Step-Dad taught me to read when I was 3, but he was functionally illiterate.
My mother was a high school drop-out, who returned to school when I was in elementary school, and went on to earn a college degree.
I have a great-uncle who was a nuclear physicist. He developed the Physics Lab at Dow Chemical Company.
I have a first-cousin who was a fighter pilot. He now works for the Department of Justice.
My family line is noted for producing an abundance of attorneys, educators, religious leaders, scientists, social workers and a few criminals.
I married young. I was 22 and my wife 19 when we married.
I have 5 children. 4 daughters, now adults, married, with children of their own. And a son who we brought into our home when he was 10. He’s now 18.
My oldest daughter is an attorney for a prominent international law firm. She has one step-daughter. Her husband is a mechanical wizard, a sporadic motocross racer, and formerly raced automobiles.
My second daughter is married to a Lutheran pastor/New Testament scholar. They have 3 children.
My third daughter is married to a medical doctor. She is also a wine expert. They have two children.
My youngest daughter is married to a chemist. They have two children.
My son is a skilled artist, athlete, and an excellent student.
In addition to my eight living grandchildren, I have two that are deceased.
I have worked in several fields/sectors: as a former Evangelical Pastor (we have had 3 pastors and one Catholic priest in our family), Nonprofit Leader, Social Worker, Addiction Specialist, Healthcare Advocate, Housing Advocate, Community Development Leader and Educator.
I’ve always been fascinated by tattoos and the history of tattoos, but I have 0 tattoos.
I have lived in 7 U.S. states: California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Oklahoma.
My field of study in college focused on Leadership & Urban Studies.
I was raised in the country, but I love cities!
My favorite city is Chicago, IL.
I did have an sensory reaction to one city (New York, New York), but made myself overcome the sense of sensory overload I felt in that particular city.
I love to doodle, urban sketch, and draw, but I am not an artist.
I like to collect things including typewriters, pencils and playing cards.
I have been married to my spouse for almost 42 years.
My wife is named Virginia, but I often call her Gin. I was once asked by our HR Department to stop putting “Pick up Gin,” on my calendar.
In the early 1980s, I served in the US Navy aboard an aircraft carrier—the USS Constellation (CV-64)—which has since been decommissioned and scrapped. (This is the dwelling visited by President Reagan).
When I was 16, I hitchhiked from Chicago, IL to Tampa, FL in Winter. Obviously, I survived. My parents however aged a little!
My wife and I returned to college after we were married and had two of our daughters. The other two were born while we attended college.
We took one class together, Abnormal Psychology, and our kindergarten daughter attended class with us.
Early in our career, my wife and I worked with youth who were in gangs (or influenced by) and lived with our family in “gang territory.”There is little that scares us, but we do have a healthy respect for situations that could become violent rather quickly.
We once shared a duplex rental with two young men who would be later arrested for murder.
I broke my first bone, my wrist, when I was 13. Since then I have broken my collarbone, fractured my leg and fractured my back. The good news is I haven’t broken a bone in almost twenty years!
I survived a motorcycle accident when I was twenty. A car ran a stop sign and hit me.
I am a poet, but right now it’s my private passion. Very few people get the privilege of reading my poetry.
Here’s a sample. A Haiku I wrote after attending a funeral. It’s part of a poetry volume I’m working on called “The Haiku Project.”
Time is a moment Which passes far too quickly Into memory ©️2022, John A. Taylor
My favorite colors are blue, purple and black.
I have had a loaded gun pointed at me on more than one occasion.
One of my personal heroes is Marie Curie.
My favorite card game is Euchre, because in Michigan, we only play with half a deck!
My favorite board game growing up was Monopoly.
My Grandfather on my Dad’s side was born in 1855, 107 years before I was born.
My Dad was born and raised in London, England, later immigrating to the U.S.
My wife and I like to Winter camp (and snowshoe), although we haven’t had the time to the last few years.
I currently live in Muskegon, Michigan.
My home is 111 years old.
My musical tastes are eclectic. My son often complains that I shouldn’t like some of the same music he likes—I’m too old! 👴🏻
I am a big fan of Johnny Cash, the “Man in Black.” I was raised on his music, and my love for all things “Cash” has continued into adulthood. Did you know his song, “Folsom Prison Blues,” was a “repurposed” tune that Cash adapted for his use? In the 1970s, Cash was sued and had to pay the originator of the song.
Folsom Prison Blues
I have never had a U.S. passport.
I am an introvert married to an extrovert. Most people don’t realize I’m an introvert, because I’ve learned extrovert skills from my wife.
You can contact me via:
Twitter: @johnataylor Twos Discord Email: johnataylor.pub@gmail.com