Where did you grow up? I was born and raised in Kansas City, KS.
Do you have any siblings? I have two brothers, one older and one younger.
How would your best friend describe you?
My best friend said – ‘This is what you have to do to get a date?’
What’s your favorite childhood memory? Even though I lived in Kansas my whole life, my best memories of childhood are of being in the sun. I guess only about half of my childhood was memorable. I loved to be outside – the pool, the ball park, the back yard or the porch.
What qualities do you look for in a mate? I don’t actually ‘look for a mate’. I just do what I do naturally and go to places I naturally go and do things I normally do, then I meet people who are naturally similar to me.
Do you have any worst-date experiences? Lots. My friends say I need to collect my stories into a screen play called ‘Oh That Bob’. I am still collecting stories. Once I went out with a Marine. She had me move all of the furniture to the edge of my living room so she could zap herself with her new Taser.
Another time, on a first date with a financial planner with a major national firm in Detroit, she asked if we could stop by her friend’s house on the way home from dinner. Her friend’s house happened to be a drug house and she came out and demanded that I give her friend $100. Then there was the hair stylist who announced over dinner that she was a practicing witch. Nothing against witches, but it was unexpected.
What was the proudest/happiest moment in your life? Since I have two children, picking one moment would be very difficult. Both of my kids do things on a regular basis which make me proud. My daughter aced her Calculus final in December which she needed for an all A report card. My son intercepted a pass in a close game last fall. Professionally, I feel good when one of my former co-workers asks for a job reference. In the last 3 months, 3 people who I provided job references for told me that they got the job.
Describe what you do for a living. I help companies implement technology projects. For example, at a prior company, one of my team’s maintained the websites for General Motors at GM.com. A lot of meetings, conference calls and email.
How would you describe your style? Casual. I usually wear jeans but they are usually nice jeans. My shirt is probably going to be un-tucked but it’s going to be a nice shirt. I have a casual personality too, I think I am easy to interact with and I’ll interact with all kinds of people. I don’t take many things too seriously, except KU basketball, which keeps me pretty even keel. However, I usually have something going on which is driving me. Over the years these drivers have included rugby, work projects, budget goals, fitness goals and relationships.
What do you do for fun? For a long time (15 years) my answer would have been ‘rugby’. However, I sustained a serious injury in 2005 and the doctor said ‘no more rugby’. Then in 2008, I switched jobs and reduced my travel time by 6 – 10 hours a week. So long story short, I had a lot of free time to fill up. I have been picking up a few new things like running (planning on some 5K races this year), coaching (3rd grade tackle football takes up AMAZING amounts of time!), horseback riding and Blue Valley Northwest athletic events (my daughter is a cheerleader there). So those are some new things I’ve gotten interested in the past few years in addition to my long time interests in travel (preferably to sunny and warm locations), athletic events and general mischief.
Who is your celebrity crush? Everyone’s favorite Alaskan, Sarah Palin. She’s sassy.
What’s your favorite food? I am a big sushi fan. RA Sushi and Kona Grill are favorites plus Sakura in Shawnee, home of the Sushi Train, is fun. At home, anything I cook on the George Foreman Grill is a winner. I can cook anything in 8 minutes or less!
What kind of music do you like? My favorite is rock, that’s what is on the iPod I use at the gym. However, in the past few years I have seen Racal Flats, Kid Rock, Snoop Dog, Erykah Badu, Corn and Poison in concert.
Where do you hang out in Kansas City? Since I live by myself and I don’t like to eat alone, I go out to eat several times a week. Places where there’s a social atmosphere in addition to good food are favorites including RA Sushi, Nick and Jakes, Will Jennys and Blue Koi. Johnny’s and Tanners are favorites for watching a game. I spend a lot of time at LifeTime Fitness and enjoy all of the amenities and the social atmosphere there as well. I am amazed at the social destination our health clubs have become. The first gym I joined at age 18 was in the basement of Indian Springs mall and was dark, small and sweaty. I now see families occupied for hours with the activities at the ‘gym’.
What’s your favorite drink? Deb from Nick and Jakes will tell you that it’s Grey Goose and tonic with a lime.
Are you a night owl or a morning person? I rarely go to sleep before ESPN’s SportsCenter is over. However, my New Year’s resolution is to be the guy who’s at the gym at 6AM every morning. That’s not working out too well so far but I am getting better.
Tell us about a recent trip you took. I like to go to Las Vegas at least once a year. In the summer the pools at the major Las Vegas hotels are outstanding. The restaurants are fantastic such as Red Square at Mandalay Bay and Tao at The Venetian. Last summer had a great time at the Mandalay Bay over the Fourth of July. I never gambled a dime but spent lots of time at the pools and restaurants. Unfortunately, my date became ill with food poisoning on the night of the Fourth so we spent the evening in our room watching a really bad old movie about witches.
Name a unique trait/talent that people might not know about you. I cook almost all of my meals that I eat at home on the George Foreman Grill. I can cook almost anything in 8 minutes or less! Salmon, scallops, chicken, steak, burgers and quesadillas are on the menu.
Do you have any pets? I am the caretaker for my son’s cat Mittens, who was a Christmas gift to him last year.
Describe your most embarrassing moment. It’s a long story but I got locked out of a friend’s apartment at KU when I was about 20 years old and had to jog home at 2A.M. In the nude. Fortunately, a friendly police officer saw me jogging down 23rd Street and gave me a blanket and a ride.
What are three luxuries you can’t live without? My truck that can drive through the snow in Kansas City. Under Armour underwear. $20 a pop but worth it. The lawn care company that takes care of the yard at my condo. I don’t own any lawn care equipment and I am very happy about that.
What makes you laugh? Real life situations such as Americas Funniest Videos. I am always amazed at the things that happen in real life. ‘You can’t write this stuff’ as they say.
Name your most recent impulse purchase. I had purchased an air cleaner as a Christmas gift for a friend this past Christmas. Then I heard a radio add that asked if I really wanted to be her ‘appliance friend’ and so I decided that I wanted this friend to think of me in a different way. Within the hour I had purchased a new gift from Salon Bliss that cost significantly more than the original air cleaner but my point was being made!
What words or phrases do you over-use most? “People will do exactly what you expect them to.”
This has become a catch-all response which means, “I don’t want to listen to you complain when the outcome you received is exactly the outcome you should have expected!”. Works for organizations, individuals, relationships, sports teams and family members alike.
What’s your favorite physical feature (on yourself)? When I fell good physically, you will see a smile. When I work out, I am often smiling. So if I am feeling good that all the parts are feeling good and my skinny jeans are a little loose then I am in a good mood physically.
What’s your favorite book? Anything by John Grisham, who mainly writes fictional legal suspense novels. If I had to do it over, I think I would have been a lawyer because I get really interested in his stories about lawyers, primarily based in Mississippi and other southern states.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Preparing for my daughter’s college graduation.
What is your life motto (or favorite quote)? Just do something. I am rarely sitting around watching TV. I always have a list of things to do. I always try to squeeze in one more errand on Saturday and Sunday. There’s always something I can be doing and I feel like if I am not attending to the list then it’s wasted time.
Finish this sentence: My first kiss... was in the hallway at Coronado Junior High School in KCK.
If you could have one person with you on a deserted island, who would it be and why?
Genie from I Dream Of Genie. She’s kind of cute and she can grant me any wish so that sounds pretty good to me.
photo: Paul Versluis