The Seven Things Meme

Gunscribe over at From the Heartland has tagged me with the latest meme. So, here goes:

Seven things to do before I die

Build my '67 Fastback big-block Mustang.

Build a true 1,000 yard-capable rifle.

And learn to shoot it well.

Shoot a perfect 40x40 in IHMSA competition (if I ever start shooting IHMSA again.)

Win the lottery (I can dream...)

Buy my dream house. (We remodeled this one because I couldn't get the house I wanted. Yet.)

Write a book on my philosophy - just so I can get my mind around it all.

Seven things I cannot do

Stay off the internet.

Carry a tune worth a damn.

Sleep peacefully through an entire night.

Speak a foreign language. (Studied Spanish in college. That's gone. Tried Japanese - gotta try again.)

Type fast enough to keep up with my thoughts. At least not accurately.

Get a pilot's license. (Don't think I'd pass a flight physical anyway.)

Read fast enough.

Seven things that attract me to my wife

She knows her priorities: Family first.

She's fierce: about family, about loyalty, about honor, about everything.

Her sense of humor has warped to match mine - I can make her laugh.

Her laugh.

She thinks - and she's not afraid to argue her beliefs -especially when they don't agree with mine. (Post to follow illustrating this)

We understand each others space - and we need it. Both of us.

The way she.... No, can't talk about that. (But WHOA!)

Seven things I say most often

This is Kevin, how may I help you? (To the customers.)

Let me drop everything and work on your problem. (To the salesmen.)

(Recently) It's how much?

(Also recently) Put it on the card.

(Most especially recently) Aren't we finished yet?

Sweet bleeding jebus. (Nod to Acidman for that one.)

Thank you. (Really. I say that a lot.)

Seven Books (or series) that I love

The General by S.M. Stirling and David Drake - consists of five books, The Forge, The Hammer, The Anvil, The Steel, The Sword. I read it about once a year.

Eric Flint's 1632 and all of its ancillary works. Hell of an alternate universe he's created there.

Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga - all of it. And pretty much anything else Lois writes.

The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. I. I first read this collection of classics from the Golden Age of SF when I was about thirteen. It absolutely hooked me on science fiction. Incredible collection of short stories. And it's back in print, too.

Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I own everything by Heinlein except his last/first, posthumously published novel. The quality of his work faded a bit with his health, but The Moon is a Harsh Mistress helped mold my political outlook, and it's a damned fine read to boot.

John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee novels.

Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels. These last two greatly influenced my personal philosophy.

And seven isn't nearly enough to cover my favorites.

Seven Movies I watch Over and Over again

I don't really do this, except when I stumble upon them on TV, but here's a few:

Pretty much anything with John Wayne in it, but especially The Quiet Man, The Shootist, Big Jake, True Grit, and Rooster Cogburn.

Laurence of Arabia - as long as it's shown in letterbox. Without commercial interruption.

Aliens - perhaps the best SF action flick ever.

Seven Suckers I want to infect

Steven Den Beste

Ravenwood

Doc Russia

Fran Porretto

Mike of Feces Flinging Monkey

C. Dodd Harris - Leave it as a comment, Dodd.

Ry Jones

Here's the questions:

Seven things to do before I die
Seven things I cannot do
Seven things that attract me to (…)
Seven things I say most often
Seven books (or series) that I love
Seven movies I watch over and over again (or would if I had time)
Seven people I want to join in, too.