I am flattered to have been tagged by Foulla, who is one of the more insightful, albeit occasional, bloggers on Morocco. It is the first time I have been tagged, and I am supposed to come up with five things you do not know about me.

I have always empathized with the legendarily short-sighted James Thurber, who crafted a number of memorable short stories based on the fact that without his glasses, he was blind as a bat. That has been my lot since about sixth grade. It is the reason that my memories of Disney World are mostly a haze, since my cousin accidentally knocked my glasses off in the haunted house, so that the amusement park was largely an aural experience thereafter. It was also a limitation in a number of athletic endeavors, not that my performance was not already rather limited. For example, ever take a header in soccer while wearing a pair of glasses? Fortunately, I was able to join the wrestling team in high school, where I did not need to see more than two feet in front of me.

The thing I would most like try again that I have not done in years is riding a horse. I am inhibited by two things: (1) over the years I have developed terrible allergies to dust, mold, hay, and pollen, and (2) I really am not too sure that I would be much good at it anymore.

I like classical music and jazz. In the car, however, I often like to listen to country. My toddlers like it, too.

I agree with my late literature professor Frank Kinahan that the greatest poet, the greatest novelist, and the greatest playwright of the 20th century in English were all Irish. Walter Scott and Robert Burns aside, the Scots do not seem to have as much to show for themselves as far as contributions to English literature, despite their many other contributions to the world. (In some ways, I am prouder of being 1/16 Scot than 15/16 English.)