Ray 101

As most introductory courses (at university) are listed as 101, I shall limit my list to that number. I'll be interested to see how interesting I am by the time I hit the century, so here goes....

1. I grew up in a country town.
2. I thought it was too small when I was younger.
3. Now the size and ease of travelling around (compared to Sydney) are some of the things I like about it when I visit.
4. I dislike country music, despite growing up in the country music capital.
5. One of my favourite CDs at the moment is by an American country band.
6. I have lived in Sydney for almost nine years but I still think of myself as a country boy.
7. I achieved my ultimate career goal seven years ago when I started working in horse racing reporting.
8. Despite that I really enjoy my job.
9. I became a proper Christian in 1999.
10. I'm not perfect.
11. I am far too organised.
12. Spontanaeity is not one of my stronger suits.
13. I can be impulsive at times, though.
14. I am single and most of the time quite like it (but not always).
15. I always thought I would be married by the time I was 26.
16. I am 32.
17. I have one sister and a nephew.
18. My nephew is very cool for a five-year-old and I want him to succeed in life.
19. I am sentimental and a romantic.
20. Sometimes I think I take things too seriously.
21. But I don't know how not to (if that makes sense).
22. I think the beach is something that should be looked at but not touched.
23. I am a self-confessed movie critic.
24. Last year I saw 31 films at the cinema.
25. The last movie I saw was Spider-Man 3.
26. My favourite film and the best film of 2006 was Brokeback Mountain.
27. My top five movies of all time are: Wonder Boys, High Fidelity, The Talented Mr Ripley, Shattered Glass and Good Will Hunting.
28. I am a sucker for romantic comedies.
29. I am a cat person.
30. If I ever own a dog it will be a husky or a german shepherd.
31. I am really good at table tennis.
32. My biggest vice is that I am a collector so I can't just have one CD by an artist I like or one movie or one season of a TV show.
33. My all-time favourite TV show is Friends.
34. I think Homer Simpson is the coolest, strangest, funniest and most offensive character on TV.
35. To me the funniest episodes and segments of the Simpsons are those that contain religious references.
36. My current favourite TV show is One Tree Hill.
37. Because it isn't on TV here the shows I love to watch are Heroes and Brothers & Sisters.
38. People think I watch too much TV.
39. When Friends was on, most people wouldn't ring me because they thought I wouldn't talk to them until it was over.
40. I almost did a business degree instead of journalism.
41. I have a phobia about magpies.
42. My `porn name' is Fluffy Woodwood (I'm sure everyone knows how these are derived).
43. I don't drink alcohol.
44. That is not entirely by choice.
45. I can't ski.
46. My favourite singer is Mariah Carey.
47. I have seen her in concert and her rendition of Hero as the final song almost brought me to tears.
48. That song is very special to me.
49. I think 80s music is great.
50. I think music today is fairly ordinary compared to the 80s-90s.
51. My favourite band is Lifehouse.
52. I have four favourite songs: Hero (Mariah), I'll Be There For You (Rembrandts), Crash And Burn (Savage Garden), Everything (Lifehouse).
53. My music taste is far too broad.
54. I own a New Kids On The Block CD and two Spice Girls CDs.
55. When I was a teenager I was grossly overweight.
56. I never liked that fact.
57. Most people think that number 55 is a an untruth, I assure you it is not.
58. I am idealistic.
59. Even though I really don't want to be, most of the time I am a `glass half empty' person.
60. I love going to and watching the horse races.
61. I think it is awesome that I get to get paid for this and that people pay attention to what I think about the races.
62. Until recently I was a tad ashamed of being good at what I do.
63. Since I have gotten over this I fear I come across as arrogant at times at work.
64. I don't know where the middle ground is with that issue.
65. I am not a competitive person unless it is something I know I am good at.
66. If I care about someone I make sure they know it.
67. I think life is too short for people not to know they are loved.
68. It bothers me that this side of me has been mistaken for something else in the past.
69. I care far too much what other people think.
70. Six months ago I had a breakdown at work.
71. It caused a health crisis and a bad bout of depression.
72. During this time I seriously considered quitting my job and doing nothing.
73. I learned the hard way that work doesn't come first.
74. The bad thing about loving my job is that I can't always switch off from it.
75. I am learning how to say no.
76. As a general rule I think church music is ordinary.
77. I love to feel inspired and moved by music in church.
78. This is why I love Hillsong music.
79. My faith in Jesus played a big role in pulling me out of depression earlier this year.
80. I am trying to read the bible more.
81. My friends are very important to me.
82. Lately I think I talk about myself too much.
83. I don't have a desire to travel overseas.
84. I did that a decade ago and had a great time.
85. When I was younger I wanted to live in the USA.
86. I cried at the end of It's A Wonderful Life.
87. And at the end of Pay It Forward.
88. In 2000 I was carry over champion for four nights on Wheel Of Fortune.
89. I won an island holiday, among other things, and went sandboarding.
90. I think we are far too reliant on email and SMS for communication these days and have lost the personal touch.
91. As much as I believe number 90 I still email and text more than phoning or visiting and I am trying to rectify that.
92. I'm very much a contact person.
93. That means I quite often touch someone I am talking to be it hand shake, pat on back, hand on a shoulder.
94. I'd like this to illustrate that I care about them.
95. I used to collect He-Man figures as a teenager.
96. I have never ridden a horse.
97. The Grand Canyon is the most amazing thing I have ever seen.
98. I have never been to Canberra, the nation's capital.
99. My favourite bible verse is Philippians 4:13.
100. It was sent to me by my best mate during a time of crisis to encourage me and I remember that verse every day.
101. If you want to know anything else just ask me.