30 Things about me

1	I like to learn, I like to teach, I like to work, and I also like to have fun.	16	I used to smoke. I quit about 10 years ago, but still sometimes have a cigarette. That gets me in trouble with my wife –she hates it!
2	I like getting up early, even though it’s hard, because I’m a morning person.	17	I have a motorcycle and enjoy riding and touring. I’ve ridden around Kansai, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Hokkaido.
3	I like strong coffee, spicy food, and microbrew beer. I’m a foodie (someone who REALLY enjoys eating and drinking).	18	I have to sell my motorcycle this spring, unfortunately, because I need to be responsible now that I have a baby coming!
4	I have a wife, and yes, she is Japanese. Her name is Junko. I met her in the IOC (see #15)  four years ago.	19	In high school I was kind of a ヤンキ. I was such a bad student and got into so much trouble I almost didn’t graduate.
5	Junko is pregnant with our first child! She is due in August, and we think it’s a girl. We’re very excited about becoming parents.	20	After high school I joined the US Navy. I traveled around the world on an aircraft carrier (a very large ship).
6	I like to travel and learn about new cultures. In March this year I traveled around Thailand for almost three weeks.	21	I was married the first time when I was 24, but we got divorced after two years. That was so long ago it seems like another life!
7	I can cook lots of different ethnic foods. These days I’m learning how to cook Indian curries.	22	I listen to fusion, acid jazz, rock, punk, enka, bluegrass and jam bands like “moe.” I like almost anything except commercial pop.
8	I listen to news and science programs on the internet for a few hours every day. I’m an information otaku.	23	I can’t play any musical instruments, and my karaoke singing is so bad it makes people cover their ears.
9	I worry about the environment (自然界)and the world a lot. I probably listen to too much news.	24	I’ve always been jealous of people who can play music.
10	I have a company that helps people learn languages using video games, and we released our first game last year.	25	I’m from New Hampshire, in the United States. It’s  a small, beautiful state (州) in the Northeast between Boston and Canada.
11	I’m so busy with teaching and making games that I don’t spend much time playing games, but I really like “tiny wings.”	26	The weather in New Hampshire is cool, like Nagano, so I have a lot of trouble with the summer heat(夏狩り) in Osaka.
12	I have a “type A” personality, that means I like to be doing something all the time, and sometimes can’t relax.	27	I grew up on a farm, with cows, goats, sheep, chickens, and turkeys. I learned a lot about life from taking care of animals and miss it much.
13	I’m picky. That means I like things to be a certain way. I have a lot of strong opinions, too.	28	I lived in Tokyo from 1998 to 2000. I don’t like Tokyo much -it’s too big for me. I’m a Kansai kind of guy. I’ve lived here since 2005.
14	I like adventure and taking risks, but I’m also a nervous person(神経質な) and sometimes get embarrassed easily.	29	I like to speak Japanese, but my Japanese is not very good. I don’t study much these days because I’m so busy with other things.
15	I’m in a hiking club called the Kansai International Outing Club (IOC). I like outdoor sports like hiking, kayaking, and swimming.	30	My wife and I like animated movies –especially those from Ghibli Studio and Pixar. We don’t like Disney, though.