I got served.
Maggie tagged me with the Meme – “8 Things you didn’t know about me“. I will do my best to shock and amaze… but no promises, 8 is a tall number and I’ve used 5 good ones already.
#1 I grew up sailing out of Port Rowan, Ontario.
Port Rowan is a small freshwater harbour on Lake Erie, about a 45-minute drive from my childhood hometown of Norwich, Ontario. I have many memories sailing out of that port aboard “The Tansi” (tansi is Cree for hello). Many a summer weekend would be spent zig-zagging across the inner bay towards Pottohawk Point, a warm and secluded beach accessible only by boat.
Warning: If ever on the deck of a vessel with sails and a boom, if you hear the call “Prepare to come about!”, it would be wise to duck before you hear “…hard a’lee!”
#2 My first car was a 1972 Super-Beetle with a Baja kit (Shown above)
My bug was black with red flames painted on the sides. The engine was exposed with a “trumpet” exhaust making it sound like it could kick the ass out of a Mustang. It couldn’t.
I got it when I was 12. For 4 years I would visit it, turning the fan belt 5 full rotations to keep the engine from seizing. The car was sold at age 19. Of every possession I have ever owned, this is the one I miss the most. Perhaps it’s because it’s the one I craved for the longest time. Funny how that works.
#3 I went to school for Traditional Animation.
That’s right – handdrawn cell animation. When my computer crashed, I sharpened it. The early nineties hosted the second golden era of animation. Truthfully, I was better at watching animation than I ever was at actually doing it. Many people in that business still influence me today. My arty inspirations came from Paul Driessen, Ryan Larkin, and Philip Hunt. Bruce Timm and Gabar Csupo, and John K made the stuff on TV that I would follow. I worked for a short time as a sub-contract clean-up artist and key animator on “Arthur“. Do you remember the episode where Arthur gets the little puppy? That’s all me baby (well… about 1.7 secs of it anyway).
#4 For 5 years, I drove boat and primed tobacco near Tillsonburg Ontario.
Now there is one thing you can always bet
If I never smoke another cigarette
I might get taken in alot of deals
But I won’t go workin’ the tobacco fields of
Tillsonburg (x4)
My back still aches when I hear that word.
#5 My brother Troy took his first step watching “live news coverage” on July 20th, 1969
This the coolest coincidence in my life, and I’ll never be able to claim as my own.
#6 I am related to BraveHeart
Most people know me as a guy with Dutch heritage, but I’m Scottish on my Mother’s side. Go back far enough, you will find that I am related to BraveHeart.
#7 I am a Dutch (dual) Citizen.
Never lived there, don’t speak the language and I’m not cheap, yet, I carry the red passport alongside the blue. Maybe one day I’ll use it.
#8 I’ve been lucky to work with some the best minds in Social Media, before there was a social media.
Included in that list are Kate Trgovac, who hired me as a Creative Director on the Fido account at Infinet. I also worked with Bill Sweetman at MacLaren McCann. Bill is now working with Joey Devilla. I worked with Joey at Mackerel Interactive. I also worked with Pete Mosley and Karl Borst during that era. If you are a parent, you’ve probably heard of Karl’s project Webkinz. Finally, there is Cory Doctorow. He was the other guy hanging around Mackerel looking like Drew Carey. I can’t really say that I worked with Cory, but I can say “I knew him when”.
So there you have it. 8 things to start a new year.
To pay the meme forward, I tag the following people I have an enormous amount of respect for. I have known them less then a year, but will probably know them the rest of my life:
Tell us 8 things we didn’t know.
Zoe Siskos Joseph Thornley David Jones Giovanni Rodriguez Sean Moffitt Michael O’Connor Clarke David Fleet Mitch Joel Donna Papacosta
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9 Responses to “8 Things Meme”
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January 2nd, 2008 at 4:03 pm
That is ONE cool car! I had a Ghia, but your Beetle is way better. Thanks for the tag. I will have to think of 8 things…
January 2nd, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Thanks Donna! I sure miss it… it’s utterly surreal loading up my blog today and being greeted by it. I haven’t driven it in over 15 years.
January 2nd, 2008 at 4:53 pm
BTW, I have always had a love affair with the karman ghia. The guy who restored my bug, also drove and restored ghias. He passed away a few years ago… sad – he had mad skills in the ways of the Volkswagen. He turned yellow bug into a pickup truck. soo coool.
(better mind my mullet)
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:04 pm
ok, ok, I’ve sworn off these things but with you, Maggie and Shel Israel, how can I say no?
Look for it shortly… until then – all the best Collin. I’m a huge Radical Trust fan – so thanks for always sharing!
January 5th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
[...] was not only fortunate to get a nice compliment from Collin Douma but also to get tagged. So…here [...]
January 5th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
Man I am getting tired of that burying the fish article.
January 18th, 2008 at 9:11 am
[...] read each of my new colleagues’ "8 Things" posts, starting with Maggie followed by Collin and Zoe. (note to self: learn how to make those little dots over the ‘e’…) [...]
February 4th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
[...] got double-tagged with the “eight things you didn’t know about me” meme today by Collin Douma and Eden Spodek. In fact, Collin tagged two of my blogs so I guess I’m [...]
August 7th, 2011 at 3:46 pm
Searched Google and ended up here – it is good so I posted the positioning on my Fb account!