I think this is a good time for you to get to know me a little bit. Though instead of doing a Q&A or blather on about myself I thought I’d do something different. Here is a list of strange, interesting, fascinating, or quirky facts about me – except one.
To make it interesting I am asking you to guess which one of these is a complete lie. When I reach 20 guesses, I will reveal the lie and someone will win signed copies of my books Bent But Not Broken and Hard Truth.
The rules:
- Follow me on one or more of these platforms:
- Comment with your guess at the bottom of this post. For your comment simply which statement you think is FALSE but feel free to comment with other words too!
- You may only guess once HOWEVER if you email subscribe to this blog you get a bonus guess (you’ll only get emails when I post, which isn’t very often). If you’re on a PC or tablet the link is on the right sidebar. If you’re on a phone tap here, or you can scroll way down to find the form.
- The day following my receipt of the 20th guess:
- If one person has guessed correctly, I will award them the prize
- If more than one person guessed correctly:
- I will award the prize two whoever has followed me on the most platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email subscribed to my blog)
- If there’s still a tie, I will award the prize by using a random draw for those who are tied
- If no one has guessed correctly, I will award the prize using a random draw including everyone who has guessed
Those who know me (or who have been paying attention) will know for certain some of the truths. Don’t spoil it for others! Just comment with your guess and see what some other people think.
Without further delay. Here are the facts (and one lie):
- I have scored a game-winning goal at Maple Leaf Gardens;
- I have assisted Penn & Teller on stage with one of their tricks (Mofo the Psychic Gorilla);
- I have been paid as a freelance writer to provide original content to a video game;
- I have had a 1-minute conversation and spoken five scripted words on a nationally broadcasted television show (US and Canada);
- The episode from #4 aired more than once, and at least one complete stranger has recognized me for this appearance;
- It was 20 years before I saw the clip from #4;
- I have played and won, hockey games on both the 1932 and 1980 Olympic hockey rinks in Lake Placid New York;
- I have had a 500-word anecdote selected for inclusion in a Darwin Awards book;
- In the first printing (hardcover) of the Darwin Awards Book, they incorrectly spelled my name;
- I have stood in the room where Winston Churchill was born;
- I drove for half a kilometre the wrong way down a busy one-way street in Belgium;
- I have had a 5000-word short story published about the death of a family member. It’s a comedy;
- I have appeared as a street fighting homeless person in a rap music video;
- I have eaten snake soup;
- I stole a divot from Augusta National Golf Course during the Monday practice rounds at The Masters;
- I was once qualified to instruct both flatwater canoeing and small vessel sailing;
- I once stayed awake for four and a half days;
- I once had a non-speaking role in a TV commercial for a financial institution;
- I have been a teacher’s assistant for English as a Second Language children (ages 6-10) with behavioural problems;
- The teacher’s assistant job was a block away from the most crime-riddled area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada;
- I have broken or cracked the following bones: toe beside the big one on the left foot, left foot/ankle/tibia (from the same accident), left arm (radius AND ulna), left pinky and middle fingers (separate breaks), several ribs, right ankle, right wrist, right pinky finger, nose, head (stitches), and brain (multiple concussions);
- I have driven my car to the publicized geographic longitudinal center of Canada;
- Last year of high school I did not take notes or use anything but a pencil to write assignments or tests in Calculus. I got 88%. My last year of university I studied more for my Calculus 3 course than any other subject. I got 51%;
- Speaking of scholastic honours, I once wrote an exam for a second-year university course (Electricity & Magnetism 2) and failed so badly I would have received a higher grade had I skipped the exam altogether (if you no-show on an exam they gave you a default mark for averaging purposes. Spoiler alert: it’s well below 50);
- In university, we covered in 9 hours what took Sir Isaac Newton over 20 years to uncover and write down about calculus (granted, he had other things going on).
