Principled Innovation LLC

8 Mildly Interesting Facts about Jeff

August 23rd, 2007

A few weeks ago, Soha El-Borno over at the Wild Apricot Blog tagged me with this 8 random facts about yourself meme. I promised Soha that I would respond, but I am going to break the rules by not posting any rules and by not tagging anyone else with it. (Sorry Soha!) Here are my 8 random and mildly interesting facts:

1. Many people know about the constant struggle I go through with my last name. It is always spelled De Cagna, but often appears on blogs and elsewhere as DeCagna…or worse. My standard joke is that if I could get back half of the time I’ve spent correcting it over the years, I’d only be 20 years old.

2. As a kid, I was an air drummer. Yes, just like an air guitarist, but doing the drums. I had sticks (and still do) and I would play right along to the music. I was actually pretty good. During the summer following my junior year in high school, I attended New Jersey Governor’s School on Public Issues, and two of my friends and I formed a Power Station-tribute air band that we cleverly named Air Station. We performed at the closing talent show and “played” a few tour dates that fall and winter. I know, I know, and you’re right. We were UNBELIEVABLE geeks.

3. My father was from Italy, and we would take family vacations there. So, during the period 1975-1989, I made six trips to Italy. I did not make my first trip west of the Mississippi River until 1988. I did not visit Disney World as a child, quite possibly making me the only member of Generation X never to do so.

4. I’ve lived in five U.S. states during my life. In chronological order, they are New Jersey, Maryland, California, Maryland again, Virginia, Massachusetts and Virginia again. By my count, I have lived in or visited 31 of 50 U.S. states. Among the states I’ve not yet visited, the one at the top of my list is Michigan. Why Michigan? See #5.

5. I am HUGE hockey fan (The New York Rangers are my team) and I am on a quest to visit every NHL arena. The only state I have not visited that has an NHL team is…drumroll…Michigan! I hope to get there for a Red Wings game during the coming season. Also on my agenda for this season are Toronto, New Jersey (been to the old arena, but the Devils are moving to a new arena in the fall, so I need to go back) and possibly Anaheim, the Stanley Cup holders and the last of three California arenas I need to cross off the list. Of course, I will make my annual journey to The World’s Most Famous Arena for a Rangers game at some point during the season as well.

6. My favorite U.S. city is Chicago, with Boston a close second. I always will feel great affection for New York City, since I grew up just about 30 minutes outside, we could see the Twin Towers from our town and I still root for the Rangers and the Football Giants. Speaking of which, I grew up in West Orange, New Jersey, home of the Thomas Alva Edison National Historic Site, which includes the Black Maria, the first movie studio, his last laboratory and his home, Glenmont. My favorite global city is Sydney, Australia, where I am going tomorrow, with London and Paris tied for second.

7, I went to West Orange High School with Scott Wolf, the actor who starred in the FOX show, Party of Five, during the 1990s. We graduated in the same class in 1986. Ironically, my wife once worked with a guy who went to The George Washington University with Scott during the late 1980s. I also went to high school with Andrew Einstein, who is related and did attend Princeton.

8. Next March, I turn 40 years old and I truly hate the idea. On the upside of that dubious milestone is my likely birthday gift: a three or four hockey game road trip with my wife. Now that will be very cool!

Soha, I hope this works for you. And now we return to our regular diet of association blogging!

If you're new here, I hope you will consider subscribing to the P.I. Blog. Just click on this link to add it to your RSS reader. You can also receive e-mail updates by subscribing via the box located on the blog itself. Thanks for visiting!

Entry Filed under: Principled Innovation Blog, What's New?, Social Media, Associations, Random Thoughts