5 Facts About Me - Expose Yourself (Guy Unplugged)!

This post is here for me to share five facts about myself. I'm going to share stuff that most people are unlikely to know, or even know to ask of, to give people a fuller picture of myself. I'm also going to actually go in-depth into each of them. I've been cursed with the gift of words, so I must share it.

I've been tagged by @techslut, and if she hadn't tagged me, then @poet would've when she also tagged him. I should tag 5 people, but I don't do that sort of stuff, so if you want to engage in this act, consider yourself tagged, and tag, or don't, other people to follow!

This is a freebie, but this is me, and this "hug-monkey" was gifted to me by my dayjob, where this photo was taken, because I like giving and receiving hugs. Not from total strangers, but to and from people I know, men and women alike.

My first longterm relationship has been online long distance:

I used to play in online roleplay chatrooms. First Wizards of the Coast's official chatroom, then the White Wolf World of Darkness unofficial and then official chatroom. In the last of these I met the person who became my first long-term significant other, and I've been with them for several years.

How did it end? Well, turns out I put my trust in the wrong place, and a mutual friend told me excitedly of the person he has feelings for, talked to, who told him they had feelings for him to. It was my girlfriend. She "broke up" with him after I broached the topic, I don't even remember how. After a few more issues that came alongside this, the trust has been shattered. Thinking of this episode still hurt me today as I thought of what to share here.

Do I think I've made a mistake? No. Relationships are about trust. Online relationships don't require more of it, it's just that it's easier to give this trust in person. If you're not willing to extend the fullest extent of trust, then what sort of relationship are you in?

I am an Atheist Jew:

"An Atheist Jew? How could that be?!" That misunderstanding stems from the Christian-based conflation of atheism with lack of religion. Atheism means lack of belief in God, not lack of religion, and in fact, there are religions that are atheist by nature.

Unlike Christianity that is a belief-based religion, Judaism is a practice-based religion, so you can in fact be a religious Jew while being an atheist.

No, I'm not religious at all, and I only observe the practices I want to. I am culturally Jewish. When asked why I don't eat cheeseburgers, or why I bless on Friday evenings (technically Saturday in Judaism), that is because it's part of my culture, it is my cultural heritage.

I used to have another sibling:

I'm the eldest child. My younger sister is 2.5 years younger than I. My baby brother is 7 years younger. I used to have a sister who was 5 years younger than me. She was born with down syndrome and a congenital heart defect. She passed away when she was 3 and I was 8.

I don't think it's affected me all that much, certainly at the time, but it has certainly affected my parents, which indirectly affected the environment we've grown up in. Showing affection and support is not something that was common in my house. Still isn't.

I've been trained as a combat medic:

Israel has a mandatory military service. At the time I served, it was a period of 36 months for men. I was originally drafted to serve in artillery, but ended up in the combat medic course. I served in a base where the Israeli Defense Force's physical activity, krav maga, and shooting instructors trained. I have many hilarious, annoying, and other sort of stories to tell from my time in the army. Overall, I didn't care for it. Thankfully for me, I don't need to serve in the reserves, which men here usually serve until they turn 45 or 54 years old, depending on where they live.

And yes, I know how to fire an assault rifle. And so do most of my family members, friends, relatives, and neighbours. Israel has its quirks, that's for sure.

I'm pretty darn good at Collectible/Trading Card Games:

I used to be in my country's top 20 Magic: the Gathering players when I played competitively (until 2002). I can make it to Legend in Hearthstone pretty comfortably when I feel like it (generally once every expansion cycle), and when I played Duelyst, between September 2016 and February 2017 (which is after they reworked the ladder and until I stopped playing competitively) I've made top 50 in the world 5 out of those 6 months. I did reach #1 on November, but didn't finish there. I usually finished in the top 20-30 on a 7-10 game win-streak but just didn't feel like playing further.

I like strategy games that aren't real time. I play board games with @poet, and he wins a fair amount too :P I've played miniature wargames, turn-based strategy computer games, but I'm strongest in CCGs/TCGs, digital or otherwise.