I'm joining the crowd here, if for no other reason than I haven't updated in a while and I started this at work at 6 p.m. yesterday, tried to finish it while watching TV but didn't, and am now craming it in before work. So here's a little thing some people have been doing, and I like the way they've been answering with essays and not one-word answers...

Name = Daniel Aaron _________, but I go by Dan. No last name for you folks, but you won't care anyway. It's Polish and nine letters and if I gave it to you and you Googled it or looked me up on Nexis, you'd find me, because there are no other Dan _________s in the world. Not even in my family, because I'm related to everyone with my last name everywhere, and none of them have named their children Dan. Wow, writing that makes me feel kind of special.

Birthday = September 2, 1976. My mom once told me that she was a little unhappy I was born that day because it's the same birthday as Jimmy Connors, the tennis player, who was kind of an arrogant jerk on the court and she didn't want me sharing his birthday. In fact, Connors won the U.S. Open, which always concludes the first week of September or thereabouts, in 1976. How about that.

Piercings = Not on me.

Tattoos = Ditto. I just don't see myself as a tattoo kind of guy. Though having had a few of the standard "What would you get if you got one" conversations, I think I'd get a tattoo in the shape of the state of New Jersey. Represent!

Height = 5'6", or 5'7" if you believe the New Jersey Department of Motor Vehicles.

Shoe size = 9, though I used to go smaller for running shoes in high school because I wanted them to be snug and not rub against my feet and give me blisters. But after lots of practices and cross-country meets in the rain and dew, they tend to shrink a little. Ouch.

Hair color = A dark red. Closer to brown, really.

Eye color = Brown.

Length = I get it cut tight, but not a buzz or anything, and often wait at least four weeks before a return trip, so it can tend to get a bit wavy and puffy, if that's the right word.

LAST

... movie you rented = Frankly, it's been so long, I don't know. I remember Dave and Casey went out and got some horrible movie a few months ago when we were hanging out at my parents, but I couldn't tell you what it was. I watch more on cable and buy DVDs now. I guess you could say the last programing on the TV I paid for was a Notre Dame basketball game in November.

... song you listened to = "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues," by Bob Dylan. What a great songwriter.

... song that was stuck in your head = "What A Man" by one of them girl pop groups. Someone at work sang the title refrain and put a curse on me.

... song you downloaded = I think it was Missy's "Work It" for a CD I made because Casey loves the song.

... CD you bought = Probably Norah Jones' Come Away With Me , though I have my eye on Beck's Sea Change after his SNL performance was rerun two weeks ago. But if not Norah it could've been Martin Sexton's Black Sheep ("Diner" is a fabulous track) or Best of Mountain Stage Vol. 7, a compilation of live recordings done at a studio and for a radio station in West Virginia. It's pretty popular, and they have good artists come in.

... CD you listened to = Barenaked Ladies' Maroon just came out of the CD player.

... person you've called = Casey, but that was an intra-office call. Outside the office was another work-related call. I don't call people much anymore. Sad.

... person who's called you = Same as above -- Casey, work related, or not much of it in general. I think Dave might've been the last to call me, and I think the last person I called was my cousin, who wasn't home.

DO

... you have a bf or gf = Yes. We live together. But to mix it up, we sometimes call one another "sin in" or "fishmonger" or "womanfriend/manfriend" or "paramour" or just about anything. "Special lady friend." "Mother," the way the Little Man says it on The Brak Show. "Yo, Bitch!"

... you wish you could live somewhere else = Who doesn't? Maybe recluses who don't have friends or family elsewhere in the world. When we were little and took annual summer trips to visit my uncle in Maine, my sister and I always talked about how we'd love to live there ... if we could bring all our friends up there too.

... you think about suicide = Only when someone brings it up or it makes the news, but never in regards to myself.

... others find you attractive = At least one person I can think of, which is all that matters, really.

... you want more piercings = More than zero? No, thanks.

... you want more tattoos = Ibid.

... you drink = Every day. Oh, you mean alcohol? Every week.

... you do drugs = If you're on the "alcohol is a drug" side, then yes. Other drugs, no.

... you like cleaning = I like cleaning my teeth and my body (that is, brushing and showers), but other stuff, no. Maybe my car.

... you like roller coasters = Once we're past that first drop, yes. I hate standing in line and watching it go up and snake over the hump and hearing others scream. And I hate strapping in and just sitting there, then being released and that long, slow climb into the sky where there's nothing to do but look at how far up you are and get nervous, or close your eyes or focus on the head in front of you and realize you're doing it so you won't look over the side. And get nervous.

... you write in cursive or print = The simple answer is print. I print what little I write: On work documents and folders, my checks and bills, birthday cards, notes, etc. And I print in all uppercase, or "small caps" style 90 percent of the time. If I have to write fast, it's mostly regular print (upper/lower), but sometimes I get going so fast that it becomes cursive. And if I'm interviewing someone and writing furiously in a reporter's notebook, it becomes more of a cursive/shorthand/scrawl that only I can read. I've had ballplayers look over my shoulder and say, "Wow -- how can you read that?"

FOR OR AGAINST

... long distance relationships = Got to be for. You limit yourself too much if you're against them. And it doesn't have to be romantic relationships, which of course is what this question really asks, but I think all kinds of long-distance relationships are great to have.

... using someone = Generally I don't think it's a good thing. What's the definition here? You "use" someone in order to get what you want, with little regard for the other person's feelings. So am I against using the attendant at the gas station to fill up my car? No. Am I against asking an employee at the supermarket where to find things? No. But that's not what you mean, is it? OK, I'm not wild about using people, in general because I think I'm too timid to do it on my own. Occassionally people may use me, but I think I'm a decent enough judge of character that I don't let things get that far.

... suicide = Why is this question being asked? I'm against it and I think it's horrible and a weakness. Suicide is the coward's way out. Or you could be eccentrically crazy, but only if you're like Hemingway or Cobain.

... killing people = I'm against killing people, so I'm against people killing people, but does that mean I'm for killing people who kill people? I don't know, but I don't think so.

... teenage smoking = Baa-a-a-a-a-a. They're all sheep and going along with the crowd. So many teenagers either can't or don't or won't think for themselves. I wonder if I was that bad? Probably a little, but not too much.

... doing drugs = Not a big fan, and I think it's a mix of my response to the smoking and suicide questions. I think there's a weakness to becoming addicted to drugs and a going along with the herd aspect as well. But with a lot of things, I don't believe in telling others what to do, and I try not to judge them simply because of things I see on the surface without knowing them more deeply. If it's not going to hurt anyone else, then I don't see why my opinion should matter. Unfortunately, all too often with things like drinking and drugs and smoking, it affects more than just the user, and I'm not cool with that.

... premarital sex = I once thought I was ... well, not against it, but I was fond of the thought of "waiting." I did actually turn down some opportunities, one in particular was one of those where we both thought it was the right thing to do, particularly when we broke up.

... driving drunk = Hells no. Remember the whole "as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else" deal? There's no way this can be done without the potential for hurting someone else. There were times I drove a total of 300 yards from campus parking lot through two blocks of empty sidestreets to my apartment complex when I'd had a few drinks, but I'm not proud of it. And if I was really tanked, I sucked it up and braved the South Bend winds.

... gay/lesbian relationships = Why not? Not to be repetitive, but I'm not going to tell someone how they should feel.

... soap operas = Sorry, I just don't get them and I can't sit through them.

FAVORITE

... food = Italian. I love the Ps -- pizza and pasta. Plus so much of it has cheese!

... song = If I were to name one song that stirs an emotional reaction in me every time, that makes me smile and remember good times, that sends a chill up my spine, it's the "Notre Dame Victory March" -- the fight song. The Alma Mater too. With pop songs, there are just too many and I'm not even going to name one. OK, one -- "Thunder Road."

... thing to do = Drive. Laugh. Travel. Spend time with friends, especially certain moments when you're sitting there at a party or out at a bar with a friend and it just hits you -- This is fun! This is what it's all about.

... thing to talk about = So much. It's easier to say what I don't like to talk about -- politics.

... sports = in no particular order (because I like watching what's in season -- kind of like fruit), baseball, college basketball, college football, pro football, playoff hockey (just can't get into the regular season), really any college sports, even lacrosse. And just about anything live.

... drinks = Oh, I love me some Coke. And some beer, some lemonade (but God no, not together). And there are times when a long drink of cold water is sooooo satisfying.

... clothes = I'm the jeans and t-shirt guy. In summer I love the khaki shorts and polos. Or t-shirts. And I'm a big fan of the nylon pants.

... movies = Don't even go there. Even naming what I own would take too long.

... band[s] = Bruce and others.

... holiday = I think it's like sports -- I like whatever's coming up. There is something about Christmas, though, particularly how it makes the winter feel warm. I'm also a fan of the summer holidays -- Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day. Festive, in a different way.

... people = There are so many people to thank, I don't know where to begin ...

HAVE YOU

... ever cried over a girl or guy = It's been known to happen. It's all part of livin'.

... ever lied to someone = Well, I think there are some instances where a tiny little lie is beneficial to both parties. Big lies, which are only beneficial to the liar, you have to be careful with, because it can get out of hand pretty quickly. But you don't care; you want my answer: Yes.

... ever been in a fist fight = Nope. I'm kind of afraid of getting my nose broken, my eye socket cracked, etc. Once, on the playground, I thought my friend Joe was playing a little too rough during our two-on-two basketball game, and since I was the smallest player out there and he was probably the biggest, I took offense. I thought it was unneccessary, so at one point, I just whirled around and punched him in the stomach, totally by surprise and unguarded. He dropped the ball, doubled over and crumpled to the ground. That kind of put an end to the day's play.

... ever been arrested = Nope. Don't plan on it either.

WHAT

... shampoo do you use = I believe it's Pantene's Pro V. Simple. Sometimes I buy Pert Plus.

... perfume do you use = Victoria's Secret -- Oh. I suppose I should answer with cologne. Let's see ... I have something called "Woods" by Abercrombie, another I don't remember the name of, and Dolce & Gabbana's Man Scent, or whatever it's called. I don't really pay attention -- they're all gifts from people who think I smell.

... shoes do you wear = Sneakers. Tennies. Or trainers, if you have to be like that. I also have some black ones (two pair, actually), some brown ones, some snow boots and some hiking boots.

... are you scared of = I don't know. I can't think of anything that terrifies me, but there are some little things that worry me from time to time.

... is your boss like = Well, it depends on which boss. I think one -- the shorter, rounder one -- has something of a Napoleon complex. He'll often wander among the cubicles when he has nothing else to do with is hands clasped behind his back. When he started working a few weeks after I arrived, he came in all smug and arrogant and didn't make the best first impression with me. He's a good manager, but his people/communication skills are a little lacking. My immediate supervisor is younger than me, I think, and he's pretty cool, thought if I were in his position, I'd be more flexible with people and their requests for a day off or leaving an hour early once in a while. Don't even ask about the editor of the magazine or the president of the company. Sometimes there are reasons to make me wonder how certain people ever get where they are professionally.

NUMBER

... of times I have been in love = Twice.

... of guys I have kissed = Not sure. Twelve? Fifteen? Fifteen. I can't tell if that's average or very, very few. Oh wait, I forgot to erase Heather's answer. Um, none, if you mean in that way. But there's my dad, my uncle, my grandfather; you know, when I was little.

... of girls I have kissed = Gosh, uh... Not as many as I would've liked. Frankly, I don't want to count, because if it's fewer than the guys Casey's kissed, I'm going to feel small and loserly. And a little jealous, like I wish I was all those guys, or something. I'm pretty sure I'm in double figures. Maybe she'd let me catch up.

... of continents I have lived in = It's only been one. I've only ever set foot on this one continent. My international travels are limited to Mexico, Hawaii and Toronto. I consider Hawaii international because of the distance and location. It's not international politically, but geographically and socially, I contend that it is. It's more exotic -- that is, different from most of America -- than Toronto, which in some ways can be considered a clean, cold American city. Except for the parliament and the French and the money.

Someone got here by searching for: "John Madden Sex" and "Jenna Heidi topless survivor amazon"

Oops, sorry, again, forgot to erase Heather's headings.