Which California elected official likes arugula, broccoli and Flax Plus Multibran, was once a cheerleader, has sued President Nixon, been duck hunting with Earl Warren, and has practiced Zen meditation?
It's official. The viral questionnaire that's been invading everyone's Facebook feed -- listing "25 Random Things About Me" -- has infiltrated the political spectrum.
Attorney General Jerry Brown is the latest among us to waste a half hour concocting such a self-promoting list.
From his "vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience" in the Catholic Church to his time with Mother Teresa, Brown goes briefly through his whirlwind of a career, with a more than a few random facts thrown in.
"I dislike shopping," Brown writes in No. 8.
If you're wondering if his comfort in front of a crowd dates from an early age, wonder no longer:
"I was a cheerleader at St. Ignatius High School," he reveals with No. 17.
A couple of cryptic responses hint heavily at what Brown's political future, a likely (and as of yet still unannounced) run for governor in 2010, after serving two terms beginning in the mid-1970s:
6. My official portrait as Governor was quite controversial and the legislature refused to hang it. My Father said if I didn't get a new one, I could never run again. It is now hanging and I am still running....
24. The first time I became Governor, I followed an Actor (Ronald Reagan).
And for real political veterans, there's this: "I am not fond of Mediterranean fruit flies, or of Malathion. Both are bad" at No. 7. (See this 1981 Time magazine story for an explanation,)
With that, here's the full list, in all its glory:
I've seen lists of "25 Random Things About Me" that people are sending around Facebook. I thought I would share my own list with you.
1. I got my first dog 13 years ago, a black Lab named Dharma.2. At Yale, I took "Psychiatry and the Law" from Anna Freud, Sigmund's daughter. I also studied Roman law.
3. In 1958, I took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Later, Pope John XXIII dispensed me from these obligations.
4. I took marriage vows for the first time 3 years ago.
5. I practiced Zen meditation under Yamada Roshi and Father Enomiya-Lassalle in Japan.
6. My official portrait as Governor was quite controversial and the legislature refused to hang it. My Father said if I didn't get a new one, I could never run again. It is now hanging and I am still running.
7. I am not fond of Mediterranean fruit flies, or of Malathion. Both are bad.
8. I dislike shopping.
9. I started 2 charter schools in Oakland, the Oakland school for the Arts and the Oakland Military Institute.
10. When governor, I decided not to have an Inaugural ball and my inaugural speech was 7 ½ minutes. For the inaugural dinner, we went to Man Fook Lo, a Chinese restaurant in the produce district of Los Angeles. It was once a favorite of Mae West.
11. I am a part owner of a ranch in Colusa County. It belonged to my Great-grandfather.
12. I worked with Mother Theresa in India at the Home for the Dying.
13. I've been duck hunting with Chief Justice Warren, but not with Vice President Cheney.
14. I sued Richard Nixon's lawyer for helping the President cheat on his income tax.
15. I like arugula and broccoli.
16. On my honeymoon, my wife and I canoed down the Russian river.
17. I was a cheerleader at St. Ignatius High School.
18. I knocked my opponent to the canvas in a 3 round boxing match at Senior Fight Night.
19. My favorite cereal is Flax Plus Multibran.
20. My first car was a 1941 green Plymouth. My most famous car was a 1974 blue Plymouth.
21. I own a colt 38, given to me by my father.
22. I went to Bangladesh as a CARE ambassador.
23. I hiked to the top of half dome. My first trip to Yosemite was when I was 4.
24. The first time I became Governor, I followed an Actor (Ronald Reagan).
25. My maternal grandfather was a San Francisco Police Captain. My paternal grandfather ran a poker club in the Tenderloin.
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