I've been tagged for an "interview" by an online friend.

1) You're such a talented writer not only of fiction but also as an essayist. Have you ever considered blogging?

I think I can smile about this one. Yes, I keep a blog, but as one can see, I don't update reliably. It goes in spurts. I don't usually feel I have much to say, and I don't have the sort of following other people have, so it's hard to find incentive to write every day. If I am going to write, it seems like I should work on stories rather than a blog no one reads.

2) What three things do you most love about your wife and like about yourself?

In no particular order...

• I love her giggle. She giggles when I tickle her feet or nibble her earlobe while saying "stop stop!" It's hard to take someone seriously when they're giggling.
• I love how accepting she is of my shortcomings and foibles. I don't care for judgmental people, so it says a lot that she can handle me not only in my best moments, but also in my worst.
• I love how she makes me see things from more sides than I used to. I think this might be part of her non-judgmental nature. But I find myself examining more sides of an issue before coming to conclusions -- due to her influence.

I noticed you got two questions for the price of one. 3 things I like about myself:

• I'm very bright. If I'm vain about anything, it's my intelligence.
• I can find humor in almost any situation.
• I have fabulously blue eyes.

3) Your lady has had a long, stressful day. You, of course, are in charge of pampering her. What would you do?

Most guys would probably talk about bubble baths, but Kat's not a bubble bath kind of girl. It's a matter of figuring out what she finds relaxing, and being overly doted upon drives her a little bonkers.

I'd take care of dinner, manage the dogs and manage the kids. I'd let her veg out in front of her favorite TV shows while plying her with a modest amount of alcohal.

She'd get a foot massage (and I might not even tickle), a lot of attention, and a nice back scratch when it was time to sleep.

4) You've been given $10,000 with the proviso that you do something totally decadent. What do you do? (I know, I know, but I like that question.)

I don't know if I'm a "totally decadent" kind of guy. I guess it depends on the definition of decadent. I think I'd be quite tempted to spend it flying. For $10k, I could get that commercial rating I want and Kat could get her private pilot's license, maybe with a little left over.

Alternatively, a really nice ski trip for the family would be nice. Maybe Tahoe, Salt Lake or New Hampshire.

5) How did you arrive at your interest in hypnosis?

When I was a kid, my sisters and I watched "Gilligan's Island" a lot. It was a show we could all agree on without fighting. They had a few episodes with mind control, and I thought, "that is so cool. I wonder if it would work on my sisters." Unfortunately, I didn't have the magic rings, so it didn't work.

As I was getting into college, I read a book about self-hypnosis. The book professed that the techniques could be used to help with study habits. I tried the techniques listed, but it never worked for me. I also tried hypnosis tapes, but they didn't work, either.

Since then, I've experimented with hypnosis a few more times, but so far, no results. I've thought about seeing a professional hypnotherapist just to see if it really works. As a natural skeptic, it's hard for me to believe something if I've tried it myself with no effect. But my methods so far have been imperfect -- canned tapes / CDs geared towards the average person may not be able to break through my natural skepticism and analytical thoughts.