I was reading this month’s “Exit Interview” in Men’s Journal featuring Tim Robbins and thought I would answer the questions they posed to him:

What adventure most changed your life?
I’d have to say it was my honeymoon. I wanted to go somewhere a little out of the ordinary. It had to be a island, but not touristy. So, we settled on this little island in the Bahamas called Elbow Cay. We stayed at this great B&B on the island. The neat thing was that there were no cars allowed and only two telephones on the island. It was the first time in my life that I was really incommunicado and I loved it - but it took me about four days to settle into it. And, it took my wife a little longer. The interesting thing was when we flew back and laid over in Miami. After being away from the world for 10 days and walking back into that airport, you could just feel the tension and bad vibes in the place.

What skill should every man have?
Every man needs to know how to be an interpreter. There are so many things we deal with on a daily basis that require interpretation. What did the wife really say? What does my client really need versus what they want? What did my son mean by that? Why is that guy looking at me that way? Stuff like that.

Do you have a scar that tells a story?
Yes, there is a scar that runs from my mid forehead down my nose and under my right eye. My dad bought a ski boat right after I got out of high school. About 4-5 weeks after we bought it, the dealer came up to our house for a check-out ride - just to make sure everything was running properly. So, we went out skiing on this reservoir in Utah where I was living at the time. After skiing for a while, we were driving around and I sat up on the motor cover in the center of the boat. We’ll then we hit the sandbar doing about 30-35 mph. I flew forward and hit the windshield bracing after stopping dead cold. 200 stitches later - there’s my scar.

What was your first car?
It was an ‘84 Ford Bronco II that was tan and chocolate, two-toned. I eventually blew the engine trying to get unstuck from a snow bank on the way to ski one Saturday.

Where’s the strangest place you ever fell asleep?
No comment.

What’s the best advice you ever received?
It’s simple - treat people the way you want to be treated. Always.

Which commandment do you break most often?
Thou shalt always listen to thy wife.

What’s the worst physical pain you ever experienced?
My senior year in high school, I played on the football team and was the starting center on the offensive line. About 5-6 weeks into the season, we were playing out cross-town rivals and we’re on about the three yard line and about to score. Everyone on the line was blocking to the left and my guy next to me blocks the guy across the line right into my right knee. Then I heard this huge pop and my knee bent in and my lower leg just kind of dangled. That hurt, but not as bad as this…

About a week after surgery I was hobbling around on crutches. I went up to my Dad’s office one afternoon and he had a few steps to go up before entering the door. Well I slipped and my right foot slammed into the front of one the steps and this excruciating pain entered my knee. I almost blacked out and I definitely saw stars.

A close second is when I busted open my chin when I was five and the Dr. sewed me up with no anesthetic - nothing. My Uncle and Dad had to hold me down.

What’s the most cherished possession you ever lost?
The guitar that I learned to play on. My Dad had this 1978 Fender Telecaster Custom that was awesome. I wish I still had it - I loved that guitar. But, Dad sold it about 10 years ago.

How do you make your favorite drink?
It all starts with ice and something glass. The rest really depends on the setting and/or my mood.

Do you have a recurring dream?
Since I was a kid I have had this dream about driving off a really high bridge.

What song do you have to hear once a week?
That’s a tough one. I have such diverse musical tastes that it really depends on the setting and my mood.

What’s the most scared you’ve ever been?
I can’t say that I’ve really ever been scared. There have been a few times where I looked back and should have been scared, but wasn’t at the time.

Which of your senses could you live without the easiest?
Probably smell because I don’t have that great of a sense of smell anyway. Too many allergies for way too long.

What modern convenience do you wish had never been invented?
I love just about every modern convenience. But, sometimes I wish the cell phone wasn’t invented - do we really need to be that accessible?

What’s the first thing you’d do if you became President?
I learned about this really interesting law relating to stock ownership in Germany. Their stock exchanges encourage long-term ownership and investment. So much so, that there are no capital gains taxes on stocks held for longer than a year. There are no day traders in their system and you don’t necessarily see the volatility in their stock markets - at least as far as I know.

Right after that I would repeal the law that allows your taxes to automatically be withheld from paychecks. Make everyone write that tax check and then we’ll see some real tax reform. Ask any small business owner or self employed person about that one and you’ll get some interesting feedback.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 at 6:35 pm and is filed under Random Thoughts.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.