Mega-Octo Meme

I was tagged by Pearl with the latest "meme of eight" going around. Thought I had just done this one a few months ago, but then it was only a single set of eight. Now, it's metamorphosed into a monster-meme with 48 (8 * 6) tentacles. Better take care of it quick before it mutates again - or dies of old age. Though I guess I put it off just long enough - the first night of Chanukah is a pretty good time to deal with sets of eight, right!

8 passions in my life

1) My wife
2) My children
3) Certain Jewish rituals, especially the first time we do them each year: first bite of Matza on Pesach, hearing megillah on Purim, first meal in the Sukkah, and of course lighting Chanukah candles...
4) Efficiency
5) Rock music
6) Tolkien
7) Star Trek, the original
8) Movies, of any genre, with happy endings

8 things to do before I die

1) Learn to read the Megillah
2) Interview a rock star
3) Visit all 50 states
4) Travel to outer space
5) Meet the Dalai Lama so I can greet him by singing "Hello, Dolly" :-)
6) Sing on TV
7) See the first Jewish president
8) Attend my great-grandchildren's bar/bat mitzvahs

8 things I often say

1) Yeah, right
2) Next problem (whenever the phone rings)
3) I can shout too! (when I ask one kid to go get another who's upstairs, and they yell instead of going)
4) We speak English in this house (when I don't understand what someone just said)
5) Zeeskeit (to my kids or dogga)
6) You brainless lump (to the dogga only, said affectionately)
7) There you go! (when someone finally "gets" it)
8) Dad's trying to sleep, kids/honey

8 Books I read recently

How about four, and I'll owe you four:

1) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
2) The Saturday Wife
3) The Kite Runners
4) The Children of Hurin
5-8) TBD

8 songs that mean something to me

1) "I've Got A Name", Jim Croce
2) "My Little Town" Paul Simon
3) "At Seventeen", Janis Ian
4) "Cat's In The Cradle", Harry Chapin
5) "Roll Me Away", Bob Seger
6) "Dust in the Wind", Kansas
7) "If I Were A Rich Man", Fiddler on the Roof soundtrack
8) "Shabbos is Going Away", Uncle Moishy

8 qualities I look for in a friend

1) Non-intimidating
2) Intuitive
3) Funny
4) Caring
5) Insightful
6) Not one to go with the crowd
7) Easy to talk to
8) Likes me for who I am

Not going to tag anyone as such, but if you'd like to do it, be my tag-ee!