I put it off long enough, but after reading posts from Jessica Lee and David Mullen, I’m finally ready to own up to the fact that I’ve been tagged and am now it. Here’s the game plan:

1. link your original tagger(s), and list these rules on your blog.
2. share seven facts about yourself in the post – some random, some weird.
3. tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
4. let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or twitter

Here are seven of the parts to my whole:

1. I’m American…sort of. Ok, let me explain the sort of. Many years before I came to be, my family came to America from the small West Indian paradise known as Grenada (pronounced GREE -nay- duh -> people always say Granada. Irks me just as much as synergy!) If you have ever met any West Indians, you’ll know what I mean when I say that culture is very important and has a strong hold on its people, wherever we are. Growing up in the culture, I love soca and reggae music, all of the great food and think (like every other West Indian) that my island has the best beaches in the world!
2. I went to Boarding School. When I tell people this, I usually get cutoff with “What did you do?” No I wasn’t sent away; I actually had to lobby and convince my mother to let me go. After months of negotiation (and a magical gift in the form of a scholarship), I went off  to New Hampshire for four years of high school. Crazy times, but a big part of what makes James James – and it was where I first got the jaywalk nickname. 
3. One summer, I became an insurance salesman. That probably sounds a bit more crazy than it was…wait, no it doesn’t. One summer, my internship search was less than successful and a friend of the family convinced my mother that it would be good for me to take a few financial education classes. One thing led to another, and I was learning about 529s, 401ks, Roth IRAs, COBRA and term life insurance. At the end of the course, I took the exam, passed and became a licensed insurance salesman. 
4. I plan to tack the title of “Author” on to my resume in the near future.  Ask a kid, I couldn’t think of anything more boring than reading a book. I didn’t really enjoy reading until I hit college. I’ll never for get my English 11 class on Biographies. We spent a whole semester working towards answering one question: “Is this book necessary?” In our quest to answer, I developed a true appreciation for people’s life stories and how they are documented. In that class, I read two biographies about Sammy Davis, Jr., and since then, I have learned about so many interesting people including Celia Cruz, Paul Orfalea, Sidney Poitier, Cathie Black, and many more. I’d like to write a couple non-fiction books myself, probably 1 auto-bio and something fun and random. If you have contacts in the publishing field, let me know! I’ve got ideas!
5. I spend close to 65 percent of every day listening to music. I haven’t measured it, but if I did I think I’d be pretty close. If I ever had to name an addiction, it’s music. I like almost every genre I’ve ever been introduced to- Soca, Reggae, Hip Hop, GO-GO!, Samba, Gospel, Soul, R&B, Zouk, Salsa, Bossa Nova, Bhangra, Folk, and the list goes on! iTunes has made a lot off of me, and Pandora has been my companion for years.
6. I’ve been on the  Wheel of Fortune twice. Alright, that’s not a fact, but I wish it was! I think I like game shows more than the next guy. When someone makes a dumb response, I scream at the TV so loud you’d think I was watching the Yankees or the Redskins. I watch the Price is Right whenever I can, have re-added Jeopardy to the TV schedule and at some point intend to win on Wheel of Fortune! 
7. I love talking to people. I tend to think of myself as an introvert, but I really enjoying new, interesting people, sharing my story and learning theirs. I’ve heard people ask if you could do one thing for the rest of your life, what would would it be. If I had to answer that, I’d probably say that I would host a show like Inside the Actors Studio or Tavis Smiley’s, where I could meet with interesting people and talk about life. 

Ok now for the special people who get tagged: 

Adam Rosenberg

Alex Rampy

Erica Anderson

Brian Camen

Andre Blackman

Loryn Wilson

Joseph Yi 

To the chosen, here’s your mission: 

• Link your original tagger(s) and list these rules in your post.
• Share seven facts about yourself in the post.
• Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
• Let them know they’ve been tagged

I hope you’ll take a couple minutes and play along!