At the risk of sounding like a self-indulgent box-head, I thought I would do this exercise for the simple reason that I get regular emails from people who (curiously) want to know more about me. I’m not that exciting but here goes nuthin….
1. I’m an only child.
2. I’m left handed. I write and play tennis (all racquet sports) left handed and play golf and cricket right handed.
3. My best friend is Vin… he’s a man’s, man… has a ‘real’ job (works on an oil rig) and wonders when I’ll get one (a real job not an oil rig).
4. In 1990 I ruptured my pec (tore my chest muscle off the bone) bench pressing. It hurt.
5. When I was young-ish (and silly) I worked for three years (three nights per week) as a… err…. crowd control technician (bouncer). I got hit a lot. That may explain a few things.
6. I got head-butted and had my nose broken in the first hour of my bouncing ‘career.’ It also hurt. My mother doesn’t know this story. Er, didn’t. Dad… don’t tell her.
7. I have played guitar since I was eight. I’m not as good as I think I am.
8. I once went through a three-year obsessive running phase where I ran twice a day, every day of the year.
9. My middle name is Anthony.
10. When I was twenty(ish) I established a screen printing business. It did okay. I sold it a year later.
11. I was engaged (as in, to be married) in my early twenties. The wedding didn’t happen. Lucky girl. I may or may not have commitment issues.
12. I owned and rode motorbikes (on the road) for five years before my mother even knew I could ride.
13. My parents hate motorbikes and hate that I ride.
14. As an adult my weight has fluctuated between 176lbs/79kgs (runner) and 257/117kgs (bodybuilder and occasional fatty giratty).
15. I would love to do stand up comedy but I am too gutless. I love comedy and I love clever, creative comics. The thought of talking on TV to a million people doesn’t bother me at all but the thought of doing stand-up in front of fifty people terrifies me.
16. I have two offices. Here (home) and at one of my gyms (Harper’s). I work most days until lunch time in complete solitude and silence (at home) and then I head in to the mayhem that is the gym.
17. I was called Jumbo all through school. Even when I lost the weight.
18. I cut my own hair fortnightly.
19. I can spin a basketball on any finger on my left hand for as long as I want. I perfected this skill when I was a teenager. My parents didn’t see the point. It seemed to make sense at the time.
20. When I wasn’t an obsessive runner (when I was young), I was an obsessive bodybuilder… following the how-big-can-get-for-no-sensible-reason program. This also drove my mother nuts. I was annoying.
21. For my twenty-first birthday some friends (who own a poultry farm) gave me a box of fifteen dozen eggs as a present… I ate them all within two weeks.
22. I have had girlfriends called Liz, Lizzie, Libby, Linda, Lindy and Leanne. Next time I’ll tell you about the M’s.
23. I have cheesecake issues.
24. I don’t drink alcohol ever. I have never been drunk.
25. I have never taken a recreational drug.
26. I have great vision with my right eye and crap vision with my left. So if you wanna attack me.. do it from the left.
27. I had two operations on my left eye when I was young and wore glasses with a patch on my right eye to make my left stronger (so 1970’s)… it didn’t work. But geeez I was sexy. Just what a fat ten year-old needs; a patch. Nice.
28. Some of my friends say I’m a perfectionist and periodically childish. What would they know? Am not, you are.
29. On a trip to Sweden I went for a run in -6 (temp) in a singlet and shorts. When I walked through the hotel foyer in my singlet (on the way out the door) the concierge told me that I would freeze. I told him I would warm up as I ran. I didn’t. It hurt a lot. Clearly, I am stupid.
30. I was born in a country town called Ballarat in Victoria… I was gorgeous.
31. Until I was one.
32. I have worn a ’slave bracelet’ on my right wrist for twelve years. It doesn’t (can’t) come off. It has no clip or catch. It has my initials and the initials of one of my best friends who died, on it. He was my first trainer, we worked together all day every day. His name was Matt. I still miss him.
33. I trained an AFL team (NFL equivalent) for three years (St. Kilda FC).
34. I once owned a beauty salon (for four years). No, I didn’t work there.
35. I can’t drink coffee because I have an arrhythmia – the caffeine affects my heart beat.
36. I have an original KISS pinball machine in my kitchen. It works. Chicks dig it. But not as much as blokes.
37. I’m not sure… but I think I have a man-crush on Matt Damon. I’m okay with that.
38. I have a ‘thing’ about body odour. I don’t get how stinky people can’t smell their stink, when we can smell them from fifty feet.
39. I eat vegetables but I’m not a fan of fruit. Fruit Schmuit. Lions don’t eat bananas.
40. When I was nineteen I lived in Western Australia (other side of the country) and worked on a construction site during the day (as a rigger-working up high), in a gym in the early evening (as an instructor) and in a club at night (getting punched by drunk blokes).
41. I have (personally) completed over 40,000 personal training sessions (since 1987). My trainers currently complete about 80,000 sessions (individual appointments) annually.
42. Most days of my life I eat oats, unprocessed bran and skim milk for breakfast. I am an excitement machine.
43. I have a business partner called Sam who owns the kid’s gym (Gecko) with me. He is annoyingly good looking. The Yummy Mummies (Mommies) don’t even notice me. He (essentially) runs that gym by himself. He’s ace.
44. I have a junior business partner (Mikey) who owns Harper’s with me. He’s learning the managerial ropes and doing great. Last week I bought him his first (brand new) motorbike. Right now he’s lovin‘ me a lot. I’m gonna milk that for a while.
45. I’m the least handy bloke in the world. Don’t get stuck on an island with me. I can tell you about the meaning of life and explain gluco-neogenesis but I won’t be able to open that friggin‘ coconut or start a fire with those two sticks.
46. I’m single. There’s a shock.
47. In 1999 I went to South Africa to do some charity work with kids suffering from HIV. I went with my buddy Bryan for a Charity he founded called Door of Hope. It made me realise how pathetic and precious I was.
48. While I’m an only kid, my parents are both one of six. My dad has a twin brother. I don’t know him.
49. I do about one hundred talks per year. At least three of them are good.
50. A year ago I didn’t know what a blog was and then the bald man (Johnnie) came into my life. Love you Baldy.
Are you still awake?
* Say hi and let us know where you’re from.
{ 58 comments… read them below or add one }
Very interesting, random but interesting!
Totally get you on the Matt Damon thing!
Since we’re sharing, middle name is Elizabeth….
Have a great day!
() Tami
Hi Craig,
Multi talented, multi faceted, complex, carefree – no wonder most of the woman who visit your site have the hots for you!!! One just wonders if you really are aware of your own worth & value. Thanks for sharing it’s always nice to get to know someone a little better.
Have a great day
Cheryl ()
p.s your mom was right about bikes you know
Q.1 Craig, can I clarify: Have you ever had an alcoholic drink? Or is it just that you don’t drink alcohol now?
I read an interesting article on AFL coach Kevin Sheedy who was a complete tee-totaller until he began coaching after the Age of 30.
Q.2 Did you buy that property you spoke about in your recent blog?
DW
Hey Craig
I knew I had seen you before over here in Perth.
You were the bouncer at club we used to frequent in the 80’s.. (damn…just gave away my age)
Sorry, we thought you were the lame dude tring to mix it with big guys..you now sort of a punching bag ??
ahhh..memories… Brian Adams, Summer of 69 playing the back ground, big hair and fluoro outfit. Didn’t you love the 80’s? LOL…
Sandi
Thankyou Tami Elizabeth ( )
Hi Cheryl.
I am not being falsely humble when I say I am most definitely NOT hot.
I aiming for luke warm.
But thanks.
( )
Hi DW.
1) Never been a drinker.
Tasted it when I was fifteen, hated it.
Never had a glass of alcohol.
2) Didn’t buy the property… still looking.
(I have a cult to establish).
( )
Nice list. I knew 1, 8, 9, 18, 20, 24, 25, 36, 46 before reading this post.
Now before you say that I have too much time on my hand (again), let me just say that I am a right hander but I hit forehand with my left hand every now and then because I don’t feel like hitting backhand. I also cut with my left hand while using a fork in my right hand, which is the opposite of what most right-handers would do.
Hi Sandi.
Look up 80’s… you’ll see a picture of me.
In an AC DC shirt.
( )
Hey Kel.
I love it that you have all that spare time…. I get to chat with you.
Peace out ambi-dexterous Dude.
Hey Craig,
Thanks for sharing!! Fascinating reading…really! I think I may even try to write my own list of 50 things, dont think I would be brave enough to share it with the whole world though… Whilst we are sharing however, I too am an only child and my middle name is Catherine. Oh and my friends all call me Mandi. When I was young the only time I ever got called Amanda was when my mum was cross with me and if she was really cranky it was. I got called Amanda quite a bit!!
(( ))
Amanda B
(you can call me Mandi…lol)
I have an old ladies crush on Matt Damon. I don’t think he would like that.
You sounded like such a spunk bubble when you were 10.
Was hanging till the end…waiting to hear about your days in Tassie….how does one become an obsessive jogger?
I feel like we have had a tender moment ahhhhhhhhhhh
Charmaine
Hi Mandi.
Amanda Catherine.
I showed you my list…
( )
Hi Debstar.
He’d love it.
And you.
Hi Michelle.
As a fourteen year-old one associates jogging (and it’s by-product… weight-loss) with social approval and increased popularity and attention.
That’s how.
( )
Hi Charmaine.
Y’ think?
Peace.
Craig
No way were you a bouncer. You look too….you know soft. Did you learn anything interesting from that job, any insides into human nature or just how to ‘not’ get your head punched in?
Actually i just finished reading a book about an ex bouncer called “Watch my Back” by Geoff Thompson. One of the best (and life changing) book i’ve ever read (next to yours of course). Now this guy is the real deal and he’s hot as hell (well i think he is). He’s bald (from actual hair loss), has a not so pretty face and a cauliflower ear. But it all works you know? oh yeah and he’s a martial artist and fighter. Don’t get me wrong, your… nice too but you can’t beat the cauliflower ear.
Your lucky, you had a middle name. I don’t. Wogs don’t have middle names. I felt like a freak in school cause i was the only one who didnt’ have a middle name. So i just made one up. Fortunately i grew out if it. Now i’m proud of it. Like u i’m the freak that’s never been drunk and people think it’s weird when you tell them, like your an outcast. “You’ve never been drunk” “No i haven’t and guess what i don’t even have a middle name.”
What’s with the cult stuff? Waco Texas anyone???
Ange-Sydney
re number 42.
You have that breakfast and you are an excitement machine? WOW!
I have a similar type of breakfast to you, BUT with blueberries, and this gives me a good start to the day but I fall just a little short of AN excitement machine.
It is scary to think about what you would be like if you added bleuberries or something wild like that to your breakfast.
Seriously though – thanks for sharing a little of yourself to the world.
Regards
Leanne M
Hey buddy………
Well… now we can really get to the core of where all your issues stem from!!!! Hmmmm….. a left-handed, guitar playing, motor-bike riding, only child who has a thing for eggs, porridge, girls who start with the letter “L”, and Kiss…..
Where do I start with the diagnosis?????
Perhaps Craig Anthony Harper you should have more faith and trust in the fact that you really are a nice guy, are very generous…. and chicks do like you….. can I suggest if you’ve had no luck with the ones starting with “L” to switch to a different letter of the alphabet????…..
It is nice to see that someone who is so successful, inspirational and motivating to others is just the same as everyone else…. and not afraid to let the world see exactly what cells, skin, blood and muscles he has inside his body…..
Congratulations Mr. Harper on portraying the ‘real’you, and not pretending to be super human!!!Well…. maybe just super…..
Very interesting……
KK
P.s.Good work on employing Hot guys…. wish there were more bosses like you….:)))) heheh
PP.s. You really do turn green under ultraviolet light… dont you???? hehehehe
still make me laugh….
You’re so ace…XXX
Interesting. You’re so cool, in a very daggy kind of way! haha
I mean that nicely ;0)
Briony – Newcastle, AU
( )
Hi Ange.
Do you mean soft as in pudgy-porky or soft as in kind?
Careful.
( )
Hi Leanne M.
The blueberries would just tip me over the top.
Too high risk!
( )
Wow – I think you just covered your arse for 6 x “8 things” memes. Well done!
Very interesting list. And funny. Thanks for sharing
Hi Kate.
If you keep writing all that nice stuff people are gonna think that it’s me writing to me under a pseudonym… if yer know what I mean!!
Thanks for the nice words and the kisses… we all love some love.
( )
Good evening Craig,
Still awake?….Of course!
You could never bore me.
There is only one thing you NEED to know about me…
I am definitely a Craig-Anthony- Harper-aholic!!!
Oh, maybe two…l think you are still gorgeous!
Your Number One Fan
( )
“But geeez I was sexy. Just what a fat ten year-old needs; a patch. Nice.”
I seriously think you could be a comedian. I’m laughing.
Craig
I meant ’soft’ as in..i’m a little afraid to say it but ok..wimpy? As a bouncer, did you kick people out or did you just make them do push-ups? I think it’s that whole ‘let Craig give you a cyber-hug’ thing. All that hugging is just too much. It’s too wheatgrass and tofu for me.
Ange-Sydney
Craig, thanks for sharing this information about yourself. I am from Hot Springs, Arkansas, southern U. S. A. I used to think hillbilly U. S. A. I am not originally from Arkansas. I call people like me who have moved to Arkansas, transplants. Hot Springs is a wonderful place to live. We have crystals growing in the ground. Some people say they are magical, spiritual, mystical. Others say we are full of bull to believe they have any powers. Others say if they have any power it comes from the Devil. We are in the Bible Belt of the U. S. with lots of Baptists and Methodists and Assembly of God and Penecostal churches. I go to a small Unity church that I have been warned about. An x-ministered husband committed suicide on our front lawn years before I moved to Hot Springs. Wow, I didn’t know I was going to tell you all of this. Your 50 things list must have inspired me. I also don’t have a middle name. Being a Saggittarian, I missed that middle name but also thought it made me special in some way. I love your practical, down to earth side with a good amount of humor thrown in. It makes you an interesting person. Do you speak the same way you write? Thanks for the incites. We all need an occasional laugh at ourselves. It keeps us humble. Oh yeah, I just found out about blogs about a year ago. Started one of my own in June.
Even more crazy about you than before you bared your soul, Craig. Next post, please write about gluco-genesis.
P.S. When do I send you the mail order bride from Canada?
You’re not hot? Someone get him a new mirror please? If I wasn’t so far away I’d come right on into Harpers and tell you so persoanlly! Agree with Kate…try a different letter of the alphabet…tried J yet? (oh hang on – I know some Jen’s not worth knowing! – not me though
)
Thanks for Sharing Craig.
Challenge: Do something about the stand up comedy…start with joining a theater sports group! Get over that fear mate.
Hello Anonymous.
You need treatment.
But thanks.
( )
Hi Joh.
Laughing at my tragic childhood… harsh
Enjoy your day.
( )
Ange!!!
Soft as in WIMPY!!
Yer killin’ me.
D’you know what the ‘wimpy’ label does to a man?
I’m so in therapy now.
I’m gonna hafta re-think my whole communication style.
Wimpy Craig…. no good.
Right… that’s it…less hugging, more violence from me.
Aaaah… maybe I could figure out a way to be the alpha-male.. and hug.
( )… can’t help m’self.
Wimpy Craig.
Hey Craig,
I can vouch for the fact that Kate (KK) is certainly not you pretending to be her. Kate is one of my bestest friends in the whole world!! She is an absolute crack up, you two in a room together would be hysterical!!
Hope you enjoyed your breaky… Mine was the usual, All-Bran and narnie…mmm…YUMMO!!
Have a great day…
Mandi x
Hi Patricia.
Thanks for your list.
Interesting stuff.
Good luck with your blog.
( )
Oh Yes, I am working on my list!!hahaha
( )
Mandi
Hi Christine.
Yer might have trouble getting that stamp to stick on the bride.
Geez I crack me up.
( )
Hi Jen.
J huh?
I’ll look into it!
Enjoy your day while I figure how to avoid a career in comedy without looking like (more of) a wimp.
( )
Thanks Mandi.
Gotta love that bran.
( )
Howdy,
Think you once blogged about your “weirdness” but as always love your work.
If I was to ever meet you I might look at you funny like but: numbers 12 & 13, my parents simply ignore/don’t acknowledge the fact that I ride a motorbike; number 21, how did you eat so many, eek!; number 27, can empathise – patch on my left eye + blue Dame Edna style glasses, yes very 70’s; number 29, can also empathise as I used to go to Sweden for work – the wind chill factor is a killer – should have listened to the Concierge, they always know everything…; number 45, I’ll try to remember, but then a woman can take charge of just about anything so you’d be made to fetch and carry.
Number 51: did you buy the block of land down the coast?
Be good.
Linda.
Hi Linda.
Didn’t buy the block.
Still looking.
Dame Edna… nice.
single?
me single too
lol!!
joking
saw your link from digitalfilipino’s twitter
Hi Craig – you make me laugh!!
Can totally understand the man-crush on Matt Damon (is that kind of like having a girl-crush on Angelina Jolie?)
BUT was blown away by your admission re fruit / veggies – I agree. I’m not mad on fruit, loathe bananas but love veggies. I’ve never heard a healthy fitness fanatic admit this before. Gives me hope for my fitness future.
Can’t believe you live without coffee! (But if that’s what’s keeping you alive…)
Have just received my copy of Fatittude & am on the GYST challenge. Am full of hope & anticipation…
I worry that I’m becoming addicted to your blog.
Thanks for all your giving…..
Sarah
(ST with the anonymous sister)
Hi Manilenya.
Ahh… er.
I think I’m nervous…
Hi Sarah.
I live to make you laugh!
There are worse addictions.
But then again….
( )
Nice list but are you happy?
Andy
Cheesecake issues as in you think they are the most disgusting dessert created like me, or you LOVE them??
I just don’t understand the concept of mixing raw eggs, sugar and soft tasteless cheese together – sometimes they are baked as a special treat *gross*
Yeah I have a girl crush on Matt Damon and I’m totally not ok with his wife.
ha ha!
Hi Andy.
Good question.
Most of the time, yep.
Cheers.
Hi Sal.
Wash your mouth out!!!
How can you not love cheesecake?
Much to your disgust… I am a cheesecake-aholic.
Sorry.
Have you tried them all?
There are some amazing cakes…
Hey bud! Another great blog!
You scared at doing stand up comedy?? Shish!! Man you’d be awesome!
I did’t know you had a KISS pinball machine!?!?! And I didn’t know half the other things about you wither (well more like 40!).
Hey, what footy team do you follow? Seem to think it would be Geelong??
Thanks for sharing and brightening up my day!!
Cheers..Skater Boy
Yeah tried a few. The worst ones are with a lemon bitter undertone. ewwwww
Wow! What a list. I do not think
I could write 50 things. O.K. so
you like Cheesecake. (me too)
Do you have the Cheesecake Factory
where you live? http://www.TheCheeseCakeFactory.com
Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake is my favorite.
Keep in touch,
Elizabeth G.
I have found another obsessional runner! I used to run 3 times a day 5 days a week. I broke the obsession when I got pregnant (twice). You should try it. It really worked for me.
Thanks for the posts. They are really interesting reading.
Julia B
Single eh?
Had I known that I would have had a crack at you.
Seriously – do the stand up thing. At least once. I’ve done The Basement in Sydney and The Laugh Garage and had an absolute blast. Would I do it again? Fuck no. Camel toe jokes only have so much shelf life.
…and I’m spent.
P.S. Your ’slave’ bracelet is a great idea. My heart smiled.
Craig, You are amazing!! if ever you are looking for someone to help you over those “intimacy” issues…”pick me!!” (said with my hand raised firmly in the air)
Hello Anon.
Not amazing.
More… weird.
Thanks for the offer!
I may need more info(LOL)
Peace and hugs…