Probably the best post of NABLOPOMO 2012

Hello Anna fans.
I am Chris. You might know me from my glamour shots posted here all the time. Anna said that tonight I could either write a guest post or help cut out construction paper circles for a Relief Society activity going on tomorrow.
I decided to write even though I couldn't think of a topic. I don't want to write about work because I have to live it 12-13 hours a day, and I don't want to write about anything too deep because I haven't written in a while and am out of practice. I suppose I didn't so much decide that I wanted to write as much as I decided to not cut out circles. Circles are so lame.
I will, for this post, present three lists.

List 1: Best 5 books I have read so far in 2012
This list is a little hard because, while I have read a lot of books considering I have been gone a lot this year, most of them were garbage. Anyway, here they are:
5) Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter (I think the title explains itself)
4) On Writing by Stephen King (A book all about writing books)
3) The Hobbit (In preparation for the film)
2) The Lord of the Rings (The first time I have read it. I was really affected. The Mordor stuff really depressed me for a while. It was hard to get through it.)
1) I am Legend (This is such a great story. It is pure survivalist scenario stuff. The great thing about the whole zombie genre trend is that the stories are rarely about the death or the danger, it is how ordinary people cope with it and try to carry on living through it. It is so adventurous. But this is a short story and well worth the handful of hours it will take to get through it. Anna, you are going to have to read this as my pick for you to read the next time we do our 'pick a book for the other' game.)

List 2: An incomplete and capricious list of dream jobs, money not factored in
5) Lighthouse Operator (You get to sit in a tower in the ocean and play with a huge flashlight!)
4) Independent Copy Editor (I imagine myself sitting at home and tsk-tsking all of the typos and grammar errors I find)
3) Detective Agency and Dessert Cafe Bistro Proprietor (Every time I get an IKEA catalog, I thumb through and pick my perfect detective desk and chairs, and also the best setup for the cafe side of the operation {including full kitchen and lighting set ups}. This whole dream is fueled by Nero Wolfe novels and what I imagine Guy Noir's office looks like) 
2) Running and Cycling Store Owner (I love running and riding bikes and I would make a FANTASTIC salesman for this stuff. It has changed my life. Also, I would have to set up along some converted Rails to Trails area, and those are fun)
1) Firefighter (I like adrenaline rushes {thanks for fueling that addiction, Army} and helping people, and I have done the EMS thing for a few years and had a lot of fun.What is not to love about radios and lights and bunkbeds and horrific accidents and human tragedy? Other than the horror and tragedy, of course)

List 3: I figured by the time I had written these other lists, I would have thought of something by now. Nope. I will fake it:
5) It turns out I am a huge fan of France. I really liked the food and the language. I didn't like the road signs and that I don't speak any French. I felt so absurd saying Bonjour and Oui; like I was living out a college Sophomore co-ed's dream, but I really did love it there.
4) I accidentally brought two tan shirts instead of one tan shirt and tan underwear to work this morning to change into after morning PT, so it ended up being a very self-conscious day.  
3) I stretched for about 90 minutes yesterday night while Anna fed Gracie and watched Downton Abbey (not even trying to start anything here, but that show is pure Jane Austen fan-fiction meets Daytime Soap romance) and I feel so limber. I would like to turn that into a habit, but it will probably never get further than this sentence.
2) I will probably deploy as a dismounted Platoon Leader to Afghanistan next summer. At least that is the latest word. I am getting close to finishing up my current job as a combat platoon leader, but there isn't anyone to replace me yet, so I might stay until we get downrange. I know I wasn't going to write about work, but I am at the bottom of the barrel here for ideas.
1) I am really excited about Christmas in Paris. We are hoping to take a day and go see Mont Saint-Michel, which I learned about watching Carmen San Diego so many years ago. Also, I hope to spend hours and hours in the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay. I love art museums. One of the best days of my life was spent all day in the Art Institute of Chicago from opening until they sent the closing alerts over the loud speakers to get out.