Aon, Jeremy Aaron and Bia

Photo by Jeffrey Alan Miller

With Drew Carey in Seoul

Photo by Jeffrey Alan Miller

With Capt. Denny USAF

Photo by Jeffrey Alan Miller

Jimmy Wong congratulates me after winning tattoo contest in Bangkok — Feb. 2006

Photo by Jeffrey Alan Miller

What numbers are important to you?

Perhaps it is the birthday or anniversary of a loved one. Maybe it is the number of times you have seen bands like The Rolling Stones or Bob Dylan. Maybe it is the number of times you have been married or the number of children you have.

Every couple of days, when I update my status on Facebook, I like to include a status update called “Papa Sparks by the Numbers.” I list how many days are left until I am with Aon, Jeremy Aaron and Bia as well as how many pages I have written on my novel.

For fun today, I thought I would try a little something different by sharing with you some very special numbers in my life:

Days until I am with Aon, Jeremy Aaron and Bia:  55

Pages I’ve completed on my novel about Korea:  98

Kilometers I ran at the gym on the treadmill in one hour: 10

Kilograms I have lost since May 1st:  25

Slices of pizza I can eat while watching a “pizza movie” (a movie that goes well with an extra large pepperoni pizza):  8

Tattoos I’ve had done by legendary Thai tattoo artist Jimmy Wong:  9

Tattoo Contests I’ve won: 1

Facebook friends:  252

Facebook friends that I have actually met and hung out with: 130

Years I’ve lived overseas:  23

Times I’ve been back to the States since 1990: 11

Fastest speed I’ve traveled: Mach 1

G’s I pulled in the backseat of an F-16: 9

Times I threw up in the backseat of an F-16 while flying at the speed of sound and pulling those 9 G’s:  0

Articles and photos I’ve posted on Triond: 300

Articles published in literary or other magazines: 5

Times I’ve appeared on the news:  3

Celebrities I have interviewed:  15

These are just some of the numbers that are important and interesting to me.

How about you?