25 Things About Moi!
OK, I have been nagged by the one and only Lesley from darkest Bedfordshire to post to the people of the world, or at least those that frequent this part of FT, 25 things about myself. I first thought well, that should be easy, but to come up with 25 interesting things to say about myself is quite a deal harder. If you dare to read on I do not hold responsibility for anyone who ends up asleep at their keyboard! ;)
1) I am strongly atheist but do not push my views on anybody else...however much I would sometimes like to ;) <cough>door-to-door proselytisers</cough>
2) I collect coins and banknotes from the period of the Third Reich (1933-1945).
3) I am a member of the British Conservative Party.
4) I despise the summer months and heat gets me all in a fluster.
5) I am a night owl who would far rather the company of the night than spend my days out in the hustle and bustle of the diurnal hours.
6) I really dislike Political Correctness. I was for a time on the Equality Board for the college on issues of sexual orientation and gender. I thought it would be great, a chance to do something for the good, but, it just turned out to be PC nonsense. So, that was that.
7) I am a terrible cook; I only learnt how to spread butter on to bread properly at the age of about 13! Yes, I do want to be a surgeon 8-) Are you scared?
8) I once appeared on BBC television (BBC1) for the 'Hardspell' competition presented by Eamonn Holmes (shudders) where I finished seventh in Wales. It was good fun. The word that had me eliminated was...caterwaul. I was again 13 at the time so shhhh.
9) I absolutely love music from the Romantic period. Beethoven, Chopin, Satie are amongst my favourites. I also adore the works of Ralph Vaughan Williams.
10) I have volunteered to help out in an autistic and special needs unit of a local primary school for over a year.
11) After a holiday in San Diego many years ago, I decided there and then that that was where I wanted to spend my adult life. So the plan is to move over there as a consultant oncologist. Fingers crossed. After university, I will get some hunk to take me there!
12) I am not a great fan of sports but I do follow rugby union and tennis and athletics.
13) I greatly enjoy quizzes and whereever there is a quiz to enter, you'll find me there! I have a nerdish desire to appear on 'University Challenge'.
14) I am fussy with food. I am quite prone to being sick upon ingestion of certain textures. Anything that is mashed (carrots, potatoes, swede etc) will make me sick!
15) I donate far too much money to the Coca Cola Company. I will drink at minimum 3 to 4 cans of coke a day. I am making the life changing switch to diet coke at the moment ;)
16) I once spent a month in hospital with a condition that usually affects alcoholics. The doctors couldn't find out the cause for why I had it as I very rarely drink alcohol.
17) I am going to learn the saxophone one day, I have wanted to do so for a long time but for some reason have never got around to doing it.
18) I am a science nerd. I spend 40+ hours a week studying maths, biology, chemistry and physics and love every minute of it.
19) I do not read fiction books very often. The only fiction I have read over the last 10 years are the 'Harry Potter' books and the Dan Brown novels. I far prefer factual books.
20) I usually go out in clothing that has at least 3 different colours. My latest concoction is a yellow t-shirt with a green jacket, blue jeans and red shoes. I think it's great! Just dye my hair purple and it would be marvellous! ;)
Couldn't this have been called '20 things'! :)
21) In a moment of madness I had my eyebrow pierced at age 16. Let us just say that the school were not impressed. They were so glad to see me go! :D
22) I only watch a few TV programmes, my favourite being 'House MD' - oh his charm! 'University Challenge', 'Newsnight', 'Question Time' and 'Masterchef Goes Large' are my other favourites.
Tres difficile, maintenant.
23) I have never had a job (don't worry I'm not a lazy lout) but have always wanted to work night shifts in a hotel. Odd, I know! It was one of the first things I ever wanted to do along with being a 'trolley dolly' (camp!) and a croupier.
24) I am always 'fashionably late'. If I start college at 9:00am you can be sure I'll be there at 9:05am. I don't even try to do that, it just happens.
25) I am single and have been for a little while now. Yes, I really was running out of things to say by this point!!!
Well I hope you enjoyed this...well, experience! :) Jon
17 Comments:
Great list, Jon! Good for Lesley for nagging!
I love San Diego, too. Beautiful, (most parts) and the heat is toned down by the ocean.
Caterwaul, huh?
By veronikkamarrz, Feb 08 09 1:03 PM
Hey, Tory Boy, who are you calling a nag? And why are you blaming me? :D
I looked for "Hardspell" on YouTube, and found one video - a boy who got 1/5 and cried. Poor lad.
7 - yes, very.
14 - agree about mash.
15 - switch to water!
20 - lovely - Garry's favourite colours.
21 - no, nor would I be. Has it grown out yet?
25 - I'm sorry to hear that, had wondered but, possibly uncharacteristically, hadn't wanted to ask. Shame, because I recall that it was very nice while it lasted.
By lesley153, Feb 08 09 1:47 PM
Yay for Lesley! I was hoping you'd post, since you're kind of a mystery. :-) I can't believe you don't read fiction (gasp!). We'll have to have a long chat about that one day. Great list, though, and not boring at all!
By Pagiedamon, Feb 08 09 2:01 PM
Veronikka, you are right - it was a perfect temperature.
Paige, a mystery eh? ;) Many have tried to get me reading fiction and the same number have failed. You can have a go and I am sure the teacher in you will come out! :)
Hi Lesley, Tory Boy ha! A gay working class Tory - we (I?)do exist ;)
15 - Water is just terrible, why have that when you can have coke?
21 - Yes, it was removed and for the better!
25 - Well it didn't really have a definite end...it just sort of went flat. Oh well, not planning on anything of that sort again for a good while, I am too selfish :)
By jonnowales, Feb 08 09 3:59 PM
Hey, very interesting list there Jon! I must admit to being a bit of a closet admirer of yours. I didn't realize you were so young either -- your maturity belies your years.
I agree with you about an overabundance of PC issues these days, as well as your stance on atheism. I'm currently reading a book called Godless by Dan Barker and it's very interesting. Can you imagine the turmoil this evangelical preacher went through to discard his livelihood for atheism?
About cooking -- just find some tasty recipes and follow the directions :-)
Best of luck getting into medical school!
By Squisher, Feb 08 09 4:18 PM
15 Why have that when you can perforate your stomach and rot your teeth in one easy drink? If the sugar don't get you, the acid will!
Lesley in lecturing mode
By lesley153, Feb 08 09 4:59 PM
Those are 25 interesting stories about John. Now, Lesley, please, nag someone else to post their 25 things, lol.
By Matthew_07, Feb 09 09 5:53 AM
Well, there's an obvious target, Matthew. < cough cough > Matthew < cough cough >!
By lesley153, Feb 09 09 7:59 AM
Lol, okay okay, I'll start mine, lol.
By Matthew_07, Feb 09 09 8:24 AM
Good on yer - get stuck in!
By lesley153, Feb 09 09 9:13 AM
I love it, Jon.
4 - I hate the heat too, but it just makes me a wet rag, no fluster;)
7 - Makes be a wee bit nervous, but almost all the surgeons I knew and worked with were gourmet cooks, so there is hope for you.
11 - I want to visit San Diego, so if I am still alive and kicking when you get there, I'll be on your doorstep.
I remember the pancreatitis and I won't even lecture you about the Coke -other than to tell you I CERTAINLY hope you told your physicians that when you had it!!! cough, cough, mother in me coming out again...I still love you dearly.
By jordandog, Feb 10 09 3:58 PM
7 reprise - I just had a flashback to a visit to my mother's house, when my beloved child was about three, and he decided, by himself, that he would like to butter a slice of bread. He started off the right way, as all children do: took a slice of soft bread, crushed a dollop of cold butter into the centre of the slice, and manoeuvred it until most of the crumb came loose from the crusts, and wrapped itself round the butter. (I can remember my mother shouting at him. Poor lad!)
Thank you for the reminder, Jon,
By lesley153, Feb 11 09 3:03 PM
Sorry for taking a while to get back to this - been on a 'jolly' to Bristol. I'll update you all later.
Matthew - I like forward to reading it :)
Lesley - Very true but I am unusually flippant when it comes to Cola!
Squisher - Your comment is very kind, it is always nice to find you have a closet admirer :D! I will look into that book - I am interested in the history of atheism. As for the cooking, I am sure I'll give it a go sometime :)
Sandy - 11) Sounds great!!
Regarding the pancreatitis - I did bring it up and he was quick to say there was no link. He was more concerned about telling me I was overweight. I was 10.5 stone after eating nothing for a month in hospital (disgraceful food - you wouldn't feed it to Jordan ;>)
Lesley - I often wonder why people shout at others for those things. Everyone has to learn and for goodness sake, lighten up! Did she always take things so seriously?
By jonnowales, Feb 12 09 3:31 PM
I think she forgot - or never realised - that we aren't born knowing everything, and that children aren't like adults. My entire childhood once flashed before my eyes when he was tiny, and had a mishap in the kitchen. It was something very trivial - I think he prodded a bag of flour, so a bit of flour puffed out. She said "You just had to go and do that, didn't you? You just couldn't stop yourself, could you?" - and I remembered that she used to ask my brother and me exactly the same sort of unanswerable question. So I asked her "How exactly would you like my 18-month-old son to answer that?" She was quite well-behaved after that! But she still had her moments. Like shouting at him for coating a ball of hard butter in soft bread.
I don't know how tall you are but 10.5 stone isn't a worrying weight, is it?
By lesley153, Feb 15 09 8:01 PM
No it is normal size - I told him, I don't wish to lose much more thanks. There is an obsession with calling people overweight in the medical sector - I wasn't there for that.
By jonnowales, Feb 16 09 4:41 AM
Good. And thank you for the warning.
Lesley (cuddly)
By lesley153, Feb 16 09 6:12 AM
Nice list Jon, I'm never right about the way I imagine peoples appearances (not that it matters :))
And yes I do think I'll be posting one of these...it looks like a good idea to get to know people. However, I fear I'm so uninteresting I'll fail to make it to no.25 but I'll give it a go :)
By doublemm, Feb 18 09 3:29 PM