26 Things About Me
blog
I got tagged on Facebook to complete a meme where you list 25 things about you that people may not know. The results of other people’s were fascinating but I couldn’t think of anything interesting. So I forced myself to write something by using the alphabet as stick to prod myself with.
A is for A rush
The first short story I ever wrote was in 1997 and was called A Rush. It was about a man who stopped time when he had a panic attack. Thinking about it makes me want to start writing them again — it was so liberating, like a whole new area of consciousness had been openend up.
B is for Ballyhoo
The worst haircut I ever had was copied from Ian McCulloch: it had spikey on top with a fringe. Ugh, what was I thinking.
C is for Cup
I always buy a new mug when I go abroad and need tea. I love tea more than any other drink.
D is for Dawdling
I often make my wife stumble, by pulling her when she is dawdling.
E is for Entropy
I want to reduce the amount of entropy in my life but I’m not sure how to go about it.
F is for Facebook
I don’t really like Facebook, thinking that everyone should have to have their own site on their own domain and display everything there rather than relying on these corporations that want to sell you rubbish.
G is for Games
I have to force myself not to waste my whole life playing computer games.
H is for Horripilating
I don’t seem to do much horripilating nowadays. I wonder why. Perhaps I am immune to cold.
I is for Impetigo
The first song I ever wrote was about impetigo. I wrote it whilst in the bath when my sister suffered from it.
J is for Jail
I used to fantasize about committing a minor crime that was serious enough to be put in prison for a year in order to avoid taking responsibility for myself.
K is for K-Punk
K-Punk doesn’t appear to blog much anymore, but his essays on popular cinema are among some of the most invigorating blog posts I’ve read.
L is for List Posts
I know that it is vulgar to have to divide your thoughts into numbered chunks but considering the standard of writing on the internet it is probably for the best that the habit has become popularized.
M is for Middle names
I haven’t got one a middle name, although I did invent one once — Geoffrey, which was kind of a joke — less funny when Midland Bank unquestioningly allowed me to open a bank account with it. Changing identity is easy, really.
N is for Neil.
I still haven’t grown into my name, but I’m getting there.
O is for Oran Haut-Ton
Sir Oran Haut-Ton is the hero of Melincourt, Thomas Love Peacock’s witty philosophical novel about an orangutan who becomes an MP. It is as funny as Wodehouse.
P is for Philishave
Despite extolling the virtues of Gillette’s six blade fusion, I have recently started using an electric razor, allowing me to be neat and tidy every day rather than twice a week.
R is for Richard III.
If you want to understand how films like The Godfather and Casino have mythic status then read Richard III (as I did last week), in which the title character’s duplicity, will to power, and downfall provide the template.
S is for Simplicity.
If I feel overwhelmed, I always do something that will make my life more simple. I am worried that I will run out of things to simplify.
T is for Tea.
Every day I currently drink puer, rooibos, peppermint, green, camomile, jasmine, and lemon and ginger. My current favourite though is Oolong.
U is for unheimlich
And other German words that are untranslatable, like Verfremdungseffekt.
V is for vacillation.
Vacillation is the cause of much modern stress. I constantly have to tell myself: just do one thing at a time and make a decision.
W is for work.
Sometimes, especially when I feel I can really get into the flow, I really love working.
X is for Xavior Roide
I don’t know him but I think he is a Basque dandy who used to be in RoMo band DexDexter. Sounds interesting.
Y is for yo-yos.
When Rob got a yo-yo to help him to keep busy in order to stop smoking, I had a go and realised that there is something quite isolating about a toy which can have someone’s eye out.
Z is for Zizek.
The other day I bought the Essential Zizek for just £12.99 from Eden Books, saving about £26.01 on the RRP! God old Christians!