I read this post by Tric Kearney this morning and thought it was a great idea, so here’s my list of random facts about myself.
- I was adopted a few weeks after birth by the couple who raised me. I know next to nothing about my natal parents except that my mother was 15. I have never been interested in discovering more.
- I never drink tea or coffee. I find tea insipid and dislike the smell of coffee. But my wife says that I make the best cups of tea — better than hers.
- In every place I’ve lived I have been able to see trees from my bedroom window. I love trees!
- I was in my mid-20s before I ever watched a game of soccer. This is unusual in England.
- I have two scars on my right elbow where my younger brother bit me aged 4.
- When I changed my name I chose my mother’s name, Maureen, to replace my former middle name, James. That is my father’s name.
- In 1990 I was entered by my school into the British Physics Olympiad, a national competition. I made the finals which were held at Harrow School and placed in the top 10, but not high enough to be selected for the national team.
- My brother and I, along with a friend, once babysat the young son of former England rugby captain Bill Beaumont during a match at Waterloo Rugby Club.
- I had a letter published in the Sunday Telegraph when I was aged 12. (It was a response to a letter about blasphemy laws by a bishop in the previous week’s paper.)
- I own 8 dresses, which is 8 more than my wife.
- I do not own a single item of clothing that features a visible brand name. (I can’t stand that!)
- My all time favourite food is spaghetti bolognese, and Italian is my favourite type of food.
- I am ambivalent towards Marmite.
- Despite working as a programmer I do not own a computer, and in fact have never even bought one. (I’m not counting my smartphone as a computer although it is one. My list, my rules!)
- I first used the internet before the World Wide Web existed. (usenet)
- I have not had a passport since my last one expired several years ago.
It was fun putting this list together and I hope you, my readers, find it interesting.
My Autistic Dance 
A computer programmer who has never bought a computer, wow…
And I love the fact that you own 8 dresses more than your wife 🙂
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She really doesn’t like wearing dresses or skirts. In all the years I’ve known her she’s worn a dress exactly twice.
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It most certainly was very interesting, thank you!
I love trees too, and my laptop is my best friend – I suppose a smartphone would do, but it would definitely have to be a huge upgrade from my Blackberry!! 🙂
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Thank you! I was a little disingenuous because there is a laptop at home, but it’s borrowed. Belongs to somebody I’ve been writing an application for, but I use it quite often for Netflix and social media. I’m rather attached to my Android phone (HTC One) and even use it for making calls occasionally. 😉
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My BB is my closest friend though, as it accompanies me even in the garden, where it becomes camera, timer, blog reader, messenger and much more, other than phone! I still botch every call I (seldom) get because I cannot figure out quickly enough which button to use 🙂
Borrowing is just not the same – it usually has to go back!
I guess you don’t work from home then!
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Nope. I’ve a desk in an office with a rather nice, powerful PC and 2 HD screens where I do my paid software development work. I’m sat there right now! (Shhh! 😉 )
I keep thinking about buying my own laptop, but there’s always more important things such as food and clothes!
I’ve never used a BB (or an iPhone for that matter). Chose mine because it’s got a 4.7″ screen and I can watch Netflix on it. Oh, and it actually cost less each month on contract when I upgraded from my previous model.
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Rather difficult to match that at home me thinks 🙂
I need my laptop for art, and a bit of Dreamweaver WYSIWYG web design, but I do prefer a proper keyboard for everything else too.
BB’s are our cheapest option here… but when I win the lottery… 🙂
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I have to agree that a proper keyboard is much better for any amount of typing. By which I mean anything longer than a SMS or tweet. The virtual keyboard under Android is pretty good as these things go, but having to switch modes for upper/lower case, numerals and symbols rather than simply using a modifier key (shift, alt, etc.) gets awkward real fast.
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Great list. I loved reading it. So much here to make me think ‘oh wow’. I love that you chose your moms name to replace your dads.
I love these lists.
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🙂
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I love posts like this. It’s always fun to discover new things about friends.
You own 5 more dresses than I do and I think 3 at one time is probably a record high for me. 🙂
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And I didn’t even mention my 3 skirts! I always liked dresses: it’s a sensory thing (rather than me being particularly femme). Comfort in clothing is a big factor for me.
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I’m actually learning to like dresses again. I spent 6 years in Catholic school having to wear skirts every day and I think I had some gender dysphoria around that. I’m finally coming to place of reconciling that a dress and a crewcut can go just fine together. 🙂
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