Still Breathing

Inspired by s0b I offer this meme.

These things make me happy:

• Chilling out with a German shepherd dog


• Noodle soup


• Watching heavy rain


• Camping with friends


• Reading a book that I don't want to put down until it's finished


• Making things with words


• Reading out loud for other people


• Being wrapped in the arms of someone I'm in love with


• The enthusiasm of friends

What about you?

Borrowed from MaleghastEllefurtle:

1. Tell me something obvious about you.
   I am an Englishman.


2. Tell me something about you that many don't know.
   I have appeared on stage naked.


3. What is your biggest fear?
   Depths ... and Spiders, though that last is more of a fear-inspired enmity ... so Depths it is then. Though being trapped between the (top) edge of a high cliff and a slowly advancing wave of spiders is really not something I relish thinking about.


4. Do you normally go the safe route or take the short cut?
   Almost always the safe route ... this is probably because I'm almost always late and simply can't risk taking "short-cuts". Of course, I'm also very easily confused when it comes to finding places.


5. Name one thing you want that you can't buy with money.
   Admiration.


6. What is your most treasured possession?
   I think that would have to be my Palm, it has entirely too much of my life on it now to be dispensible


7. What is the one thing you hate most about yourself that you do often?
   Give in to my own desires.


8. Tell me something sexually about you that I don't know.
   I once had sex in the cab of a moving (though passengerless) train ... with the driver.


9. Tell me something sexually about you that everyone knows.
   Now? I once had sex in the cab of a moving (though passengerless) train ... with the driver.


10. What is your favorite lie to tell?
    I don't often tell lies.


11. Name something you've done once that you can't wait to do again.
    Canter.


12. Are you the jealous type?
    Not really, no; certainly not sexually.


13. What is the one person, place or thing you can't say no to?
    Probably best I don't share this information. Suffice it to say that there is one person who could tell me to do anything and I would do it without question.


14. What is the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?
    There are a great many things over the years, I think that Nigel (sans LJ) asking me to be his Best Man was pretty amazing.


15. If you could do something crazy right now, what would it be?
    I can do anything I want; I choose not to.


16. When was the last time you cried?
    I don't remember, probably a year or so before I had my tear ducts surgically removed.


17. When was the last time you felt so good that nothing else mattered?
    I don't recall.


18. Do you feel comfortable in public with no shirt on?
    As long as it is appropriate to be shirtless in that environment, then yes, I feel perfectly comfortable.


19. Name something embarrassing you did while being drunk.
    Oh for goodness' sake! I do something embarassing pretty much every time I get drunk. If I get really drunk I don't remember what I did. Probably the most embarassing thing I can recall just right now was demanding drugs in a loud voice whilst commenting on how fabulous Macy Gray was.


20. If you post this in your journal would you like me to answer?
    Who the hell are you?

Cribbed from Catpooka and Caribou95. I have added a couple of questions to make things a little more generic.

Rules:
1. You can only answer YES or NO;
2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone comments to the entry and asks.

( Yes or No? )

Borrowed from a great many friends:

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don't search around and look for the coolest book you can find. Do what's actually next to you.

"Too proud, still, to let loose Bedlamite screeches
And bring the charge-nurse scuttling down the aisle
With morphia-needle levelled"

Surgical Ward: Men
by Robert Graves
From Poetry 1900 to 1975

Went to see my specialist in London today. This is made especially frustrating by the one and a half to two hour journey¹ each way² in order to spend three-quarters of an hour actually seeing the specialist. Curiously I tend not to feel tremendously well after these excursions ... wonder why?

Anyway, everyone else is doing it:

A - Accent: Received Pronounciation, though it varies slightly depending on the company I'm keeping.
B - Breakfast Item: Usually nothing at all.
C - Chore you hate: Hoovering.
D - Dad's Name: My father's given name was Egbert but he fairly swiftly learnt that this was not a good name to have and so changed it to Edward or, more usually, Ted.
E - Essential everyday item: My PC.
F - Flavour ice cream: Either something with more chocolate than the human body can sustain, or a really good ginger.
G - Gold or Silver?: Gold ... unless we're talking masks.
H - Hometown: Crawley, which everyone but me seems to dislike.
I - Insomnia: Frequently.
J - Job Title: Bit of a tricky one this, since I'm not employed at the moment. My first job title was Fixed Penalty Clerk and my last was Webmaster ... take your pick.
K - Kids: Except in very unusual circumstances I'm actually moderatly phobic about children ... I certainly won't let them touch me if I can possibly avoid it³.
L - Living arrangements: Far from ideal.
M - Mum's birthplace: Tooting, London.
N - Number of significant others you’ve ever had: Five, each one significant in a different way.
O - Overnight hospital stays: Two or three ... for all but one of them I was really quite young.
P - Phobia: Depths, Spiders and their ilk.
Q - Queer?: Not a favourite word of mine, nor one I would generally use to describe myself but yes. For those people confused about the word ... it means preferring to have sex with your own gender.
R - Religious Affiliation: Buddhist/Pagan/Marian.
S - Siblings: None.
T - Time you wake up: Depends what time I finally got to sleep.
U - Unnatural hair colours you've worn: Bright yellow.
V - Vegetable you refuse to eat: Cooked mushroom.
W - Worst Habit: Snoring is the only one I'm prepared to admit to having.
X - X-rays you’ve had: Teeth, chest⁴, colon.
Y - Yummy: Chinese food⁵.
Z - Zodiac sign: Aries/Snake

¹ The actual distance from my house to the hospital is less than thirty miles ... and people wonder why I dislike London.
² For a total of three to four hours in the car.
³ I have been known to quite literally use my walking stick to fend off over-eager youngsters.
⁴ This is especially amusing if the x-ray nurse hasn't noticed your nipple-piercings.
⁵ At least, European-style Chinese food is yummy ... I'm not sure that I'd feel the same about actual Chinese, Chinese food.

Copied from Smokingboot:

( Which religious leader would I get on with? )

I can't think of a result I'd rather have to be honest ... colour me pleased.

Stolen from several people:

Leave a one-word comment that you think best describes me.

It can only be one word. No more.

Then copy & paste this in your journal so that I may leave a word about you (if you are so inclined - don't feel obliged!)