25 Things Meme

This has been doing the rounds on Facebook. In fact, I've already posted it there, so when it imports this post (as it does all my blog posts) there will be some duplication. Oh well...

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you can choose to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to the Notes tab on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app), and then click Publish.)

1. I self-identify as vegetarian but it’s really on aesthetic (taste) grounds. I wouldn’t actually eat meat, but I’m not so fussy about vegetarian cheese, etc.

2. I haven’t had my hair cut since June. It’s now probably the longest I’ve ever had it (just beating Sixth Form). I can put it in a ponytail, but haven’t tried it outdoors!

3. I was 18 when I had my first proper kiss (curse of an all-boys school).

4. I’ve never liked beer, so only drink cider, wine or spirits.

5. I've only really supported Liverpool FC since about 1995-6 – so never seen them win a league title.

6. I listen to a wide range of music and have written reviews in numerous places – including the Oxford Student (newspaper), UK-Fusion (now defunct website) and Amazon Vine – but I can’t play an instrument or even sing.

7. I haven’t bought any nail varnish since Sixth Form, but still do my nails for the occasional night out (Oxford’s monthly goth night in the Cellar).

8. Although I’d had a few temporary jobs during university, I didn’t start my first ‘proper’ job until last October – at the age of 26. It’s nice to have the money, but I’m glad I don’t have 9am starts.

9. I spend far too much time online, but I’m hopeless with new technology and already feel out-of-touch with new gadgets and sites (things like RSS feeds and del.ici.ous).

10. I guess I count as a published author, with my first academic article having come out last summer (in the journal Philosophy) and two or three more ‘in the pipeline’. Sadly, I don’t get paid for any of this (something my mum finds hard to understand…)

11. I used to keep a few plants when I was younger – now I have about two dozen cacti (all derived from the same parent), which survive at home even without being watered for months.

12. I once won £1000 in a competition, while an undergraduate – I didn’t do anything special with it, it simply went into my bank account and got spent on food, rent and cider.

13. I hardly drink tea or coffee – usually choosing just water (sometimes boiling water, if it’s cold or I have a cold). Other people find this strange.

14. Despite the lack of caffeine, I’m a terrible insomniac (or a very good one, depending how you look at it). It often takes me over an hour to fall asleep and I often wake up early – even if I’m not keen to actually get up in the morning.

15. If I am asleep, I’m quite a deep sleeper – I’ve been known to miss not only alarms but fire drills.

16. My birthday is 31st December. My mum apparently had a glass of sparkling wine to celebrate New Year after giving birth. I turned 18 on 31/12/1999, but haven’t really had a proper party/celebration since – it’s a very awkward date to do things (particularly during university). This may explain why I think NYE over-rated.

17. In a certain sense, I’m very materialistic. I don’t think money or worldly possessions bring happiness, but I’d generally rather spend my money on things I can hold and keep. Given my tendency to hoard junk, this is a recipe for disaster!

18. I’ve always been known for my coats. In primary school I had a duffel coat (like Kenny from South Park, only blue) that I’d wear even in summer. I’ve had my present winter jacket since at least Lower Sixth (i.e. at least ten years now).

19. I can (technically) drive, having received my licence just before coming up to Oxford, but haven’t been behind the wheel of a car since my test. I don’t like relying on public transport, but I’m not particularly bothered about driving myself.

20. The only nickname I’ve ever had that’s really stuck was ‘droid’ in Cubs/Scouts (apparently because I talked like an android). My mum refers to my brother and me as ‘big Ben and little John’ to help people remember who’s who.

21. I have never even tried smoking a cigarette. I find it unpleasant when other people do it, so never saw the attraction of paying so much money to kill myself.

22. I haven’t yet found anything I’m allergic to.

23. I haven’t been to the cinema in about five years. Not for any particular reason, but I’m not a great film fan, don’t feel the pressing need to see things as soon as they come out, and don’t like sitting through long films in one go (I tend to pause DVDs a couple of times).

24. When I was younger, I wanted to be at various times an astronaut, a millionaire and an artist. None of those look at all plausible now. It would never have occurred to me to have been an academic – indeed, I still feel I’ve drifted into lecturing as a result of lacking the imagination to try anything else.

25. I’ve never been arrested, but did once get a ride home in a police car after my first day of work experience in Colchester’s MOD barracks.