One Hundred Things

About a month back I was reading this blog and saw this post. It’s also turned up recently on Nanette’s blog, Say It, Don’t Spray It. I liked the idea. I think it has merit. I am also pretty damn certain that y’all are getting a distorted view of me from this blog. Not sure that this is going to redress the balance in any measurable way, but I’m a bit bored, so why not?

100 random things about me, Cas, in no particular order, as they spring to my mind.

  1. I have, in the past, had green, red, purple, black, blonde, and blue hair. Four of those at the same time!
  2. Red, purple, blonde, and blue if you are curious.
  3. I am the same height now that I was when I was thirteen.
  4. When I was three I split my head open on the caravan step.
  5. I have a distressing habit of breaking all of my favourite mugs.
  6. I have been known to not recognize close family members – both my mother and brother have had the privilege of being blanked by yours truly.
  7. The summer when I was 14, I read “Dragonsong” by Anne McCaffrey, sitting on the backseat of my brothers 2CV, in the garage, whilst eating my first ever peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
  8. I play the piano.
  9. And the oboe.
  10. And also the saxophone.
  11. Not all at the same time.
  12. I adore flying, the smaller the plane the better. It is an amazing feeling when you are flying a two-seater, and there is nothing between you and the sky bar a thin piece of metal, and it seems like the world is lain out beneath you.
  13. I love sailing, but get cripplingly seasick even in coastal waters.
  14. I always want to be learning new things. When you stop accepting new ideas, or assimilating new knowledge, then you might as well just resign from the human race.
  15. My all time comfort film is “Robin Hood Prince of Thieves”.
  16. I want to believe in aliens: I find it hard to believe that the Earth is the only planet on which life of any sort evolved. I do think though, that when (if) we ever do meet other ‘intelligent’ life, it is highly likely that we won’t recognize it for what it is. It is pretty much a given that it won’t be bipedal with a slightly greenish tinge to the skin. Just because life as we define it requires water, oxygen, and assorted other Earth-centrinc items, doesn’t mean that ‘life’ elsewhere needs the same things.
  17. I would love to go into space.
  18. I don’t think that our exploration of space should stop with going to the moon, or Mars (if we ever get there). We looked out of the cave, and saw fire. Then we looked out of our valley, and wondered what was beyond the horizon. Space is what is next.
  19. I love reading. I frequently read books from end-to-end in one sitting. When I am in the middle of a good book, I often have no idea what is going on around me, not hearing when people are talking to me, things like that. Totally oblivious.
  20. Every time Bush (and Blair) mention the ‘war on terror’ I want to hide under my desk.
  21. I am a hopeless romantic. All I want is a white knight, with a good heart, soft touch, fast horse…
  22. My left eye is dominant.
  23. I find it near impossible to work unless I have a frantic deadline looming over me. I don’t know why – I just do my best work that way. I can have months to do something, schedule myself silly, anything, and I will still be up till 4 am on the day something is due to get it done.
  24. I don’t want a job, I want a career. I want it to mean something. I want it to be something that stretches my brain and makes me approach the world in a new way. I just don’t know what that career is going to be.
  25. I am allergic to squash such as Ribena, and other soft drinks laden with colours and flavourings.
  26. I am addicted to orange juice.
  27. 025 directly contributed to 026. As a child the drinks most kids had from the Robinson’s family caused me migraines, and I never did like fizzy drinks such as cola, so that left water (boring) and OJ. I drink pints of the stuff, which, as I prefer the non-concentrate stuff such as Tropicana (I can be sure nothing artificial has snuck in that way), is expensive.
  28. I am deeply afraid of loosing my sight. It would be hard to totally loose any sense, but I have some hearing loss anyway, so feel it would be easier to compensate for that loss rather than vision. Then again, I’d rather not loose any of my senses.
  29. Some of the stories I used to write were scarily prophetic – I wrote about a character who failed to become a vet so became an archaeologist two years before I’d even been rejected from veterinary college… I gave one character based on a friend twins in three separate stories, so I’m just waiting for the announcement!
  30. My brother is responsible for making our GP to shave off his beard in 1982.
  31. I was brought up in Glastonbury, Somerset (UK).
  32. Certain times of the month the only thing standing between me and the annihilation of anyone who crosses my path is a block of chocolate.
  33. I attended the Millfield school system (Abbey, Edgarley, and Millfield) from the age of three. I was one of the first pupils at the Abbey school – there used to be a bench with my name on it in the playground, before they moved the school up to the Edgarley grounds. I’ve no idea if the bench went too.
  34. Few things in this world annoy me more than evangelicals. I have nothing wrong with people of faith, no matter what that faith be, but when someone tries to impose their belief-system on me, I go crazy-nuts. There are few things more insulting than being told the way you live your life is wrong. To be told that, and then to be told you have been doomed to a special level of hell by a deity you don’t actually believe in, well, that’s just plain rude.
  35. I am really incredibly shy. I just hide it well.
  36. It is harder than you would think to come up with 100 interesting (or not) facts about yourself! What are the pertinent parts of my personality? More importantly, how do you condense these down into one liners?
  37. I think of myself as average. It would be nice to be special or outstanding in some way, but I am starting to realise that most people are just average.
  38. The average people are the people who get things done in this world. Don’t knock the average people. Without them (us), there’d be lots of brilliant ideas, but civilization would still grind to a halt.
  39. Slugs scare the shit out of me.
  40. I have problems with people who call me ‘cute’ – cute is for puppy-dogs and kittens. Not grown women.
  41. At the same time, I have even bigger problems with people who might say I was attractive. So, I’m learning to live with ‘cute’
  42. I am not a nice person to know in the morning. If you see me before I’ve had my morning cup of tea, run. Definitely don’t make eye contact or expect conversation.
  43. Being short is irritating.
  44. Being short and bigger than a size 12 (UK) is even more irritating. Normal trousers are about a foot too long for you, but they don’t seem to make ‘petite’ length trousers in sizes bigger than 12.
  45. Consequently I have got quite good at taking up hems!
  46. I love photography. I’m not very good at it, but I love it. My digital camera is all very shiny and great for quick pictures, taking out, etc., but there is something extra special about using the SLR. Which, sadly, means I still have to fork out exorbitant amounts of money to develop films. You forget how easy it is just to upload photos the day you took them, till you have to trek into town to find a Jessops. But there is nothing quite like the thrill you get when you get the packet of photos back from the developers and you open it for the first time – how did they turn out?!
  47. Even more exciting is finding a film at the back of the drawer, getting it developed, and finding pictures you took on holiday five years ago. Ah, the memories.
  48. One of the greatest pieces of modern composition is the “Barbarian Horde” track from the ‘Gladiator’ soundtrack by Hans Zimmer. Now vastly over played and copied to the point where it has become pedestrian, listen to it again with fresh ears, and it will make your heart beat faster. Remember that, when this film came out, no score had ever sounded like this.
  49. I want there to be an end to conflict in this world. I don’t understand how it can be possible to hate so much that you would willingly kill another being. It’s just beyond me.
  50. When I hear certain pieces of music I get shivers all over my body – that’s when I know something is good. Every time I hear Sarah Denby sing, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Watch out for the girl – she is destined for great things.
  51. If you had asked me five years ago what I would be doing at the age of 23 I would not have come up with anything within a million miles of doing postgraduate research into archaeology and social computing.
  52. Then again, I am nothing like who I was at the age of just 18, so that’s hardly surprising.
  53. I’m not sure when we got our first computer in the family, but it was back when personal computers were still shiny and new, and had screens the size of chocolate bars.
  54. Thing that annoyed me most this week when I browsed the internet? A how-to guide I found on a Christian site. It was basically a step-by-step guide on how to convert Buddhists. It was trying to explain the mapping between certain key Christian principles (i.e., rebirth being the first on the list) and the equivalent Buddhist teaching. Not gonna happen. See 034 for related rant.
  55. My brother used to charge me 50p a lesson to learn how to use DOS. He always was the enterprising one of the family.
  56. Of the 178 results for my real name on Google, only 4 are actually anything to do with me.
  57. Of the 29 results for my alter ego on Google, 6 are something to do with me.
  58. Not sure what search results would get you to my site, but at the moment people have stumbled across the blog whilst searching for Breasts, Robots, Dr Who, Jennifer Ehle, Polly Toynbee, and Colin Firth. Nice to see people are searching for serious things on the internet.
  59. I own Brittney Spear’s first album.
  60. I have an unhealthy interest in gadgets and shiny silver toys. There are times I think I have magpie DNA mixed in with my human stuff.
  61. Odd things keep happening to me. The best has to be when my ex-boyfriend got engaged to my brothers ex-girlfriend.
  62. No idea why, but a decent set of collar-bones on a man just makes me go all weak at the knees. Odd part of the body to get enthused by, but I am sure there are odder. At least they lack the inherent odor problems of feet.
  63. I got to know my best friend and two of my ex’s via online role-playing and MSN.
  64. Yes, I am a geek.
  65. Apparently, from first impressions, people think I am the “cool college girl”.
  66. Then you get to know me and realize how wrong you are.
  67. Some of my favourite food is Asian – it’s an equal split between Vietnamese, Malaysian, and Japanese. Mmmmmm, jasmine rice.
  68. I am a citizen of King Danny’s new country (at the time of writing, it’s still without a name).
  69. My favourite bands are Matchbox Twenty,
  70. Lifehouse,
  71. Three Doors Down,
  72. John Mayer,
  73. Jack Johnson,
  74. and Idlewild.
  75. But I will listen to pretty much anything so long as it isn’t dance or techno, and even then I have a soft spot for the odd bit of Basement Jaxx
  76. Back to 43 – I’ve changed my mind. I like tall men, and being short means that more men are tall relative to me, so go being short! Did figure out once that 6’2″ was about the maximum though. Taller and that and you start to need a chiropractor on staff to deal with the permanently cricked neck.
  77. I probably use sarcasm and self-deprecation far too much, but they’ve worked for me so far, so why stop?
  78. I have a weird phobia about people touching me on the neck.
  79. At the same time, a good head massage and shampoo at the salon is probably the closest thing to sheer pleasure you can get in public, legally, whilst still fully clothed.
  80. I used to be the captain of our university archery team.
  81. Then I fucked my back up totally, it’s three years later, and I am still in pain.
  82. My undergraduate dissertation broke me – I got RSI in both wrists to the degree I couldn’t hold a fork for a month, and even now I have to be careful of how I type and use the mouse. For three months I decided that support bandages were a fashion accessory.
  83. Looking back, I was a remarkably sickly and accident prone child and young adult. It’s a bit of a miracle I’ve made it this far whilst still semi-sane.
  84. I like the idea of cooking and baking, but somehow always end up making the same three meals. Something to do with having to buy fresh ingredients all the time and follow recipes, I think.
  85. I don’t make any claims to being a good dancer, but there are times when a girl just has to have a good boogie.
  86. Which is a problem, because Southampton just doesn’t have the same kicking nightlife that Liverpool did.
  87. I can’t believe I just used the phrase “kicking nightlife”.
  88. I’m addicted to tea. The thought of not having tea is just… wrong. Assam tea is my current favourite beverage.
  89. I like going to the movies – no matter how frequently I go, sitting in the cinema with a bag of popcorn, waiting for the trailers to start, then watching the film, never grows old.
  90. I love plants and gardens, they just don’t love me back. Both my grandfather and mother had gardens of surpassing beauty, but plants just have to look at me and they die.
  91. Which is why I have grown to love Japanese style gardens – minimal planting!
  92. I also adore trees. There aren’t enough trees in this world. Trees are our friends.
  93. Plant more trees.
  94. Penguins are evil.
  95. This doesn’t mean I hate penguins, just that they are evil. Their evilness is part of their essential penguin-ness, and one of the things that makes them special.
  96. Pingu is the one exception to this rule, at the request of a colleague. Apparently Pingu can keep his kids quiet for a good 30 minutes at a time, which is no mean feat. He will hear no evil against Pingu. Personally, not a fan (the games on the site designed for three year olds defeated me!), but Dave’s wish is my command on this one.
  97. I have one tattoo. It was designed by a dear friend of mine.
  98. I want more tattoos, but am resisting the temptation because 1) I can’t afford it, and 2) once you start, it is very hard to stop and I don’t want to turn into the Painted Lady.
  99. The key to my heart is silver and amber, and carried by a tall man with good collar-bones, who climbs, plays the bass, is a bit of geek, and has a sexy accent.
  100. I really like lists. No, that’s wrong, I like crossings things off of lists. Whenever I write a list, I always put at least one thing on there that I have already done so I can cross it off straight away.
  101. I’ve been working on this list on and off for about a month now, so you’d better have found it useful!!

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