Sunday, March 15, 2009

Six Of One(self)

Chris ‘Not Gareth’ Hale has tagged me with a meme, the rules of which go as follows:

1) Put the link of the person who tagged you on your blog.

2) Write the rules.

3) Mention 6 things or habits of no real importance about you. Please see below.

4) Tag 6 persons adding their links directly.

5) Alert the persons that you tagged them.

Things of no real importance? Oh, I think I can do that...

a) I’ve been a vegetarian for about 20 years now, but as a teenager I worked in McDonalds (albeit for the grand total of four weekends).

b) Since about the age of 15, I’ve tended to use the word ‘they’ as a gender non-specific pronoun, even in the singular. It may be wrong in grammar terms, but I think it’s less clumsy than ‘s/he’.

c) At school, I was the only boy in the ‘top 6’ recorder players. Much of the time, I’m sorry to say, I was miming.

d) My claim in my blog profile to climb mountains is more true than it appears at first glance; I’ve trekked to the summits of Ararat and Kilimanjaro, Mount Everest Base Camp (the Nepal side)and am currently making plans to go to the top of Toubkal in Morocco. I aim to climb all Seven Summits in my lifetime.

e) Appropriately enough given the title of this post, I was a member of the Prisoner appreciation society ‘Six Of One’ before I’d even seen an episode of it. I was right about the programme, but I have to say that it’s unlikely that I’d join it again.

f) I live in East London, within sight of the winking panopticon eye of One Canada Square (also known as Canary Wharf). When I catch sight of it, I find I am unable to look away until I've seen the light at its peak wink, at least once.

Okay, there’s yer six. Now, I shall pick my victims...

Of course, I shall reach out and touch M’colleague. He loves to be tagged. And touched, but that’s another matter.

Also, I’d be interested to know some trivial things about Laurence, as I’ve exchanged a fair number of e-mails with him recently, and he seems a thoroughly nice chap.

Using this meme to try to provoke Lianne into responding would be fairly reprehensible, wouldn’t it? Perhaps, but that’s what I’m doing. She’s been virtually silent for an alarmingly long time.

Speaking of nudging people to provoke a response, friend and expert photographer Toby has set up a blog, but not posted on it yet. Mayhap this meme-ing could be the nudge needed to set him off a-posting? I hope so...

Penultimately, hello to Lara, who I met the other week. As they say in’t north, consider thissen memed.

And last but quite leastly, on his blog Piers claims to be ‘ludicrously lovely’. Is this true? I don’t know, but let’s see if we can gain some insight into the workings of his mind.

Right, I’m off to tell people that they’re it...

[Edited to add trivial fact (f) - clearly, I consider being able to count a trivial matter, and beneath me. I am an idiot.]

6 comments:

The Factory said...

I find it a little scary that you know pretty much the exact date that you started using 'they' in the way described.

John Soanes said...

I had a ... let's say disagreement with an English teacher who was very keen on the 's/he' formulation, so I'm remembering it by that.
J

Chris Hale said...

Esteemed Mr. Soanes.

I know the economy is in a parlous state, and that what you invest you may not get back, etc. etc. But forgive me for pointing out that (a) to (e) makes only five items. I await the sixth with eager anticipation!

Your word verification is preha - I'm clearly intended to laugh at your sixth bit of mundanity before I even read it!

John Soanes said...

I am suitably ashamed at my inability to count, though it would explain my financial state.
Anyway, item (f) has been added now...
J

Lianne said...

Your dastardly plan worked, mine is up now.

Lara said...

Duly done, Sir. I apologise for the time lapse... x