Ramblings on libraries and life upon the wicked stage

Well, it seems I have been tagged by Doctor Z, and am instructed to tell you eight random things about myself.  So, what is there to know about the Singing Librarian which I haven’t already splurged all over this blog?  Let’s see…

1. I may have hobbits somewhere in my family tree.  That’s right, I have hairy toes.  However, I’m not quite short enough to fit the bill, though I do like their eating regime – lots and often.

2. My least favourite part of any show I perform in is the curtain call.  I feel like a complete idiot wanderng forwards and taking a bow, and make it as short as I can possibly get away with.  If I can get away without a bow, I’m quite happy.

3. I measure things on a continuum that ranges from crocodiles to raspberries, the nadir and zenith of creation.  Crocodiles and their relatives are hateful, hateful things which simply shouldn’t be allowed, with their disturbing teeth and their habit of pretending to be innocent logs.  If they appear in a wildlife documentary, I actually have to hide behind a cushion.  Raspberries are surely the opposite – a flavour that sets the taste buds racing and thrills me almost as much as discovering a fantastic new song.  With cream, in a cheesecake, or just on their own, raspberries are just heavenly.

4. I can’t picture things in my head.  Not at all.  I can’t even summon up a mental image of my mother, my best friend or my own face.  This made learning trigonometry rather tricky, as we were supposed to picture boats and cliffs and things, and I simply couldn’t.  On the other hand, I can hear harmonies in my head (once I’ve managed to learn them), so there’s nothing wrong with my aural memory.  Oh, and I do recognise my mother when I see her!

5. I deal with technology all the time at work – librarians, contrary to popular opinion, are at the cutting edge of information technology, dealing with innovative web applications and other software on a daily basis.  However, when it comes to mobile phones, I’m a bit of a caveman.  I do own one, and I even turn it on from time to time.  However, it’s best described as a brick.  It’s big, black and heavy and when it texts, it only does capital letters, so I shout whenever I send a message to anyone.  For folks who care about such things, it’s a Motorola Memphis (does this mean it predates model numbers?) and it was a hand-me-down (or up) from my little sister, who was ashamed that I was waltzing off to university without a mobile.

6. I did a ‘wild’ module in world science fictions at university.  I felt guilty that it could be seen as an easy option, so I made sure that every essay I wrote – including those for the exams – was on an unusual subject, steering clear of the John Wyndhams etc. of the course.  I’m so glad I did, or I’d never have discovered Stanislaw Lem or Olaf Stapledon.  I got pretty good marks, too, possibly because the tutors grew tired of the mainstream Western writers, and were relieved to read about the Poles, Russians and Argentinians.

7. I like food.  A lot.  But I don’t like some fairly standard things: tomatoes, wine, beer, coconut, tea, coffee and most seafood.  No idea why.  I just don’t.

8. I’ve been invited to, and indeed attended, a garden party at Buckingham Palace.  I wasn’t a guest, though, but a steward, which was still a great honour.  The invitation was the result of attaining the Queens Badge in the Boys’ Brigade, the highest award the organisation offers.  This means I have eaten where the Queen’s servants eat, which is rather cool.  And no, I don’t know why Queens Badge doesn’t have an apostrophe.  It just doesn’t.

I tag…  Actually, I don’t tag anyone, for the same reason that I rarely forward chain e-mail things.  I’m just a bit boring.  So I tag anyone who reads this post and feels like contributing eight random things about themselves to the blogosphere.  I hope you enjoyed discovering more about the Singing Librarian.