BACK TO MEME COUNTY, FELLAS

Whew. It's a good job Luscious has an LJ, otherwise I'd have missed this pointless and self-referential meme. And then where would we have all been, huh?

Part 1: The Birth of You

Were you a planned baby? As far as I know, yes.
Who was present at your birth? My Mum, some medical staff, I hope. Other than that, not sure if my Dad was in the room itself or not.
Were your parents married when you were born? Indeed, those wacky old traditionalists.
What is your birth date? Remembrance Day, 1970.

Part 2: The Family

How would you describe your family? Disorganised? Survivors? Hardened by fire? My immediate family- happy with each other. My extended family- scattered like ashes.
Are your parents married? No. Both remarried. Mum died in 2003.
Siblings or an only child? One brother, from whom I’m estranged.
Which parent do you get along with best? The living one
What do you fight about? Almost nothing. We see each other on an irregular basis, so anything about which we disagree doesn’t seem as important as just enjoying the moment.

Part 3: The Friends

Do you have more than one best friend? No. Lyn is my best friend, by far.
Who are your best friends? Whole bunches of friends spread out across the country, most of whom I only ever communicate with over the net, so it’s a waste of time elevating them to different levels.
Do you share the same interests? Occasionally. I don’t know anybody who shares my full range of interests. Generally, even people who like, say, SF, rarely like the same types of SF as me. Even when I belong, I don’t :)
Which friend can you tell anything to? Lyn, and Harvey, my giant invisible rabbit.

Part 4: Your Personality

How high/low is your self esteem? Fairly low.
Are you an extrovert or an introvert? Introverted by nature, extroverted by circumstance—few people see me in places where there isn’t an aspect of performance to my personality.
Are you happy? Domestically, yes. Professionally, no.
Do you live life to the fullest? You see me here, at my anonymous day job cubicle? The answer to your question would be ‘no’.

Part 5: Appearance

Are you comfortable with the way you look? No. I hate being so heavily overweight. Loving the grey streaks in my hair, though.
Do you have any piercings besides your ears? No. One piercing in the left ear is all I have.
Describe your hair Bitser. Predominantly dark brown, with streaks of grey, red, and a sort of mongrel shade that snuck in when nobody was looking. I’d look great under a spectrometer.
What make-up do you wear? Paint on my toenails. Todays colour is ‘dark vinyl’.
How do you dress? According to most people, in the dark.

Part 6: The Past

Were you a strange child? I didn’t think so at the time, but looking back, I can see where I never quite fit in. Always one step ahead or behind the social bell curve.
What did you use to love that you no longer do? Breastfeeding. Also sport.
Do you have the same friends? No. I don’t engender much loyalty in people, and rarely seem to manage to stay in touch once we part. That said, the great and mythical Seanie of 101 Reasons To Stop Writing fame and I have been uberpals for almost 20 years. It’s aged him.
Was there anything in your past that was traumatising? My first wife’s death, and my Mum’s death coming so close behind. Severe primary and high school bullying. Shakin’ Stevens.

Part 7: The Future

What is your ambition? To look back and realise it turned out all right after all.
Are you scared of growing old? I’m not keen on the idea of losing my faculties; I don’t want to be one of those toothless, dribbling old stick insects wandering slowly from side to side and slowing up footpath traffic. But if that’s what I become, I can at least become a National Party MP or a judge for the Oscars.

Part 8: The Outdoors

Do you prefer indoors or outdoors? Love ‘em both, actually, for different reasons. By nature, though, I’m probably more of an outdoor person.
Do you like walking in the rain? Love it. It is, outside of the toilet and John Leguizamo film festivals, the only time you can be truly alone.

Part 9: Food

Are you a vegetarian? I eat herbivores. Does that count?
What is your favourite fruit? Bananas, pineapples, and mangoes.
What food makes you want to gag? Sushi, seafood, pumpkin, broad beans, dead folk.
What is your favourite dessert? Lyn makes a custard wrap thing with rice paper that is just divine, and probably needs a name.
What is your favourite restaurant? Sizzler, sad as that sounds. There’s also a curry place down the road from our house called Masala, and an Italian place on Brisbane’s South Bank whose name escapes me but who I can walk to with my eyes closed from anywhere in the city.
Are you a fussy eater? Not particularly. Fork, knife, mouth, it’s all pretty easy.

Part 10: Relationships and Love

Are you single or taken? Completely taken in every respect.
Do you believe in love at first sight? Not for adults—lust, longing, desire, sure. By the same token, I’ve been present at the births of both my biological children, so I know it exists between parent and child.

Part 11: Experiences

What was one of your greatest experiences? The abovementioned births. My own was pretty important too, at least, to me.
What was one of your worst? The death of my first wife, due to medical incompetence.
Have you ever done drugs? A few bongs way back in the old days. There are cheaper ways to be bored.
Have you ever thought you were going to die? Spent a couple of years actively hoping for it.
Have you ever suffered from depression? Yes. Medically and when I look back at 80s fashion.

There. You know, I feel better, I really do...