A very Happy New Year to one and all, and thanks for the encouragement and kind comments that have come from, well, if not all quarters, at least more quarters than I expected. I'm back at school and everything is going surprisingly smoothly at present. Normal service will be resumed presently.
In the meantime it seems I have been 'tagged' by my good friend and inspiration Patrick Finch, who (having been tagged himself) has given us 5 Things We Didn't Know About Him on his blog Peregrinations(see link on right until one of you HTML-savvy types tells me how to embed a link here in the text) - Pad, you phoney, I knew 4 of those facts, and I seem to remember discussing the merits of vanilla Martinis in Harry's Bar not too long ago. Of course Patrick knows that until I met him (1985?) I knew nothing whatsoever about pretty much any kind of music, and that he insisted that I be known as Jimi rather than James and spell it so, but does he know that:
1. Like my hero the late great Johnny Cash, I once worked unsuccessfully as a vacuum cleaner salesman.
2. I was first published (aged 8) in the short-lived Nutty comic, with a letter to Bananaman I copied word for word from the Beano.
3. I own the first three Spice Girls singles on vinyl.
4. A a child I took piano lessons for 2 years. I was not put forward for my first grade exam.
5. Richard Dawkins and his (presumably) well-reasoned arguments aside, I believe in some kind of all-pervading benign presence, and that, ultimately, everything will be Alright. I haven't worked out the details yet.
I'd like to pass the tag on to Ken Grady at Gradygroove (again, see right). I would also like to take this opportunity to recommend that you check out his mercilessly incisive observations of life from a transplanted Georgian (that's Georgia in the good old southern US) living in rural Cheshire and working in Liverpool. WARNING There is banjo content WARNING
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2 comments:
Well, you've clearly raised the bar on hidden information: although I was sure that you had some belief in a benign cosmic power. I don't see how else one could explain your decision to buy the Tickled Trout. I actually have the new Dawkins book, as yet untouched.
ok, 5 more you may not know:
1. I too took took piano lessons but lacked both interest and ability: I have a vague recollection of grade examinations, but I couldn't tell you where the chips fell.
2. I was in the Boys' Brigade ("Sure and Steadfast", or is it "Steadfast and Sure"? I'm not sure) from 8-11, where I rose to the rank of Leading Boy, and scored notable victories in both Bible knowledge and 5-a-side football, although figure marching was a perennial Achilles heel.
3. At my mothers' insistence, I took a qualification in touch typing in 1990, a fact I was keen to conceal for obvious reasons. I learned to type in 1997.
4. I have literally no idea how I passed my A-Level French examination. I was as disinterested as you were.
5. I have a physical characteristic that could identify me as a Bond villain (and no, it is not a "gold finger").
I will email you a quick lesson on html.
Hello. I'm interested in teaching English in Mongolia myself, and have been checking in on your blog now and then. Your detailed postings have provided quite an insight into a foreigners life in the big city of UB.
There seems to be a wealth of teaching options, and if you could spare the time, I'd appreciate knowing how you chose a teaching post. My e-mail is tamaraclover@gmail.com. Thanks, and stay warm!
-Tamara
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