Meme
Gakked from hiyacynth
01. First Name: Bairbre (pronounced Barbara)
02. Age: Chronological age: 46. Mental age: approximately 25.
03. Location: Dublin, Ireland
04. Occupation: Writer (stop laughing!)
05. Partner(s): None currently
06. Kids: None of my own, but 13 (or maybe 14, can never remember) nephews and nieces ranging in age from 6 months to 23 years.
07. Brothers/Sisters: Four brothers and three sisters (one older sister and two younger, two older brothers and two younger). What can I say - contraception wasn't freely available here in Ireland til the mid 80s at which point it was WAAAY to late for my parents.
08 Pets: one cat, Molly who I've had for about 10 years now but is still semi-feral. I had another cat, Webster who I had to have put down last year after 17 years (yes I was heartbroken)
09. List the 3-5 biggest things going on in your life: 1. Giving up my job after 24 years with the hope of becoming a full-time writer. 2. Trying to get a novel published. 3. Getting into Trinity College to do an MPhil in Creative Writing.
10. Where and for what did you go to school for? I originally trained as a photographer but have done a English Lit Degree since then. Back to college in October for Grad School.
11. Parents? Mother still alive and kicking at age 82. My father died of bowel cancer at the age of 47, thirty-two years ago.
12. Who are some of your closest friends? Debbie who I've known since we were teenagers, Judith who I met through my old workplace, Gerry who I met when he was studying to be a doctor in the college where I worked and Ian who I originally met in Kathmandu many years ago but have remained close friends ever since. Also close to my sisters.
13. What is on your bed right now? Three books, bedclothes and a mish-mash of clothes that i picked up off the floor this morning when I was looking for my nightguard (don't ask). No doubt the clothes will end up back on the floor tonight when I go to bed because I'm too lazy to put them away.
14. What's your favorite word or phrase? Don't really have one but came across a fantastic 'Dublin' expression yesterday that I'd completely forgotten about - 'Jaysus, I'd eat chips from her knickers'. I have to use that somewhere in my latest masterpiece.
15. What were you doing at 8 a.m. this morning? Sleeping of course - did you not read the bit where I said I don't work anymore?
16. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Setting up my VCR to tape a gardening programme for my mother.
17. Have you ever been to a strip club? Yes - many years ago while visiting my sister in Montreal we ended up in a male strip club with a bunch of her friends. I was about 20 years old and thought it was absolutely hilarious. I don't know how I'd feel about it now but at the time, it didn't seem remotely seedy and certainly nobody seemed to be taking it at all seriously - including the strippers. I was rather shocked though by the women who'd pay for guys to dance for just them at their tables.
18. What is the last thing you said aloud? "What the fuck?" I'm having problems with a knitting pattern and was trying to sort it out. I tend to talk to myself in these situations.
19. What was the last thing you had to drink? Jasmine tea - since giving up work, I drink gallons of the stuff every day..
20. What are you wearing right now? Knackered trousers I wear when gardening, silk tank-top I bought in Berlin a couple of weeks ago and completely forgot about til I found it on the floor of my bedroom this morning (see 13) fleece jacket because it's gotten bloody cold and I don't want to turn on the heating because it's June!! .
21. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? Nope
22. When was the last time you ran? I have two knackered knees so don't run because I can't.
23. What's the last sporting event you watched? Hate sports on TV so never watch them - in fact they're banned in my house, much to the horror of my male friends who can't understand why I won't let them watch 'just a few minutes of the football'. My house, my TV, my rules. I was at the Dog Track recently - does that count?
24. Do you use the word 'hello' daily? Not anymore - might have in my job but that's a distant memory.
25. Ever go camping? Yep, went through a phase in my early 20s of going to week-end music festivals where everyone roughed it in tents. I've also gone trekking in Nepal where we camped but I have to admit that all the tent carrying/putting up etc was done by our porters.
27. Have you ever lost anything down a toilet? Don't think so but I could be wrong
28. Do you use smiley faces on the computer a lot? Yes.
29. Have you learned anything today? Don't think so.
30. What are you doing tomorrow? Spending the day learning how to make a type of lace whose name I can't even pronounce - I think it's Belgian - the teacher certainly is. Bizarrely enough I did a class with her 11 years ago in Australia where she now lives.
31. Look to your left, what do you see? My vacuum cleaner - I put it there about 2 weeks ago, hoping it would encourage me to actually vacuum the place - hasn't worked so far. It's really in the way but I can't bring myself to put it away again without having vacuumed - but can't seem to bring myself to vacuum either.
32. What do you think of when you think of Australia? Emm before I went there I had a mental picture of the place that it was a big dessert surrounded by a beach - and after three visits (or is it four?) I haven't really changed my mind.
33. Ever ridden on a roller coaster? Yes, that's how I discovered I was scared of heights - shiver.
34. Last person you talked to on the phone? My mother, who rang to ask me to tape the gardening programme for her.
35. Any plans today? Well I had planned to give a tutorial to my adult literacy student, Ann and spent an hour or so this morning preparing the lesson but she rang at lunchtime to say she couldn't make it. I wasn't best pleased with her but ended up spending the afternoon planting up pots and hanging baskets for the yard so I got over it.
36. What do you wish you had right now? A tub of ice-cream.
37. How many kids do you want when you're older? I think that window of opportunity is well and truely closed. I never had any big plan for having kids and to be honest, the thought of pregnancy and child-birth always gave me the heebie jeebies. If someone turned up on the doorstep and handed me a baby - great, no problem - just don't ask me to give birth to one.
38. How old will you be turning on your next birthday? 47 or 26 - take your pick
39. Have you ever been to Six Flags? I have absolutely no idea what that is.
40. How did you get some of your scars? I have a small scar on my jaw from where my older brother tried to punch my lights out when I was a mere 8 months old. He was a tad jealous and my mother had to surround my pram with chairs to stop him 'getting at me.' I have scars on both knees from surgery - had cartillages removed from both - one when I was 14 and the other about 5 years ago. I have a lot of nicks on my hands from a summer I spent in Germany working in a factory peeling horseradishes. The little knives we were given were very sharp and since I had tears pouring down my face most of the time, it was a bit hard to see what I was doing. It's amazing I didn't do myself a real injury. Ah the memories
Now - don't you feel you know me so much better?
01. First Name: Bairbre (pronounced Barbara)
02. Age: Chronological age: 46. Mental age: approximately 25.
03. Location: Dublin, Ireland
04. Occupation: Writer (stop laughing!)
05. Partner(s): None currently
06. Kids: None of my own, but 13 (or maybe 14, can never remember) nephews and nieces ranging in age from 6 months to 23 years.
07. Brothers/Sisters: Four brothers and three sisters (one older sister and two younger, two older brothers and two younger). What can I say - contraception wasn't freely available here in Ireland til the mid 80s at which point it was WAAAY to late for my parents.
08 Pets: one cat, Molly who I've had for about 10 years now but is still semi-feral. I had another cat, Webster who I had to have put down last year after 17 years (yes I was heartbroken)
09. List the 3-5 biggest things going on in your life: 1. Giving up my job after 24 years with the hope of becoming a full-time writer. 2. Trying to get a novel published. 3. Getting into Trinity College to do an MPhil in Creative Writing.
10. Where and for what did you go to school for? I originally trained as a photographer but have done a English Lit Degree since then. Back to college in October for Grad School.
11. Parents? Mother still alive and kicking at age 82. My father died of bowel cancer at the age of 47, thirty-two years ago.
12. Who are some of your closest friends? Debbie who I've known since we were teenagers, Judith who I met through my old workplace, Gerry who I met when he was studying to be a doctor in the college where I worked and Ian who I originally met in Kathmandu many years ago but have remained close friends ever since. Also close to my sisters.
13. What is on your bed right now? Three books, bedclothes and a mish-mash of clothes that i picked up off the floor this morning when I was looking for my nightguard (don't ask). No doubt the clothes will end up back on the floor tonight when I go to bed because I'm too lazy to put them away.
14. What's your favorite word or phrase? Don't really have one but came across a fantastic 'Dublin' expression yesterday that I'd completely forgotten about - 'Jaysus, I'd eat chips from her knickers'. I have to use that somewhere in my latest masterpiece.
15. What were you doing at 8 a.m. this morning? Sleeping of course - did you not read the bit where I said I don't work anymore?
16. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Setting up my VCR to tape a gardening programme for my mother.
17. Have you ever been to a strip club? Yes - many years ago while visiting my sister in Montreal we ended up in a male strip club with a bunch of her friends. I was about 20 years old and thought it was absolutely hilarious. I don't know how I'd feel about it now but at the time, it didn't seem remotely seedy and certainly nobody seemed to be taking it at all seriously - including the strippers. I was rather shocked though by the women who'd pay for guys to dance for just them at their tables.
18. What is the last thing you said aloud? "What the fuck?" I'm having problems with a knitting pattern and was trying to sort it out. I tend to talk to myself in these situations.
19. What was the last thing you had to drink? Jasmine tea - since giving up work, I drink gallons of the stuff every day..
20. What are you wearing right now? Knackered trousers I wear when gardening, silk tank-top I bought in Berlin a couple of weeks ago and completely forgot about til I found it on the floor of my bedroom this morning (see 13) fleece jacket because it's gotten bloody cold and I don't want to turn on the heating because it's June!! .
21. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? Nope
22. When was the last time you ran? I have two knackered knees so don't run because I can't.
23. What's the last sporting event you watched? Hate sports on TV so never watch them - in fact they're banned in my house, much to the horror of my male friends who can't understand why I won't let them watch 'just a few minutes of the football'. My house, my TV, my rules. I was at the Dog Track recently - does that count?
24. Do you use the word 'hello' daily? Not anymore - might have in my job but that's a distant memory.
25. Ever go camping? Yep, went through a phase in my early 20s of going to week-end music festivals where everyone roughed it in tents. I've also gone trekking in Nepal where we camped but I have to admit that all the tent carrying/putting up etc was done by our porters.
27. Have you ever lost anything down a toilet? Don't think so but I could be wrong
28. Do you use smiley faces on the computer a lot? Yes.
29. Have you learned anything today? Don't think so.
30. What are you doing tomorrow? Spending the day learning how to make a type of lace whose name I can't even pronounce - I think it's Belgian - the teacher certainly is. Bizarrely enough I did a class with her 11 years ago in Australia where she now lives.
31. Look to your left, what do you see? My vacuum cleaner - I put it there about 2 weeks ago, hoping it would encourage me to actually vacuum the place - hasn't worked so far. It's really in the way but I can't bring myself to put it away again without having vacuumed - but can't seem to bring myself to vacuum either.
32. What do you think of when you think of Australia? Emm before I went there I had a mental picture of the place that it was a big dessert surrounded by a beach - and after three visits (or is it four?) I haven't really changed my mind.
33. Ever ridden on a roller coaster? Yes, that's how I discovered I was scared of heights - shiver.
34. Last person you talked to on the phone? My mother, who rang to ask me to tape the gardening programme for her.
35. Any plans today? Well I had planned to give a tutorial to my adult literacy student, Ann and spent an hour or so this morning preparing the lesson but she rang at lunchtime to say she couldn't make it. I wasn't best pleased with her but ended up spending the afternoon planting up pots and hanging baskets for the yard so I got over it.
36. What do you wish you had right now? A tub of ice-cream.
37. How many kids do you want when you're older? I think that window of opportunity is well and truely closed. I never had any big plan for having kids and to be honest, the thought of pregnancy and child-birth always gave me the heebie jeebies. If someone turned up on the doorstep and handed me a baby - great, no problem - just don't ask me to give birth to one.
38. How old will you be turning on your next birthday? 47 or 26 - take your pick
39. Have you ever been to Six Flags? I have absolutely no idea what that is.
40. How did you get some of your scars? I have a small scar on my jaw from where my older brother tried to punch my lights out when I was a mere 8 months old. He was a tad jealous and my mother had to surround my pram with chairs to stop him 'getting at me.' I have scars on both knees from surgery - had cartillages removed from both - one when I was 14 and the other about 5 years ago. I have a lot of nicks on my hands from a summer I spent in Germany working in a factory peeling horseradishes. The little knives we were given were very sharp and since I had tears pouring down my face most of the time, it was a bit hard to see what I was doing. It's amazing I didn't do myself a real injury. Ah the memories
Now - don't you feel you know me so much better?