Oh, I haven't done one of these for a while...
Memeage!
100 questions, 100 answers
1. Full Name: Lee Barnett. No middle name, despite some people thinking that "Budgie" really is my middle name.
2. Were you named after anyone? Yes, for my mum's maternal grandmother, Leah. In Judaism, you tend to name after those who have died. If we'd have had another child, I'd have named them after Michael. As it was, my younger brother's oldest is named after him.
3. Where did your nickname/handle come from? It's a constant surprise to me that people who've known me for more than a month don't know the story. A friend named Dave Rothburn came up with 'budgie', at Manchester Poly, coming up on 29 years ago. Full story's here.
4. Do you wish on stars? No, never have; and never really understood it at all. I'm not superstitious at all.
5. When did you last cry? A few months ago. I had a mini-meltdown and at one point cried from pure and utter frustration.
6. Do you like your handwriting? Heh. No. 'Bestest' handwriting (i.e. when I'm handwriting something at work) isn't that bad, but my normal scrawl is horrible.
7. What is your birth date? 17th August 1964. Yes, that means I'm officially "old", well at least almost certainly older than you. Not necessarily, but I'd say the odds heavily favour it.
8. What is your most embarrassing CD? Leaving aside the ones brought for me deliberately as a gag? Probably Best of Chris De Burgh.
9. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? Highly unlikely. To be fair, I think I'd probably be hugely surprised (both good and bad) if I knew how people honestly thought of me, let alone what I'd think of me - I suspect there'd be bits of me I'd like, and bits I'd be bored by, and certainly bits I'd detest.
10. Are you a daredevil? In no way whatsoever. I rarely take risks, and if I do, I've analysed them to the nth degree.
11. Have you ever told a secret you swore not to tell? Yes, but only (a) at work when ethically, I had no choice in the matter, and (b) I chose to break a confidence in order to correct a seriously wrong (and potentially dangerous) impression person A had of person B.
12. Do looks matter? No... in the kingdom of the blind. In any other sphere, of course they do! I can't understand anyone who thinks that looks don't matter. Looks are what gets you interested in someone you don't know... and everything other than looks keeps you interested.
13. How do you release anger? As a general rule, I don't. Through 'writing it out'... or 'bunkering down' for a while have both been known.
14. Where is your second home? Don't have one, though Laura's would probably come closest.
15. Do you trust others easily? No. I usually find it incredibly hard to trust people. There are (and have been) exceptions, of course, but it takes me an incredibly long time to trust most people.
16. What was your favourite toy as a child? Lego. No question. I had other toys and games, but it always came back to Lego.
17. What class in school do think is totally useless? Geography. Never saw the bloody point of the subject. And I can't think of a single thing I learned in the subject that's been any use whatsoever in my life post-school.
18. Do you keep a handwritten journal? No, I have a notebook in which I scribble down thoughts and ideas, but it's not a diary or journal.
19. Do you use sarcasm a lot? A lot? No. Sometimes, yeah, when I think it's necessary... or occasionally funny.
20. Have you ever been in a mosh pit? Heh. No. Not my thing.
21. Favourite movie? Couldn't narrow it down to just one, really.
25. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Yeah, usually.
26. What's your favourite ice cream? Carte D'Or Banana. That they no longer make it is irrelevant. The best ice cream I've ever had, however, was melon flavour. Only had it once, in Israel in 1980, but the memory lasts...
27. What's your shoe size? 10. My foot size varies, it feels like anyway, depending upon how bad the pain is.
28. What are your favourite colours? Black and red. Look I had to give two, so I added red.
29. What is your least favourite thing about yourself? See the answer to question 21 above.
30. Who do you miss most? Michael, my late brother... more recently, for various reason.
32. What colour pants are you wearing? Well, given that this was taken originally from an American, I'm guessing it was "trousers" that was being asked for... to which the answer is "black".
33. What are you listening to right now? BBC News 24.
34. When was the last time you ate chocolate? This afternoon.
35. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? Don't have a bloody clue, and suspect I wouldn't care less about it..
36. What is the weather like right now? Cool and getting dark.
37. Last person you talked to on phone? No idea, it was a wrong number.
38. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? Depends on how far away they are. If they're close, eyes, every time. Well, I say "every time", but there have been exceptions over the years...
40. How are you today? Next question...
41. Favourite non-alcoholic drink? Dr Brown's Cream Soda. And it's a crying shame that you can't get it in the UK. In that absence, I'll go with coffee.
42. Favourite sport? To watch? These days? Don't have one. I'm not a sports person.
43. Hair colour? 'Salt and pepper'.
44. Eye colour? Brown.
45. Do you wear contacts? Yeah, for most of the the week. I usually end up giving my contacts a couple of days a week off. And occasionally, I'll give them more than that; I still remember with amusement turning up for a drinkup wearing glasses and at least one friend being rather surprised, because they'd never seen me wearing them.
46. Favourite month? November, no question.
47. Favourite food? Don't really have one. I'm incredibly fussy about food, but if I like it, then I like it as much or as little as anything else I eat. I'm really not a food person. At all.
48. Last movie you watched? In a cinema? the King's Speech.
49. Favourite day of the year? 2nd November, my son's birthday.
50. Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings, every time. I don't enjoy scary movies, generally at least. I have enjoyed the occasional one (I still think the original The Omen is one of the best movies for so many reasons, but I'd prefer a happy ending most times. The question's unfair though - nothing says you can't have a scary movie with a happy ending, is there?
51. Summer or winter? I always used to prefer Summer, but I'm unsure these days...
52. Hugs or kisses? Depends on the person I'm with... or want to be with.
53. Do you smoke? Yes.
54. What is your favourite dessert? Apple pie with ice cream. I'll have the latter without the former, but never vice versa.
57. Living arrangements? On my own most of the time. I can't see myself choosing to live with someone ever again.
58. What are you currently reading? A collection of Alan Coren's writings.
59. Do you have any kids or do you want to have kids? Yes, one fifteen year old son, the Phil mentioned above. I don't want any more; very happy with the one I have, thanks.
60. What 's the first thing that the opposite sex notice about you? No idea, but I'd guess the greying hair.
61. What's on your mouse pad? I don't use one.
62. Favourite games? I don't play computer games, and don't really have a favourite game on the iPhone or iPad, so let's just play safe and say backgammon. Probably.
63. What did you watch on tv last night? Lots, but I'm a news junkie so always safe to say "news".
64. Favourite smells? Citrus, leather, freshly mown grass and freshly baked bread.
65. What is the first thing you think when you wake up? "Get up. Shower... I need a shower..."
66. How tall are you? Six feet exactly
67. Do you own a gun? No. Strangely enough, I don't feel as if I've missed out any. I'm curious as to what it would be like to shoot one, and to see the effect of me pulling the trigger, but not that curious.
68. Ever been in rehab? No.
69. Have you ever killed an animal? Other than insects, spiders, wasps, etc. No. And wasps deserve it, the little buggers. In fact I think that great effort should be made by various people to make animal experimentation compulsory for wasps.
70. What do you think of hot dogs? The owners should be prosecuted for leaving them in the car.
71. What's your favourite Christmas song? Fairy Tale of New York. I don't care that it's become a cliché for people to say it; I fell in love with that song the first time I heard it.
72. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Coffee. Or Tea.
73. Do you do push ups? No, but I probably should.
74. Have you ever been hospitalized? Yes, many times. Most recently was a couple of months back.
75. Do you like painkillers? When I need them, I take them like sweets.
76. What's your secret weapon to lure in the opposite sex? Haven't got one. If there is one, please tell me.
77. Do you own a knife? Yes, a Swiss Army Monster; to be precise, a Workchamp.
78. Do you have A.D.D.? No.
79. Have you any tattoos? No.
80. Have you any piercings? No. (gosh that was an easy set of three to answer.)
81. Name three drinks you regularly drink: water, coffee and tea.
82. What's the last song you played on your CD Player/I Pod 19th Nervous Breakdown, Rolling Stones
83. What's under your bed? Nothing but carpet.
84. What time did you wake up today? 6:00 am
85. Current haircut? See LJ pic.
86. Current worry? See answer to 21 above.
87. If you could play any musical instrument? Mouth Organ. Usually popular, and no one ever asks you to sing!
88. What was your first paid employment? Other than working for my father in the hair salon? Supermarket (Sainsbury's) shelf stacking and on the checkout.
89. What was the last CD you bought? Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under.
90. Do you have a motor vehicle (car, bike)? Yes, a Ford Fiesta Style+.
91. Who's the one person from your past you wish you could speak with one more time? No surprise there, my late brother.
92. Where do you want to live? Quite happy in London, thanks.
93. Number of pillows you sleep with? Two on each side of the double bed.
94. Are you paranoid? Why do you want to know? Why? Why? Huh? Huh?
95. Latest crush? Next question...
96. Last thing you ate? Couple of slices of toast, and strawberry jam.
97. What's in your pockets right now? money, cigarettes, iPhone.
98. What colour are your bedroom walls? White.
99. Have you ever won any awards: None since school.
100. Who do you tell your dreams to? I rarely remember them anyway, and those that do, I usually wish I didn't.
100 questions, 100 answers
1. Full Name: Lee Barnett. No middle name, despite some people thinking that "Budgie" really is my middle name.
2. Were you named after anyone? Yes, for my mum's maternal grandmother, Leah. In Judaism, you tend to name after those who have died. If we'd have had another child, I'd have named them after Michael. As it was, my younger brother's oldest is named after him.
3. Where did your nickname/handle come from? It's a constant surprise to me that people who've known me for more than a month don't know the story. A friend named Dave Rothburn came up with 'budgie', at Manchester Poly, coming up on 29 years ago. Full story's here.
4. Do you wish on stars? No, never have; and never really understood it at all. I'm not superstitious at all.
5. When did you last cry? A few months ago. I had a mini-meltdown and at one point cried from pure and utter frustration.
6. Do you like your handwriting? Heh. No. 'Bestest' handwriting (i.e. when I'm handwriting something at work) isn't that bad, but my normal scrawl is horrible.
7. What is your birth date? 17th August 1964. Yes, that means I'm officially "old", well at least almost certainly older than you. Not necessarily, but I'd say the odds heavily favour it.
8. What is your most embarrassing CD? Leaving aside the ones brought for me deliberately as a gag? Probably Best of Chris De Burgh.
9. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? Highly unlikely. To be fair, I think I'd probably be hugely surprised (both good and bad) if I knew how people honestly thought of me, let alone what I'd think of me - I suspect there'd be bits of me I'd like, and bits I'd be bored by, and certainly bits I'd detest.
10. Are you a daredevil? In no way whatsoever. I rarely take risks, and if I do, I've analysed them to the nth degree.
11. Have you ever told a secret you swore not to tell? Yes, but only (a) at work when ethically, I had no choice in the matter, and (b) I chose to break a confidence in order to correct a seriously wrong (and potentially dangerous) impression person A had of person B.
12. Do looks matter? No... in the kingdom of the blind. In any other sphere, of course they do! I can't understand anyone who thinks that looks don't matter. Looks are what gets you interested in someone you don't know... and everything other than looks keeps you interested.
13. How do you release anger? As a general rule, I don't. Through 'writing it out'... or 'bunkering down' for a while have both been known.
14. Where is your second home? Don't have one, though Laura's would probably come closest.
15. Do you trust others easily? No. I usually find it incredibly hard to trust people. There are (and have been) exceptions, of course, but it takes me an incredibly long time to trust most people.
16. What was your favourite toy as a child? Lego. No question. I had other toys and games, but it always came back to Lego.
17. What class in school do think is totally useless? Geography. Never saw the bloody point of the subject. And I can't think of a single thing I learned in the subject that's been any use whatsoever in my life post-school.
18. Do you keep a handwritten journal? No, I have a notebook in which I scribble down thoughts and ideas, but it's not a diary or journal.
19. Do you use sarcasm a lot? A lot? No. Sometimes, yeah, when I think it's necessary... or occasionally funny.
20. Have you ever been in a mosh pit? Heh. No. Not my thing.
21. Favourite movie? Couldn't narrow it down to just one, really.
25. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Yeah, usually.
26. What's your favourite ice cream? Carte D'Or Banana. That they no longer make it is irrelevant. The best ice cream I've ever had, however, was melon flavour. Only had it once, in Israel in 1980, but the memory lasts...
27. What's your shoe size? 10. My foot size varies, it feels like anyway, depending upon how bad the pain is.
28. What are your favourite colours? Black and red. Look I had to give two, so I added red.
29. What is your least favourite thing about yourself? See the answer to question 21 above.
30. Who do you miss most? Michael, my late brother... more recently, for various reason.
32. What colour pants are you wearing? Well, given that this was taken originally from an American, I'm guessing it was "trousers" that was being asked for... to which the answer is "black".
33. What are you listening to right now? BBC News 24.
34. When was the last time you ate chocolate? This afternoon.
35. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? Don't have a bloody clue, and suspect I wouldn't care less about it..
36. What is the weather like right now? Cool and getting dark.
37. Last person you talked to on phone? No idea, it was a wrong number.
38. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? Depends on how far away they are. If they're close, eyes, every time. Well, I say "every time", but there have been exceptions over the years...
40. How are you today? Next question...
41. Favourite non-alcoholic drink? Dr Brown's Cream Soda. And it's a crying shame that you can't get it in the UK. In that absence, I'll go with coffee.
42. Favourite sport? To watch? These days? Don't have one. I'm not a sports person.
43. Hair colour? 'Salt and pepper'.
44. Eye colour? Brown.
45. Do you wear contacts? Yeah, for most of the the week. I usually end up giving my contacts a couple of days a week off. And occasionally, I'll give them more than that; I still remember with amusement turning up for a drinkup wearing glasses and at least one friend being rather surprised, because they'd never seen me wearing them.
46. Favourite month? November, no question.
47. Favourite food? Don't really have one. I'm incredibly fussy about food, but if I like it, then I like it as much or as little as anything else I eat. I'm really not a food person. At all.
48. Last movie you watched? In a cinema? the King's Speech.
49. Favourite day of the year? 2nd November, my son's birthday.
50. Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings, every time. I don't enjoy scary movies, generally at least. I have enjoyed the occasional one (I still think the original The Omen is one of the best movies for so many reasons, but I'd prefer a happy ending most times. The question's unfair though - nothing says you can't have a scary movie with a happy ending, is there?
51. Summer or winter? I always used to prefer Summer, but I'm unsure these days...
52. Hugs or kisses? Depends on the person I'm with... or want to be with.
53. Do you smoke? Yes.
54. What is your favourite dessert? Apple pie with ice cream. I'll have the latter without the former, but never vice versa.
57. Living arrangements? On my own most of the time. I can't see myself choosing to live with someone ever again.
58. What are you currently reading? A collection of Alan Coren's writings.
59. Do you have any kids or do you want to have kids? Yes, one fifteen year old son, the Phil mentioned above. I don't want any more; very happy with the one I have, thanks.
60. What 's the first thing that the opposite sex notice about you? No idea, but I'd guess the greying hair.
61. What's on your mouse pad? I don't use one.
62. Favourite games? I don't play computer games, and don't really have a favourite game on the iPhone or iPad, so let's just play safe and say backgammon. Probably.
63. What did you watch on tv last night? Lots, but I'm a news junkie so always safe to say "news".
64. Favourite smells? Citrus, leather, freshly mown grass and freshly baked bread.
65. What is the first thing you think when you wake up? "Get up. Shower... I need a shower..."
66. How tall are you? Six feet exactly
67. Do you own a gun? No. Strangely enough, I don't feel as if I've missed out any. I'm curious as to what it would be like to shoot one, and to see the effect of me pulling the trigger, but not that curious.
68. Ever been in rehab? No.
69. Have you ever killed an animal? Other than insects, spiders, wasps, etc. No. And wasps deserve it, the little buggers. In fact I think that great effort should be made by various people to make animal experimentation compulsory for wasps.
70. What do you think of hot dogs? The owners should be prosecuted for leaving them in the car.
71. What's your favourite Christmas song? Fairy Tale of New York. I don't care that it's become a cliché for people to say it; I fell in love with that song the first time I heard it.
72. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Coffee. Or Tea.
73. Do you do push ups? No, but I probably should.
74. Have you ever been hospitalized? Yes, many times. Most recently was a couple of months back.
75. Do you like painkillers? When I need them, I take them like sweets.
76. What's your secret weapon to lure in the opposite sex? Haven't got one. If there is one, please tell me.
77. Do you own a knife? Yes, a Swiss Army Monster; to be precise, a Workchamp.
78. Do you have A.D.D.? No.
79. Have you any tattoos? No.
80. Have you any piercings? No. (gosh that was an easy set of three to answer.)
81. Name three drinks you regularly drink: water, coffee and tea.
82. What's the last song you played on your CD Player/I Pod 19th Nervous Breakdown, Rolling Stones
83. What's under your bed? Nothing but carpet.
84. What time did you wake up today? 6:00 am
85. Current haircut? See LJ pic.
86. Current worry? See answer to 21 above.
87. If you could play any musical instrument? Mouth Organ. Usually popular, and no one ever asks you to sing!
88. What was your first paid employment? Other than working for my father in the hair salon? Supermarket (Sainsbury's) shelf stacking and on the checkout.
89. What was the last CD you bought? Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under.
90. Do you have a motor vehicle (car, bike)? Yes, a Ford Fiesta Style+.
91. Who's the one person from your past you wish you could speak with one more time? No surprise there, my late brother.
92. Where do you want to live? Quite happy in London, thanks.
93. Number of pillows you sleep with? Two on each side of the double bed.
94. Are you paranoid? Why do you want to know? Why? Why? Huh? Huh?
95. Latest crush? Next question...
96. Last thing you ate? Couple of slices of toast, and strawberry jam.
97. What's in your pockets right now? money, cigarettes, iPhone.
98. What colour are your bedroom walls? White.
99. Have you ever won any awards: None since school.
100. Who do you tell your dreams to? I rarely remember them anyway, and those that do, I usually wish I didn't.