25 Things

Well, it finally happened: I got tagged for one of these. I may be late to the party but, yes, I am vain enough to write 25 things about me and it just might be the thing to kick-start this blog back into life so here goes ...

1. I met my wife on the internet back in 1994 before this was a popular thing to do.

2. I hate to be thought of as a computer geek, though people who know me insist I am; I like to think of myself as more rounded intellectually than that.

3. The first record I ever bought for myself was a Procol Harum compilation called "A Salty Dog" on EMI's "Music for Pleasure" label. I bought it in Woolworths and it cost 75p (this was in January 1973). I remain a fan to this day.

4. Organizing, arranging, listing, collecting, documenting things gives me great satisfaction.

5. I do not drive a car and in fact never learned to drive, though I did have a few lessons back in the late 80s.

6. I love to cook and think I'm pretty good at it.

7. I have a friend who I've known continuously for 45 years: 90% of my lifetime.

8. The iPod Touch is, to me, the nearest thing I know to the perfect gadget.

9. Hearing music I dislike is actively painful to me.

10. "Pedant" would be my middle name if I was named for my personal characteristics but in fact it's "Leonard" after my late father.

11. If I see words, anywhere, I just *have* to read them.

12. I'm hugely reluctant to operate outside my "comfort zone".

13. I enjoy playing games, more to master game mechanics than necessarily to win.

14. A book is, to me, a precious object to be treated with respect.

15. I love riding my bicycle.

16. I was an Apple Lisa beta-tester (the Lisa was a forerunner of the Mac).

17. I often feel personally affronted by generalisations and hate being labelled (see '2' above).

18. I enjoy wine but drink more than I should.

19. I wish I had learned to play a musical instrument.

20. When I was young, I dreamed of living and working in Cambridge. Now I do.

21. I always imagined I would hate camping but found I actually adore it.

22. I get grumpy when I'm hungry.

23. I'm a sucker for quizzes, surveys and anything that asks my opinion.

24. As soon as I've sent this I'll think of something crucial I've left out.

25. Life is good.

80 Breakfasts

From Manila, in the Philipines, "ChicaJo" presents some excellent photography on her blog. Like "Su-Lin" of Tamarind & Thyme there are associated "80 Breakfasts" photos galore on Flickr and the blogger can be followed on Twitter.

Chauncey Bowers

Not a blog as such but the MySpace page of an old friend of Lisa's from her days working in Josh Wallman's lab in City College of City University, New York. Chauncey's music hits a nice spot that needs a slightly left-field point of view to really appreciate. Take a listen! Of the four songs on his home page I can't decide if I prefer "Hey How Are Ya" or "My Mind Wandered". I'd take either one.

Neile's Live Journal

I refrained from mentioning Neile's Les Semaines here because it's been moribund for a long while but just this week her LiveJournal entry Stories for 50 has generated a storm of memoir and comment which is well worth reading. Check it out!

Barney's Baking Broadcast

Just when I was wondering if Barney (curator of B4Baking) had lost interest in the whole blogging thing he come back with a bang and his first Baking Broadcast showing his pizza-making technique in close-up. Wonderful stuff! Barney's technique with baking parchment to transfer a pizza into the oven has to be seen to be believed.

B 4 Baking

Barney doesn't post as often as he might. But his blog at b4baking.com is packed full of great advice on baking. His overnight method was inspirational in getting Lisa and I back into baking our own bread: we've not bought bread from a store since November, so Barney's a great guide!

Beyond Salmon

Another food blog that I like to keep a close eye on. Check it out at beyondsalmon.blogspot.com - especially the recent post about bluefish.

Tamarind and Thyme

Tamarind and Thyme is the fascinating and often inspirational blog of "Su-Lin" who eats all over the world, though based in London, and has a ton of saliva-inducing photos on Flickr and whose exploits can even be followed on Twitter. The main event is at: tamarindandthyme.wordpress.com

Kent's Bike Blog

Cool Seattle-based cyclist has a well-written and nicely illustrated blog about the joys (and otherwise) of cycling at kentsbike.blogspot.com