The Birthday Eve Meme

I'm turning 42 tomorrow and after a day of eating my body weight in chocolate I've decided to do a meme to keep with the indulgent theme of the day. I thank the Plastic Mancunian for the questions. He's the master of the meme.

Here goes:

1. How old will you be in five years?
Argh. 47. That sounds so old!

2. Who did you spend at least two hours with today?
The guys in my pod - poor loves. Bongo, Pog and Noisy.

3. How tall are you?
5'6" or 168 cms in the new language.

4. What do you look forward to most in the next six weeks?
Preparing for my holiday. Hopefully getting a bit of preholiday gardening leave. Losing 5kgs in preparation for the holiday. Running again. Finding out what this sodding pain in my side is. That will do.

5. What’s the last movie you saw?
In the theatre - Inception - brilliant - though the Grounded Dutchman couldn't cope. On DVD, Valentines Day - soppy crap but good for when you can't sleep at 3 in the morning.

6. Who was the last person you called?
One of the project managers at work.

7. Who was the last person to call you?
The same project manager.

8. What was the last text message you received?
Gloria, asking if I was bringing cake to dream group.

9. Who was the last person to leave you a voicemail?
The project manager at work from questions 7 & 8.

10. Do you prefer to call or text?
Text. I'm useless over the phone. Much better either face to face or on text. However, at work, I like the phone. Just not a phone chatter. And there are times where I just can't be bothered texting so I pick up the phone.

11. What were you doing at 12am last night?
I was in bed reading, about to turn the light off.

12. Are your parents married/separated/divorced?
My parents divorced when I was twenty. Dad died fourteen years ago. Mum has remarried and is very happy. I love my stepdad dearly - he's been more of a dad to me than my own father.

13. When is the last time you saw your mom?
Just after the new year. I drove home for the New Year to look after my sister's kids and dog. But she's coming on Friday for a visit with my stepdad.

14. What color are your eyes?
My eyes are a deep, pine tree green. They look blue, grey or brown in certain lights and conditions. I've never met anybody with my eye colour before. They're the favorite bit of me along with my hair and ankles.

15. What time did you wake up today?
6.08 am - well that's when the alarm went off. Don't ask what time I actually got out of bed.

16. What are you wearing right now?
Striped blue pyjamas.

17. What is your favorite Christmas song?
I dislike Christmas with a passion, but I'm rather fond of the Pogues "Fairytale of New York" with Kristy McColl. Kevin Bloody Wilson's "Hey Santa" isn't bad either.

18. Where is your favorite place to be?
Other than bed - Elia Beach, Mykonos watching the pretty, nakey men wander by.

19. Where is your least favorite place to be?
Probably a toss up between the dentist's chair, on the doctor's table having a pap smear and noisy, crowded pubs where you can't sit down (getting old I am)

20. Where would you go if you could go anywhere?
Zanzibar. Have wanted to go to Zanzibar since the Hoodoo Guru's wrote a song about the place twenty years ago. Looks exotic. The Maldives and Madagascar are a close second.

21. Where do you think you’ll be in 10 years?
If I dream big, my kid's novel has outsold JK Rowling. Happily married and comfortable would be great. I really have no idea - I just hope the next ten years are extraordinary.

22. Do you tan or burn?
I tan. Often I get a little red at first then I go a lovely toasty brown. The joys of Mediterranean skin.

23. Have you ever been in love?
Looking back, I can say, hand on heart, no. I've been in like, infatuated and rather confused over the years, but I've never been in love, or more to the point, never had feelings for somebody who've had the same feelings for me. I hope that changes very soon.

24. What was the last thing that really made you laugh?
A couple of episodes of Weeds over the weekend. And this morning's Dilbert cartoon. Always too apt.

25. What is your favorite smell?
In no particular order, night jasmine, dog's paws in the morning, clean testicles, roast lamb, Cool Water, fresh brewed coffee, hot cinnamon doughnuts, benzoin essential oil, my rose soap that I get in from Portugal. I love the sense of smell.

26. How big is your bed?
It's a standard double. Big enough for me.

27. Do you have a laptop or desktop computer?
Laptop  - and a little netbook for travelling.

28. How many pillows do you sleep with?
Four. One to cuddle, one to fall down the back of the head board and two for my head.

29. What is your favorite season?
Autumn - the closing in nights, the change of bed clothes to the heavier ones, the wrapping up rather than stripping off, kicking piles of leaves, the colours - all good.

30. How many places have you lived in?
Adelaide (born there stayed until eight, then 17-23), Myponga, South Australia (8-17), Melbourne (eleven years), London (eight years)and I will count Mykonos, Greece for a few months too.

31. Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet?
Bare feet. I'd go barefoot all the time if the weather and social convention would allow. The shoes are the first thing to come off when I walk in the door.

32. Are you a social person?
I'm actually rather shy, but I force myself to be social as I live alone. I can be the life of the party, but some if it is an act. I need a hell of a lot of alone time.

33. What is your favorite ice cream?
Maggie Beer's Burnt Fig Jam, Butterscotch and Vanilla. And Ben and Jerry's Cookie Dough Chunk. Thanks goodness the latter hard to source here in Australia - I reckon ice cream is the sixth food group.

34. What is your favorite dessert?
Rusk Restaurant's Halva ice cream sundae, made with halva ice cream, Turkish fairy floss, bits of Turkish Delight and orange flower water syrup. DIVINE!

35. Do you like coffee?
Does a bear poo in the woods? I take it intravenously before midday. Love it - but not the instant stuff. The good stuff.

36. How many glasses of water, a day, do you drink on average?
Eight. I make sure I get two litres a day at least. It's the runner in me.

37. What do you drink in the morning?
A glass of water, a cup of white tea, then I start on a long macciato with a touch of extra skinny milk, or two.

38. What non-banking related card in your wallet is the most valuable to you?
My Hudson's coffee club card and my gym membership. Both get used on a near daily basis.

39. Do you sleep on a certain side of the bed?
As I sleep alone, I take the middle. Though if somebody else is about, I tend to take the right hand side - no idea why, just do.

40. Do you know how to play poker?
Sort of. I get the principles, but that is about it. Like soccer  - I sort of get it.

41. Do you like to cuddle?
I love to cuddle. I just don't get to do it very often. Moaw Moaw, Blarney's cat is my normal cuddle partner. The last human cuddle I received was over two years ago. A very drunk Grounded Dutchman and I ended up asleep wrapped around each other. For a walking pipe cleaner he's rather cuddly. I hope this changes too.

42. Do you have an addictive personality?
Yes. But I can keep a handle on it most of the time.

43.. Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you?
I share a birthday with Bill Clinton, Coco Chanel and the guy who invented Star Trek. There are lots of people born in the week around my birthday - I think it's like 9 months after Xmas. Funny that. I like to think I'm the product of Christmas nooky.

44. Do you want kids?
Strangely, yes. but I'm resigned to the fact that it may not happen. I also subscribe to the Philip Larkin view of parenthood.:

This Be The Verse

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another's throats.

Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don't have any kids yourself.

If I was to have kids now, I don't think they'd be too messed up now.

45. Do you speak any other languages?
My French is passable, and I have a smattering of Greek. I can say "Two beers, please." in about twenty languages...

46. Have you ever gotten stitches?
Too many to mention. I have to have cysts taken out of my scalp every few years, so that counts for forty or fifty over the years. I also have a scar in my eyebrow where my sister clouted me with a five iron. And there are scars on the back of my ankles where they lengthened my Achilles Tendons.

47. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?
Yes, but only as an ambulance cadet.

48. Do you prefer an ocean or a pool?
Pools. I'm from Adelaide. Pools don't have sharks.

49. Do you prefer a window seat or an aisle seat?
Aisle every time. I don't sleep on long haul flights so I find it better to get up and walk around.

50. Do you know how to drive stick?
Can I drive a manual - of course. I prefer them to automatic cars. More control.
51. What is your favorite thing to spend money on?
Books. DVDs. Entertainment. Clothing. I just like spending money.

It's all a bit random, but as I turn 42 tomorrow I'm hoping the meaning of life will be revealed.

Happy birthday to me.

Pandx