100 things about me

Inspired by fellow blogger T.O. though I hear it's quite popular, I decided to write 100 things about me. Another related idea came to me this week when trying to think of people like me, realised that when I meet 2 people who are similar it's actually the exception rather than the rule, as most people have no one anything like them, and that includes me.

Here goes:
(In no logical order)
1) I'm an only child
2)Besides a few tenants, I've lived alone since 1992 (and hated it)
3)My online family is at www.funtrivia.com, which I discovered 2 days after getting my computer on 17/2/2000 and have since met 7 members, so far.
4)I have suffered on and off with a degree of agoraphobia for around 20 years but I am now quite used to it.
5)I discovered as a child I knew certain things without being told about them.
6) I learnt to meditate in 1997 with Maharaji at the Brighton Centre
7)I've had 3 cats full-time since 1968, currently Lucy, who arrived in my garden in 1999
8) I've worn glasses since 1974, the current stronger lens being -3 astigmatism/short sight
9) Any reference to bodily functions can make me laugh
10) I love collecting experiences like going abroad and football matches, but the pleasure of adding to my lists now far exceeds the pleasure of the actual experiences
11) My first girlfriend was at the age of 12
12) I've never had a regular girlfriend longer than 8 months
13) As far as I'm concerned, everything in the world started going downhill in around 1975
14) I was born in Highgate, London in January 1960 (Aquarius)
15) My musical tastes are mainly between 1955 and 1975
16) I have visited 10 countries, the longest for 3 weeks, (USA) the shortest a couple of hours (Canada). The record was my last trip to France, which was a minute on the platform at Lille station on the way back from Brussels
17) I've collected British train tickets since 1970, and many other things.
18) I'm Jewish but not religious
19) I most identify with Woody Allen, Jason Alexander and Ben Elton (though his mother's not Jewish, but Irish, Kathleen to be sure).
20) I have a law degree and qualified as a psychotherapist
21) Due to circumstances beyond my control, I've been almost retired since 1997, though it allowed me to finish my studies and am prepared to work again if I get the right offers.
22) I like all animals except parasites
23) I like doing impressions and accents
24) My current favourite accent is Nigerian
25) I support Manchester United (after my father) and Barnet football clubs
26) My favourite TV programmes include Crossroads, Star Trek, Blockbusters, Big Brother and Monty Python
27) This year I met 4 Big Brother housemates, and was on the programme for 5 seconds with Jason Cowan
28)I've never had a full time job for longer than 2 1/2 months
29) After 10 years of lessons I can play the piano by ear
30) I'm 5 feet 5, which took me well into my 30s to get used to
31) As everyone's noticed, I love talking about myself
32) I've always been fascinated by the supernatural
33) My major inspiration was Uri Geller in 1973, who I've seen twice since
34) My next ambition is to talk on TV
35) I avoid Central London as I'd avoid hell itself
36) I believe nothing without evidence
37) My mother left us in 1981 which may have been the start of my decline
38) I have studied enlightenment since 1997, and finally understood the logic when I saw Nick Roach this October
39) My car is 12 years old, is just coming up to 100,000 miles, and still works like new
40) I have always spent time filling in unused diaries with jokes and pictures, and they have evolved into more of a blog format over the years. No one except me reads them though.
41) I also have no first cousins, I only had one (married) uncle altogether who died some years ago
42) I prefer to carry on a job till it's finished than go to bed and carry on the next day. Therefore I often stay up past 4am
43) The only relationship I've had where we both felt the same was ended by her mother in 1975 before anything really 'happened'. Thanks Mrs Toper.
44) Doing this is the most interesting thing I've done today
45) I often prefer children's TV and radio programmes to adult ones
46) My best friend left the country in 2002, and I've been pretty left behind since then
47)The longest I've spent between girlfriends was nearly 4 years, and the longer I live the longer it takes each time
48) I also hope to become famous eventually, how I don't care. I just believe I have the power to entertain and don't want to waste it
49) If I ever have the money I'm moving back to the area where I lived till 1993, if I could I'd buy our actual old house back.
50)I can never understand fashion. If something's good it's good. If not, don't use it. Much easier to understand.
51) I love tracking down any information, and since the internet have become even better at it
52) I can't believe the incidence of mental illness among my friends is average
53) I have never got a job through filling in an application form, though I've filled in many hundreds. Most have been from people I knew and going and asking.
54) My best relationship that lasted was with my neighbour Debby, who moved away when I was about 9. It set the framework for what I'd look for ever since.
55) I am always prepared to forgive everyone if they genuinely apologise. Every friendship can be revived. The only reason I drop people is if they're boring, not bad.
56) I almost never argue with anyone.
57) I like wearing gold rings and bracelets
58) I live a few hundred yards from the house I lived in till I was 5
59) I have found I can understand virtually anything if explained to me clearly. I know of very few people who can also do this, in fact only my two teachers Nick Roach and Maharaji have shown this quality so far.
60) The nearest I've got to fame is making hundreds of calls to the radio, all logged
61) I keep records and graphs of everything I've done since losing track some time ago and having to discover all the details over again
62) The furthest I've been from London is Miami
63) The longest I've been away from home is 4 weeks, a number of times on my regular Devon summer holidays
64) The game I'm best at overall is Scrabble
65) The sport (if it counts) I'm best at is pool (British rules)
66) My politics is best described as libertarian, not left or right wing
67) My main jobs were: Shop assistant, estate agent, van driver, teacher, despatch clerk and my current self employed therapist
68) My best life skill is handling money
69)My worst include approaching women and working long hours
70) I believe children have the right to live with their parents until they are married, if that's what they prefer
71) I tried singing once since my voice broke, never again
72) I have done a number of cabaret performances, playing the piano and doing impressions
73) I am qualified to drive on a normal car and an unlimited size motorbike licence
74) The largest motorbike I've ridden was a friend's Honda 550. I couldn't pick it up when I went to park it though.
75) I have never broken a bone, as far as i know
76) Though I was desperate to get married as soon as I graduated in 1984, the closest I got was a 3 day engagement in 1997 which didn't have time to become officially announced
77) The least entertaining TV programme I've seen is East Enders. I'm surrounded by these sort of people already and it concentrates all their worst features to the exclusion of all others. What's entertaining about that?
78) If I could choose a job I'd like to do but I'm not qualified to, it would include: London taxi driver, librarian, social worker, researcher and (due to obsolescence not qualification) train ticket collector. Hang on-I am actually qualified to do research so maybe I'll check that out.
79) The two things I find it impossible to improve are my handwriting and my accent
80) I don't see any need in lying. If you don't want to admit something say you don't know, otherwise tell the truth.
81) I can do mirror writing as quickly as the world record holder
82) My eyes are said to be cat's eyes, as they tend to change from the grey-blue they are basically depending on the light. Interestingly, no one in my immediate family has eyes lighter than green
83) When I make mistakes, they're really big ones. Few but major.
84) I have to sleep 9 hours per night, if I don't, I always make it up later
85) I am fascinated by natural disasters and car crashes. I would love to witness a major earthquake as it shows whatever we do the Earth can undo all of it when it feels like it
86) One of the best discoveries I could make is finding life in other dimensions
87) I have never 'done it' (or anything else) in the bath
88) When I was 11 I had an IQ test, and was pretty good. I've never managed it since in informal tests. I hope you only need to count one for life.
89) Out of every nationality I've met, I always get on best with Americans who are far more open and laid back than any others
90) I am 1/4 Polish
91) Cats regularly run across the road or from gardens to me
92) I have never smoked
93) I have been in hospital twice, once for my appendix and once to straighten my nose inside
94) I love having an audience but hate being in one
95) When I was 14 I had a project to find every possible name for poo, and got friends to make lists for me from everyone they knew
96) I have received genuine information in dreams for some years which was almost impossible to find by chance previously, convincing me we all have absolute access to all information if we know how
97) I spent a year altogether in weekly psychic development classes
98) Possibly the most knowledgeable person I ever met was my biology teacher, Peter Runnalls. Whatever I wanted to know about, including philosophy and problems, he usually had the answer. He was a great influence on showing me what I could be like.
99) My dancing is nearly as bad as my singing, but though I'd like to be able to sing i can live quite happily without dancing
100) I still haven't had sex with anyone I really fancy since the first one.