Sad Sleepy Survey Rambles

It’s a rather dull Sunday afternoon and I am sitting in the back room with the Cricket World Cup Final on in the background as England, who destroyed Australia in the semi-finals (sorry – I just had to say that), attempt to beat New Zealand.

It’s a good time to answer a few questions from Sunday Stealing.

Have you ever been teased because of the things you like?

Yes – repeatedly. I don’t really care to be honest. I have been teased for my views on politics, sport and music. For example, in the case of music, I am treated like a dinosaur by my younger work colleagues who claim that nobody likes the style of music I listen to. I beg to differ. Besides – I like what I like and I don’t care.

Do you hold grudges?

I try not to. If somebody upsets me or does something particularly nasty, I simply ostracise them. I suppose in a sense you could say that is holding a grudge but I think this is just removing them from my life. If somebody has done something terrible, it is better to remove them rather plot some kind of vindictive revenge.

Were there any classes you enjoyed because of the teacher?

In junior school, I had a crush on a teacher, so you could say that I really enjoyed classes with her. In later life, at the grammar school, there were one or two teachers who made the subject at hand enjoyable by their teaching style, keeping me interested even though I didn’t necessarily like the subject. I guess the answer is yes, therefore.

Was there a dress code at your school?

I went to a grammar school and the dress code was very strict. Pupils in the first and second year had to wear a school cap on the journey to and from school for reasons that I have simply never been able to fathom. This was particularly bad for me because I had to walk quite a fair distance and there were a couple of other schools on the way that had more relaxed dress codes. Local kids did not like kids who attended the grammar school because they assumed it was upper class. I was definitely not upper class, coming from a working class background and living on a working class estate. The journey to and from school with a stupid cap was therefore fraught with danger and sometimes I had to face groups of kids whose sole purpose was to ridicule me or, worse, to steal the cap. To make life easier, I chose not to wear it. But even then I was spotted by a teacher who happened to live near to me – and I was in trouble on numerous occasions because of it. I guess this is when I started to become a bit of a rebel. When I finished my third year, I burned the cap on a bonfire in my back garden. My parents were angry with me. I didn’t care.

Have you ever been a bad friend?

No. I am a nice guy and I always try to help people no matter what the circumstances.

Has a friend ever replaced you with somebody else?

Possibly. I have lost touch with people so I guess that they have replaced me with other friends. Nothing specific leaps to mind so I suppose in many ways, I have replaced them too.

Have you ever disliked something just because it was popular?

No. I dislike things because I don’t actually like them. If it happens to be popular, that’s irrelevant.

Have you ever watched a movie just because it starred an actor you liked?

No. I watch movies because I like them, not the people who are in them.

Are there actors/musicians you have met?

I have met a couple of musicians that you probably haven’t heard of. For example, I have met three of the five members of the English rock band Thunder.

Do you ever judge people based on the music they listen to?

I try not to. I do express my distaste for their music though – as do they in return.

What about your top five music albums?

That’s a tough one. I will give you my current top five albums:

Second Life Syndrome by Riverside

Renaissance Men by the Wildhearts

Empath by Devin Townsend

Resist by Within Temptation

Distance Over Time by Dream Theater

I may try in future to list my top five albums of all time – but I think that will take some time to work out.

Do you remember the first album you ever owned?

I certainly do. Given that I like progressive rock, progressive metal, hard rock and heavy metal, you may be surprised.

It was Donna Summer’s Greatest Hits.

Do you still use an mp3 player, or just your phone?

I still use my iPod because it can accommodate all of my CDs. My phone simply does not have the capacity. Also, the battery on my iPod is far superior to that of my Samsung Smartphone. If the technology and capacity and battery life of phones improves, I may swtich in future.

Do you like Elton John?

I like some of Elton John’s early music. His version of Pinball Wizard is magnificent. I also like Song for Guy.

Have any celebrity deaths hit you hard? Which one(s)?

I wouldn’t say any celebrity deaths have hit me hard – but I was affected by the death of David Bowie.