Three Things

 

Welcome to a dull but mild South Manchester. The weather is slowly improving as we enter February (although I fear there might be a sting in the tail – there usually is). 

Shall we dive into some silly question from Sunday Stealing? 

1. Three names you go by, other than your given name:

My given name is Dave and most people call me that. 

(a) In Blogland I go by the name Plastic Mancunian because I don’t come from Manchester originally but I have lived here for 60% of my life. I like to consider myself a Mancunian.

(b) There is a lad at work who calls me Dilbert because apparently I resemble this weird cartoon character. I guess I am an engineer and I work in technology but I also wear glasses and am a bit of a geek – so it does kind of fit. 

(c) Others add the letter Y to my surname – which I used to hate as a kid but I have got used to it over the years. I even sign cards using that name sometimes.

2. Three things you like about yourself:

(a) I like the fact that I am vaguely intelligent. It has helped me through school university and my career.

(b) I like that fact that I look younger than I am. At Christmas on a work pub crawl I met a former work colleague (he actually used to be my boss’s boss) and when I told him I had turned 60 he was stunned. “Can I have whatever you are taking?” he asked me. He is in his mid-40’s and I actually look younger than him (in my opinion).

(c) I like the improvements I have made to my life in the past few years and that I am continuing to do so. You are never too old to learn something new. 

3. Three things you don't like about yourself:

(a) My hair is awful. Women and bald men like it because it is thick and when it grows long it is quite wavy. The problem is that it is uncontrollable, which is why I keep it short these days. It was quite long when I was younger and how I suffered that I will never know.

(b) My eyes are useless. I hate the fact that I have been short-sighted all my life. It seems cool to wear glasses now but, believe me, when you are a kid it can be terrible. I used to be called “four eyes”, “specky” and all manner of other insults. And I tried to get contact lenses but my eyes let me down again, making me almost throw up when the optician tried to put them in. They aren’t suited to them. I am Mr Magoo.

(c) I have a tendency to procrastinate. I have to say that I am better than I used to be – these days I just tell myself to do just do things whereas in the past I would do something inane like watching some crap on the TV rather than do something useful. Habits have helped. I recommend them.

4. Three parts of your heritage:

(a) I come from a working class background and that has tuck with me even though I wouldn’t class myself as that now. In the UK there are three classes – working, middle and upper (before you get to silly things like royalty). Hopefully this illustrates what I mean:

As such I hold certain values and views that I think are sound such as working hard.

(b) I’ve done quite well; I was the first person in my family to go to university (closely followed by my two younger sisters) and having come from a lower class that some of my contemporaries, I have a different outlook on life. 

(c) I have often had to deal with and even work with upper class people; one of my best friends from university went to public school – the kind of school where you pay exorbitant amounts of money to send you kids away. He rubbed shoulders with sons of rich politicians. Yet somehow we were and are still good friends. I think possibly because I am quite direct and he loved it.

5. Three things you are wearing right now:

(a) I am wearing a pair of dark blue chinos. They are quite comfortable for knocking around the house. 

(b) I am also wearing a blue jumper because we are still in the latter stages of winter, despite the mild temperatures.

(c) I am wearing my glasses because without them I can’t see a thing.

6. Three favourite bands/musical artists:

These are my current favourites – that will probably change.

(a) Riverside – a Polish progressive rock band.

(b) Devin Townsend – a Canadian progressive rock/metal maestro.

(c) Steven Wilson – a British progressive rock genius.

7. Three favourite songs:

There are so many to choose from. These are not necessarily favourites but they are brilliant nonetheless:

(a) Let There Be Rock – AC/DC

(b) Wish – Nine Inch Nails

(c) Tom Sawyer – Rush

8. Three things you want in a relationship:

(a) Intelligent conversation.

(b) Laughter.

(c) Fun.

9. Three of your favourite hobbies:

(a) Writing – well I try to anyway.

(b) Football – as a spectator sadly (I was never any good as a player and now I am too old).

(c) Music – I love music (as you have guessed from the previous two answers). I will be able to play a piano (very badly) soon. I am calling myself a pianist even though I am not really. Look out and beware – there may be an album when in ten years – I will be 70 but it didn’t stop Christopher Lee releasing a heavy metal album at the age of 90.

10. Three things that scare you:

(a) Heights – and I have been to the tallest building in the world. I am a bloody idiot. I will never do that again – nor will I ever skydive.

(b) Spiders – I can tolerate the small ones we get in the UK but if I saw a Huntsman Spider I would probably scream like the loudest banshee who has ever lived. I honestly debated going to Australia for that reason (but having been there I would definitely go again). I have watched Arachnophobia once – I will not watch it ever again.

(c) Public speaking – believe me, I have done this numerous times but I still panic when I do it. I have given courses in China, Russia and other countries – I don’t have to do it now, thank goodness.

11. Three of your everyday essentials:

(a) An early morning walk. I usually go for a three to four mile walk every morning (at about 6:30 am on school days but slightly later at weekends). It is a habit now and I feel weird when I miss out. When I caught Covid-19 last year, I was over it in three days but I had to self-isolate for ten days – that was dreadful.

(b) A cup of tea. Tea gets me through the day, especially when I am working. I really miss it when I go abroad because you can’t beat a cup of strong British tea. Coffee helps but it’s not the same.

(c) Music – there is always music in the house, even if I have to walk around with earphones. It keeps me calm and composed

12. Three places you want to go on vacation:

(a) Japan – I have been once and I absolutely loved it. I hope I get the chance to go back.

(b) Sweden – my trip to Denmark last year made me think about going to Sweden. Mrs PM has been before and she loved it.

(c) New Zealand – I’ve heard it is beautiful and I fancy a long haul trip via Australia – probably after I retire. If I can persuade Mrs PM that is.

13. Three careers you have considered/are considering:

My career is drawing to a close now but I guess if I could have my time again I would reconsider my options.

(a) A writer – I would love to write a book and I would have pushed my studies in that direction had I had the opportunity. 

(b) A traveller – I would probably combine this with (a) above and I would also have pushed my school curricula activities into languages rather than science to assist. I can speak a little French, less German and my Spanish is coming on but it isn’t enough. I know a person who works at my company who can speak about four languages fluently and is currently learning more. I envy her. 

(c) A postman – While I try to get my writing career started and think about studying languages to travel, my day job would be a postman. I have done it before as a holiday job while I was at university and it was peaceful and rewarding. I love a morning walk as I said above and actually combining that with something I can get paid for appeals. It might even be an option if I get bored after I retire.

14. Three things you want to do before you die:

(a) Travel to as many countries as  possible.

(b) Play the piano well enough to create some music.

(c) Publish a book.

15. Three things you want to do really badly right now:

(a) Retire – I’ve had enough of the rat race. A year or two to go but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

(b) Go on holiday. I have to wait until April to go to Morocco but there may be an outside chance of a quick break to Tenerife soon – depending on certain things.

(c) Have some lunch. I am hungry.