Questions Questions

Joey asked eleven questions, he has already answered another eleven, and now asks us to answer these eleven.

1. Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong? As a Christian I always endeavor to forgive, I think it also helps to forget, but that's harder still. I do know from my own personal experience that I am a nicer, calmer more settled person when I forgive, holding grudges only hurts the person holding the grudge, most f the time the person who has done the perceived wrong does not even realise that they have offended, that they need forgiving, or indeed that they are the recipient of somebodies resentment.

2. If your blog had a theme song, what would it be? Why? I am tempted to say Lou Reed's Take a Walk on the Wild Side, for all the obvious reason, I am also tempted to say either the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony or the Cesar Frank second symphony because they are my favorite pieces of music, but the piece I would say most matches Paula's place has to be Ibert's Divertissement.   I really want you to listen to this then you will understand why.   When  I was about ten or eleven my Mother took me to some family concerts and they played the Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals,   I wanted a record of this, my mother was worried that I would be disappointed as there was no narration on the record, she never has understood my love of music, and never will.   On the B side of this album was the Ibert Divertissement, I loved it then and have loved it ever since.

3. What is the most daring thing you've done recently? This is a tricky one, most people would say that going out in public dressed in clothes that were designed for members of the other gender was pretty daring, but that does not seem so adventurous these days, it just seems the natural thing to do.  Way back in the day, when I rode motorbikes there were some pretty adventurous trips around Europe and when I first stood up in front of a band that felt pretty daring but now that too feels natural, it's all about confidence.   Starting my own business was really scary, now I can't imagine working any other way.   So what is recently? I may have pushed my comfort zone a little at work taking on jobs that I did not fully understand, I may have been sight reading on the stand in performance, but this is what I do, in trying to answer this question I realise that it is a long time since I have been truly daring.   Maybe it is not the season for me to be daring I have done plenty of that stuff already, maybe now is a time for settled

4. Do you like your life right now? YES

5. What was the last lie you told? The answer to the last question

6. Is there anything hanging from your rear view mirror? I don't have a rear view mirror, I drive a van, if I did have a rear view mirror, nothing would hang from it.   When I drive my wife's car I remove anything hanging there.   I can be a bit obsessive I do not like stickers in car windows, I do not like danglies I like the dash board clear and everything safely stowed in pockets glove boxes etc.   I am so bad that I keep a paint brush in my van to dust the dashboard and instrument binnacle.

7. Do you consider yourself successful?  When considering success it is difficult not to compare yourself to your siblings, both my brothers have more money than they spend, good pensions, secure jobs nice homes etc. etc. I am self employed in a low pay trade, I struggle to service my debts, some days my wife doesn't seem to like me much, but I enjoy what I do, I have an outlet for my musical creativity, and I have a daughter I love, I reckon I'm pretty successful, and according to Darwin since I'm the only one with a child I'm more successful than either of my brothers.

8. What was the first music album that you bought? See no.2 above.   For those of you over a certain age Music for Pleasure MFP2041 Felix Slatkin conducting the Concert Arts Orchestra, and yes I still have and it still plays.

9. Do you feel you express your "true self" on your blog? WOW, sometimes, sometimes not, but then I suppose that is the nature of blog like mine, indeed part of the object of this blog was to find out who my "true self" is.

10. Would you ever give a hitch-hiker a ride somewhere?   I have in the past, the last guy I gave a lift to smelt bad and that has rather put me off, I think I would also take account of where I was going, who I was with and maybe most importantly for me how I was dressed.  

11. Have you ever acted like you understood something when you didn't have a clue?   Haven't we all, I can't think of an example right now, but I am sure that there have been many occasions when I simply haven't dared to admit to my levels of ignorance.   Whether it is a theory of wastes management, or the cultivation of plant I've not heard of, it takes a lot of self confidence to admit ignorance.