Tuesday 17 June 2008

manrod

Random facts about me - I've been thinking about this for a couple of days, which gave me time to forget a couple of them. Inspiration is sure to strike as I write.

The rules

1. Link to the person who tagged you - that's lovely Stegbeetle
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
6. Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

N. I remember, when I was a child - maybe 7 or 8 - tinned celery hearts being served as a vegetable. This didn't exactly strike me with glee, as I've never been that fond of cooked celery, but that wasn't to say it was not edible and I generally ate what I was given, albeit in small quantities. For some reason, my mother and I were alone (no doubt the reason she hadn't prepared fresh veg) and she had to leave the room for a couple of minutes at just the time I sliced my celery heart open. In the centre was a slug. A very dead, cooked slug. I pondered briefly. My mother wouldn't care for that at all. She would be quite revolted. We were eating (this was indeed rare, and was again because we were alone) in a small back room that had been a scullery and was later turned into a little sitting room, with a coke-burning stove. I opened the stove door, chucked in the slug and heard it sizzle. Then, for what else could I do?, I ate the celery. I figured that the canning process had removed any germs.

O. I learned numbers from watching the football results on television. On a Saturday evening, my mother left me watching tv while she prepared my tea after my bath. I would have been 2 or 3 at that time. After a few weeks, she was surprised to find that I could recognise numbers. I suppose I didn't learn how much they represented, but i could match the sound to the shape.

R. When in doubt, I say yes. This doesn't mean I can't and don't say no, but I'm far more inclined to go for it.

M. I never put my iPod on shuffle, as I prefer to listen to the whole album.

A. Horses like me. They find me soothing.

D. As a child I had a sardonic, blackish sense of humour. I loved Saki, Tom Lehrer and the Addams Family cartoons. I have never been cute or adorable - that is, I am because hey, I can't help radiating sweetness, but I resist it. My most disliked nursery rhyme was the dreadful 'sugar and spice and all things nice' for little girls, while the boys had the much cooler slugs and snails and puppy-dogs' tails. Not that I wanted to be a little boy.

Rules 4, 5 and 6 - I'm rubbish at tagging. I never remember who hates tags and who likes them. If you do it, let me know please?

23 comments:

Id Entity said...

Hmmmm. I'm not sure what I think of that!

Z said...

Oh. About anything in particular, or the whole lot?

Id Entity said...

Oh, nothing, nothing, nothing. I'll just have to change the name of my blog now, that's all...

heybartender said...

I'm confused by those comments. But I like the post. Random facts are so interesting.

How do we know said...

you ate that celery?? wow!! Am truly surprised!

You make even random tags about u soo interesting.

Dave said...

I think the celery would have gone in the stove too.

Manrod sounds rude.

Eddie 2-Sox said...

I don't even know what tagging is, so keep it to yourself Z!

Z said...

Oh Id, I didn't mean you. It's the word Nice. Isn't it horrid? And the whole thing about little girls having to sit and be good, while boys had fun. Remember, I was born in the 50s and that was still what was expected by society.

Z said...

Julie, Id's blog is called Sugar and Spice, and now I'm mortified because I've been so rude.

HDWK - it surprises me in retrospect. If I hadn't been able to ditch the slug into the fire, I couldn't have. I was just glad I'd cut into the celery and found it before I put it in my mouth.

Manrod does sound rude, but as I'm not at all rude, it can't be.

Simon, you wait. You'll be tagged for a meme one of these days.

Dave said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Dave said...

z, in that last comment you've just admitted to being rude to young Id, but then claimed in response to my comment that you're not at all rude.

Having your cake and eating it (without slugs, of course)?

Mind you, as you've now got gangrene because of what you said about Id, I'll forgive you.

Z said...

You're quite right, Dave, in all respects. As you always are. When you live nearer and can advise me in every aspect of my life, I'll be a better and a happier person.

Id Entity said...

Please don't be mortified, z, I was half-teasing. :-)

Personally, I found that nursery rhyme rather affirming, in an otherwise disgustingly misygoynist world. But I can get how a person wouldn't.

Anonymous said...

Just think, if you'd showed your mother the slug you'd never have had to eat tinned celery again. Your life would have been *so* different ;)

I think it's that girls/boys rhyme that made me the non-gender noticer I am today.

Anonymous said...

I wonder what brought the celery incident to mind when you had to think of six random things.

Unknown said...

Manrod? Why not cock/penis/knob?

I like celery, cooked or raw!

Dave said...

I think it's an anagram of 'random'.

Eddie 2-Sox said...

Dave, I can confirm your theory, I just checked with Collins and manrod is definitely an agranam of random.

Z said...

I know you were, Dand, but I still would have put it differently. I like "Curly Locks, Curly Locks, wilt thou be mine? Thou shalt now was dishes nor yet feed the swine. But sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam, and feed upon strawberries, sugar and cream." I think my life would have been altogether different if I had curly hair, apart from the tinned celery incident. I don't remember ever eating it again, I think my mum can't have been particularly impressed by it.

Sandy, I have done fairly similar memes before and it happens to be an incident I've never mentioned!

John, for goodness sake! That's just the sort of rude I'm not. I gave an additional clue in the listing of the random things (NORMAD). And thank you, Dave and Simon, for rescuing my reputation.

Marianne said...

Hello there - this is really interesting- and I LOVED Saki too, The Open Window was my favourite story. Great post.

Z said...

Hi, Marianne and welcome. I liked Tobermory the drawling cat, and the Clovis stories. Very bad effete young man, most entertaining.

Anonymous said...

Ok, so I'm a bit late but I've done the tag.

Z said...

Yay! Thanks, Sandy.