Born: Oxford, 16th May 1972. Live: Oxford. Work: Oxford. Studied: Oxford. See a theme? It is quite difficult to know what to write about, when it will be on the Web for all to see. I suppose I can tell you that I am allergic to pineapple. I hate spiders, peas, lamb, pork, baked beans and techno. I love indie music, chocolate, Dr Pepper, root beer, spicy food and shopping. I still eat beef. I vote. I didn't learn to swim until I was 16. I didn't see Bambi until I was 21. I don't drive. I am short-sighted but rarely wear glasses. My favourite colour is blue, my favourite animal is a cat, my favourite activity is sleeping (or cooking). I like Oxford - it is a lovely city to live in, and especially recommend: the Black Boy (pub) in Headington, the Temple Bar (pub) in Cowley, G&D's ice-cream, the Covered Market, Edgar's at Carfax, Little Clarendon Street, and Fun in the Parks in summer. May morning is a "fun" event, but sadly only happens once a year. It does mean getting up at 4.30am if you want to see anything, but OTOH you can get a pint and a cooked breakfast at 6am. I worship sheep, and am a founder member of the church of ODD (Ovine Devout Disciples). For more on sheep see page 4...

What else can I tell you? On TV/video I like: Friends, ER, Casualty, Men Behaving Badly, Cheers, Monty Python, Joking Apart, Roseanne, Goodness Gracious Me, Red Dwarf, EastEnders, Hollyoaks, Twin Peaks, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, Blackadder, Absolutely (n.b. not "Ab Fab" but the Scottish sketch show), Drop the Dead Donkey, Ballykissangel, Hamish Macbeth, vegging out to Ricki Lake/Montel (no-brainers!), Ant and Dec, vintage Grange Hill, Father Ted, Viva Cabaret, Neighbours, Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, They Think It's All Over, Room 101, and Whose Line is it Anyway?

Favourite films include: The Shawshank Redemption. Bob Roberts. The Player. Jacob's Ladder. Erik the Viking. (Spot a Tim Robbins theme here?) Muriel's Wedding. Breakfast at Tiffanys. Quiz Show. Heathers. Pump up the Volume. True Romance. Seven (one of the few times I have left a cinema shaking!). Brassed Off. The Icicle Thief (Ladri di Saponette) & Volere Volare (two Italian films by Maurizio Nichetti). Kuffs. Dead Poets Society. The Sixth Sense. It's A Wonderful Life. Notting Hill (but not 4 Weedings and a Farcical, or whatever that other one is… J ). Grosse Pointe Blank. 10 Things I Hate About You. Old musicals, especially with Howard Keel. I got The Sixth Sense about 20 mins into the film, proving it by sending SMS messages to the people I was with!

Favourite bands/songs: Anything by The Doors, but especially "Love Street", "Spanish Caravan", and "Indian Summer". "Sometimes" by James. "Forest Fire" by Lloyd Cole. Blondie, Adam and the Ants, Duran Duran (big 80s revival goin' on!). Anything by T.Rex but especially "Metal Guru" (No.1 the day I was born...) and "Life's an Elevator". Blur, Space, Supergrass. Anything by The Beatles, especially the "Abbey Road" album. They Might Be Giants. Billy Joel. All those compilation "Shine/Best Album..." indie things. The Stone Roses. Simon and Garfunkel. Pulp. Metallica. New Wave (eg Echo & the Bunnymen, Teardrop Explodes). Joan Armatrading. Kristen Hirsch (sp?). Beth Orton. Nick Drake.

Favourite books? I have thousands... they include: Kathy Lette. Terry Pratchett. Tom Holt. Iain [M] Banks. Diana Wynne Jones. Laura Ingalls Wilder Laura Ingalls Wilder. Bill Bryson, especially "Notes from a Small Island" (he's very rude about Oxford!). Peter Hoeg. Julian Barnes. Calvin & Hobbes. Dorothy Parker. Peter Carey. Pat Barker (Regeneration trilogy). "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" by Louis de Bernieres. "Behind the scenes at the museum" by Kate Atkinson. Stephen King. Akif Pirincci. Ian McEwan. Marian Keyes (Rachel's Holiday, Watermelon, Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married). I studied a lot of authors that I can't quite bring myself to read for fun at the minute: TS Eliot, Jane Austen, James Joyce, Keats, Virginia Woolf and so on.

Favourite food/drink? Almost everything! I especially like chilli con carne, curries, doughnuts, orange juice, quiche, broccoli, roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, flapjack, chicken (but not on the bone ie. drumsticks), smoked bacon sandwiches, Sainsbury's cooked breakfasts, jacket potatoes, cider and Alcopops (Hooch, Strawberry Grog, Schotts etc.). I cook (mainly Italian but also English and Indian, and am learning to like Chinese. Slowly) and love cookery books.

Favourite occupations? Watching TV. Cooking. Eating. Reading. Usenet. Surfing the 'Net and writing Web pages. E-mailing people. Amateur Dramatics. Going to the theatre. Shopping. Sleeping. Swimming.

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