Meme of myself 2009

Adapted from Persephone's recent and wonderful post.

1. Are you a male or female? Female, but happy to be one of the boys.

2. Describe yourself. Wage slave with a conscience, trying to make life better. Instinctively behaving like the teenage girl I never really was first time around. Imagines herself as a grande dame de lettres of the 1930s (I do have the odd frock suitable for this role)

3. How do you feel about yourself? Frequently bewildered

4. Describe your parents. I've written about my parents before. But describing them?

My dad was a talented man who hardly got the chance to show his skills: he was a significantly talented linguist in his youth who worked for most of my childhood as a bus driver (where perhaps he did at least get to translate the various curses of late night passengers). He was intelligent, fierce in his opinions (he loathed Ian Paisley with a passion that bordered on hysteria) and he loved light operetta and Jim Reeves (I have not taken on these 'pleasures'). He became a born-again Christian when he was a POW in the UK, married and divorced (not my mum), left the church, and finally returned to his faith with zeal as I passed into secondary education c.12 years old. Although I grew up as 'daddy's girl', his deteriorating health took him away from me in every sense. I kinda wish I had loved him better, but mostly I wish I had known him as a younger man both before and after his conversion,

My mother grew up loving history and literature and passed that passion on to me. She was tall, grew up a tomboy, and despite everything never failed to encourage me to enjoy life and do the things that mattered to me. Housework and tidiness were never high on her priorities (a trait I inherited, sometimes to my frustration) and though she improved over the years it was telling that she - like me some 30+ years later - was reprimanded in school for her appallingly limited needlework skills and inattentiveness in sewing class. I loved watching movies with her as a child and getting hooked on series such as The Aphrodite Inheritance and The Sandbaggers. I miss her more than words can express, not least for being the sort who would call me up to say when Jarvis Cocker were on TV.

5. Describe your ex boyfriend/girlfriends. There's a reason they're ex's.

6. Describe your current boy/girl situation. My much beloved Cloud (Neil) is more infinitely patient with my failings than I can believe is reasonable of a human being. 19 years together come August 2009.

7. Describe your current location. The 'teenagers' room, aka my study. Posters on the wall, itunes playing, reading blogs, laundry drying on the radiator. Yep, teenager.

8. Describe where you want to be. Happy right here, though wish I had more paid holiday from work (and I get a good deal - what can I say? I'm greedy)

9. Your best friend(s) know too much shit on me for the possibility of falling out to be anything other than a nightmare (I hope)

10. Your favourite colour - red, or blue, or purple.

11. You know that friendship is more powerful than anything, and that you should "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." (Margaret Mead)

12. If your life were a television show what would it be called? It's Just my Imagination

13. What is life to you? valuable, and more precious when shared with people around me

14. What is the best advice you have to give? "Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." Ralph Waldo Emerson