Random facts in context

I did the 10-20-30-40-50 meme a while ago because it interested me. No one tagged me or anything; in fact I was quite unaware that this was a game people play on the Web. I'm not sure that a collection of random facts is what Dawkins had in mind when he coined the expression but I'm willing to play along. In case anyone wonders, you have Terry Heath to blame/thank for this post and, in accordance with the instructions provided, I will tag the 5 sites listed at the end of this post.

Rules for this meme

Link to the person who tagged you, post the rules and five facts (some random, some weird) on your blog. Tag five people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Random Fact #1

I was dropped on my head as a child.

Actually not strictly true but it makes a decent headline. As an infant I never moved. I wasn't interested in anything but sleep which is amusing considering I'm writing this at 3:30 in the morning because I'm unable to sleep. Perhaps I slept too much back then. Who knows? Anyway for some reason my mother saw fit to leave me asleep on the kitchen table. She turned her back and there I was on the floor, uninjured but still sound asleep.

Random Fact #2

I own 62 Tangerine Dream albums.

This started as a bit of a challenge back in the early eighties. The first album I bought was the soundtrack to Thief and then I began working my way through the classic albums, Phaedra, Tangram, Stratosfear, Cyclone. The most unusual one I picked up at a clearance sale, a soundtrack of Kathleen Turner reading the children's story Rumplestitskin over a soundscape by the band. The B side has just the music. I am nowhere near having a complete set and have pretty much given up.

Random Fact #3

I don't like whisky.

I know it's our national tipple but I've never managed to acquire a taste for it. I've tried, various brands including single malts, but I simply don't like the taste. I'm not much of a drinker, full stop, but strangely enough I'm partial to a wee Glayva (a whisky liqueur) with a lot of ginger ale in it every once in a while. But I don't like Drambuie. And for those out there, who aren't sure: Scotch is the drink, Scots or Scottish is the nationality.

Random Fact #4

My favourite comic book artist is Bill Sienkiewicz.

This man is a fabulous artist. If anyone thinks comics are for kids they should have a look at this man's work; his covers are literally works of art. I first became aware of him when he started doing the covers to Moon Knight, the original run. The covers were all black and white, with the odd touch of red. Very, very striking work. I gave away my copy of his graphic novel Stray Toasters to a starving artist in Aberdeen hoping to inspire him; his work was not dissimilar.

Random Fact #5

I once bought a bottle of blue lemonade in Fraserburgh.

I once had a temp job as a van driver which took me all over Scotland and the north of England. Fraserburgh is on the nose of Scotland (just look at the map) and I had to spend the night in a B&B. It was a quaint place and the accent is wonderful. I'd make up any excuse to talk to one of the locals so I could hear them speak. Theirs is exactly the kind of shortbread-tin-accent foreigners affect when they're playing a Scot, well something approximating it. Anyway, before I left in the morning I called into a newsagent’s where I noticed a blue bottle, which I asked about and discovered was produced locally. It tasted exactly like the lemonade I'd drunk all my life, but it was blue.

People Tagged

Carrie Berry (Echo on)
Dave King (Pics and Poems)
Joanna Young (Confident Writing)
Jerry Smith (GC's Blog)
Sherry Pasquarello (After the Bridge)