Name someone with the same birthday as you: I actually have a web page about this. Unfortunately none of them is particularly famous. It’s a bit out of date now, in that I have discovered two celebrities, wrestler Glenn Jacobs and musician/actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who were born on precisely the same date as me. I see Warren Clarke (1947) should also be on the list.
Where was your first kiss? At a sixth form disco; it never came to anything (she just snogged me randomly, at least partly to annoy her boyfriend).
Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else’s property? No.
Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex? No.
Have you ever sung in front of a large number of people? Apart from the odd office party, not much since my school days.
What’s the first thing you notice about the preferred sex? Curves.
What really turns you on? Curves.
What do you order at Starbucks? Frappucino.
What is your biggest mistake? Not getting out of studying science sooner.
Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose? No.
Say something totally random about yourself: I like factorising large numbers.
Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity? Not since Joe Ninety ended.
Do you still watch kiddy movies or tv shows? I sometimes get little choice!
Did you have braces? No.
Are you comfortable with your height? Yes.
What is the most romantic thing someone of the preferred sex has done for you? I’ll take the fifth.
When do you know it’s love? You just do.
Do you speak any other languages? Dutch, French, German, a little Serbian/Croatian/Bosnia and a bit less Macedonian, Russian and Italian.
Have you ever been to a tanning salon? Never.
What magazines do you read? The Economist; Interzone; sometimes the US sf magazines; my subscription to Fortnight (Northern Ireland current affairs monthly, despite the title) has just lapsed; I pick up E-Sharp and The Sprout (both EU politics) when I see them.
Have you ever ridden in a limo? No. Ambassadorial cars, yes.
Has anyone you were really close to passed away? Yes.
Do you watch MTV? Not systematically. Will occasionally pause while channel-surfing.
What’s something that really annoys you? Bigotry.
What’s something you really like? Lying in bed reading a good book.
Do you like Michael Jackson? No.
Can you dance? I do dance when it’s called for. I don’t think I’m especially good at it though.
What’s the latest you have ever stayed up? I have pulled plenty of all-nighters in my time, but could never go all the way through the next day – sleep inevitably kicks in arouond breakfast time.
Have you ever been rushed by an ambulance into the emergency room? No. Have driven my wife to hospital three times to have babies.
Do you actually read these when other people fill them out? Yes. Do you?
The stylistic device might be there to reflect the public self/private self dichotomy in Japanese society. Outward displays of emotion are traditionally frowned upon – you’re supposed to keep those to yourself
The stylistic device might be there to reflect the public self/private self dichotomy in Japanese society. Outward displays of emotion are traditionally frowned upon – you’re supposed to keep those to yourself