We're the ones your mother warned your about...No, seriously. We are.








MedusA - 100 99 things you probably didn't know....I think someone miscounted..


1. I signed up to go to the first ever UKPBfP, but cancelled because I was too scared of meeting up with internet weirdos.

2. My first meeting with Bronzers was 2 weeks after the first UKPBfP. We opened Shaun's gate to be hit by the flying baby from South Park. Thus vindicating my decision in item 2.

3. My name isn't really MedusA.

4. I have an octopus fetish.

5. But not in THAT way.

6. I was born in Singapore (RAF parents) and was, allegedly, more fluent in Mandarin Chinese than I was in English, up to the age of two.

7. Unfortunately I have no recollection of this.

8. I had imaginary horses as a child. Right up until I discovered boys! (rather less imaginary).

9. I sent this information into John Peel's 'Home Truths' Radio 4 programme and they read it out on the show.

10. When I was a teenager I used to hitchhike everywhere. (Not recommending it now though). I once got a lift with David Bowie and got his autograph on the only piece of paper I had with me at the time - a Rizla cigarette paper.

11. I have a phobia about injections due to a bad experience with an antibiotic injection aged 15.

12. How on earth I ever got to become a nurse I'll never know.

13. Oh yes. I'm a nurse BTW.

14. My mother says I am the least compassionate person she knows.

15. I have been vegetarian for over 18 years. I was watching an item on factory-farming of pigs and being disgusted at the atrocious treatment they were receiving, then realized I was eating a bacon sandwich!

16. I have never eaten meat since

17. However, I did eat fish up until Steph started school. She came home one day and said she didn't want to eat 'any food with a face' so we gave up that too.

18. I collect Beanie Babies. Steph and I have hundreds between us. I have stopped buying them arbitrarily, and only collect 'aquatic' ones now. Some of them are quite valuable.

19. My favourite Beanie is an original 'Manny the Manatee'.

20. Did I mention that manatees are my favourite creatures?

21. I hate my hair. It is so curly I can't do a bloody thing with it. I yearn for long straight hair.

22. My mother owns a completely over-sexed budgie. He will attempt to shag anything that moves and inanimate objects too. Poor deprived bird!

23. I am really clumsy. My mother wouldn't allow me to do the washing up when I lived at home, because it was too costly for her. I'm better now, but still break my fair share of crockery.

24. I am also usually covered in bruises from where I bump into things on a regular basis. You should see me when I'm in the middle of DIY. Black and blue.

25. I'm not religious at all. I'd like to think that when I die, I would be recycled back into the earth.

26. I'm favouring the idea of a 'green' burial, where they plant a tree on your grave and eventually a forest will grow there.

27. I'm very into recycling in general. I strongly feel the human race is squandering it's most precious assets and if we don't radically change our lifestyles, we are doomed.

28. I do not wish to sound like Sting when stating the above.

29. Talking of trees, my favourite is an Oak. They are so beautiful and majestic. They can live for hundreds of years.

30. I've always been drawn to trees. Treebeard was my favourite character in Lord of the Rings.

31. I would quite like to be an Ent.

32. OK. So I'm weird! Sue me.

33. I first read that book when I was about 17. I introduced my 11 year old brother to it. He loved it so much he read it 33 times consecutively. He still re-reads it once every year. He's 43 now. You do the maths.

34. Even though I'm clumsy, it didn't stop my parents sending me to ballet and tap dancing lessons. My mother still has embarrassing newspaper cutting of the pantomime 'Cinderella' that we did.

35. At least it was even more embarrassing for my brother. He was dressed as an elf!

36. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm Legolas! (Just doing my thing for mother/daughter elf-bonding).

37. My earliest memory of guilt was when my brother built a sand castle and I knocked it down on purpose.

38. I was an evil older sister.

39. I am trying to learn Spanish so it would be a nice surprise for my other half's mum and dad. They are from Chile and Spanish is still their first language. I would love to be more a part of family discussions. I understand the odd few words but not enough to contribute, unless they speak in English.

40. I am 'allergic' to garlic. Not in the itchy rash type way, but if I eat it, vomiting ensues. Even the smell of eat makes me nauseous.

41. Please can I state for the record that I am NOT a vampire. I can go out in the sun and everything! I just hate garlic. It makes life difficult that my other half loves it and would eat it every day if he could.

42. So we have a compromise. He can eat garlic if he wants and I can refuse to smooch him. ;-)

43. It makes life very difficult if I want to eat out. With most of the best vegetarian food, they think it is obligatory to add garlic. It can be very difficult to find things that don't have meat OR garlic. (End of rant).

44. I have 3 tattoos - a swirly sun/ying&yang thing at the base of my spine, two little lizards on my right shoulder, and a flower motif on my right ankle.

45. I also have 2 piercings - nose and belly button

46. When I moved to Birmingham, I decided I wanted pets. Not a cat or dog, but maybe 2 goldfish.

47. I bought Spike and Angel (the names I gave my goldfish, right? Not the vampires - see above garlic thing). Since then we have Lorne (who is a pretty green goldfish) and 'Wizzy-Wozzy Wesley' who is a long weather loach. Recently there is 'Little Spuddy Xander' who is a cold-water plec.

48. And in the other room is a tank of tropical fish too numerous to nameÖ.

49. Except for Sucky Boi who is an Ancistrus and is H-U-G-E!

50. OK. Sense the aquatic fetish thing going here?

51. I am convinced I was a lizard in an earlier incarnation. Hence the tattoo.

52. I am a sun worshipper and hate the cold. Hate it. Hate it!

53. The only good thing about winter is Christmas.

54. I am a Christmasaholic.

55. Let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow!

56. 'It's A Wonderful Life' is probably my favourite film, although 'Some Like it Hot', 'The Sure Thing' and 'Working Girl' are close contenders.

57. When I was 17, I dated a man of 27.

58. 27 years later, I again dated a man on 27. Still am, but he's no longer 27 anymore.

59. I am living proof that 'internet relationships' can work.

60. I have an almost telepathic link with my daughter. We often know exactly what the other is thinking.

61. I like to think I've been a good mother overall, with occasional lapses.

62. I think it is important to let your children know that they can talk to you about anything. And I mean ANYTHING!

63. I am a self-confessed control freak.

64. I use it to hide the fact that I am painfully shy.

65. I love the Victorian style. I am trying to do up my old Victorian semi in that style.

66. More as an homage than historically correct though.

67. I call my home the Hugly House. Because it is. But it's getting prettier.

68. I am a slave to 'lifestyle' programmes. And gardening programmes.

69. Ann Maurice and Monty Don are my gods.

70. I went to Art School for a year. I used to be able to draw fairly well, but I haven't drawn anything for years. Maybe when I have more time, I'll go back to art.

71. I was an original hippy. Ankle bells and barefeet and everything.

72. In my teens I didn't wear shoes AT ALL for about 3 years, summer and winter.

73. My feet were like leather.

74. I have the inability to concentrate on more than one thing at a time. If I'm concentrating, I 'switch off' to everything else.

75. Allegedly that is when I do my mushroom face.

76. I DO NOT have a mushroom face!

77. Did I mention I also have a thing about platypuses (platypi?)

78. Again, not in THAT way.

79. I still think Richard Gere is/was the sexiest man in Hollywood. Such a cute bum (butt). Don't care about the hamster rumours.

80. I remain very loyal to the people I care about.

81. I cannot stand elderberries. I had a 'feast' on them when I was a child and was extremely ill. Bright purple vomit is not a pretty sight!

82. My (as yet unfulfilled) ambition is to scuba dive off the Great Barrier Reef. I can't imagine anything more blissful than to be at one with the fishes.

83. One of my fondest memories of Steph's childhood is watching her dressed up as the White Witch from Narnia, 'executing' our poor old long-suffering Cocker Spaniel, Grish who was unwittingly playing the part of Aslan.

84. I really don't like mobile phones with polyphonic ringtones.

85. This may be phone envy as I still have an ancient Nokia 3210 that doesn't even vibrate or have WAP, never mind photo-messaging.

86. I am so deprived. (

87. Believe it or not I used to smoke. All through my teens. I even rolled my own cigarettes at one stage. I gave up at 20. Watching a documentary on lung cancer and seeing a bucketful of diseased lungs was enough to make the decision to give up the evil weed.

88. I used to have to look after and cook for my two younger brothers during the school holidays whilst my mother was at work. They have never let me forget those early culinary experiences. I was famous for my 'beans on plate'.

89. If I had been born a boy, I would have been Christopher.

90. As it was, my dad wanted to name me Marilyn (after Monroe). With my lack of cleavage, I'm glad my mother overruled him.

91. As mentioned before I am trying to learn Spanish. I have just learned that the Spanish for octopus is 'pulpo'. What a brilliant word!

92. Does that mean I have a pulpo fetish?

93. I can still ride my bike 'no hands'. No mean feat at my age! Maybe I should join a circus.

94. Except that I am terrified of clowns. They give me the creeps. I still can't sit through Stephen King's 'It'. *shudder*

95. I have learned within the last week that being a nurse still doesn't prepare you for the shock when someone close to you becomes seriously ill.

96. Ideally I'd like to weigh just under 9stone. A little way to go there though.

97. My favourite book is either 'Persuasion' or 'Pride and Prejudice' both by Jane Austen. I re-read them both regularly and they're still as fresh every time.

98. But I'm also a big Harry Potter fan. All hail JK Rowling for having inspired kids to start reading again.

99. I cannot think of a time when I was happier. It's been a tough few years, but now I am living with my wonderful honey in my wonderful old house and now my wonderful daughter has moved in too. My life is complete.

Adri

*Amaranth

Amish Boy

Cate!

*Catriona

CB's Boy

CB Bro

Chrissy

Claris

Clarrie

Closet B

Cosmic Bob

*Dru

eiddy

Godeater

Jipsy Girl

KitCat

*Leather Jacket

Little Sister

loki

*MedusA

*moppety

Narrator

*Newfan

*Ogre

OzLady

PDR

paksenarrion

RTBS

Sarah

SarahNicole

Seska

Shehawken

'stina

Suzanne

Terwilliger

*Mr. Whyt

Willa

William Shatner

Xanderella

Zoey