That'll be me, then...

...so open-minded where it comes to those things that actually I write about quite often:

, you're now logged in!

Below you'll find your test result. After, continue on to your
homescreen to discover what we're about.

continue to OkCupid homescreen >

The Skeptic You scored 0% on paranormal beliefs!

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. Your head is firmly attached and you don't accept mumbo-jumbo. You might be interested to know that statistics from this test show that women score significantly higher than men. Almost no women obtain the category of 'Skeptic' (0-15%). Comments on this test are appreciated. Don't forget to rate it. Thank you.

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 99% on suggestibility

Link: The paranormal vs skeptic Test written by Neil_Ottawa on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

I have committed science fiction...

...and must, apparently, be punished for it. My chest feels like it's playing host to a feather boa constrictor (and I'm allergic to feathers); it hurts, and does not breathe. Urgh.

Still, First Reader has read the SF story, and approved it; which means it can go to Second Readers, at least in draft form. shewhomust (aka First Reader) and I had talking which led to this rather fabulous post about Cordwainer Smith, which of course has led me on to Michael Flanders describing music as defrosted architecture, which...

In other news: some days, a salad is the only proper lunch; some days, it's soup. Some days it simply has to be black pudding with devilled mushrooms on toast. You can have, um, four guesses, which kind of day it was today.

In other news: m'friend'n'colleague Mark Chadbourn, speaking from his blog at 'Jack of Ravens', has tagged me with a meme. I don't usually allow tagging, especially from alien blogs (those which are not LJ, ie) - but, hey, I have to keep on his good side. He demands that I list five things not widely known about me (and most of his turn out to be violent, which is another good reason to do what he tells me). Trouble is, of course, my life is an open blog already; I sold my secrets long ago, so this is probably all going to retread old ground. Still, show willing...

1) I met Tolkien one time, when I was a bug-eyed schoolboy who thought God had four initials, and two of them were R. This led fairly directly to my not writing a word of fantasy for twenty years. (As it happens, my other teenage obsession was science fiction, and once I turned professional, I didn't write a word of SF for thirty years. This current story is my second pro SF story; the first is here.)

2) I never travel without my teddy bear Softly (see icon, where he poses in the Ritz hotel in Taipei), who is rather more famous than I am. He is also more adventurous; I, for example, have never been hunted across London by the man who was - ceasefire or no ceasefire - number one on the IRA hit-list.

3) I once sold my body for a cheesecake recipe. Those who have tasted the cheesecake reckon I got the better of the deal.

4) I nearly died one time in a snowstorm, right here in the middle of the city. Major asthma attack on top of a chest infection; I just thought I was dreaming. In fact I was turning blue. Saved by a dog-walker with a mobile phone, to my mild embarrassment (I have been known to be rude about both dogs and mobile phones).

5) I never flew until I was in my late twenties; I never flew alone till my late thirties. Nothing phobic, just that planes didn't seem to come my way. Trying to make up for it now, but I'm still no great shakes as a traveller. Only everybody thinks I am, because I talk so glibly about Taiwan and Korea and such. I'm a terrible fraud. Happily, everybody knows that already...