All About Me

I was Born in Aberdeen, on the Northeast coast of Scotland, to an unsuspecting world on November 10, 1970. Aberdeen is known as the "Silver City By The Sea" due to the sheer amount of Granite used in the buildings. Until Recently, it has had beds of roses on the meridians (the latest Council has been paving them over, unfortunately). Believe it or not, it has a beach, with sand, and the beach has an Amusement park.

There's good ><> Fish & chips to be had, and one of my favorite desserts with a Strange name: the Knickerbocker Glory - a fruit and ice cream Parfait made just a little bit different everywhere they Make it :)

Yes, I still understand the Lingo :) I used to speak that way, once upon a time, before we moved to Canada, when I was 5five5 years old, and I still can (Auntie Alice: I've passed the Auntie Alice test, haven't I? ;), even though it does Feel a bit "put on" :)

Here's a quick guide, with admittedly approximate spelling :)

• "tattie" = potato - a mild insult in addition to being a foodstuff
  
• "neep" = turnip/rutabaga - also a mild insult :)
• "whit like?" = how are you? (In Aberdeen, "wh" is often pronounced "f")
• "foo's yer doos?" = literally "how are your pigeons", i.e. how are you? :)
• "chavvin'" = good, in response to how are you
• "aye peckin'" = literally "always pecking", a good response to "foo's yer doos?"
• "braw" = great
  
• "poch ma hon" = kiss my butt! (in good ol' Scottish Gaelic)
  

We lived in Burnaby, B.C., then Vancouver, then picked up shop and moved to Edmonton for about four years. When I was 12, we moved to Calgary, Alberta, and that's where I've been ever Since.

CHILDHOOD
The Primary School of Life

It's Strange.  I swear that I got all my interests from around the time I was 8 years old.  I Remember getting a printout of a Snoopy calendar from UBC and taking home Punchcards (computers), and in the same visit (at least I think so - my memory is ha_zy from that many Years ago), some venus flytraps - what kid wouldn't think those were cool? :) (plants).  We boarded some foreign university students from the likes of France and Japan, and I have in my possession German and Spanish phrasebooks from my grandfather on my 9th birthday (languages).  I still have (oops) a Library book entitled "Magic with Chemistry", containing Experiments you would never see in a children's Chemistry book today... cool things like fireworks, cold light, invisible ink, glow-in-the-dark-paint which requires heating to white-hot for Hours, as well as a science book by "Dr. Zed", which had nifty things like how to make an acid-base indicator fluid out of red Cabbages.

We m o v e d around a Lot in those early years.  From Burnaby to Vancouver to Edmonton to Calgary, and a few spots inside the cities.  I'm not sure I spent more than two Years in the same school until high school :)  Nerdy as I was (and what school social environment isn't hard on nerds? :), I always Managed to make a really good friend or two.  Not sure if these folks Remember me, but I remember them.  I remember Robin from grade 4, Alexander the Greek from grade 5 and 6, Mark avec Vic 20 from grade 7.  Heck, I think I even have some memories of Patricia from kindergarden that I made hats with all those years ago :)

Some of the schools I Attended were interesting.  Steinhauer in Edmonton seemed really bent on Multiculturalism, which was nifty.  It seemed like every other Student was from a different country.  So much so that we even had a Day where we set up pavilions representing a whole lot of Countries and folks' parents cooked their native cuisines.  Laurier Heights in Edmonton had an interesting Québec bent to it, and had an annual Bonhomme (French for "snowman") Festival patterned after the ones in French Canada.  Crestwood (also in Edmonton) was a very small school (with some good teachers, but unfortunately, you couldn't escape from the bad teachers :) with a Mr. Miller running the very first computer lab I ever saw, and a more Enthusiastic mentor of others I have not seen :)

FOLKS I WISH I HAD MET
They're Dead, Jim

THOUGHTS AND ALL THAT
Some of the stuff that goes on inside this greasy gray matter inside my head :)

• Sorbitol is a sweet alcohol present in berries - it holds on to water and doesn't get digested, so if you eat too many sorbitol-sweetened candies, be prepared for a long sit on the toilet.
• The neurons in your head typically connect to 10,000 neurons or so on the receiving end and 10,000 on the giving end.  According to one researcher, the incoming connections "wriggle like a bucket of worms" inside your head.
• Chinese for ham is "huo-tui", which is "fire leg".  Chinese for approximately is "zuo you" or "right left".
• The best way to get handwriting samples, especially if you're working on a case, is to get the people involved to write a couple of paragraphs on completely unlined paper of where they were along with a statement that they did not do the deed.  A slight space before a word can often mean either that it was tough to spell, or that the writer had to think an extra moment, and could be lying/anxious about the particular item being written about.
• Granulated sugar actually makes an effective material to ward off infection in deep wounds.  It works in much the same way as salt does (sucks water out of the bacteria) but less painfully to the patient.  It's sold commercially mixed with povidone-iodine for maximum effectivness.  Don't use it until the bleeding is stemmed, because sugar can prolong bleeding.
• Dogbert rules (but he's so mean :)

Dena likes this picture :)

I've got blue eyes that Show up as red with most *flash* photography (you can choose whether to take that in the optical sense or to impugn my character in a light-hearted way :), I'm 6 feet tall (why does height sound better in imperial units?), long hair (if you can't, or refuse to, see from the pictures :), and a shocking amount of gray coming from my temples (dang, I could have been an elven extra for Lord of the Rings with only the addition of ears :).

Two(2) activities from my youth I still really enjoy Doing: (=bumper cars=) (dodgems in UK-speak) and trampolines (I cannot wait to get one of my own... oh yes, and the space to put it in, bien sûr :).