100 Things

Chris tagged me to tell you 5 things that you didn’t know about me. However, 5 things is for wimps. I’ve updated my list of 100 things and amongst them I’m sure you’ll find five or more that you did not know already.

Here we go….

100 things about me

1. Born 1966
2. Born in Leeds in Yorkshire
3. Birthday – 22 October
4. I’ve been a candidate in a General Election
5. Activism is, to me, a spiritual discipline
6. I enjoy changing people’s minds
7. “The way to peace, is to actively build a just and civil society”
8. Only 17 votes came between me and seat on Stirling Council in May 2003
9. The cat is called Tilly – she is the boss.
10. I am a rather inactive radio ham and have been since I was 16
11. My callsign is GM4SQT
12. I can knit better than I can sew
13. Ordained deacon in 1997
14. Ordained priest in the Scottish Episcopal Church in 1998
15. I still consider myself a deacon as well as a priest
16. Singing is a part of my vocation
17. Helping other people to enjoy singing is a part of my vocation too
18. I believe that there is no God worth believing in, who sends people to hell

19. I am probably more “high church” than most people
20. I feel more fulfilled and useful doing a funeral than a wedding
21. I bought my car (a Ford Ka) because I liked the clock
22. I wish I liked coffee
23. I didn’t drink alcohol at all until I was 25
24. I read Computing Science and Mathematics at Manchester Polytechnic when I first left school
25. Then Divinity at the University of St Andrews
26. Then, after a three year gap came training for ministry at the Theological Institute of the Scottish Episcopal Church (TISEC) and a degree in “Ministry” at New College Edinburgh
27. I coped with my studies in Manchester
28. I thrived on my studies in St Andrews
29. I endured my studies at New College, Edinburgh
30. TISEC tested my survival skills
31. Lay ministry is very important to me
32. I refuse to confirm or deny whether I have a tattoo
33. My memory is very good
34. I like to appear more organised than I really am
35. I’m a Provost
36. I live in a wally close
37. I am a trained Mission 21 facilitator in the church
38. I’m uncertain whether clergy tenure is a good thing. (I used to be sure it was good).
39. My taste in organ music has turned surprisingly French in recent years
40. I learned to touch-type in school instead of playing rugby
41. Many of my holidays in recent years have been on a boat
42. Lots of my experiences on the boat have frightened me
43. I found that sinking is scary, even in a canal
44. Liturgy, for me, is the cradle of the numinous
45. Despite seeing the Wallace monument every day for six years, I’ve never visited it
46. I learn fragments of languages (French, NT Greek, Swedish, Hebrew etc) but don’t know any of them very well at all
47. I learn fragments of computer languages (Pascal, Algol 68, Java, Python etc) but don’t know any of them very well at all
48. HTML seems to be more bother than it is worth
49. I hate locks – in heaven there will be neither locks nor keys
50. I have been a chaplain in the University of London and the University of Stirling
51. I have no middle name
52. I don’t blog about members of the congregation in which I work
53. I don’t blog about personal/family relationships
54. I’m unsure now about my enneagram number – used to identify as 4 for sure but now, I seem to be behaving like a 3.
55. I know my Myers-Briggs type (ENFP) [but used to identify as an INFP]
56. “Chant matters”
57. I can play the piano/organ, the guitar and various other folk instruments
58. My computer has two monitors – some people find this spooky
59. I can cook
60. I sometimes work out and often swim but don’t look like a gym-bunny (yet)
61. With others, I campaigned successfully for broadband internet access in a local community
62. Campaigning is something I learned how to do in my thirties
63. Managing change is one of the skills I bring to my work
64. I like the sun
65. “Mission is too important to be left to the mad”
66. My book reviews are published in a national church magazine
67. The place I have enjoyed living most was the East End of London
68. Since I moved away from London, I miss going to the theatre as often as I could then
69. Theatre and Liturgy are not the same thing, but related.
70. I’ve met the Queen
71. A sense of humour is a requirement of my job
72. “Blogging is performance”
73. I’d like us to consider whether bishops should be elected by the Condorcet voting system
74. I’ve never been a member of the Church of England
75. I’ve never been a member of the Church of Scotland (though I tried it for 2 weeks).
76. I’m enjoying getting older – life is much better
77. “Digital, not analogue”
78. I once flew to Paris to see an icon
79. I only wear a biretta when it is snowing
80. During my training for ordination I won a scholarship to go to Sweden
81. During my training for ordination I won a scholarship to travel in Egypt
82. I can remember the Swedish word for “mercy”
83. I know more about synthesizing organ music by computer than most people do
84. I think a lot about design and visual communication
85. Favourite poem: probably, “Magician [Master]” by HD
86. Whatever Gerard Manly Hopkins says, I care little for dappled things
87. “Church is supposed to be fun and holy”
88. I have a degree in Practical Theology and Christian Ethics but feel highly sceptical about the possibility of the latter.
89. My eyes are green – well I think so
90. I have some of my own art on the walls of my living room
91. Patterns fascinate
92. Numbers are still important to me
93. “Black shoes in the sanctuary, please!”
94. “Yes, Holy Week is necessary”
95. Member of the Scottish Guild of Servers
96. I wish I had studied Latin
97. Living on my own is fun
98. People matter
99. Radio controlled clocks and watches were invented for me
100. I’m not good at making lists