The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over The Lazy Dog (A)

Member Name: delawney

Product:	A
Date:	26/04/03 (474 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A

Disadvantages: Z

Hmmm - an A-Z of delawney - where to begin? Some choices seem so obvious, and others are such hard work - it took me ages to come up with a "J". Others - simply too many choices for that letter! Well, without further ado...


A is for All About Eve

I don't know what it is about this band, but for me it seems they can simply do no wrong. I was quite tickled to see a young lass on "Stars in Their Eyes - Kids" last Saturday doing the lovely Julianne Regan from All About Eve, and most disappointed that she didn't win.

Of course, she performed "the hit", "Martha's Harbour", which due to it's much over-played-ness is not my most favourite AAE song. AAE started as a sort of goth-folk-rock band for their first couple of albums, but had evolved into something more Curve-esque by their fourth album "Ultraviolet". They split in the early 90's, only to reform and start gigging about three years ago, since when they've released a plethora of live CDs and a new album is on the way soon - yippee!


B is for Bed

Probably my favourite place to be! I so love sleeping! Nothing beats that feeling when you wake up on a Saturday morning and realise you can just snuggle up and stay there for another few hours. And listen to "Home Truths".


C is for Cats
I grew up amongst cats - my mother used to breed siamese cats when I was a small child. Despite having a rather nasty allergy to them, I find I can overcome this once I have been around any individual cat long enough.

At present we have two little furmonsters - Pavlov and Schrodinger - who provide us with hours of entertainment, although not the amount of love and affection I would like to receive, since they are not exactly lap cats!

They both have the strangest fascination with water - as long as it's not from their bowl. They will drink out of the bathroo
m sink, the bath, flowerpots, puddles - and their most favourite of all, our glasses. So much so that Mr delawney now leaves a glass of water down for them next to their water bowl (big softy that he is). Pavlov has actually mastered the art of sticking her head in a pint glass, tipping it so that she can reach thewater, drinking and then standing it back up again before taking her head out. I should video that for "You've Been Framed".

("C" could also have been for coffee...)


D is for delawney
It's somehow become my online identity, and it really is a part of me. Sometimes I think of myself as delawney, rather than as my real name. I kind of relish the anonymity of it all - it allows you a certain element of freedom to be honest. It's not a pseudonym I hide behind, it really is me.


E is for Ethics
Sounds a bit of a funny choice I know. I studied philosophy (see "P"!) and my most favourite branch of philosophy was ethics. I am fascinated both by the fundamental questions such as "why be ethical?" and "where do ethics come from?", and the specific arguments about ethical issues of the day.

As a teenager I was highly opinionated and had very strong ideas of right and wrong. Somehow, as you get older you learn to appreciate that there are more "shades of grey". To be fair, I am still highly opinionated, and still have very strong views on various matters, but at least I know have some pretty impressive arguments to back them up!


F is for Family and Friends
OK, I know it's highly predictable and it's so many people's "F", but they are important to me so I'm not going to stray away from the norm here.

I have been blessed with the most amazing family. My parents divorced at seven, and now I'm in the extremely priviliged position of having four fantastic parents. I was an only
child, but now I also have four brothers and sisters - the best of both worlds. Of course, it wasn't always easy, and there were lots of issues I had to come to terms with along the way. But I wouldn't change my family for the world.

I am not the most gregarious person in the world, and I don't surround myself with large groups of friends. But the friends I have are very important and special to me, I value them highly and would do anything I could for them. Some of my friends are spread across the country, and whilst we may not speak for long periods of time, when we do there is still a closeness and the time just slips away. Surely the value of such relationships is immeasurable.


G is for Growing Up
Or to be more accurate, not growing up! I have no intention of ever growing up. My parents haven't done so yet, so why on earth should I have to?

Sometimes I am hit with the sudden realisation that I am actually an adult, that I am married, have a responsible job, and own a house. And I think "crikey! Who let me do that?!"


H is for Home
I have to confess I'm a bit of a homebody. I don't go away very often - I enjoy spending time at home, especially with Mr delawney ;).

I like my home to be a reflection of me, indeed of us, so having moved a year ago we are gradually working round the house decorating and making it feel like ours.

Home is my sanctuary. It's where I come at the end of a crappy day at work and curl up and relax.


I is for Internet
Hmm, I fear I may have turned into a bit of a geek! I seem to spend an unhealthy amount of time sat in front of my PC engaging with the internet - be it opinionating, updating my website, chatting with family and friends, sending emails, listening to music or just surfing for the hell of it.

I am constantly amazed by the wealth of information available on the internet. I am somewha
t jealous that it wasn't around in it's present form when I was at school, as it sure as hell would have helped with the homework!

As I have grown accustomed to the internet I have been presently surprised by the sense of community that thrives there - especially on sites such as dooyoo. Internet relationships (by which I am not necessarily referring to romantic relationships) may be "unconventional" by more traditional standards, but I still regard some of the people I have only ever spoken to through a computer as friends as much as those in real life.


J is for Job
I have a job, which is in itself something to be thankful for. I currently have a bit of a love/hate relationship with my job. Sometimes I really love it - it can be exhilirating, challenging and highly rewarding. It can also be boring, stressful or almost impossible, and thus can take up substatial amounts of my life, which I object to. I think it's important to have a job you enjoy, but it's important to have a life outside of work too.


K is for Kids
Or not as the case may be! Having been married for 4 years, the question "so, no kids yet?" comes up far to often for my liking. Why is there this strange assumption that everyone wants children? Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike children - I dote on my neices and nephews, they're just simply not for me. I recognise that I am too selfish and that I don't want to spend my time devoted to kids. But I think it's more selfish to try and have your own life and your own career, and try and squeeze children in too. If you're going to have kids, you've got to be prepared to give them the time and attention they deserve. And I'm not.


L is for Learning
I am always learning. Sometimes that is in a formal sense - I did a degree, I have recently qualified as an accountant. But I don't think you ever stop learning. I ha
ve a thirst for knowledge, and I like to fill myself full of information on a variety of subjects. Perhaps that's why I like quizzes so much. And of course, the whole experience of life is a learning process in itself.


M is for Mr delawney
Well, there had to be a soppy moment. He is not just my husband, he is my best friend. He is my strength, my support, and the person with whom I laugh more than anyone else. I couldn't imagine my life without him.


N is for Not Eating Animals
OK, it's predictable, it had to come up somewhere! But not eating animals is a very important part of who I am. Although I'm extremely open about it, I hope that whilst I may be encouraging, I hope I am never preachy, as there is nothing worse than a preachy vegetarian.

But get me started on it, and it is clear it is something I feel very strongly about. Going vegan was never a whim - it was a carefully thought out rational decision based on my personal inability to reconcile meat-and-dairy-eating to my ethical position.


O is for Opinionated
I am, I can't help it. Perhaps that's why I enjoy dooyoo so much!


P is for Philosophy
Despite going on to become an accountant, I studied philosophy at university and my love for it has never gone away. It is an excellent way to train your mind to think things through rationally. My favourite areas centre around ethics (see above). At the moment I'm reading a particularly fascinating book - "Philosophy Behind the Headlines" - examining the philosophical background around issues of the day. (I can also thoroughly recommend "The D'Oh of Homer - The Simpsons and Philosophy", a collection of philosophical essays inspired by our favourite TV family).


Q is for Quality Music
OK, so I'm cheating a little here so I can get music in ;)

I can't imagine life without music. I think I've
said on dooyoo before, that when people ask you that age old question "would you rather be deaf or blind?" (bloody stupid question if you ask me) I have to answer blind, as I don't think I could cope if I did not have music.

I grew up in a family with a professional musician, so was surrounded by music from a young age. This music took a variety of forms, but I remember at 5 years old my favourites being Abba and Kate Bush, although my favourite song was "Narnia" by Steve Hackett. (It's still a fave now, as it happens!).

Nowadays I refuse to be constrained by musical style. I like what I like be it rock, metal, folk, jazz, pop, singer-songwriter types or the downright bizarre.


R is for aRithmetic
Cheating again! Well, it is one of the three "R"s, so ner!

I finally had to admit that I love numbers. At school, although I was good at it I could never really get into maths as it all seemed so meaningless - all that algebra and trigonometry and stuff. I was interested in "issues" and "politics" and "music", and maths just didn't seem to relate to any of that. So I left school and abandoned mathematics completely, choosing to involve myself in artsy-fartsy subjects instead.

But as time moved on, I happened to fall into a job that gave me an opportunity to play with numbers and spreadsheets, and slowly came to the realisation that no only was I good at it, but I actually quite enjoyed it. I like the patterns and regularity of numbers. In fact, they almost have a rhythm - I "hear" telephone numbers as a kind of syncopated beat.

Once it dawned on me that you could actually employ number skills in a useful work environment - such as for a charitable or social-orientated organisation, I finally realised what I wanted to do. So now I am an officially boring accountant.


S is for Sarcasm
I can't help i
t. It just slips out. Sometimes it gets me into trouble - it can so easily be misunderstood, especially online when you are unable to present the tone of voice indicating you are being sarcastic.


T is for Television
I really like this more than I should. I spend far too much time vegetating in front of the gogglebox, and sometimes (OK, often) it has to be said that I watch some absolute drivel. I really like all the sad decorating programmes, or programmes about selling houses/buying houses/building houses. I think I'm just nosey and like to see inside other people's homes.

I also have a bit of a penchant for "cult" TV, especially Buffy and Angel of course ;)

However, I also spend a lot of time shouting at the television. I get so cross when I see people like Bush and Blair spouting their unadulterated crap at us. Do they really think we're stupid? I hate being taken for stupid.


U is for Unconventional
This is not to say I truly am unconventional - many things in my life are highly conventional. I'm married, I have a regular job etc. I do not strive to be unconvetional. But I will not do something just because convention demands it. Like choosing not to have children. Like having a house-husband. Like wearing what I want to wear regardless of whether it happens to be in fashion or not. Like listening to the music I want to listen to regardless of the genre. I guess I just know my own mind!


V is for Voice
I'm cheating a little here, as "voice" sums up two things for me.

First - we all have a voice, and we should not be afraid to use it. When you believe that something is wrong, you should be prepared to stand up and be counted. Even at school I was obsessed with signing petitions, writing off letters, running campaigns. As I got older I got into full-on protesting, marching against the Poll Tax before I was even old enough to pa
y it. Then there were the live export protests that took up months of my life and led to my first ever arrest (for "wilful obstruction of the Queen's highway". Never seen the Queen there myself).

Second, is singing. Since I'd used up my "S" on sarcasm I had to get singing in here somewhere! I adore singing. I sing along to my CDs all the time. Whilst decorating over the Easter weekend, I pulled out my favourite selection of decorating CDs (Best of Pat Benatar, Guns n Roses "Appetite for Destruction", Yes "90125") and sung along heartily as I painted. The windows were open. I dread to think what the neighbours thought.


W is for Writing
Writing is something I've kind of re-discovered via dooyoo. I used to love writing as a child, and had aspirations to be a journalist in my younger years. As my love for music florished, I decided I wanted to be a rock journalist so I could combine the two loves. Now I'm an accountant, I'm not quite sure what happened!

As a teenager I spent ages engaged in creative writing and some extremely dodgy poetry - none of which I'm going to share with you here, as it was all decidedly rubbish.

Nowadays, I confine myself to opinion sites and my webpage, where I have recently added two sections - "delawney's diary" and "delawney explains it all" where I have the freedom to write about pretty much anything I want. I doubt many people read it, but for me, it's enough simply to have written it - that's where I get the satisfaction. I like writing about real things rather than fiction - I'm not sure why, perhaps that's because it's where I feel I have something valid to say.


X is for eXperience
My Dad says "there's no such thing as good experience or bad experience, there's just experience" and I think he's right. Everything I've experienced
in my life up until now, whether it felt good or bad at the time, has helped make me the person who I am today, and I like and feel comfortable with the person I am today. Thus, I try not to regret anything, although that is not always easy!


Y is for Why?
OK, I can't stop bending the rules. But "Why?" is one of the most important questions you can ask. Admittedly, when toddlers go through that annoying stage of saying "why?" to everything it can be somewhat annoying, but that aside, it is something I feel we should ask more often. All too often it seems we take the information we receive from television and the newspapers and accept their spin on things, without ever asking why.

This also brings me back to philosophy, and the fundamental questions of life, the universe and everything - "why are we here?" etc. OK, we may never know the answer, but we can have great fun trying.


Z is for Zany
I like to think I'm a bit zany. Truthfully, this is probably just wishful thinking, in reality I suspect I am probably quite boring.



So there you have it - the A-Z of delawney. I'm off to read some more of other people's A-Zs now I can no longer be subliminally influenced by other people's choices!

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