The very nice @melkshamMum , the musical-loving dad @blendingtime , and the lovely @SAHMlovingit kindly tagged me with this list which allows the recipient to indulge in some over-sharing.
In the spirit of disclosure with which I have been tagged, I’ll try to make it a bit more interesting than: 1) I’ve got blue eyes; 2) I wear glasses; 3) I like a pint 4) I have three kids 5) I am married 6) I like typing; 7) I like to eat food; 8) I am a housedad; 9) And a reluctant one at that; 10) I need a new shirt.
Please bear with me on a journey through some of the weird and wonderful events that have been my life…
1) Dale Winton was my lodger. And now we share twin godsons. But we don’t live in the same house any more.
2) I covered the first Gulf War as a reporter and was involved in a car crash. Our car hit a sand berm in the Saudi desert, rolled over several times, leaving me an my Spanish journaist colleague unconscious. We were rescued by American troops, patched up in a MASH hospital, then placed under house arrest. I ‘escaped’ so I could get to see Kuwait being liberated, only to have another accident, this time involving our driver spearing the car on the barrel of a burnt out tank in the middle of the potholed road to Kuwait City. I was rescued by the legendary writer P.J. O’Rourke.
3) I worked on the Washington Post for three months after winning a fellowship. I got to meet the great Bob Woodward, but not Carl Bernstein.
4) I can raise my left eyebrow, like Roger Moore. But not the right.
5) I am 47 years old but I have no grey hairs on my head. Friends and family accuse me of dying it.
6) I was mugged in Delhi five hours before I was due to fly home after a solo backpacking trip. The thief took everything – plane tickets, wallet, credit cards etc. A friendly tuk-tuk driver saw how upset I was and invited me to live with his family for a week until I made arrangements to get home through the British Embassy. At the end, I got money wired through and tried to give him £40 – the equivalent of a year’s salary – but he refused to take it. ‘I did this for God,’ he said, as he hugged and departed.
7) I proposed to my wife at Gulfoss, the double waterfall in Iceland. She said yes, though it wasn’t much of a surprise as she was pregnant with our first son.
8) I would kill you to get to a nice piece of cheese. Ideally, a strong nutty Cheddar, like Montgomery’s, Isle of Mull or Westcombe (I find Keen’s a bit too earthy).
9) I have been stuck in lifts with Status Quo’s Francis Rossi and actor Ben Kingsley. But not at the same time.
10) My all-time favourite TV show is Seinfeld. When I die I want to come back as George Constanza.
So, that’s me done…who fancies being next? Please raise a hand – but don’t all rush at once!
No-one? OK, how about these guys…
@TheFoolTweets
@SunnivaAnne
@IAmWitWitWoo
THE. BEST. LIST. EVER!
You are just too cool. Fact. Gutted you still don’t live with Dale “Bring On The Wall” Winton though.
Number one makes me jealous. I love Dale Winton.
Number two scares me.
Number four gave me butterflies [well the photo did], I lurve Roger Moore.
Number five also makes me jealous because at 25 I have lots of grey hair
Number six made me cry, what a sweet man to not take the money, and how sweet of you to offer it in the first place.
My list looks rubbish now compared to yours!
Wow you get around!! I can raise each of my eyebrows… It’s a weird skill to have really. I don’t think i’ve ever been stuck in a lift with anyone famous.
I thought I had a connection with you Keith and now I know what it is. I’m the biggest Seinfeld fan in the world! It’s my absolute favourite!!! Oh, and I love cheese. LOL Do you have a favourite episode? I have quite a few but the episode about The Library Book Detective, Mr Bookman is pretty much a favourite.
Anne xx
I spent the first Gulf war in a sealed room, only venturing out with my gas-mask around my neck. And I love cheese. Apparently my friend and I saw Ben Kingsly outside the King David Hotel in Jerusalem but I didn’t recognise him without his nappy on.
You have put us all to shame! Interestingly (in the loosest sense of the word) I can raise my right eyebrow but not my left. I’ve just spent ten minutes in front of the mirror to verify this. I think I may make it my maternity leave mission to exercise my left eyebrow until it is as versatile as its brother and then pass the boring meetings I will be going back to with eyebrow aerobics. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
Oh my word…You have had some pretty cool experiences! Love the story about the Guy taking you in. You seriously should write more about your adventures…I’d love to read them and I’m sure so would everyone else!
Number 6 just made me go all emotional……
OMG. Number two? I’ve got goosebumps. How the hell could anyone top that?!!! Not that I’ll have to, cos even though I’m DYING to be tagged in this one, nobody has thus far.
Was Dale Winton that orange when he lived with you? Did you have to wear sunglasses in the house?
What? I was sure your first one would be ‘I actually don’t have a job’. Wonders never cease.
All the Presidents Men was one of my favourite books – may have to re-read it now.
Impressive list. x
WHAT?! Seriously? I started reading this and thought, “ok, he’s doing a fake one now because *really*?! It’s the journalist thing, I didn’t know that. You have had a very impressive life Mr. Reluctant HouseDad. I’m disappointed though that you didn’t mention the ability to iron a shirt in 27 seconds.
Good list. A nice cheese is worth killing for.
Not really.
Actually. Really.
You’ll have to do another ten, these were just amazing….and I love Montgomery’s Cheese and am terrified of getting stuck in a lift with Smiley in her wheelchair – I’ve never shared one with anyone famous. A pity, as clearly it would be great blog fodder….
OK I love your list, particularly 2 & 3, and definitely 6. You really sound as if you’ve had really interesting experiences. & the challenge to come up with ten of my own is tough, really tough!
What a great read. Fab listaroony. May I say that you have had a fair few excitements in your life. Great stuff!
Quite,glad I haven’t been tagged in this as my list would be so boring compared to yours!
Wow. Those are some amazing things about you I never knew. Would love to go to Iceland one day. And, yeah I don’t believe you about the grey hair either!
Oh good god, how does one follow that? I came here for inspiration but now I’m just gonna slink off feeling I’m even more boring a person than before I cam here.
You git.
I realised that I hadn’t read this before I wrote mine and now glad that I didn’t. After all those adventures I’m not surprised that you are a reluctant housedad. The life of an accountant will never be so adventurous, better make up for it in my personal life then.
oh wow, you have led an interesting life, but being a housedad is much more exciting, yeah??