[HP4GU-FAQ] Getting To Know You, Getting To Know All About You

[eloiseherisson at aol.com]

Sorry. I'm not being anti-social,  just busy.
> 
> >Real name:

Elizabeth Blanning

> 
> >Also known as:

Eloise
Ed, to those who don't know what's good for them.

> 
> >Age/Sex:

46. Four children, so come to your own conclusions.

> 
> >Birthplace/Livingplace:

Born: Sale, Cheshire, England. Moved to Renfrewshire, Scotland at age of 8, 
back to Chester at 13 and to Kent at 18. Earlier adult years in London. Spent 
three and a half years in Tokyo. Now resident in Kent with no intention of 
leaving.

> 
> >Family Life:

Married for ages.
Boy, 13, Girls, 11, 10, 7.
No parents. No siblings. No family in the vicinity.
Hamsters, aged guinea pig, horse.

> >Personality:

Somewhat lacking. At least in person.
According to Myers briggs, I'm INFP, if I did it right,that is.

Actually, although I don't believe in such things at all, I once looked 
myself up on a site which gives personality traits according to numerological name 
analysis. 

http://www.kabalarians.com/ghk/your.htm

The entries for both Elizabeth and Eloise are, on the whole, spookily 
accurate (not the health notes) 

> 
> >Words friends have used to describe you:

I've never liked to ask.

> 
> >Words you have used to describe you:

Lazy, disorganised, untidy, well-intentioned, antisocial, religious, 
agnostic, conflicted, insecure, tolerant, selfish, impatient, painstaking, irritable.

> 
> >Things you do when not staring at the computer:

Waste time in other ways. And ride a bit (trans: horseback riding). And 
tranrt children. Actually I do three hours of school runs a day.



> >Comfort foods:

I hadn't thought of this until soemone else wrote it, but tea.

> 
> >Education/Work:

Eternal student!
Graduated in Music from London University, through stubbornness, rather than 
talent. should never have done it, but there you are.

Did PGCE (teaching certificate) at Jesus College, Cambridge. Hopeless at 
teaching but a jolly good year (Not least because I was one of only 5 women in the 
college. Shame it was only the men I *wasn't* interested in who asked me 
out!).

Worked as a nursing auxiliary at St Christopher's Hospice for a year or so to 
sort myself out. Applied to train for ordained ministry. Rejected, so God 
must exist, as otherwise I'd now be yet another priest who didn't believe in Him. 


Went on to train as registered nurse at University College Hospital, London. 
Ended up specialising in Ophthalmology. My favourite job ever was working in 
the casualty at Moorfields Eye Hospital. After that I became a Health Visitor 
(sort of public health nurse). Sociable hours, but burgeoning paperwork. Left 
to have children.

Now I'm doing what I'd always really wanted to do and studying archaeology. 
I'm a (very) part time student at the University of Kent, doing a modular 
degree over 6 years. I've passed the Certificate level and am working for the 
Diploma at present (although surrently taking a break until September). No, there 
isn't any practical work involved. But I spent 2-3 days/week working on a huge 
and very important dig in Canterbury the summer term before last and I'm 
intending to spend a week digging a Roman villa site in August.

I'd like to do post-grad eventually. Once I sort out my motivational 
problems!

> 
> >Language skills

What Language skills?
I'm English!
I can talk slowly and loudly, if I have to.

I have a little French, which I insisted on using at Disneyland Paris, 
because I was so disgusted with my compatriots who wouldn't try. And they were very 
nice about it. Must have been the American training in customer relations, I 
think.
Even less German, gleaned from Lieder, mostly.
I did a couple of terms of Japanese. Don't ask.
I did Latin to 'A' level, although I've forgotten most of it and have a 
little Greek vocabulary, though less grammar.
I'm not a linguist. It's the confidence thing. Don't like to speak! But I 
love *words* and their meanings

> 
> >Technical know-how:

Zero

> 
> >Favourite HP book:

POA

> 
> >Favourite HP character(s):

You have to *ask*?

> 
> 

> 
> 
> >Favourite HP line

" - you'll still have your Potions master when I've finished with him, never 
fear!"

> 
> 
> 
> >Watching/Avoiding the HP movies?:

have seen both a couple of times. Have video of PS and DVD of CoS. Haven't 
watched latter. Hoped there'd be some extra Snape, but there wasn't.
> 
> >Into HP fanfiction?

No, though I have nothing against it.
> 
> >Books you'd recommend to just about anyone:



Tough. I don't know that there's much I'd recommend just about anyone.

I like Jane Austen, Hardy, Charlotte Bronte, E.M. Forster, Wilkie Collins, 
Ruth Rendell (especially writing as Barbara Vine), Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery 
Allingham's "Campion" books, Mary Wesley. I love Daphne du Maurier's _Rebecca_ 
and it's recent spin off by Sally Beauman, _Anna Karenina_.

I like lots of supposedly children's stuff, especially Lewis Carrol, 
A.A.Milne, Kenneth Graham 

Actually (Cindy, this one's for you) I was gripped by Nathaniel Philbrick's 
_In the heart of the Sea_ which is the true story of the whaling tragedy that 
inspired_Moby Dick_ , and the amazing survival of a small group of men in open 
boats.

> 
> >Favorite TV shows?


Don't seem to see a lot at present.
I like certain types of British comedy - The Fast Show, Harry Enfield, Dead 
Ringers (patchy), also The Office, League of Gentlemen. Plus the classics: 
Fawlty Towers, Blackadder, the sort of stuff that's standard British fare on 
transatlantic flights. Can't stand Mr Bean, though.

I like some quiz shows, British classic serialisations; (pause for a Mr Darcy 
moment); mystery/detective series; some historical costume dramas, depending 
who's in the costumes - Sharpe, Hornblower....bit of a trend developing 
there...
History/archaeology documentaries, of course (we have a lot of those!)

I listen to quite a lot of radio, though. BBC Radio 4 for factual stuff and 
dramas, etc, Racio 3 for classics (music). There's loads of good Radio 4 
programmes archived on the web, BTW.

> 
> >Favorite movies:

The English Patient; Cabaret; Amadeus.

> 
> >One thing about your life you'd change if you could – you may not 
> >say "lose weight."

Probably to be less shy.
Or perhaps more instinctively tidy.
Or less Snape-like with my family......
> 
> >One thing about your life you wouldn't change even for an advance 
> >copy of Book 7:

Having made some great friends here.

> 
> >Philosophy for an easy life:

Don't have one. I'm too Kantian in my beliefs. I may *take* the easy way on 
many occasions, but I *believe* in choosing what is right over what is easy.
If you said philosophy for a contented life, that would be another matter.

That involves accepting the situations you find yourself in, working with 
them not against them; similarly, accepting the people you find yourself with, 
looking for the good within them and making allowance for their faults and 
finally accepting yourself, recognising your own flaws but also your own strengths. 


Looking for the good in all things, whilst still being realistic, I suppose.

> 
> >How you found HPfGU:

I, err, wanted to know if anyone else had this inexplicable Snape obsession. 
;-)

> 
> >Active at other HP sites:

No. 

> 
> >Your most rock solid OoP prediction:

I'm not really into predictions of that kind. I'm waiting to be surprised.
> 
> 
> >Members of the fandom you have personally met:


Ali
Catherine
David
Joywitch
Pip

There are some others whom I *feel* like I've met, though.

> 
> >Add a question of your choosing and answer it:

Why am I doing this?

Because I really don't want to get on with tidying the house!

> <Something you'd do over if you had the chance:>

Lots of things, many of which I'm not prepared to share in public!
I wish I'd studied archaeology as an undergrad.

~Eloise


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