Getting to know you...

[Neil Ward]

Hi all,

I meant to do this before today, so it's rather late in the process 
and some of you may not see it before Sunday. But what the hey...

As some of us don't know each other, I thought it would be an idea to 
share a few personal details before we meet. The format below has 
worked quite well on other lists. Feel free to use the same headings, 
do something completely different, or ignore it completely!

See you all tomorrow!

Neil

*****************************

*** Name and nicknames
Neil Ward, flyingfordanglia on Yahoo, vado on LiveJournal.

*** Age
43

*** Birthplace/Home
Born in Wellingborough, Northants, but have lived south of the 
Thames, in Lewisham, since 1983.

*** Family
I'm a free and single hermit with no children or pets (unless you 
count my MP3 player, Geisty). Two parents with a cute dog, two 
brothers (not cute) - one with two cute daughters and an evil cat, 
one with a scary dog animagus: all kept at a safe distance.

*** Work/Study
Degree in Biological Sciences from Lanchester Poly (now known as 
Coventry University) 20+ years ago.  Spent several years as a 
biochemist at the NHS National Poisons Unit before defecting to big 
business. I now run an information service for the alcohol industry.

*** Anything else you'd like us to know?
Double Taurean, INFJ, vegetarian, gay, socialist agnostic with 
mystical tinges. Can speak German very badly.

*** HP fandom history
I read books 1-3 in the space of a few days, in May 2000, and joined 
Harry Potter for Grownups (HPfGU) soon after when it was a single 
list and had about 150 members. I took on the ID flyingfordanglia and 
convinced myself I was a mechanimagus.  

I was most active around the release of GoF, but haven't posted 
anything in ages. I was a moderator of HPfGU between Jan 2001 and 
April 2003, but stepped down and now rust in the Forbidden Forest. I 
don't read fanfic. At the moment, my favourite HP characters (apart 
from the flying car) are Arthur, Crookshanks, Trelawney, Snape, 
Kreacher, Neville and Bellatrix – if you merged all of them, you'd 
have me.  

I own all the HP books in several formats and have bits of 
merchandise and some things I've been given, including a Ford Anglia 
mug, a flying snitch with real bird wings and a miniature Severus 
Snape with a cocktail stick wand.  Have seen all the films a few 
times. Have the movie DVDs and the EA computer games of the first two 
books. 

Although no longer fixated on Harry Potter, I still quite like the 
idea of the Lego Hogwarts. 

*** Favourite reading
After obsessing over HP, I moved onto other authors in the same vein, 
including Diana Wynne Jones, Philip Pullman, Susan Cooper et al.  
Aside from YA fantasy/magic lit, I like science fiction and classic 
literature. Current reading: "Coalescent" by Stephen Baxter, plus 
half-reading OoP again.

*** Favourite music
Mainly indie, including such things as Sonic Youth, PJ Harvey, 
Stereolab, Flaming Lips and Belle & Sebastian. I used to be an indie 
club promoter/DJ, so I own large numbers of records I wouldn't have 
bought for my own taste. I still do occasional DJ slots in loud, 
pokey basements, but I'm losing the knack.

*** Other interests
I love old b/w movies, especially comedies and film noire, and 50s 
scifi. Used to be a mega Laurel and Hardy fan, but that interest is 
dormant. Love Star Trek, but haven't got into "Enterprise". 

Currently researching my family tree with my brother and his wife (no 
axe murderers uncovered yet). I'm interested in moving from my 
ramshackle flat next year, so a lot of my spare time is spent 
preparing for that.

Was that too much information?