OT Introduction

[confusinglyso]

Thank you very much for the invitation to join such respected 
posters.

THE OLD CROWD – INTRO

***Name:
Phil Cousins

***Nicknames/IDs:
confusinglyso     Based on my surname, COnfUSINglySo, but most apt,
as my posts are often misunderstood, mostly owing to my lack of 
clarity.

***Age:
59

***Family:
Wife Julie, daughter Elizabeth 25, son Nicholas 21
***Home
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England

***Birthday, Place of Birth:
22 October, Cheltenham

***Education/Job/Role in Life etc:
Retired after career in mixture of science and engineering.

***Other things we might want to know about you:
Used to own a Ford Anglia (Estate). 

Missed opportunity, Cheltenham has an annual Literature Festival, 
guess who has never been to one, in particular when a new writer was 
promoting HP and the Philosopher's Stone in 1997.

***First contact with Harry Potter:
I used to take 'The Times' and noted the same 3 books were top
of bestsellers list for ages. Bought PS then quickly CoS and PoA,
all in paperback so must have been 1999, had to wait for GoF,
which I have in hardback. 
Rest of family are fans, but my daughter and I are the most keen.

***Favourite Potter things (books, characters, ships, fics, objets
d'Art, general enthusing):
My favourite is "Order of the Phoenix", I enjoyed the continued
cluelessness of Harry with Cho,(although he should have also been
understanding of her distress re Cedric), and the dry humour from 
Minerva.
I thought Ron's clicking tongue 'clip clop' at the end in hospital 
wing was a touch of brilliance.

Favourite character(s): Severus Snape. Arthur Weasley.

Ships – .

Fics: Used to follow 'The Lily Evans Story".

***Extent of Potter obsession:
Daughter getting married this year, her fiancee also a fan, and they 
want the reception to be HP themed.
1st Feb 2002 my wife, daughter, and I waited outside Gloucester 
cathedral in pouring rain to see Ron, Hermione, Severus, Albus, 
Filch, Gilderoy filming CoS.
Alan Rickman is a real gentleman, as he was driven away to lunch, he 
wound his window down to give us a wave.
I bought another set of HP1-4 second hand and OoP in paperback
recently so that I can underline and add notes without harming my
original copies, to hopefully improve my chances of posting 
intelligently.


***Other interests/activities:
Walking, Computing, Cycling

***Current/recent reading:
Ian Rankin, most recently "Watchman", a reissue.
"Who's Afraid of Beowulf?"
"The Da Vinci Code", OK, but would not rave about it.
"Ender's Game" I enjoyed, was recommended by someone on HPfGU
some time ago, as was  "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell" , which I've 
just bought.

***Current/recent listening:
Rolling Stones, Lonnie Mack, Albert Collins

***Current/recent viewing:
TV has deteriorated so much that I tend to view the internet more 
than TV.
About the only TV I make special effort for are F1 Grand Prix