A couple of people tagged me to do this eight things meme and it’s been sitting unfinished in WordPress for weeks. I can’t remember the rules and I won’t tag anyone (I don’t think there’s anyone left to tag) but here’s eight random things about me:

1. Ever since I saw The Glenn Miller story when I was very young, I’ve been madly in love with Jimmy Stewart. If any of his films come on I just have to drop everything and watch him. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve watched Harvey.

2. I spent a day as a bridal hairstyle model in Mexico in order to get some extra money. I was toe-curlingly awful at it and it still pains me to watch the video. I have heard that the videos were on sale all across South America at one point though so maybe I’m famous in Guatemala.

3. I’m terrified of anything that’s mouldy or rotting and my worst fear is to die of gangrene. Lovely eh? I think it might have come from hearing a story when I was very young about a friend’s aunt whose hand fell off while she was brushing her hair. I guess I was a little gullible.

4. I play the flute…at least I used to. I was a member of the Dublin Youth Orchestra when I was in school. I gave up because I would get such terrible stage fright.

5. I hate tea, coffee and alcohol and have never even had a drag of a cigarette. I’m such a rebel!

6. On the other hand, I used to be a bit of a tea-leaf. I remember shop-lifting for the first time when I can’t have been older than 7 or 8. I stopped abruptly when I was 12 and have never done it since…promise

7. I love playing online first-person shooters, in particular I’ve spent many an hour blasting away on Counter Strike, Soldier of Fortune and my favourite, Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. I get slagged about this hobby all the time but I don’t care. It’s escape and stress-relief all in one.

8. Hmm, last random fact…the first concert I went to (without parents…that doesn’t count because it was Wham! and that’s just not as cool) was U2′s Joshua Tree concert in the old Croke Park on the 27th of June 1987. I was 14 years old and I’m actually quite surprised I was allowed to go. I went with a group of friends but we got separated just before U2 came on and I spent the concert being protected by a big burly biker guy close to the front of the stage. It was probably the best concert of my life. The opening song was Where The Streets Have No Name, it starts off really quiet but as soon as the bass and drums kicked in the whole crowd erupted and started to jump up and down all together. I was so small I was lifted off my feet with them and it was terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time. Everytime I hear the opening bars I’m transported back.

This is the actual concert. I’m somewhere in that mass of bodies at the front right of the stage: