100 things about me…
April 14th, 2004
1. I’ve been thinking about doing this for a while.
2. I often think I’m someone who doesn’t finish things - this could prove me wrong (or right).
3. I live near Aberystwyth in west Wales.
4. I’m originally from England, Suburbiaville, Surrey.
5. I didn’t like school much beyond my nursery class.
6. I was born in 1967 (July 10th - Amazon wishlist is available on the right to help celebrate anniversaries of this date).
7. I have one brother and a half sister who is thirty years older than me.
8. My father was 55 when I was born.
9. He died when I was eleven.
10. My mother was 45 when I was born.
11. She’s just had her 82nd birthday.
12. She lives with about twenty minutes from me.
13. I’m going bald.
14. I live with my very good friend G
15. I have another very good friend N
16. I’m a touch greedy (and very lucky).
17. I also live with The Cat.
18. The Cat followed G and me home one night about seven years ago and has stayed ever since.
19. I live in a small converted barn on the side of a hill.
20. I have a strong nest building instinct.
21. I like my nest.
22. I lived in the same house until I went to university.
23. The house was finally sold (when my mother moved here) forty years after she and my father moved in.
24. I was diagnosed with ME/CFS in 1999.
25. I had been ill for many years before that but didn’t know what was wrong.
26. I am allergic to penicillin.
27. I studied for a degree in politics.
28. I used to edit and publish a literary magazine called Queer Words.
29. I was always very envious and in awe of the artists I knew.
30. I started drawing lessons when I was diagnosed with ME/CFS
31. I sold my first large painting in 2001.
32. I paint large messy landscapes.
33. I haven’t got the energy for painting at the moment.
34. I now have a small studio behind the house.
35. I am currently trying to find new and sustainable ways to work.
36. I make small drawings and post them on this site.
37. They are for sale.
38. I would like to write an illustrated book.
39. I recently made the change from PCs to a Mac.
40. I love my iBook.
41. I would love a Powermac or iMac for my studio.
42. I might buy an eMac instead.
43. I bought my first computer (a ZX Spectrum) when I was sixteen.
44. I have been a bit of a geek ever since.
45. I first used a mouse in 1995.
46. I had to teach myself all about desktop publishing so I could design a literary magazine (see 28).
47. The first thing I did with a mouse was design a logo for the above.
48. I bought my first desktop PC in 1996.
49. It cost £1000.
50. That seemed like an awful lot of money.
51. The computer is gathering dust and is one of five currently living in this little house.
52. I must tidy it up and give it away somewhere.
53. I’m hungry
54. I’m going to make myself some breakfast.
55. I like tea made in a teapot
56. I am currently drinking a cup of Earl Grey tea made in a small yellow teapot.
57. I own numerous teapots.
58. I like to make and eat cake.
59. I find I am better if I eat less sugar and avoid wheat.
60. I am sad that 58 and 59 don’t work well together.
61. I was told when I was very young that I was tone deaf.
62. I’m sorry I believed the person who told me I was tone deaf.
63. I wanted to learn to play the violin.
64. For a while I learnt to play the trombone.
65. I don’t think trombones are a good look for slightly plump ten year olds.
66. In the school orchestra I stood next to the woodwind section.
67. I have often thought I would like to learn to play the clarinet.
68. I weigh more than I would like.
69. I would like to swim again.
70. I like to walk.
71. I don’t own a bicycle.
72. When I was younger my parents didn’t have a car and I used to cycle everywhere.
73. I used to weigh less (but was never happy with my weight).
74. I would like to find a sustainable form of exercise.
75. The last thing I bought was a milk frother (and a bedside cabinet and new rug) from Ikea.
76. The first single I bought was Gimme, Gimme, Gimme (a Man After Midnight) by Abba.
77. It took me a lot of years to see how amusing that was.
78. The first book I ever bought was Five Go on a Hike Together by Enid Blyton.
79. I have a very happy memory of my father reading it to me when I was ill in bed.
80. I read a lot of Enid Blyton when I was small.
81. My school librarian was horrified by how much Enid Blyton I read.
82. I was a Cub Scout.
83. I had a reading badge.
84. I didn’t enjoy playing football when I was small.
85. I had to play football at Cub Scouts.
86. I didn’t enjoy being a Cub Scout much.
87. When I decided to leave Cub Scouts I earned a reputation as someone who couldn’t stick to anything.
88. When I was sixteen I left school briefly and got a job in a bank in London.
89. I used to leave home at 6.30 in the morning and got home at 8.00 at night.
90. I didn’t stick it.
91. I think I’m someone who learns that if he doesn’t like something then he should give it up.
92. One day I would like to earn enough money again to pay tax.
93. I’m still not clear about what I would like to be when I grow up.
94. I would like to have children.
95. I think I would be a good father.
96. I am reasonably optimistic about the future (when I’m not worrying about it).
97. I’m reasonably happy.
98. The next thing I’m going to do is eat something.
99. Then I’m going to draw something to go with this.
100. I am someone who can write 100 things about myself and enjoy it.
April 15th, 2004 at 8:55 am
Cool, I keep meaning to do this - but never get above 20 before I get board and find myself doing something else.
April 15th, 2004 at 9:08 pm
You live in Britain? All this time I assumed you were living in Canada.
April 24th, 2004 at 8:48 pm
Thanks for your list of 100 things about you. Really liked the Abba one. My first single was “Killer Queen”. Oh dear! Miss you. See you soon I hope. June. PS. We have moved house!
May 12th, 2004 at 3:49 pm
TURNING THE SPOTLIGHT ON MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS
Wear a blue ribbon on International Awareness Day In order to shed light on ME/CFS, for the twelth consecutive year, May 12 has been designated as International ME/CFS Awareness Day. Sufferers of this illness, and the people who care about them, are ur…
May 12th, 2004 at 4:05 pm
TURNING THE SPOTLIGHT ON MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS
Wear a blue ribbon on International Awareness Day In order to shed light on ME/CFS, for the twelth consecutive year, May 12 has been designated as International ME/CFS Awareness Day. Sufferers of this illness, and the people who care about them, are ur…
May 12th, 2004 at 4:08 pm
TURNING THE SPOTLIGHT ON MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS
Wear a blue ribbon on International Awareness Day In order to shed light on ME/CFS, for the twelfth consecutive year, May 12 has been designated as International ME/CFS Awareness Day. Sufferers of this illness, and the people who care about them, are u…
June 22nd, 2004 at 6:30 pm
Im a friend of your friend N (we share the same name - so there’s a wee clue) and I live in Edinburgh.N has told me lots of nice things about you and Im so glad you’re his special friend,because he’s a special guy and he needs special friends like you.
The first single I bought was “Yummy Yummy Yummy (Ive Got Love In My Tummy)” by Ohio Express.How camp is that ?
July 10th, 2004 at 8:38 pm
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
The years are creeping up on us, aren’t they?
I enjoyed reading your 100 comments, some of it reminded me of our child hood.
Take care
Love
Tracy
x
July 14th, 2004 at 6:01 pm
I like you Michael Nobbs! I’m glad I found your blog.
July 14th, 2004 at 6:27 pm
What a nice comment to read - thank you Lea!
July 22nd, 2004 at 7:19 pm
I surfed my way over from a link on the Wish Jar Journal. I have enjoyed visiting you. I love blogs because they sort of allow you to get to know people you would ordinarily never get the chance to, and you get a much better sense of a person than you can from an ordinary personal website. Welcome to my bookmark list, Michael. I shall return to visit again.
July 28th, 2004 at 10:20 pm
HI Michael, did we do this Artist Way group together? I am almost certian we did and I can see its become part of your life from this list of 100 things about you!
Way to go!
Frederick
August 23rd, 2004 at 1:07 pm
You live in Wales! Wow. Sounds like you love to read, me too. And you’ve got a lot of teapots..I got teacups. You felt bad for a long time before you were officially diagnosed with ME/CFS..know how that goes, same here with Graves & asthma. Your studio behind the house seems like heaven to me…I work in a bedroom that is multi-purpose meaning that usually I get about a 2 ft. area on the floor, haha. You’re good with self-publishing..have you ever thought of doing a zine?
October 4th, 2004 at 2:17 am
This is the first time I’ve been to your site although it’s been something that I’ve been meaning to do for a while now… love the drawings. The first single I purchased was mmmbop by hanson- that must win the cheese rankings!
November 20th, 2004 at 3:24 am
Dear Michael Nobbs,
Some day I hope to see your post on craigslist.org for a well-loved but slightly dusty computer smelling vaguely of Earl Gray tea. It will make me smile at how far we all seem to come, without noticing or remembering to give thanks.
Thanks for the new 100 things I know about you. I already like G & N and The Cat.
Hope for a chat soon on planetsark.com
Love,
LilyWhite
January 6th, 2005 at 10:52 pm
What a great 100 things
I too used to be an Enid Blyton fiend.
I love Five Go on A Hike!
February 3rd, 2005 at 6:02 pm
What a wonderful idea - to write an autobiography as a list. I really enjoyed reading yours, Michael. How about some pics of those “messy landscapes”? Your drawings are so crystalline clear, I can’t imagine you painting messy landscapes!
February 27th, 2005 at 2:19 pm
Get well, Power from Iceland !!!
June 1st, 2005 at 3:32 pm
Hi Mike
Your list of 100 things made me smile.. and made me determined to make one myself. Thank you for giving me an insight into your wonderful world. Is there to be a second list? Kim
June 12th, 2005 at 7:41 pm
Ah, Enid Blyton. Hike? I can still rattle off “Two Trees, Gloomy Water, Saucy Jane, Maggie Knows” - and remember exactly what it signified.
If you’re ever nostalgic, do check out http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blyton
Yes, most of us are your age, or older!
July 19th, 2005 at 2:49 pm
Michael, I know you are on vacation right now….Hope you had a great time. Thank you for writing your blog. I hope you are well (don’t know anything about what you have.) Its amazing how illness can shape your life. My kid has asthma and it was really scarry at the begining. But managable now. Hope yours is managable too.
Lindsay
July 28th, 2005 at 8:32 pm
I found a link to you on another blog. I love your drawings - COOL.
I really enjoyed the 100 things about you.
Kym
October 3rd, 2005 at 6:42 pm
Hi Michael,
Hello from Australia. Wales, Eh? My G-G-Granny came from Wales, where in Wales I don’t know. We have been in this convict settlement for 125 years now.
Good luck with the CFS, you are on the right track with the diet restrictions. Hang in there!!
I have a son, 37 years, Michael. He is a recovering alcoholic.
Love the drawings.
Bye,
Minnie (Mouse).
December 13th, 2005 at 11:52 am
Hello Michael,
This list is really well-done! It has the same humble-yet-staggeringly-talented appeal as your artwork. I found your site a month ago and have since become a huge fan. I posted a link to your blog on my blog site (http://rassembler.blogspot.com/). Feel free to visit and say hello! You can expect my “Beany” order soon!
Best Regards, Frank