Neely’s Birthday!!!

[LitNetIsGreat]

Well it is the most wise and humble one’s birthday today, and as I noticed that by some shocking fault in Lit Net’s computer system it doesn’t say so at the bottom of the screen, I thought it was my duty as a citizen of Lit Net to tell you of this most severe error and to let you have the opportunity of wishing me a happy birthday!!! :ihih: I know that many of you would have been devastated if I would have let this momentous occasion slip by unnoticed. :biggrin5:

So put your drinks together and let’s all celebrate in style. Cheers!!!
:cheers2:

(Yes I am 32, but I still only admit to 27 at parties!!!)

[Lulim]

To your health then, and many happy returns! :)

http://www.yournews.com/copyroom/newsimages/1249341080-beer.jpg

[The Comedian]

Brother Neely!

Cheers to you

http://www.beeraday.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/chimay.jpg

A birthday is a great occasion for setting forth on a journey, whether the journey be in one of these:

http://www.fatguypi.com/images/canoe-lake1.jpg

Or one of these:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/124/356428272_647da11f7f_o.jpg

Happy trails, brother!

[LitNetIsGreat]

Thank you both very much. :cheers2:(Really how did you know?) Great imagery there brother - must go off to the pub!!!

[Lokasenna]

Happy Birthday!

[Niamh]

Happy Birthday Neely!

[soundofmusic]

Happy birthday and many more, Neely.

[JuniperWoolf]

Happy birthday, Neely!

[Revolte]

Happy birthday Neely!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxYXcvGBibc

[Virgil]

If Lit Net doesn't have your birthday, then obviously you were never born. :p

Happy Birthday my friend. :bday_2:
:cheers2:


http://img451.imageshack.us/img451/2065/happy2fy3.jpg


http://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f305/glitterhound/comments/birthday/happy_birthday_beer.gif

[OrphanPip]

Haha, way to fish for well wishes, happy birthday.

[papayahed]

Happy Birthday!

[Nikhar]

Many Many Happy Returns of the day! ;)

May you forever vote for Christie in Book Club. ;):p

[Wilde woman]

Happy birthday, Neely!

As a fellow Wildean, I must offer you this Oscar Wilde cocktail:

http://editor.spire.com/images/oscar-wilde-cocktail.jpg

Hope you enjoy your absinthe! :biggrin5: Cheers!

[kasie]

Happy Birthday - hope it was a good one.

[Helga]

Happy birthday!!

[LitNetIsGreat]

I just want to say a big thanks to all the kind people who sent me really nice messages, images and links - thank you! :)

[Satan]

...........

[Janine]

Happy Birthday, Neely!


The reason no one noticed it was your B-day is that your profile page only shows your age and not your birth date.

[qimissung]

Happy Birthday, Neely. I was sort of hoping that your color might return to normal, and what a good present that would be ( :D), but in lieu of that, here is this:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.americanrhetoric.com/images/anidealhusband1.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechanidealhusband.html&usg=__pwMT1SAorjYAcDOdr3_o93ysNQw=&h=374&w=578&sz=26&hl=en&start=13&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=ZkPQZGdPYz6zVM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=134&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dan%2Bideal%2Bhusband%2Bmovie%26um%3D1 %26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1

[LitNetIsGreat]

Thank you Satan (I'd never thought I'd say that:devil:) Janine and qimissung. :nod:

Ah, I see Janine, I thought it was because Sch or the Admins didn't love me or something...

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

Hope you had a great birthday Neely!

Gilliatt

[Quark]

Hope you had a good birthday, Neely. I got you the kind of couch you need if you really want to practice psychoanalysis:


http://dealbreaker.com/_old/2009/08/20/Therapist%20Couch.jpg

There. If you want, you can also have the couch that's taking up space in my storage locker:


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YHPVggXMiOU/ST1Unod-2hI/AAAAAAAABAo/RMhetBClRjM/s400/FreeCouch-727675.jpg

Really, it's yours. Just pick it up whenever.

[Lynne50]

Happy Birthday, Neely! Hope you had a great day!

[LitNetIsGreat]

Thanking you all greatly.

Actually the couch would work well to help me get over my flu, as I'm afraid I've been lying around a bit these past few days doing little but watching snooker. :frown2: Feeling a little better at present though and like a mighty warrior I've been writing uni stuff I need to complete. My personal devotion to literature is an example to all.

Oh forgive me, lack of alcohol sends me a little bit you know: :out: - I'm just not used to going without life's essentials.

[NikolaiI]

Hope u have a smiling birthday :)

[Scheherazade]

Happy Belated Birthday, Neely! :)

(You should change your personal info preferences in your profile so that your birthday appears in the Forum calendar :))

[LitNetIsGreat]

Thanks Nikolai and Sch - I could have done without the viral flu but at least I am still alive...

Yes, I'll have to change that then (if I can figure out how, a bit of fumbling here and there will do the trick) as we can't be doing with such a travesty occuring next year for sure. :)

[Scheherazade]

An interview with Neely (better late than never, right?)

Why are we doing this interview thing?
So that I can pretend to be famous. :coolgleamA:

Are you sure you want to do this?
Yep, I think so.

Got milk?
No, not keen on milk. I’ve got some cold tea if that counts?

Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?
My kids, they are always taking biscuits, they are obsessed with biscuits and chocolate – like all kids I suppose.

If you had a personal theme song what would it be?
Oh, that’s a good one, hmm...I don’t know something powerful and dramatic, soft and peaceful, beautiful and calm, hmm, I don’t know, get back to you?

Are you male or female?
Male of course, what are you trying to suggest?

What makes you keep coming back?
Oh, I am addicted. It is a great site with some interesting points and some very good wise people.

Are you happy with the way things are here?
Yes, yes I am. I think that some of the child boards (are they called that?) could be organised a little better perhaps, but I am picking spots there.

Which countries have you visited?
Outside of the UK, only Spain, Cyprus and Ireland. I’m going to N Ireland next year for a wedding. Actually I long to travel, in particular around the whole of Europe, I long for France and Italy; I really, really long for Italy – when I get more cash!

How do you like your home town?
Actually I am quite happy with it. There was a time when I didn’t like it when I was younger, but I am quite settled now. Sheffield is a City in the North of England and sits very close to the Peak District National Park which is pretty cool. It is also big enough that there are plenty of things going off, it has two good theatres and a few nationally recognised pubs – what more could you want?

If you could live somewhere different, where would it be and why?
I’ll let you work that one out...

Do you have any pets?
No, I don’t like them, pets are a pain and extra work. I honestly can’t see the point unless you are old and need company. Sorry.

What makes you happy?
Hmmm. Lots of things. Relaxing, good food and drink, reading, music (classical mostly), theatre, meals out, having a good day at work, holidays, holidays, holidays, wife and kids, friends, not having toothache and all sorts of things really, cycling in the country.

What is mankind's biggest achievement, and its greatest downfall?
That’s a hard one. Biggest achievement and greatest downfall? I think the downfall is that despite everything we have there is so much inequality in the world, suffering, wars and all that black stuff and it doesn’t look like going away any time soon. I suppose on top of all of that the biggest achievement could be that there are a lot of good people around who are willing to help others or something soppy like that. Penicillin? Moon landing? Beautiful art and literature? Don’t know.

Do you feel comfortable in your walk with God/atheism?
Yes. I’m not religious at all, but naturally that doesn’t stop me reading and enjoying the imagery and romance that comes with some religions – the literature, art and music etc. I think the Buddhist philosophy is very interesting actually, in fact if you just look at the basic stuff it is actually plain commonsense, take it up a level and I’m less keen though.

Which actor should play you in a movie based on your life?
Someone really attractive. Maybe Jude Law or something, actually I think Matt Damon probably (in Ripley) I think he has the intellectual edge.

Given the option, what animal would you choose to be?
I wouldn’t be any. I’m quite insulted...

What were your favorite things to do in the past? What about now?
I’m not that interested in the past. I like to think of the present and the future, but no more than a few months ahead. What I like now is opera, Mozart in particular Figaro, I’m addicted to it. Jeeves and Wooster. Cold beers in the sun and looking forward to the holidays and the football.

What makes you feel great about yourself?
Sleep. Honestly if I have a good sleep I feel great, though I always push it late and don’t get enough. I like to have had a good day at work, escaping as much stress as possible and then I’m usually set up for a good night.

How did you meet your significant other?
In the pub at the end of college. I was drunk and 17.

Who inspires you most?
Lots of people, I don’t know. Mozart, Wilde, Keats, Shakespeare other such figures – Stlukesguild! :biggrin5:

What are you naturally good at? (Skills, abilities, gifts etc.)
I’m not naturally good at anything. I’ve had to work very hard to pull myself where I am now, which is where I don’t know, but nothing much has come easy to me.

What is the one thing you must do before you die?
Travel. To see my beautiful Italy.

If you had to teach something, what would you teach?
Ha. That’s a good one. Literature I suppose, but to nice people who want to learn, maybe mature students.

What would you regret not fully doing, being or having in your life?
This is getting heavy, I’m going to cry in a minute, what you trying to do to poor old me? I don’t like to look back because life if full of so many mistakes and what ifs, but that is just life and we shouldn’t beat ourselves up about it, I don’t like, just sayin’.

I think though not getting some money behind myself and not setting off with a group of friends across Europe on some wild adventure!

Do you feel the divine spark of life within you or do you consider yourself a mechanical thing?
What? No, I’m not a robot, I’m not mechanical, I’m a human – quit trying to change me into an animal or a machine. No, I feel the spark of life within and know that the candle is brief...

What method do you cherish above all others, as means to improving your life?
Wow! I honestly think that some of the Buddhist stuff is good for your money - you could give that a go, check out the basic stuff. Also really, study, study and learning, opening your eyes and mind and trying to look at the bigger picture. Turn of the TV and don’t follow the news – I’m being serious it is good for your health and wellbeing. Filling yourself up with quality ingredients, be it clean air, healthy food (good beer), laughing and smiling, (though I’m mostly grumpy, ask Mrs Neely) and of course surrounding yourself with the best in art and literature. Also get out to green places. Be with friends etc, maybe I should write a book about it?

What is your role in an emergency situation: the 911 dialer, the person who runs to the scene to help, the video recorder, or the person too overcome by shock to do anything?
Oh, now this one is easy. I would really, really want to be the one who legs it and phones 999, but I can guarantee you that I would end up staying behind and being forced to touch wounds or give mouth-to-mouth or something equally gruesome. I have dreams about it.

What one thing would you NEED to have on a deserted island if you didn't have to worry over food and water?
If I couldn’t have company (obviously because then it wouldn’t be deserted) then I would want quality literary material. I could live off of that with no worries.

What song is in your head at the moment?
This one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLtqZewjwgA&feature=related
Oh my God has there ever been anything so beautiful? Though, I usually have a mix of things Mozart or Bach going off at any one time, but this particular piece is coming through more than the rest.

Which book are you reading at the moment?
Ah, I’m a little bitty at the moment, mostly because I have a lot of stuff to plan for work so I’m a little distracted, I feel that I should be “doing” other stuff instead of “just” reading. I have a pile of about ten books at the other side of this sofa. I think I might read another J & W novel tonight or maybe dip into something else, Milton?, I don’t know yet.

The last book you finished reading?
It was a Jeeves and Wooster novel, the third or fourth one, Carry on Jeeves or something like that.

What is your favourite quote?
At the moment the bottom one on my signature “The real life is the life we do not lead” I’m not going to belittle Wilde and unpack that, but in my opinion that is one of the most visionary things every written – I’m shuddering right now and having heart palpitations.

Favorite avatar on the Forum?
Mine. Mine is the best.

Favorite food?/ Comfort food?
Cheese sandwiches, pizza, Hunter’s chicken.

What time of day do you most often find yourself on the LitNet?
All the time. Mostly after 4pm my time though.

What are you wearing at the moment?
Scrappy jeans and what I call my bed T-shirt and my evening socks (I have thinner socks at night) my comfort clothes.

Favorite poem?
Hmmm, difficult. I don’t like to close things down too far by picking one, I like to drift with my literature as much as possible, in the past Keats’s “To Autumn”, “La Belle Dame San Merci” maybe, also “Tintern Abbey” by Wordsworth. “Ozymandias” by Shelley just places everything as it is, I don’t know, nothing out of the obvious. I spent last year pretty well gripped by Paradise Lost.

First novel you remember reading on your own?
I don’t know, there was a wolf involved who talked, what’s that one? Later The Lord of the Rings I think.

What era do you find most of the books you read are from?
Most later Victorian early/modern I suppose, but 1830s-1930s generally. I’d quite like to get hold of the contemporary scene a bit more, but I’ve got other thing to do right now and I would want to go more into the French scene at this time before that anyway. I’m not keen on really mad postmodernist stuff.

Favorite TV shows?
I’ve ordered the box set of Jeeves and Wooster and I am watching some of those. I usually put them on about once or twice a week at about 11pm which is when my brain mostly packs in and I just sit with a beer. I’m not a big fan of TV at all really, though I will be following the football in the next couple of weeks. I sometimes watch the quiz show Eggheads during my tea.

Which LitNet members would you like to meet in person if you could?
Oh, I’m not saying, I’d be happy to meet most really.

Last words you said out loud?
“Bye, thanks, see you tomorrow” to the kind person who gave me a lift home from work. The wife and kids are away with the mother in law at the moment. I can hear the birds outside and everything. Peace.

Last person you hugged/kissed?
My youngest daughter who is nearly five, this morning - though she always pulls away from me and shouts at me for doing so.

What do you do (for a living) to be able to keep your LitNet addiction going? And are you happy with your chosen profession?
Oh, I don’t like talking about work, it pulls you down. I hate all those people who go out and endlessly talk about the office manager or things like that, how low. I never want to get like that, I would rather talk about the wrongs of Count Almaviva and the woes of Figaro because they are much more real.

Oh, Ok. I am an intervention worker for kids who are falling behind in their English, it is a promotion from what I used to do this time last year which was to cover classes, which was horrible. Yes I am quite happy with it. I’m hoping that I am not made redundant.

What question would you like to ask yourself?
That’s a hard one. Something very trivial but at the same time very important, like when am I going to get a beer tonight?

Maybe in about 45 minutes.

What would you like to be if you could change your profession?
I would want a job that involved travelling around the world, meeting new people in cafes and discussing things about the arts over lunch. Some sort of job like that would be wonderful.

What is your most outstanding feature?
Nothing really. I like the fact that somehow I am the perfect weight for my height when really I should have a beer belly, that’s not a feature, but that I suppose.

If you could change one thing about the way you look, what would that be?
I wouldn’t change a single thing about the way I look. I wouldn’t change myself for other people.

Which book do you wish you had written?
Good question. Maybe The Waves by Virginia Woolf, it has been a while since I read it but it is a quite poetic little thing, though nothing overly remarkable. She has a good style if you have the patience for her and the whole modernist thing. Actually, that is going to be my bath reading tonight. You see, that is how you should decide what to read, to drift with every passion...

What should you be doing at the moment instead of answering these questions?
Planning lessons. You see, arrgghh, I’ve got to do that, but no, I have a week off after tomorrow so I’ll do it then. Also researching for my dissertation but I have ages for that yet. No, I have the time to sit and just this, though I need a beer putting in the freezer, I’ll wait while Mrs Neely comes downstairs (there’re back), arrgghh, you see stream of conscious, Virginia Woolf thing...

If you could only rescue one item from your burning house, what would it be, and why?
Arrgghhh, don’t make me think of thinks like that. Maybe my Le nozzi di Figaro DVD from the Royal Opera House production of a few years back, its amazing and it cost me £25 odd. I’m going in July, I’m very excited about that, I think of it quite a lot.

Wonderful Superman or depressing Batman?
Depressing Batman. I can’t be doing with Superman at all, too cheesy and false sorry. My kids was watching it a while back and I saw him grab a few robbers and bring back a few convicts and then he still had time to rescue a silly cat from a tree. No offence like, but I mean come on. Batman at least keeps himself to himself.

Anything that you want to forget but you never can?
No, not really, no worries, don’t look back and all that.

Tell us about some amusing translation mistake you have heard or made yourself.
I wish I had that problem. You know as I desire to visit Italy I have been desperately trying to learn French for about two years but things keep on getting in the way. How do all the people on Lit Net do it, most people can speak about three or more languages, some of them things like Medieval Latin or versions of Norse, I’d be happy with Italian or French? See I told you that I am not naturally good at anything.

Are you mostly happy with life or are you still in pursuit?
I’m 95% there. Next year when I have completed my degree I will feel psychologically there. I know it is just a degree, a BA (in Literature with bits of media, history and politics thrown in for kicks) but I have done that for seven years part-time while working and bringing up a family so I kind of feel pretty proud of that, especially considering I was a little bit thick at the start.

What type of Faerie would you like to be and why?
Now just what are you trying to suggest? I don’t want to be a Faerie of any sort of description thank you very much.

What makes you laugh?
I’m so sad I make myself laugh most of the time, I laugh at my own jokes and second rate plagiarised witticisms. I’m one of those I’m afraid, though I like dry humour, Stephen Fry and Paul Merton are pretty good I think.

What part of “Final” don’t you understand?
I don’t know, I’m not argumentative if that is what you mean.

One final word of wisdom for LitNet users?
One? Do I ever stick to one thing? Er, I don’t know I have perhaps said things, things like turning off the TV, being good to other people, drinking and eating quality things and studying, green places things like that, literature, music. Try and lead the real life that we do not lead.

What question would you like to ask to the person to be interview after you?[/QUOTE]
Hmm. Do you like toast?

Thank you. Thanks for the interview. Can I get up now?

[TurquoiseSunset]

I only saw it this morning... So happy belated birthday Neely!!!! :D

[Jozanny]

Many happy returns Neely! I thought about finding something Oscar Wilde but like the way Liz2 opens the government that she nominally rules with that funky thing on her head: :lol:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/may/25/queens-speech-bills-coalition

Happy Birthday!

[Maryd.]

Yes, sorry I missed this too. Happy birthday Neely... Hope you had a good one.

[victorianfan]

Happy Birthday! :hurray:

http://www.arenaflowers.com/product_image/large/305-happy_birthday_balloon.jpg

[LitNetIsGreat]

Thank you all very much. I feel like I have had two birthdays for the price of one!

[Janine]

Happy Birthday, Neely!

[NikolaiI]

hehe... well, then I guess you get double the number of happy returns... :p

[Maximilianus]

http://fc05.deviantart.net/images3/i/2004/170/b/4/Happy_Birthday_Emote.gif Happy Belated Birthday, Neely http://smiles.kolobok.us/artists/mother_goose/MG_122.gif

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs26/f/2009/242/d/e/Sinister_partay_by_CookiemagiK.gif

[Paulclem]

Sorry Mate - missed this thread. Happy Birthday.

[Scheherazade]

Sorry Mate - missed this thread. Happy Birthday.That's OK... Neely is enjoying a revival celebration some 40 days after his 32nd 27th birthday.

[LitNetIsGreat]

That's OK... Neely is enjoying a revival celebration some 40 days after his 32nd 27th birthday.

Indeed, I am glad that you remembered to introduce me as 27 at parties, what an embarrassing faux pas it would be to do otherwise.

I enjoyed doing the interview thing, I can see why your weekly avatar mentions psychiatric help now, I certainly felt cleansed after it for a while, I also learnt something new about myself - you should charge for that, new career maybe?

[Paulclem]

Was it a cathartic grilling? or was that just the birthday lunch prepared by Mrs. Neely?

[LitNetIsGreat]

Ha, ha yes it was quite, though she kept trying to change me into an animal or a robot and things like that - cats! I think Sch was trying to tell me something, but I was having none of it, I stood up and allowed my manly human nature to shine through somewhat boldly...

[Paulclem]

Ha, ha yes it was quite, though she kept trying to change me into an animal or a robot and things like that - cats! I think Sch was trying to tell me something, but I was having none of it, I stood up and allowed my manly human nature to shine through somewhat boldly...

Good man. You should come onto the Cold Ale thread more - it sounds like you are a fine example for the chaps.

[Scheherazade]

Ha, ha yes it was quite, though she kept trying to change me into an animal or a robot and things like that - cats! I think Sch was trying to tell me something, but I was having none of it, I stood up and allowed my manly human nature to shine through somewhat boldly...You got a spelling mistake there, Neely... I am sure you meant:

"...allowed my manly human nature to shine through somewhat baldly..."

[LitNetIsGreat]

Good man. You should come onto the Cold Ale thread more - it sounds like you are a fine example for the chaps.

Possibly, but doesn't that scary Scottish fellow hang out there? He has something against me, can you believe that for a minute? :prrr:


You got a spelling mistake there, Neely... I am sure you meant:

"...allowed my manly human nature to shine through somewhat baldly..."

Not at all, my hair is cut a little like this:
http://image3.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID20836/images/ex_matt_damon_ap.jpg

Anyway, I'm fully expecting to receive Lit Net's prestigious Interview of the Year Award 2010, I'd be very disappointed if I didn't win it; I poured out my soul out there...

[Janine]

Happy Birthday Neely! Sorry I was so late. Hope it was a good one!

[LitNetIsGreat]

Thank you very much Janine, I'm older than you now though I'm afraid, oh to be 2 again, but then again...

[Scheherazade]

Thank you very much Janine, I'm older than you now though I'm afraid, oh to be 2 again, but then again...Of course, you don't age... It is only your picture that ages, right?

PS: Do you think we can keep this thread going till Neely's next birthday? Only 10 more months...

[LitNetIsGreat]

PS: Do you think we can keep this thread going till Neely's next birthday? Only 10 more months...

Well I was hoping for a sticky...:smilewinkgrin: