Since this site is (by its nature) essentially all about me, it seems sensible to include a section explaining who that is to anyone visiting who might not know me (hello!) I imagine most if not all of the people who read this site actually do already know me in some way (hello to you lot too!) either in real life or online, but some of you know me better than others... anyway whether you have no idea who I am, or you just feel you might be missing some detail then read on.

(once I fathom some more of the mysteries of Javascript this will be a tidier part of the site but for now it's a big scrolly list...)

about me

My name's Patrick, I live in the wonderful Escheresque city of Edinburgh, although originally I'm from South Yorkshire across the border in England. I'm 32, and I work in marketing, though I don't recall having sold my soul.

about me and life

I love my own life and value them in general: the phrase "wouldn't hurt a fly" is an exaggeration because I'm only human and sometimes flies piss me off, but on the whole I'm in awe of the sheer magic that allows some particular combinations of elements to enjoy an existence that goes beyond their physical properties.

Partly that awe drives my vegetarianism (though in truth not liking meat has more to do with it) I don't eat other animals, and get a bit hacked off when people assume this doesn't include fish or chickens (when did these become vegetables?) I'm always quick to point out however that I'm not a foaming at the mouth evangelical type... about anything really but certainly not about food - so long as you enjoy what you eat (and recognise the differences between animals vegetables and minerals) that's fine by me.

about me and learning

I have a Masters degree in English Literature, specialising in contemporary Scottish women's fiction (how practical eh?) as well as a modest raft of broader qualifications at earlier levels. Those include some that say I can speak French and German... mind rust has crept in there somewhat due to the fact that I have barely any occasion to use a language other than English these days, but on the rare occasions that it's needed I've found my babelfish is still alive and kicking, even if he can take a while to wake up. I did part of a post-graduate qualification in Library and Information Studies, but gave up on it when I realised that I didn't actually want to be a librarian. You'd be amazed how many of the skills I picked up are still useful though...

about me and friends

Friends have always been one of the most important things in my life, and I seem to have a knack for making good ones: the very first friend I ever made is still a close and dear one, although now his days of playing with snails have long since given way to a fulfilling adult life in Cambridge with his lovely wife.

Closer to home I have a good crowd of friends with whom I spend a lot of my time and you'll tend to find that I link to their sites (when they have them) if the subjects of their blogs relate to my own. This is partly just because they're all wonderful people (even the ones with no websites) but mostly because I think you'll gain a better perspective on the events I'm describing if you can see them from different angles.

about me and words

"Hello, my name is Patrick and I am a language addict." My choice of degree was motivated by a deep rooted love of language and communication, which is a recurrent theme in everything I do. I write short fiction when I can, which isn't always just a matter of having the time...

about me and pictures

I'm a very visual person with a good feel for how things work. Those two drives colour almost everything I do from designing and building this site to the years I spent renovating a house. Much of my work over the past couple of years has had a design led bent to it but I'm not a designer so much as a design literate all-rounder.

about me and work

I've always wanted to earn my living in some way which combines my love of language and communication, with my knack for building and maintaining relationships, together with a pretty strong 'design literacy'. It's not the most specific or easiliy pursued of ambitions and it's been a bumpy road getting here, but I seem to have found a good fit doing what I do. If you want to know more look me up on LinkedIn.

about me and this site

It's a work in progress like most of the rest of my life, and (like most of the rest of my life) my attention will wax and wane on it. This current incarnation of the page is working well - I've still got a few ideas for adding to it but I wouldn't advise holding your breath in anticipation! That said you'll more than likely always find some recently edited content in the blog section.