Ormondroyd's open house Welcome! I live in Bradford - a city famous for curry and riots. Actually there's much more to the place than that, something I tried to convey in this h2g2 Edited Guide Entry on Bradford. I have a keen interest in theatre, and during the summer of 2003 I had a very enjoyable work placement as a theatre administrator with Mind The Gap, a Bradford-based theatre company that specialises in working with learning-disabled people in the cast and crew of its productions. I decided to return to Bradford in May 2000, and therefore ended a 15-year exile in London. I moved to London in the mid-1980s mainly because finding a job in northern England was then about as easy as knitting water. I love football, and am perhaps a little old-fashioned in that I like to go and watch the game live and in the flesh. I've been a supporter of Bradford City since 1968. As a form of therapy, during the football season, I write about City's infrequent triumphs and regular tribulations in the club fanzine, The City Gent. I have also written about the beautiful game for the excellent When Saturday Comes magazine. I also do a bit of acting and singing myself. I'm an enthusiastic member of the Bradford University Theatre Group and the Bradford University Society of Operettas and Musicals (BUSOM). I made my serious acting debut in March 2003 in the BUTG production of Shakespeare's The Tempest, and my most recent stage appearance was in BUSOM's production of Hot Mikado in March 2008. I am amiable, kindly, impecunious, frequently confused, and delighted to make your acquaintance. We'll cheer up when we're good and ready...   When someone orders you to 'Have a nice day,' do you often want to reply 'How?' or 'Why'? Have you often been provoked almost to the point of violence by cheery idiots chirping 'Cheer up, it might never happen'? Then why not join People United in Defence of Depression, Irritability and Natural Grumpiness: P.U.D.D.I.N.G.? Our page is a refuge from forced jollity. We don't celebrate or promote misery. We simply demand the right to look Come and savour the rich, piquant flavour of P.U.D.D.I.N.G.. You have nothing to lose but your forced FOOTBALL FANS! Join my Club! I am h2g2's Keeper of Civilised Soccer Fandom, and I've built a football Club that I hope every soccer fan on h2g2 will want to support. The Virtual Supporters' Club offers links to lots of great soccer sites from around the world. It also features links to club sites for every League team in England and Scotland. So come on over and get stuck in! I've also compiled The h2g2 Galaxy of Football, a page providing links to all the useful Guide Entries on football that I was able to find. There are entries on individual football clubs, football competitions, star players, the rules of the game and on all kinds of aspects of football culture. All of football life is there! My favourite haunts  There are too many cool places and people on h2g2 to list in this Personal Space without making it unfeasibly long (like it used to be). That's why I built Ormy's Highlights of h2g2, where you can find details of the clubs I belong to aside from the ones I started myself, and be introduced to some of the Researchers who make being here such a pleasure. (Thanks to Dr St Justin for this idea.) Meanwhile, elsewhere in the galaxy... Here are links to a selection of my favourite sites outside BBCi. Some deal with deadly serious matters, others are purely for fun; but they all make me smile for one reason or another. The Real World Please visit The Hunger Site. Just by doing so, you can help to feed the starving - and it'll cost you nothing. Here's a site for those of us who believe that we have the right to say what we like and that governments do not have the right to kill or torture us. It's the official site for Amnesty International, the global human rights organisation. This is the only home planet we've got. Shouldn't we take better care of it? Greenpeace think we should. And if it feels like it's getting mighty crowded on our planet, that's probably because it is... Here are the latest estimated world population figures, courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau. It's my party and I'll plug it if I want to: here's the official site for Britain's Liberal Democrats. If you'd like to know about the history of the party, there's an excellent Edited Guide entry on Liberal Democrats - UK Political Party. At times of international conflict, it's more important than ever to ensure that governments don't seize the opportunity to restrict our civil liberties. In Britain, the main organisation fighting for civil liberties and human rights is Liberty. In the USA, there's the American Civil Liberties Union - despised by the religious right, so they must be doing a good job! Find the news that the mainstream media doesn't see fit to print at the Independent Media Center. A site for we British agnostics and atheists who would like to be allowed to practice our faith:
The National Secular Society. Americans who share our lack of faith can find sterling support at the Freedom From Religion Foundation. A brilliant site that has some sharp things to say about the way we live these days, and is also very funny indeed. Go from panic to peace with Anxiety Culture. Department of Art and Frivolity An invaluable resource for film fans of all tastes and none: The Internet Movie Database. Now that's what I call an eclectic mix of quality popular music, featuring lots of cool new artists and no annoying commercials: BBC Radio 6 Music. Engage your browser's warp drive and boldly go where many a happy fan has gone before. Beam up to the official Star Trek website. The heroic Time Lord who has survived 40-odd years of attacks from Daleks, Cybermen and even BBC Director-Generals: the timeless and wonderful Doctor Who is celebrated at the official Doctor Who web pages and The h2g2 Doctor Who Group. Terry Pratchett once said that 'Research is what happens when you think you're doing something else.' He's obviously a h2g2 kind of guy. He's also one of the world's funniest writers. Find out more with this h2g2 Edited Guide Entry on Terry Pratchett's Discworld, this British Terry Pratchett fan site, and this American Terry Pratchett site. For superb satire from the States, just taste The Onion - America's finest news source. What can turn George W. Bush into 'He Grew Bogus', Tony Blair into 'Liar By Ton', Gordon Brown into 'Born Do Wrong', David Cameron into 'Mad Vain Credo' and Ann Coulter into 'Unclean Rot'? Why, it's the Internet Anagram Server. Great fun guaranteed for all - or my name's not 'Don Dry Room'! Cool Cartoon Corner  Here are the sites of the comic strips with which I like to start the day: Philosopher, party animal and amorous aesthete: it's Norway's most gorgeous Goth, and probably my ideal woman - Lise Myhre's magnificent creation Nemi. It's been gently but perceptively satirising life in the USA for 35 years. It's Garry Trudeau's wonderful Doonesbury. A strip about a world where co-workers can't be trusted and bosses are mean and manipulative. The strip is very popular! It almost seems as though an awful lot of office workers can relate to it! It is, of course, Scott Adams's brilliant Dilbert. Warm, witty and sometimes surreal: Brooke McEldowney's dreamlike domestic drama 9 Chickweed Lane. And here's Mr. McEldowney's other comic masterpiece: the delightful everyday story of fairies, succubi and church organists that is Pibgorn. Credits where they're due I would like to thank: DNA, without whom none of this could ever have been possible. BRUCE, SHAZZ and PETA for all their invaluable advice and encouragement. OTTOX for this very helpful guide to Web Safe Colours, which has been useful in choosing some of the text colours for this page. And YOU, for your visit! Please call again! People have been talking about this Guide Entry. Here are the most recent Conversations: Journal Entries Welcome to this Researcher's Journal. If you'd like to comment on anything they have written here, just click the relevant 'Discuss this Entry' button. The ghost of Ormondroyd past (3 Days Ago)A few weeks ago I was at the Bradford University Counselling Service for the last in a short series of assertiveness classes. I'd first looked at that subject a few years ago, found it life-changing in a very positive way, and had decided to remind myself of the principles and skills of assertiveness with this four-week course. On the final day, everything was going well, and then the group leader handed out some photocopied documents summarising those basic principles of assertiveness. And then I had to say: "Look, there's something I must tell you. I think I wrote this." The references in the text to Guide Entries and Scout picks were a dead giveaway. Without knowing anything about my history with h2g2, the group leader had taken the handout from A2998551 , a Guide Entry I wrote in 2004! So I found myself explaining all about h2g2, and what Guide Entries and Scout picks were. And although I haven't been around h2g2 much lately, it made me feel that my time here had not been wasted; that I might just have written something of lasting value, and that maybe I should return here more often. A happy Christmas and a ten-out-of-ten 2010 to all Researchers!  Click here to discuss this (4 replies, Latest reply: 2 Days Ago) Yes I can! Catch up on my sleep, that is... (Nov 6, 2008) I'm tired and spotty and it's all Barack Obama's fault. Why'd he have to be so exciting and inspirational that I had to stay up all night  watching him make history? I started the night of November 4 watching the results start to come in at the University of Bradford, explaining the Electoral Coverage to students from a variety of countries and munching the free popcorn provided by the Students' Union to sustain us through the night, in the bar with a special extension until 4am. But I was struggling to hear the TV news over all the excited chatter, so I headed for home. Then, of course, over the next few hours my smile became broader as I watched the BBC coverage. Pennsylvania...  Ohio...  ... and finally that magic moment just after 4am UK time when a swathe of declarations took Barack Obama past 270 Electoral Votes.  It was a truly historic moment that I was overjoyed to witness. I was far too excited to sleep, and stayed up until around 6:30 to watch John McCain's gracious, constructive and dignified concession speech and President-elect Obama's inspirational oration in Chicago, which brought tears to my eyes.  Yes, sometimes, despite everything, the good guys really win.I'll muse on the possible consequences of all this at greater length later, probably in  . But for now I have a show to do with my choral society tonight, I still haven't caught up on my sleep  and I'll need my stage make-up because all the  and diet cola I drank to stay awake for Barack's big moment has brought me out in spots. I dunno - these defining moments in  history. They can be brilliant and unforgettable, like the other night, but they're also a health hazard.  Click here to discuss this (No replies) My lucky number comes up! (Aug 16, 2008) In general, I like to try to be rational about things and eschew any thoughts of the supernatural. But sometimes coincidences do get eerie...  So it was yesterday. There are two  teams whose home games I watch regularly: Bradford City and Guiseley. Yesterday, they both won 2-0, and City's great local rivals Leeds United lost 2-0. City's Peter Thorne scored two goals, and David Brown scored goal number two for Guiseley two minutes from the end of their game. I could hardly fail to see the pattern there. So I bought a ticket for the National Lottery's Thunderball game, and chose 2 as the number for both the Thunderball (the key number in the game, drawn from a separate set of 14 balls) and as one of the five other chosen numbers that the game calls for. My other four numbers were selected from other aspects of my team's games today, for instance Peter Thorne's shirt number and the times of his goals. Guess what happened? I had two winning numbers, and both of them were 2! The two twos I picked both came up in the draw. Sadly none of my other numbers were winners, but as I had the Thunderball and one other winning number, I won £5. And it certainly seems obvious what my lucky number is at present. Perhaps I should try again in the next draw on Wednesday and try to make it two in a row...  Click here to discuss this (10 replies, Latest reply: Aug 20, 2008) An actor's life for me (Jan 30, 2008) I have just taken my first, tentative step towards trying to be a professional actor, by applying for registration with my friendly neighbourhood extras agency. This involved filling in a comprehensive form which enquired after lots of aspects of my physical dimensions, experience and talents, and what I'd be willing to do. I have declared that I'm quite willing to kiss on screen and that I'm prepared to appear topless. Heck, it's possibly the only way I'll get a  these days, and if someone's willing to pay to film my hairy, flabby torso then that's fine by me!It's all quite timely because this week I am playing an army general in a really fine new play called 'Balance of Power' that's on at Bradford University tomorrow (Jan. 31) and Friday. It's a powerful tale of love and Machiavellian political manoeuveres in an unnamed nation in the former Soviet Union. The script is excellent, I've got a great part, and I'm very proud to be involved in bringing this excellent piece of new writing to life. I love the adrenaline rush of a production week! One question on the extras agency's form asked if I had a stage name. The answer for now is 'no', as the need has never arisen, but it did set me wondering what I might call myself if a new name was required. Any suggestions? Click here to discuss this (18 replies, Latest reply: Feb 24, 2008) On becoming four-eyed (Oct 12, 2007) I have just been through one of those transitions in life that come to us all in the end. For some time now, I had been reading small print by holding it at arm's length and squinting. But there comes a time when that technique isn't enough any more; when, as the optician I went to see this week put it, you simply run out of arm. And so I have become the owner of two pairs of reading glasses. They're rectangular with neat thin frames, and so make me look very much like this  except that I still have all my hair and I'm not yellow. I'm very pleased with them; I can now take a  to bed at the end of a long day and actually read it easily. Most of the time I don't need my specs, and when I do wear them I think they make me look quite mature and learned. I realise, however, that many of my h2g2 friends are far more experienced glasses-wearers than I am. So can you give me any tips on specs maintenance? Click here to discuss this (22 replies, Latest reply: Oct 29, 2007) Click here to see more Journal Entries Most Recent Conversations
Most Recent Guide Entries These are all the Guide Entries this Researcher has created. If you'd like to read them, click on the link, and if you want to talk about them, use the 'Discuss this Entry' button when you get there. From h2g2: A25980159 The 'Invite the Italic(s) to Tea' Movement (Aug 16, 2007)From h2g2: A18133021 Sweet And Sour Turkey - a Christmas story (Dec 13, 2006) From h2g2: A11553202 Eric Idle additions (May 7, 2006) From h2g2: A11182970 The Smiths - the Band (update) (Apr 22, 2006) From h2g2: A8802029 Hitchhiking Far From Home (Jan 24, 2006) From h2g2: A4615373 'Shrinking' - a short story - (UG) (Jul 29, 2005) From h2g2: A4354788 Shrinking (Jul 4, 2005) Click here to see more Guide Entries Most Recent Edited Entries These are all the Edited Entries to which this Researcher has contributed. They obviously read the Writing Guidelines and submitted their Guide Entries to Peer Review: why don't you too? From h2g2: A29056548 David Bowie - The Man Who Fell To Earth (Nov 22, 2007)From h2g2: A21197171 Kate Bush - The Albums (Mar 28, 2007) From h2g2: A16932297 Sir Paul McCartney - Singer/Songwriter (Jan 19, 2007) From h2g2: A3970361 Je T'aime (Moi Non Plus) - a French pop song (May 13, 2005) From h2g2: A3769095 The 1980s - Music (Mar 10, 2005) From h2g2: A3768915 The 1980s - Technology (Mar 10, 2005) From h2g2: A3768825 The 1980s - World Events (Mar 10, 2005) From h2g2: A3768762 The 1980s - Fashion (Mar 10, 2005) From h2g2: A3768393 The 1980s - Films and Television (Mar 10, 2005) From h2g2: A3502568 Kate Bush - Singer/Songwriter (Feb 4, 2005) Click here to see more Edited Entries Friends List
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