5 things you didn't know about me

So a full year after it started, this tagging thing is still going on - my buddy Robin Meuré has tagged me to write about things you didn't know about me. I figure since I've not done this yet and I rarely write about anything personal, I'd make an exception and do it - so here goes. I think I'm actually supposed to write 8 facts, but 5 seems plenty to me :-)

1. I'm completely addicted to breakfast cereal!
   
   I love muesli in particular, and for the last 10 years have got through at least two big bowls a day when not away from home. Those who have me on Messenger might know this from the Chris O'Brien : ICerealizable tag (developer's joke :-)) Bizarrely, my girlfriend Suzanne is a buyer for an organic muesli company, and so is able to bring lots of free stuff home, woohoo! Shortly after we met a couple of years ago, I remember in the pub my friends asking what she did as a job - when I told them, they didn't believe me ;-)
   
   
2. I used to be a competitive cyclist.
   
   In my teens my life was dominated by cycling. I won lots of races when I was at my peak at around 18, and wasn't too far off getting into the GB team. Unfortunately my sporting career was cut short due to the combination of a couple of bad crashes in races and discovering girls and pubs. Guess I probably didn't have the dedication required to make it at the top level.
   
   
3. I got into computers by accident.
   
   I studied business (and French!) rather than a classic Computer Science degree. The third year was a 'year in industry', and I'd talked my way into a prestigious placement in the IT department of large blue-chip. I hated it. I didn't understand the technology (IBM AS/400) and everyone spoke a language I didn't understand. After 5 months of unhappiness, it dawned on me that if I threw myself at it I'd probably understand it, and if I understood it I'd probably like it. I studied OS/400, Query 400, JD Edwards etc every evening, and 2 or 3 months later I absolutely loved it. I didn't want to return to university at the end of the year and was tempted when my employer said there'd always be a job for me there.
   
   
4. I love travelling.
   
   My backpacking days are probably over, but I've been lucky enough to travel around South America, Australasia and Asia. The most recent trip was a solo trip to Nepal just over a year ago, and I got to trek to Annapurna base camp which is used for climbing expeditions in the area. At the higher altitudes it was getting down to -16 °C at night, and of course the simple lodges used for shelter at night have no heat! Those nighttime trips in the howling wind to get to the toilet were pretty memorable.   
   
   
5. I'm a big Manchester City fan.
   
   Although I've lived in London for many years, I'll always support the 'other' team from Manchester and for better or worse, this was handed down from my father. If you speak to many people from Manchester, they'll always tell you real Mancunians support City. Unfortunately it's frequently a despondent hobby, and Colin Schindler had it right when he wrote his book 'Manchester United ruined my life'. However, I'm encouraged to read there is apparently an entire village of Manchester City fans somewhere in Sierra Leone!
   

So that's me. Some other people I'd like to tag who I don't think have done this are:

• Vince Rothwell
• Ben Robb
• Andrew Woodward
• Zac Smith
• Mikhail Dikov