Matt profile picture

Matt

Hello Folks!!!

About Me


Well, I can try and think of some witty one line quip but instead I'll just write a proper description.. I'm quite a sociable creature and make friends easily but am much better on a one to one basis than being the loudest in a group. I'm a bit of a country boy at heart having grown up in the west highlands of Scotland and despite having lived in cities and towns since I was 18, I still have a love for wild places. I need the sea or the mountains or both to be close in order to be happy :-) I really value close friendships but am a bit crap at keeping in touch, especially as I've moved around alot since I left school (Glasgow, Bristol, East Anglia, an offshore gas platform in the north sea and now Chester). Having said that, I usually find even if I don't see or speak to folk for ages, when I do it's usually like yesterday. I can be a bit philosophical at times and I have a fascination for most things, especially how stuff works. I particularly like people who think deeper than the superficial and people who find humour in the mundane. I don't like bullshitters or people who bang on about stuff they know nothing about!! I love my rock climbing, mountaineering and skiing and have recently taken up skydiving. I'm into clubbing as well but mainly in winter because I hate still being awake feeling crap when the suns come up and it's hot. I also have a love of fast cars...not sure why but suspect its probably because as a kid my parents drove around in a renault 5 van.

My Interests


Am into rock climbing and skiing and have recently got a bit hooked by skydiving. I used to do loads of sea and river kayaking and still dabble from time to time when it rains. I'm also currently pondering the purchase of a mountain bike but so far haven't got my head round committing to yet another world of retail expenditure.....eeek!!! Probably because of my sports I also love travelling. Oh, almost forgot, I also do a fair bit of yoga and have two bonzai trees. They're not quite Mr Miyake but they seem to be surviving ok.

I'd like to meet:

Everyone I've ever met has added something to my life ;-)

Music:

Crikey.....I've had a serious cd habit for the last 15 years and have been slow to transfer to the I-pod generation. I've recently got myself a shuffle and it may be that MP3 is my cure...we'll see. I've been through lots of phases with my music but am currently listening to electronica and soulful, funky dance. Also have a bit of a liking for harder edge breaks and beats but the big rule about dance music for me is that it's gotta have a skip to it not just bang. Love a bit of soul and have got more and more into hip hop over the last couple of years but the slightly more rythmical end rather than pure gangsta. In previous lives I've been into punk, grunge, techno, jazz, blues and rock as well as some damn wierd stuff which defies description to be honest

Movies:

Like cheese and biscuits.....sometimes spot on but too many gets a bit dull

Television:

Fucking hell it's like a tranquiliser to me...I just fall asleep as soon as I sit in front of the bloody thing. It's often on...just don't actually watch it.

Books:

Politics and Current Affairs: "The end of oil", "Blood and oil", "The new great game". Essential reading for anyone who hopes to be alive for the next 50 years. All three books look at how society must face the challenge of rising energy demand coupled with lower fossil fuel reserves and growing environmental concerns. All books give an insight into the current trouble in the Middle East, the rise of Al Quaeda and the impact of massive economic growth in the far east. Also the short sightedness of current US government energy and foreign policies.

Fiction: "The lord of the rings", "The hobbit" and "The Dune Trilogy". Need I say more!!

Biography: "Downfall". The life story of a woman who operated as Hitlers private secretary during the last three years of WWII. A surprising look into the life and behaviour of a European leader that history would rather forget.

General Knowledge: "A short history of nearly everything" by Bill Bryson. Extremely well researched book that puts humanity into perspective...Couldn't quite get my head round the comments about slugs being a plant though.

Philosophy: "Kinds of Minds" by Daniel C Dennett. A study into the concept of consciousness. Is a dog conscious?....Is an ant? Think about it!!

Fun 1: "The cat in the hat", "How the Grinch stole Christmas", "Fox in socks" and "Green eggs and ham". Come on....how could anyone not like Dr Suess!

Fun 2: Asterix comics.....Fucking Genius!

And last but not least "The 13 and a half lives of captain bluebear" by Walter Moers....Get hold of a copy and read it, you'll see what I mean!!

Heroes:

Anyone who's older than 60 and still havin' it!!!

My Blog

Who are you all???

Well, I recently put a map thingy on my page which shows me the location of people who come to visit me (I guess it registers post code or something when they view my page). It's great to see the plac...
Posted by Matt on Tue, 27 Mar 2007 10:20:00 PST

Sometimes work really sucks

Yeah.....It really does!!! Basically I work as a professional engineer and without going into too much detail, I prepare and manage large scale maintenance and modification projects in manufacturing i...
Posted by Matt on Wed, 28 Feb 2007 05:42:00 PST

where do you consider to be home???

Went back to Ardentinny on the West coast of Scotland over Christmas, where my parents live and where I spent the first 17 years of my life. On Christmas day, I went for a walk around the village...
Posted by Matt on Fri, 29 Dec 2006 11:51:00 PST

Opera!!!

Went to the opera last night at the Manchester Opera house. Had never been to an opera before, went to see "Die Fliedermaus" with my girlfriend and some mates. Thought I was just going to sit the...
Posted by Matt on Fri, 01 Dec 2006 12:43:00 PST

theres some psycho's out there fur sure!!

Just got back from the pub to find my car with a flat tyre :-(...just an unlucky occurrence...shit happens. On closer inspection found a nail in it :-(...just an unlucky occurrence...shit happens. The...
Posted by Matt on Sat, 11 Nov 2006 04:06:00 PST

House Parties and Distant Friends

Well I'm just about recovered from a hectic weekend. Drove down to Bristol on Friday night for a house party then back up north for a sunny sunday rock climbing in Yorkshire. It's funny, I only lived ...
Posted by Matt on Mon, 06 Nov 2006 12:29:00 PST

Disturbed and Very wrong but soo funny

A friend of mine told me to look this up. Its a series of cartoons....They're dark, disturbed...soooo wrong but also seriously funny...Check them out. http://www.gorillamask.net/flashsaladfingers.shtm...
Posted by Matt on Sun, 05 Nov 2006 12:06:00 PST

Fontainebleau

Well, just got back from a five day trip to the forest of Fontainebleau about 40 clicks south of Paris. This place is great. It's well known amongst climbers worldwide for the wealth of climbing on t...
Posted by Matt on Thu, 26 Oct 2006 12:51:00 PST

FFFunky FFFresh Beats....

While I'm on the subject of music, check this out......Many will be aware of this record lable, one of my favourites, kind of urban soul / deep house from San Francisco. If you aren't aware of it, giv...
Posted by Matt on Sun, 15 Oct 2006 02:01:00 PST

thoughts on the weekend

Well here goes for my first blog entry and having only just sorted my profile, I don't even have any friends listed yet to read it oh well!! Had a wicked weekend, went to the peak district climbing y...
Posted by Matt on Sun, 15 Oct 2006 01:48:00 PST