1. Where does this find you? Tell us the story of how you got there.

Zevenaar, the Netherlands, Latitude: 51°55'40.45"N 6° 3'48.94"E (to be annoyingly precise)

How did I get here? Ahem, are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin . . . .
(where's everybody gone?)
Born in Singapore in 1963, baby Martin was an inquisitive little fellow. Let me tell you about the time he . . . . . .
Wha? Skip a bit? Well ok then, if I must . . . . . . .
. . . . . then I left the army and settled in Holland with my Dutch girlfriend (now ex-wife and mother of my two sons). That was in 1987, an interesting period, let me tell you about the time I . . . . . .
Wha? . . . . Skip? . . . . More?
Well ok, quick summary then:
Moving house, making plastic bottles on the night shift, getting married, learning to speak Dutch, moving house (again), driving, driving, driving, driving (I’ve been driving large goods vehicles all over Europe for the last 21 years), driving, becoming a father (twice), nearly killing myself on two wheels (or rather, off two wheels), getting divorced after 15 years, moving house, meeting Anja, falling headoverheels (who’d’ve thought it? We're talking poetry-writing, permanent-inane-grin-wearing stuff here), “The Gran” dying, Mum & Dad emigrating to Australia to join my Sister, moving house, discovering Moblog, slowly coming to terms that I should be doing more with my time here, and then thoroughly kicking the arse out of it by shooting off in eight different directions at once without a clue how to achieve what I'm trying to achieve but enjoying climbing up this incredibly steep learning-curve as I go.

2. Why do you Moblog? How do you use the site?

Why not? There's no law against it! I'm an adult, it's just a piece of harmless fun, I'm not doing any harm! Please don't take it away from me, please, I'll be a good boy!
*pulls self together*
I was looking for a blog-site for a while and stumbled upon MoblogUK. I’m away from home during the week, on the road in the truck, and thought it would be a good way of letting the “home front” know what I come up against while I’m away. Primarily directed at my partner, Anja, but also as a way of keeping in touch with my sons, Nick (now 16) & Mike (now 14), who I see every other weekend and my parents and sister in Western Australia.
Moblog for me has grown into a very important part of my life, I've met a lot of wonderful people, incredibly interesting and inspiring characters, from whom I've learned a great deal, and to whom I'll always be very grateful.

3. What's your least favourite subject to talk about? Why?

Quantum physics, string theory and the nature of time.

I forced myself to read Stephen J. Hawking's “The Universe In A Nutshell” cover to cover once. I read and re-read it line after line, paragraph after repeated paragraph, page after coffee stained page until I got to the end, closed the book and went “nope, sorry, haven’t a clue what you’re on about there Stevie-boy”.
So if you "ask me one on quantum physics" you'll totally shut me up (a tip, if you're stuck in a lift with me after a couple of pints).

4. What song means the most to you and why?

Stairway to Heaven, Led Zepp.
Maybe cliche, don't care.
As far as I'm concerned the greatest song ever written and ever performed. I could play it most of the way through at one stage, on the guitar, pretty competently. Fingers have gone a bit rusty these days. It makes the hairs on my forearms stand right up, still.

5. What's your most vivid memory from childhood?

The freedom, generally, we enjoyed. Going outside right after breakfast and staying out all day, rain, snow, whatever, we (my sister and I with the rest of the "gang") would walk for miles and miles, building, climbing, getting mucky, cold and wet. Then getting into a too-hot bath and your skin would ache because you were so chilled through to the bone.
Then tucking in to a plate of beanz-on-toast-with-an-egg-on-top like it was a banquette.

6. Are humans fundamentally good?

Sjeeez!
Well I am,
I hope,
fundamentally,
and virtually everybody I know is, so from my point of view, yes they are, mostly.
(With the odd exception of course, I mean Peter Sutcliffe was a bit of a twat.)

7. A picture or a thousand words?

Oh a picture, every time, perhaps accompanied by a few words, but “a thousand”? that’s rabbiting on a bit, IMO, he said, rabbiting on.
I'm rubbish with words, bit of a problem with dyxslecxia (see?) as a kid, still stumble a bit here and there, computers help, and predictive text.
I can knock up a half decent picture for you though.

8. What's wrong with the world today?

Not enough rabbits.

9. If you had ultimate control, how would you fix it?

Breed millions of those great big Dutch long-eared "Thumpers", they're so cute, how could you go out and start a war if you had a great big floppy pet rabbit outside you had to look after every day?

10. What is "the greatest thing you'll ever learn"?

Well I’ll not have learned it yet now would I?
But the greatest thing I've learned so far is that "Red Dwarf" is probably the best series ever to have been seen on tv,
and never to sign up for anything Nige dreams up on Moblog, it'll cost you hours and hours of your time, tons of soul-searching and significant hair loss. (he said, putting his name down for the next scheme).

X, Jxl

Posted by JokerXL