5 Things You Don't Know About Me

Thanks Sophie. I normally don't participate in memes like these, but this one strikes me as a particularly useful one, helping users to get to know better the authors of the sites they read.

I have been known to talk code in my sleep when I'm particularly busy or stressed. My wife refuses to write it down though, so I if I want to find out if it's actually functional I'll need to record myself. If pushed, I would guess that it will not be functional but may be better than code I have created when actually awake.

I went on a trek through the Himalayas (the Pin-Parbati pass in Spiti valley) when I was 17. I loved it. We went with a company called World Challenge, who help young groups like ours do treks like that and send along an experienced leader (helps keep us safe etc).

The day we did the pass, we got up at 2am to start what was supposed to be a 7 hour trek to a camp site on the other side of the glacier that was supposed to be clear of snow by this time of year. However, it wasn't, so we had to continue to the next site. Which turned a 6 hour day into a 14 hour day. And I had no sunscreen, because it had exploded in my bag 2 days before. Nobody could spare any, as they were all running very low.

If I could offer a piece of advice - walking on snow for 14 hours in the height of Indian summer without sunscreen is a bad idea. Take 2 tubes. Big tubes. Factor 1000. And if I ever hear you complain you have sunburn, then unless chunks of your face are actually falling off, I am more likely to laugh than be sympathetic. (In case you were curious, I got very very lucky and escaped without scars - E45 cream FTW.)

I believe it is physically impossible to eat less than a whole pack of Maryland cookies. I've tried. I can open the pack, and I can eat a few. But then they're gone and I'm left feeling confused.

I am half Canadian. One day, I will move to Montreal. I anticipate worldwide maple syrup, waffle and bacon shortages almost immediately following this. These events will be related.

18 December 2006