Obsession, it's a good thing right?

"A man becomes preeminent, he's expected to have enthusiasms. Enthusiams... What are mine?"

I am obsessed, but I reckoned that being obsessed with only one thing is creepy and a little unnerving where as obsessing about a handful of things is good and healthy! Perhaps obsession is a slightly strong word - perhaps its just extreme, and possibly excessive, liking of. Whatever the term here's a little list of things, it's in no particular order and is no way conclusive

Photoshop - I got my first look at PhotoShop (or PotatoChop as it became lovingly known) in 1997 and it was not long before I was putting my friends' faces into movie posters and stills. I loved it from the very start and since then it has been my ambition to make Photoshop as big a part of my life as possible - using it where ever possible in my university work at the time and spending more and more time retouching and doctoring images as a hobby. When I decided to get out of mechanical engineering it was a big influence on my decision to study computer science and specifically my choice of topics and dissertation which was creating and adapting a suite of image manipulation and comparison tools... basically a mini-photoshop imitation being the sincerest form of flattery after all! Since then every step I've taken has been one closer, and hopefully soon I'll be working in Creative Retouching and the dream will have been realised!

Crazy Golf - Mini, Crazy, Adventure or all 3 there is something perfect about small scale golf especially when it involves amusing obstacles! It's a game you can be competitive about but without being overly serious or stressful which is particularly excellent if, like me, your skill at sport comes more from luck than technical ability! I've played on 3 different continents I think the first course I ever played was the one in my dad's home town - made entirely out of concrete - I was distressed to see last time I was there that it has been demolished. As yet nothing has taken it's place, what could?

Tom Gauld's Illustrations - I thought I'd better put the word "Illustrations" in there in case somebody thought I was stalking Tom Gauld, in fact I've never met him and I've never even contemplated camped outside his front door just in the hope of touching him... I have had a short email conversation with him though. All that aside his drawings are wryly amusing and have a charmingly naive and human nature to them. You should check them out here.

Movies - I love films, I love the cinema, even bad films are good. It's some kind of voodoo. I like to think I can identify most films by looking at a random frame or scene regardless of whether or not I've seen it - I'm pretty good at it. I suppose quoting goes hand in hand with films (though not exclusively) I do love to quote and I'll admit it is at times hard to know where the quote ends and I begin (see first line of this post).

Pedalos - I've no idea why pedalos are great, maybe its something to do with the fact that they're mostly useless as a mode of transport and more than a little bit naff. Something about riding a pedalo really implies am intention of doing very little with the day, it speaks of the luxury of time and relaxation! So if you ever find yourself walking near water with me and notice a glazed over look in my eyes I'm probably thinking how cool it would be if we had a pedalo!

Lauren Laverne - Can't put my finger on quite why (possibly her lovely eyes, possibly the cheeky smile) but I've always been a little fixated with Lauren ever since the days of Kenickie, and just look at her now - a host on the culture show! The girl done good! Anyway I'm sure she'd be flattered by the admiration (for want of a better word) and should she ever decide to ditch her family she knows where I am.

Oh yeah and Batman... Oh, and stationery... And photos too... and Raymond Chandler novels.