Fab 4 Meme

Fran Skud landed this one on me and I have struggled with completing it. Being the type to eventually finish what I have started, here it is. Not strictly compliant, but what to do.

4 Jobs I've Held:

* Short Order Cook When I moved to America in 1984 I was on a tourist visa and we moved to Aspen, Colorado where it would be easier to work (and play). My winter job was a short order cook in the Red Onion Restaurant, working with a chain smoking, drugged up, often drunk, psychotic Vietnam vet and some others. Interesting introduction to an aspect of American culture and sometimes dangerous things flew about the kitchen in times of stress. If you were lucky, you wouldn't get cigarette ash in your omelette.

* Saw Mill Worker One of my short term jobs between my two University stints in Scotland. This was memorable for the nail gun fights in the pallet shop, the older saw operators, none of whom had all their fingers left and the owner who never stopped shouting at people. I lasted four days.

* English Language Teacher When my first wife got a job working for the UN in Palawan, Philippines, processing Vietnamese refugees, I went along and taught English. Most of my time was spent in small groups chatting and drinking Cafe Su Dat and drinking San Miguel. I was very popular because the refugees assumed that I had some influence over their case, which was absolutely not the case.

* Energy Efficiency Consultant When my first wife got a job working for USAID in Kathmandu Nepal I went along too. Not too many jobs available on the local economy, so I ended up as a consultant. One of the projects was to do an energy and environmental evaluation of the USAID Office, which was a former Rana Palace and former home to one of the competing Nepali Royal Families. Interesting project and my recommendations were funded and implemented.

4 Films I Could Watch Over and Over:

* Sponge Bob The Movie. I love watching this with the kids.

* Paris Texas. I identify with this film through aspects of my life. Alienation R US. The sound track alone is worth watching for.

* One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. I love the dynamic with Nurse Ratched, the craziness of the fishing trip and the image of freedom at the end.

* Monty Python's Holy Grail. This is one of my sons favourite movies.

4 Television Shows I Watch:

* News Programmes Although wherever I have lived I have preferred the radio news. The best TV News at the moment is the Chasers War on Everything.

* Kids Programmes such as Angela Anaconda and George and Martha. I never really watch them in detail, but enjoy the interaction and enjoyment of the kids.

* Live Sport especially cricket and sometimes football.

* Murder Mysteries including Taggart and Cracker. I really like the grimy reality of Scottish television drama and particularly Robbie Coltrane. Takes me back to my former life in doom and gloom of Scotland.

4 Places I've Lived:

* Singapore. Food Capital of the World.

* Washington DC. Where I got my second degree

* Stirling, Scotland Where I got my first degree

* Puerto Princesa Palawan The Philippines. Where I worked in a refugee camp

4 Favorite Foods:

* Japanese When I was travelling around Asia, the one thing you could get reliably was Japanese food.

* Indian Growing up in Scotland you acquire a taste for northern Indian food. Living in Singapore, I was introduced to southern Indian food.

* Thai. I developed a taste for this living in America, although I have visited many times. Often the style of food presented outside the country is very different and surprisingly alien when you visit for real.

* Scottish Food including the full Burns Supper Menu. Haggis is outstanding a few times a year. Back that up with some deep fried specials. Yum.

4 Websites I Visit Every Day:

* Adelaide Green Porridge Cafe (vain eh?)

* Google News Australia

* My Company Intranet Site

* The Melbourne Age Great Australian News Website.

4 Places I Would Love To Be Right Now:

* Tibet. Ever since I lived in Nepal, I have wanted to go.

* The Cook Islands. Tranquility, sun and white beaches.

* Tobermorey, Mull. One of my greatest weekend was the Mull Music Festival in the mid 1980s. Music and drinking for three days. Amazing.

* Reykjavik I blame James for the curiosity factor)

4 Favorite Colors:

* Dark Blue. I associate this with Scottish sports teams

* Emerald Green. I associate this with Scotland and Ireland and all that rain. Very rare here in Australia.

* Black

* Purple

4 Names That I Love but Would/Could Not Use For My Children:

* Osama

* Nebuchadnezer

* Nellie

* Ebeneezer (This was my grandfathers name and my grandma tried hard to have me called Ebeneezer. Thank you Thank you Mum for holding out).

I have sworn off imposing memes on people, so if you like to go for it.