Orangutangents

Orangutransients - An A to Z of Orange and Hairy

Following a recent challenge by fallen_tear, I have taken up the alphabetical mantle, and my A to Z of all things orange and hairy is as follows :

A is for Apple - 'cos I'm traditional like that and apples are my favourite fruit. Mmm... Granny Smith. 

B is for Banana - as contrary to popular opinion, and despite being a virtual Orangutan, I really don't like 'em much at all.

C is for Cat (aye, I know, predictable) - we have a Siamese and she's the most ornery, noisy, miserable, cantankerous, bitchy cat I've ever had to share a house with. She hates the dog and me, and loves my wife dearly.

D is for Dog - ours is called Arthur, and is named after Arthur C Clarke. He loves the cat and wants to spend all day with her. It makes for an interesting day. He also gets me off my rear end, which I seem to spend far too long sitting on these days. 

E is for eyes - mine have caused me various problems over the years, but thanks to modern medicine and the NHS I can still see near perfectly with my specs on. Can't ask more than that really.  

F is for Four - I have that many kids. As with all children, they're a joy, a trial, a triumph and an education. I wouldn't change things for the world, but occasionally I'd quite like an instruction manual. 

G is for Gaiman - of the Neil variety. His short story The Price was one of the reasons I started writing in the first place and is a triumph of the art of short story telling. He also writes wonderfully dark and interesting characters, who are flawed, disturbed and in some cases downright odd. Wonderful. 

H is for hair - I have none on my head. I don't miss it at all. 

I is for Iceland - not the frozen goods store in the UK, but the cold island floating around up north. It's a place I'd love to visit, in particular to see the northern lights. 

J is for Just About Anything Beer Related - I love a good pint. I would rather have one really good pint than as much awful free beer as I can drink. Some of the craft beers around the world now are exceptional, and wonderful. A good pint, a good meal, and the company of good friends. You don't need much more than that.  

K is for King - of the Stephen variety, as his story The Green Mile, and subsequent film, is one of my favourites of all time.

L is for Love - it does make the world go around, and has inspired some of the greatest writing, music and art the world has ever seen. Yeah, I know, I'm a big soppy =] 

M is for Music - Cos life has to have a bit of a beat to it. I love music of all styles, I play guitar and piano, and I would prefer to listen to a good piece of music than watch TV any day of the week. 

N is for nuts - possibly one of my favourites foods. I'm more of a savoury than a sweet guy, and almonds in particular are just wonderful, along with fresh walnuts and hazlenuts. 

O is for Onomatopoeia - as it's one of my favourite words for many reasons. Even though I can never remember how to spell it. 

P is for Pratchett - one of my favourite writers, the reason I'm an Orangutan on Wattpad, and just generally someone to be admired. Top chap, and someone who's work I've been reading for 25 years now. 

Q is for Queen - cos sometimes you just have to crank up the stereo and listen to Freddie doing his thing. No-one else can match Queen for raw power, energy and talent. And although I'm not always in the mood for them, they are one band who always make me smile. Particularly Fat Bottomed Girls =] 

R is for Random - can't beat a good random fact or snippet of information, and I'm endlessly fascinated with just how odd, unusual and random some things are. Things like the UK show Qi are endless sources of great snippets of Random. And of course the ever wonderful Stephen Fry.

S is for Science Fiction - one of my favourite genres alongside Fantasy and Historical Fiction. Everything from Niven to Clarke, Adams to Asimov. It's and endlessly fascinating genre. 

T is for Thesaurus - no other literary dinosaur has given me so much assistance over the years, but they can be troublesome in mating season. 

U is for Uttoxeter - a funny little place in Derbyshire not far from where my Gran lived. (Yes, I couldn't think of anything else beginning with U)

V is for Variscan - a geological orogeny, in this instance, a geologic mountain-building event caused by Late Paleozoic continental collision between Euramerica (Laurussia) and Gondwana to form the supercontinent of Pangaea. I'm a geologist, had to get something rocky in there apart from Queen somewhere =] 

W is for Wattpad - obviously. Wattpad has utterly changed my life, and entirely for the better. 

X is for Xenomorph - and of course Alien and Aliens. Two of the best SciFi Horror films ever made in my humble opinion, and films I grew up loving to watch. 

Z is for Zombies - and I love Zombies too, particularly the World War Z book by Max Brooks. It inspired me to write my first ever FanFic, something I never thought I'd do. Surprising where Wattpad takes you....