Interests
Art
Since studying Art at A-Level, I have been completely fascinated by many different artistic styles; particularly abstract forms such as Cubism, and Surrealism. I particularly love the mathematical precision of the works of Salvador Dali and M.C. Escher. Much of my own work has been inspired by these and many other masters. The paintings shown below are all my own works, although some are reproductions.
Pets
I also have a great love of exotic animals and am currently the proud owner of a snake and a tarantula. What a bizarre choice of creatures I hear you say! Well, actually these animals make very good pets. They are quiet, clean, require very little maintenance and they have provided me with endless entertainment.
Boris is a Californian King Snake and is approximately 4½ feet long. An average size, he is now 11 years of age so I don't expect him to grow any bigger. He was so small when I first bought him home that he could curl-up in the palm of my hand. King Snakes live for around ten years, so he is a very old man now! Boris is a wonderful pet as he is highly inquisitive and requires very little looking after.
King Snakes are very strong and easily capable of overpowering more dangerous snakes such as Rattlers. In part, their success of catching and eating venomous snakes lies with their partial immunity to the venom. Sadly, they are also notorious cannibals, so they must be kept in separate tanks. King snakes originate from Baja California, Oregon, Arizona and Utah in the United States.
King snakes are constrictors, so they kill their prey by squeezing; an action that stops the animal from breathing. I feed Boris dead mice (kept in the freezer!) as it is illegal in England to feed live mammals as prey. Since they are cold-blooded, snakes do not need to eat as regularly as warm-blooded animals. They can go for many months (or longer in extreme cases) without eating. I feed Boris about once every 10-14 days.
My Curly Haired Tarantula, Atropos is 12 years old and measures about six inches across. When I embarked on my research before getting a spider, I read that females of this species live for around ten years, so at first it seemed surprising that she is still alive. However, after speaking to a professional, I learned that the oldest spider in the world is 47. Clearly, she could live for many more years! Unsurprisingly, this species of tarantula are called 'Curly Haired' since they have rather long brown curly hairs all over their body and legs. In between these hairs is a layer of soft downy black hair that looks and feels like velvet.
Tarantulas are carnivorous and so they must be kept separately. It is not uncommon for the larger female to overpower and eat the male after mating. Other than this unfortunate habit, they are spectacularly effective predators that move with great speed to catch prey. Since tarantulas will only eat live prey, I feed her live crickets or locusts. The crickets can be quite noisy, but overall they are easier to keep than locusts which eventually grow wings! Amazingly, some of the larger types of tarantula are able to catch and eat small mammals such as rodents.
Yes, I know that most of you will be cringing at the thought of my spider; however tarantulas actually make very good pets. They are easy to care for (once you understand their unique requirements), are quiet and don't make any mess. Many types of tarantula are surprisingly docile; including mine. Having said that, I seem to be the only person I know who will touch her. Perhaps it will be a difficult task to convince the rest of the world that spiders do not mean to frighten us!
My most recent arrival is George, my handsome ginger cat! He arrived in my garden one day and basically never left. Before I adopted him, he literally spent all day sitting in my garden waiting for me to go out and give him some attention. He appeared to be in relatively good condition, which is why I didn't take him in earlier. I suspected that he could have an owner. However, I eventually relented and let him move in on 5th August 2010. The vet thought he was about 15-18 months old.
He's a lovely cat and we are the best of friends. Since he has lived with me he has come alive. His fur is now glossy and his personality has really shown through. He seems to be so happy and grateful to have a loving home (where he is spoilt rotten).
Music
Aside from my strange animals, my love for music has inspired me to teach myself to play the guitar. It is in theory, wonderful to be able to play pieces of music that I have admired for many years. Unfortunately, I am finding that while many songs sound simple enough, they are really rather difficult to master! I currently own two guitars; an ESP Grassroots KH2 (Kirk Hammett Signature model) and a Les Paul Epiphone Goldtop.