All about me

Vital statistics

Name

Vivien Ann - Web name "Viva"

Born

Under the sign of Virgo, in the Year of the Rooster. A child of the sixties. A free spirited perfectionist - interesting.

Location

The centre of the universe, Greater London, UK.

Work

Jill of all trades

Part-time lecturer - Shorthand for Journalists, English as a foreign or second language.

Part-time proof-reader and copy-editor.

Writer - one book (non-fiction) to my credit. Have also have short stories and poems published in various magazines and e-zines.

Play

Reading - literary fiction, aga sagas, psychological thrillers ...

Home computing - making this website is just the excuse I need to play around on the computer while appearing to be doing something constructive.

Needlework - Have a collection of finished cross-stitch pictures awaiting framing. This is an expensive hobby but the thrill of seeing the results of one's lengthy labour set in a professional looking frame.

Virtues

Patient - provided other people are not willfully lazy or stupid.

Diligent - provided I enjoy my work. Otherwise I'll go to great lengths to procrastinate until total avoidance is inevitable.

Perfectionist - because I'm a Virgo, apparently. The proviso here is that what I am doing must be worthy of attention to detail. If anything threatens to mar perfection, the whole task will be abandoned. This often happens.

Vices

Books - I collect them. Can't help it. Have bookshelves groaning with self-help, DIY, gardening, writing, tuition, and many other types of book illustrating past and current passions. I'll never have time to read them all but can't bring myself to get rid of them. So they just sit there gathering dust.

(Saving grace) I do dust and organise them into categories and alphabetical order periodically, just to show I care.

Television - I watch far too much.

(Saving grace) I do my embroidery at the same time, so I'm not really watching all that rubbish, am I?