There were some pages that I included in the print version of this content that I decided to not make into full pages for this “About Me” section.
I’ll put some of the stuff from that booklet on this page though.

Past Friends

I had an entire section on “Past Friends”. Not people that have died, just people I’m no longer friends with or don’t see anymore.

At the time of writing, I don’t have much in the way of friends. Lots of groups and individual friends have come and gone over the years for different reasons. As of 2022, I have no regular friends and I know very few people in my local area.
I’ve been friends with my neighbour over the road at number 67 since shortly after I moved into my house in 2002. I don’t really have any friends from work any more, and even when I was working in the office I had very little in the way of friends. There was a time when my work colleagues were my best friends outside of work too. Over the years, so many people have left the company and lost touch for various reasons.
I couldn’t care less about most of them but some of the people I included are still missed, but even where they aren’t, I miss the good times or friendships I had with them. Here’s just one of the people I miss:

Claire Low

Duration: 1994 – 1997
Start: Barnsley College
End: After our HND course we lived in different parts of the country. We stayed in touch for maybe a couple of years or so by letter and occasionally by phone. and had little to no reason to stay in touch. Email was still barely a widespread thing when we finally lost or stopped contact with each other.
Notes: I absolutely adored Claire but of course I was in the friendzone. It may have been because I didn’t try hard enough because my journals do have minor hints that it could perhaps have been more but if it was meant to be, I’m sure it wouldn’t have all been down to my effort. I still have our written correspondence and journals where I pine after her or we went out together. She was happy, friendly, pretty and funny.

Now: I tried getting in touch with Claire around 2016 but she wasn’t on social media. At least, not by that name. In 2021 I also enquired about her via a Facebook page from her home town of Darlington. Someone recognised my photo of her and agreed she’d always been a lovely girl. They said she’s not on social media and lives with her partner, probably in Colchester where she went to University after she finished at Barnsley. It would be nice to know how she is and what she’s done, but maybe in some ways it’s better that I don’t know. At the time of writing in 2022, knowing Claire was well over half a lifetime ago anyway.

Attitudes

I learned to be homophobic and to a lesser extent, racist from people, culture and attitudes around me at the time when I was growing up. It wasn’t at all multi-cultured where I lived and even television would show everyday racism, sexism, homophobia and other kinds of bigotry that didn’t even occur to me as being so.

I still find some overt displays of high-campness irritating but that’s an aversion to a particular annoying behaviour rather than anything to do with sexual orientation. My attitude to LGBTQ+ people has radically changed from when I was younger.

Murder Trial Jury Duty

in 2000, I served on a murder trial jury. It was grisly and saddening but very interesting. It was my daily typing up of the trial’s events that lead to me moving from a written journals to digital ones.

Interests

I like science and history but only to a low level of understanding of course. I couldn’t study them or be academic about such things. I go to museums and watch documentaries but I’m not good at detailed information recall to recount at a later date. I’ve been interested in big news stories about astronomy and human space endeavours but I don’t follow anything in particular. I’m hoping we get to go back to the moon in my lifetime and it seems likely. I think visiting Mars is far less likely.

I find lots of periods in time interesting, but probably none more so than the second world war. There are so many incredible, brave and tragic stories from that era. I do find it a little disappointing that so many fictional WWII stories are made into films when there are thousands of real-life stories to be told. And even true stories get flowered up or dumbed down unnecessarily.
I love watching films, but I’m not a cinephile who must watch the latest subtitled Japanese film or something.
My main interest is being creative. That takes form in many ways but it’s mostly graphics and costumery type stuff.
There’s more too of course but I think these are the top ones.

Personality Test

I can’t say I agree with it all, but I took a fairly reliable Myers-Briggs personality test for this project.

Personality type:
Virtuoso (ISTP-A)

Traits

Mind
This trait determines how we interact with our environment.
Introverted – 62% 38% Extroverted

Energy
This trait shows where we direct our mental energy.
Observant) – 63% 37% – Intuitive

Nature
This trait determines how we make decisions and cope with emotions.
Thinking – 69% 31% – Feeling

Tactics
This trait reflects our approach to work, planning and decision-making.
Prospecting – 57% 43% – Judging

Identity
This trait underpins all others, showing how confident we are in abilities and decisions.
Assertive – 64% 24% Turbulent

Role: Explorer
Strategy: Confident Individualism

Thought Experiments

Best super power
Flying. Easily.

Where I’d visit in time
I’d love to see Ancient Cairo and Rome. Wartime London (yes, I know photos and film exist of this already, but I’d like to experience it). The Jurassic period to see dinosaurs.

What I’d tell my younger self in less than 20 seconds without having access to lottery numbers etc
Difficult. Hmnn. I figure I can’t stop big things like 9/11, and they might not happen as soon as I change anything at all. Maybe simple things like: Learn 3D applications. Never have children. Make pub maps of as many UK towns and cities as possible. Get your teeth straightened. Never, ever ride a moped.

What would make me truly happy
Friends, sex, Theme Parks, travel and drugs come to mind. Not necessarily all together

In a perfect world…
We’d get rid of all religion entirely.​ So much would become better from that alone.

Things I’d like to achieve
Making a half decent replica Shuttle/ISS spacesuit.
Making a life size dinosaur, possibly in an angular abstract style.
Having or making a life size alien from “Aliens”.
Finding a nice woman without children to share fun times with.

Fashion & Style

Clothes
I’m not into fashion labels and being vain. Casual dress tends to be my general style but it’s nice to have occasions when it’s good to look smart or unusual. I have absolutely no need or desire to display to people my income, style or taste by buying expensive clothes that are mostly due to overt branding. I’ll happily buy clothes from a charity shop and I’ll base my purchases on comfort and what they look like not what designer or company they came from. I have better things to spend my limited income on.
I find that most clothes for men are pretty basic and boring compared to the vast variety of styles, fabrics and types available for women. I’d really like to wear more interesting clothes but even when something is out of the ordinary, there’s a heavy risk of being so mildly out of line with accepted conventions that you’re quickly presumed to be gay. Now, there’s nothing wrong with being gay, but it isn’t helpful for me to come across that way.

Grooming
I have fine hair and I’ve never needed or wanted expensive haircuts. I just get a £5 haircut from Leeds market and don’t put anything in my hair at all. In 2008, for a change, I got my girlfriend to bleach my hair. It’s the only time I’ve ever done anything remotely unusual with my appearance.

Thoughts on Tattoos, Piercings and Jewellery
I don’t have tattoos or piercings and would never have either. I don’t tend to like them on other people either, but something subtle, well done and well placed is alright I suppose. I have never worn jewellery and even if I had got married, I not only wouldn’t have ever worn a ring, I wouldn’t have wanted to even have one out of principle.

In case of serious illness

Life Threatening Condition:
If I have a physical illness from which there is no likelihood of recovery AND it is so serious that my life is nearing its end I wish medical treatment to be limited to keeping me comfortable and free from pain, and I refuse all other medical treatment.

Permanent Mental Impairment:
If my mental functions become permanently impaired with no likelihood of improvement, the
impairment is so severe that I do not understand what is happening to me and my physical condition means that medical treatment would be needed to keep me alive, I wish medical
treatment to be limited to keeping me comfortable and free from pain and I refuse all other medical treatment.

Persistent Unconsciousness:
If I become persistently unconscious with no likelihood of regaining consciousness, I do not wish to be kept alive by medical treatment. I wish medical treatment to be limited to keeping me comfortable and free from pain, and I refuse all other medical treatment.

In the event of my Death

I’m typing this at age 47, so I hope the relevance of this will be a long way off.
I also don’t have anyone for whom this is really intended right now as I have no partner or dependants.I’m hoping that I’ll die after paying off my mortgage and that the world hasn’t ended in some sort of war or disaster, so I’ll do this anyway. Of course, none of it really matters that much as I’ll be dead and unable to care.
It does seem a bit strange to be looking into these things, but writing about my death is probably as important as writing about my life.

Funeral preparations and preferences
This is simple. It doesn’t really matter. It can be a pauper’s grave for all I care. I don’t need a big send off. I probably won’t know many people at the time of my death. Cremation seems likely and would be preferred. Ashes don’t need to go anywhere special.
I absolutely do not want any religious nonsense and if there is any requirement to have a service, then it should be a humanist one.
I do not have a guest list and at the time of writing, I would only feel it necessary to notify the contacts below. Additionally, it would be useful to announce it to my Facebook friends.
My Facebook page is:
www.facebook.com/stevelovellx

Short Obituary

Written at age 47, but I doubt this will be at all required and even if it is, probably not much of it would need adjusting. I can’t currently envisage needing to include details of any service as I don’t expect there will be one.

Steven Edward Lovell

Born in Leeds 25 August 1974, where he lived until his death on .

Never married or became a parent. From his mid-40s he lived alone with one beloved dog at a time until his passing. In working years, he had a telephone based job that was only a means to an end. He enjoyed making and curating costumes that he would go out drinking in to amaze and entertain people with. An artist and designer at heart, he would always have creative projects ranging from making park benches for the community where he lived, designing rude amusing packaging labels, making public art or designing pub maps that he would also sell with some success. He was pro-Labour, pro-science, anti-Brexit and very much Atheist.

Anything else can probably be added from this website or anything you personally know about me I suppose.