About The Gerbilarium

This is The Gerbilarium, a website featuring a weblog. The weblog is the main bit of the website – there are other things under the sidebar menus ‘Fact’, ‘Fiction’, ‘News’ and ‘Reviews’, but some of these are kind of dated now. But not so dated that you won’t be flushed with pleasure by reading them. Or maybe overcome with boredom. Or consumed with contempt. We just don’t know.

The Reviews section is particularly sparse, if only because I don’t write reviews as a matter of course. They were written for inclusion in the magazine Drum
, although – as far as I know – only one of them has seen the light of day as yet. Issue 2 of Drum came out in mid-September, but I’m yet to see a copy. There is a list of outlets on their website. If anyone should happen to get hold of a copy, please get one for me as well.

I try to keep the weblog as regularly as possible. I am torn between trying to produce things for the sake of producing things and only doing so when I have something interesting in mind. The whole issue of what a weblog should be is a difficult one. I tend toward the idea that it should be something interesting / informative / entertaining, as opposed to a daily, splurge of mundanity or a twittering Tourettes-like unloading of angst. But that’s just me. I understand that some people prefer something that is unloaded straight from brain to page. Maybe this makes it more ‘real’. In fact it probably does. But ‘real’ is often tedious and self-indulgent. I prefer to read something that is slightly more crafted or thought through. Though sometimes this ends up being tedious and self-indulgent too! Such is life.

Anyway, this is an ‘About’ section. So:

Me (Official version) – Early 20s academic, working extensively and lucratively in the fields of Psychology and Psychiatry. Respected. Most closely physically resembles Jude Law if he was a member of The Strokes. Not as pompous and bitter as these pages might make me seem.

Me (Actual version) – 26 year-old bog-standard researcher working in NHS. Not respected. Most closely physically resembles a thinner version of Danny, the ugliest member of New Kids On The Block. Probably more pompous and bitter than these pages make me seem, but aware of the fact, and also embarrassed.

You (Official version) – An army of devout, yet strangely reticent readers.

You (Actual version) – Almost certainly a close friend or family member. Sorry if I forgot your birthday. And hello!

N.B. Writing this page has been an ordeal!