So my last in-depth profile was written in 2006. It's now 2011, and although this isn't going to be so in-depth, at least it's more up-to-date.

I am Scottish born, bred and proud, but without the accent I have for so long yearned. Instead, I sound English. Which means I fit right in where I am, in a small town near Brighton, England.

I ended up down here after moving in with my ex-boyfriend (obviously, he wasn't my ex at the time), Toady, a decision which was aided by the fact a small group of islands has limited capacity for professional journalists. So after gaining an HNC (first year of a degree to those who don't understand Scottish education lingo) in business management, I set off in a bid to find a relevant job and "make a new life for myself yada yada", and found myself inadvertently at the opposite end of the country. On the way down, I found time to jump out of a plane with two of my best friends because apparently, we're insane. We did raise well over £1000 though.

Soon after settling in, I found a job in a little shop, and soon after that, I made it onto a crash course in journalism. Three months later, I was a qualified journalist but while my tutor encouraged me to immediately apply for jobs, I had other plans... I spent the summer of 2008 in America where I worked on a wonderful Christian camp in New Hampshire for two and a half months, followed by a month of travelling around Canada and the USA.

I should point out now that I am addicted to travelling, which to be fair you would find out pretty quickly. As a child, my parents never took me on holiday (unless you count family visits to England) so I see it as making up for lost time. :P My first holiday abroad was with the Girl Guides to Switzerland when I was 13. My first independent holiday abroad was in 2006, when I was 17, to Canada with Toady. I have now been to 13 countries, 18 states in America, and 3 provinces in Canada. If that's not "making up for lost time", I don't know what is.

What's worrying is those statistics would be... oh, I don't know, 100% higher if it wasn't for my life nowadays. Shortly after arriving back in the UK in September 2008, my boss turned to me (actually, he phoned me I think) and said, 'I think it's pretty clear you're better at running this shop than me. I don't want it any more, wanna buy it?'

Stupidly, I said yes. Toady didn't have a job at the time, and the way things were going, I probably wouldn't either soon. So at 19 years old, I took the plunge and BOUGHT A BLOODY BUSINESS. A bit of a change from journalism, right?

Then the inevitable happened... Toady and I ran into personal problems and decided to call it a day. I won't even go into the nightmares there, although to be honest my blog probably did. Eventually, he also left the business, and somewhere in between I stumbled across the most wonderful person in my life, Ash.

Like Toady, we technically met online, via the official Fightstar forum. How sad, I hear you cry. I'd like to point out that we met at a Fightstar gig before we'd even really started talking on the forum. :P He has been my rock during everything that has happened, and believe me there has been a lot. Again, I am sure if you really want the details, my blog has it covered.

...you know, this biography has wound up a lot more in-depth than I intended, and if you've made it to the end... I applaud you. You're my hero. Forever and always.

FAVOURITES

Actor/actress: Keira Knightley, Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt.

Bands: Busted, Fightstar, Johnny Panic, Green Day, Muse, Biffy Clyro, Brigade.

Books: Francine Pascal - Fearless series. Harry Potter books. Sarra Manning - Guitar Girl. Marilyn Manson's autobiography. Dave Pelzer - A Child Called It. All of Jeremy Clarkson's books.

Colour: Blue.

Movies: The Butterfly Effect (theatrical cut), Pirates Of The Caribbean 1, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, Inception, Evil Dead 2, Saw, The Lion King, The Aristocats, 10 Things I Hate About You, Harry Potter #2, Shutter Island, Phone Booth, Shawshank Redemption, Se7en.

TV shows: Lost, Black Books, Misfits, Family Guy, Scrubs, Friends, Two Pints..., Top Gear, QI, Mock The Week, Russell Howard's Good News. I am pleased, although admittedly surprised, that more than half of these are British.

Writers/Journalists: Peter Robinson, Allison Pearson, Jeremy Clarkson, J.K. Rowling.

[...these are a few of my favourite things]

NAME ANALYSIS

I've only got this on here because it's a perfect description of me, pretty amazing really because usually these things are ridiculous. In bold is what I feel describes me.

Taken from: here.

Although the name Clarissa creates the urge to understand and help others, we stress that it causes a blunt expression that alienates others. This name, when combined with the last name, can frustrate happiness, contentment, and success, as well as cause health weaknesses in the fluid systems, and tension or accidents to the head. (as a baby, I had a problem with my kidneys which made me pee all the time, and I've fallen through a roof onto my head)

The name of Clarissa creates a friendly, sociable, charming nature, but causes you to be too easily influenced by others. While you find it easy to meet and mix, and can appear agreeable and compromising in conversation, you can become unbending and forceful if pressed too far. Others learn that you cannot be told what to do and you seldom change your mind once it is made up. You prefer situations that allow a degree of independence, but are reluctant to take on a demanding work-load or responsibility.

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