Happy Daddy Unmasked

Day 192: When I started writing on this site back in February I wasn’t entirely sure I’d still be writing by the end of August but here I am! I have been genuinely surprised by the amount of people who have taken the time to read my words and more so, interact with me. Writing has become as important to my life as running, sobriety and family had already been before it.

So beyond my regular blog posts I wanted to give you a quick fire Q&A to help you get to know me more. Who is Happy Daddy and what makes him tick?

Over to er, me…

Real Name? – Barrie

Age? – 34 years old

Where do you live? – County Durham in England

Who do you live with? – My wife who I married in 2012 and our two daughters (born in 2015 and 2019)

Any pets? – No pets but we did have a goldfish called Guy Diamond who lasted for over 3 years until earlier this year. He’s now in a matchbox in the front garden

Do you drive? – Yep. I have a an Arctic White diesel Kia Sportage which I love as it is both practical and nice on the eye. I suspect our next car will be an EV when the time comes…

What phone do you have? – I had my iPhone 6 for years but finally invested in an iPhone 11 late last year

Favourite sandwich? – I do like a bacon sarnie with no butter and a little brown sauce. I’m a food snob though so the bacon must be a good quality smoked meat

Religion? – Not for me. I’m an Atheist but if religious beliefs work for somebody good for them!

Favourite book? – Post Office by Charles Bukowski

Favourite film? – American History X

Favourite TV Show? – Sitcoms are my go-to and I love so many of them. Hard to choose between The Office, Peep Show, The Office (An American Workplace) and I’m Alan Partridge. Probably Alan.

Favourite Quote? – “Don’t compare your progress to that of others. We all need our own time to travel our own distance”

Why did you start ‘Happy Daddy’? – I’ve always written in some form whether that be in a journal, scribbling or keeping diaries. Never in any kind of consistency or style. I have always used words as a comfort blanket because I often feel my head is too busy so i like to write it down. This is the first ‘blog’ I’ve started and the first time I’ve written anything public

Do you use social media? – Yes I use some social media channels. I use Linked In and Yammer frequently in a professional sense and I also like to use Instagram to share and look at photos within a group of ‘followers’ I’d consider friends, family and people I know. I use Twitter under an alias and more for light hearted debate, news and contacting companies I am a customer of. I stopped using Facebook in Summer 2020 as I felt it offered nothing to me and my mental health

Favourite music? – I find this so hard to answer as it depends on my mood. I tend to sway towards Folk / Country and Americana because that is what I like to go and see live. I’d love to visit Nashville and see some real American music. I listen to traditional country and rock like Dolly, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson through to the modern stuff like Luke Bryan, Brothers Osborne and Kacey Musgraves. Some days I can listen to Classic FM for hours, plug in and listen to EDM on loud or even appreciate a bit of Linkin Park. Mood dictates my favourite music of that moment

What really annoys you? – Ignorance. It costs nothing to show manners or acknowledgement to a fellow human being. I’m not asking everybody in the World to hug and be friends but a smile or a ‘hello’ goes along way in passing. I know as both a recipient and giver of small tokens of friendliness how much it can mean within

Why did you give up alcohol? – If I continued to drink at the rate it was going I would have lost everything. And that is if I’d still been alive to lose everything

Could you see yourself drinking again? – Not if I have anything to do with it. It is not something I want in my life or body anymore

What did you want to be when you grew up? – At school I went through phases but generally it was a Policeman. I came close to fulfilling that through my Army admission but it wasn’t meant to be. I loved Geography at school too so a Teacher of that subject was often in my mindset. Graphic Designer was another thing I thought about studying further.

And what have you ended up doing? – After a stuttered start to adult life and University and Army routes cut short I have worked for a large electricity producer in the UK for nearly 15 years now. Initially as a stop gap job when I lived at home but now I’ve forged a career with the Company and have largely worked in both people development and training roles. I’m currently working within our regulatory and compliance world which is both very boring and interesting in a blended hard to explain sense. It suits me.

Where do you like to holiday? – Me, my wife and little girls love Center Parcs and go every year. We are visiting for the fifth time as a family in September. It is great to pack up the car and drive off into the English wilderness and holiday in a place we know is both safe and relaxing.

Do you like Sport? – I’m a keen runner but will never be winning races so it is nothing more than a fitness project on a personal level (as it is for most!). In terms of following sport I love Horse Racing, Cricket, Boxing, Rugby Union and of course Football. I support Sunderland AFC who play in the Third Tier of English football and have a season ticket. It is my little escape from work and family life.

Favourite drink? – Iced Coffee. I drink ALOT of water too!

Favourite Meal? – Beef Wellington with homemade chips (but I don’t have it very often!)

Favourite Band? – The Wandering Hearts

Favourite Podcast? – Grounded by Louis Theroux

I asked my 6 year old daughter to answer some quick fire questions about me. Here goes…

What animal do I look like? – Pig

What is my favourite food? – Potato

What do I do that is funny? – Poo

What do you love about me? – That you cuddle me

What’s my job? – Work on your computer at home

What don’t you like about me? – That you pretend to poo on me

What do I like watching on TV? – Football or Horse Racing

What do I smell like? – Smelly and sweaty when you’ve just been for a run

I dispute some of those answers but it’s all about transparency here so there you go. Over to my 2 year old daughter…

What animal do I look like? – Frog

What is my favourite food? – Grass

What do I do that is funny? – Your head

What do you love about me? – Because

What’s my job? – Playing on your computer

What don’t you like about me? – (didn’t answer)

What do I like watching on TV? – Peppa Pig

What do I smell like? – Horse poo

I love my daughters. Haha. You can always rely on kids to give your self-esteem a positive kick! For those of you with Children it would be great to hear what they say about you!