Pewari Naan can’t be your real name, can it?!

Well done. I see I can’t pull the wool over your eyes.

No, Pewari Naan is a cunning Internet pseudonym I use from time to time.

“Pewari” comes from the random name generator of an online game I used to play and “Naan” is just my attempt at a very bad pun.

Very bad puns seem to feature a lot on this website. You have been warned.

So why not just use your real name?

It just didn’t seem right. I’ve used various Internet personas since I first went online in 1992 (starting out on IRC). I feel as comfortable hearing myself called by my assumed name as I do hearing my real name (yes, I really am that sad) – they’re both “me”. I’m not the sort of person to change my personality with my name as that just sounded like way too much effort to me.

Oh. Plus, there was one time I posted something rather daft on usenet using my real name (involving generating a porn star name using your first pet’s name and your mother’s maiden name) and it came back to haunt me when a distant relative googled me. That was a little awkward.

Do you have a privacy policy?

For the record: this blog takes details (such as domain name, browser if available, screen resolution, etc) for my own statistical purposes, and the WordPress comments system and stats packages use cookies. These are not passed on to any third party (although you should be aware (and I’m sure you are) that comments left here once approved are visible to all readers). I am happy to delete any of your own comments if you change your mind, just drop me an email to Pewari AT may DOT be.

If you do not wish to receive cookies, please amend your browser security settings to refuse them from this site. I think that’s how it works anyway. Damnit, I just get all this software to do all this for me, now I have to understand it all as well?!

Why is your domain based in Belgium when you live in the UK?

I wish I could say it was for some really fun reason, like I was avoiding draconian UK censorship laws, but it’s not. Sorry. The reason is a good friend of mine gave me this wonderful domain name and space on a private server. How could I refuse such a generous offer?

Who are the main characters on Pewari’s Prattle?

The three people I tend to talk about rather frequently are Akra, Akra Jr and Li’l Bhaji (yes, they’re all pseudonyms too). Akra is my very long-suffering husband of twelve years, Akra Jr is my mostly delightful seven-year-old, and Li’l Bhaji is the newest arrival (well, not so new anymore as he’s four years old at time of writing). Li’l Bhaji is a true blog baby, you can read the post when I discovered I was pregnant, the post just after he was born (yes, same day – I must have been insane!) and the birth story.

So what do you actually do?

As little as possible.

Oh … you’re asking about what job I do? I’m a stay-at-home mother. I know, I know, it’s not very fashionable these days, and I may even go back to paid employment at some point, but there you go. It is fun. I am very lucky finances have allowed me to stay with Akra Jr and Li’l Bhaji for as long as I have.

I used to work in customer services, but I have a degree in Astrophysics. More recently, I have flirted with being a door-to-door catalogue distributor but rapidly came to my senses. I occasionally do some freelance copywriting and I’m currently in the long drawn-out process of editing a novel (but then, isn’t everyone in the blogosphere?).

There, that’s got you confused, hasn’t it?

You talk a lot about parenting. Do you consider yourself a good parent?

On days I’m feeling positive about the world and myself, yes, I consider myself a good parent. On my navel-gazing days I just make plans for my children’s psychiatry fund and if they choose to use it for university or college instead then all well and good.

I’m not a perfect parent, because although I look after Akra Jr and Li’l Bhaji, I also look after myself, and sometimes the two collide and that’s where things tend to go a bit wonky. On the plus side, you, dear reader, get to laugh at my more spectacular mistakes.

Didn’t you quit writing your blog?

Yes, yes I did actually. And now I’ve unquit. Mainly because I have no willpower and kept writing blog posts in my head even when I wasn’t blogging anymore. Sorry for any confusion on your or my part.

What should I do if I have more questions?

Well, you could actually read the blog. You could leave me a comment. Or, you could email me (Pewari AT may.be). You never know, your question might just make the N.S.F.A.Q. list!

Thanks for reading!