Oh, there you are. Thanks for wanting to learn more about me.

I'm like you, really. I'm lots of different things at lots of different times.

I am my job - a pensions focused financial adviser who helps company's and their employees understand pensions. My nickname in the office is the Lefty Leaning Tree Hugging Liberal Student - mostly because I didn't get into the industry to help very rich people pay less tax. That's a massive part of being a financial adviser, and that is fine, but it's not my focus. I prefer to spend my energy helping 'ordinary' people understand pensions and make the most out of them.

I'm passionate about helping people understand things, and all the feedback says that is exactly what I do. When a client finally understands their pension, when a previously confused employee or a disengaged employer gets on board, when people are going to be better off as a result of my work, I am a happy boy.

I am my hobby - computer games. Playing them, thinking about them and (now I have this) writing about them. I have been playing games since the ZX spectrum because a) I am that old and b) computer games are amazing. You probably play computer games. Most people do. Whether it's Angry Birds or Candy Crush, Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto, games are a huge part of the world and, a bit like pensions, are very misundertood.

If you have never really thought about games much, I hope you will take a moment to read some of my thoughts on the incredibly varied world of gaming. Just like people who I meet professionaly, I hope my passion and knowledge can change perceptions, dispel myths and give you a laugh along the way.

Gaming is not my only hobby. I also really enjoy music. I have a growing vinyl collection. Yes, I do have a beard, I do wear thick rimmed glasses, I do drink ale and I do buy vinyl, but I don't have a top-knot, I wear socks, I don't ride a unicylce nor do I roast my own coffee so I am only really about a 4/10 on the hipster scale. My life is constantly soundtracked by music and I enjoy rummaging around in a record shop.

I am also my friends and family. Like you I enjoy spending time with people who I care deeply for. But I think facebook have pretty much got that covered, so in the only nod to giving people what they want (what do you mean you haven't been longing for a gaming and pensions blog all rolled into one?) I will put up pictures of my cute dog and cats because, well, it's the internet.

We have a French Bulldog called Millau (mee-oh). Millau is named after a town in southern France not far from where my Mum is from. The town of Millau is also home to one of the most incredible bridges in the world and a short drive from the caves of Roquetfort where they make that incredible cheese. We do, however, worry that we may have essentially called our dog Coventry. A brick would be a better guard dog and she only really excels at snoring, but she is brilliant company and has funny in her DNA.

We also have two cats. Smith is the ginger fellow and Ginger is the tabby - of course. They are very good at being cats - the local birds, mice and squirrels will vouch for that. This may have something to do with being Polydactyl cats - they are essentially mutants. They have thumbs. In fact, they have about 7 toes per foot. All the better for catching things with. I feel bad that we had them done at such a young age that these genes will not be passed on. I can't help but think that these are the kinds of mutations that stick and lead to big changes in animals. For the sake of posterity, and just in case there is a strange alternative universe out there, I want it on record that I was very pro polydactyl and if they travel back from the future I, for one, welcome our future feline overlords.