...is better than half a farthing'
Whoever thought Tommy Steele would be responsible for such wise words eh? Yet, there is much to admire in his 'gor blimey guv'nor' delivery of 'Half a Sixpence' for sometimes there is value and merit in things which may appear to be fairly worthless (you can tell I'm building up to an excuse, can't you).
Half a Sixpence is one of those songs that everybody knows the first line to and not much else. Even I, a total saddo when it comes to song lyrics, had to look up the second line of the song to see exactly what Half a Sixpence was better than - personally I'd have had a punt at ricketts, but I guess that's why I'm not a songwriter. It set me thinking of other songs which, by and large, no-one knows the words to. I came up with the following (NB if it's just me, please humour me):
1. Snow - 'Informer' ('Informer, you know scheboogie boogie gonna blame a licky boom boom down')
2. The Singing Nun - 'Dominique':
3. Any fast Red Hot Chilli Peppers song - they only have the two tunes; the fast one (think Give it Away) and the slow one (think Under the Bridge)
4. Hanson - 'Mmmbop' ('Mmmbop, oochie, coochie, cock, doowop')
5. Dexys Midnight Runners - 'Come on Eileen'. Does ANYONE know the second line to this song? I'm almost convinced that they couldn't be bothered to write one and just garbled any old nonsense to bridge the gap to the chorus (for a real example of this in action, I can thoroughly recommend 'Chacarron' by El Chombo).
Anyway, back to the point of the post, namely that I'm seeking some dispensation on three of my challenges...well, if I'm going try and fudge one, I might as well go for a job lot. Your understanding would be greatly appreciated. For reasons of brevity - not a word you'd ever associate with me - I'm going to make each case in separate posts or we'll be here all week. So today's please for mercy goes as follows:
Challenge 1 - Abseil down the Royal Liverpool Hospital (Michelle)
I feel a bit like a child asking for an extension on his homework after it was due in, for this challenge took place in October and I was nowhere near Liverpool, let alone dangling off the side of the Hospital. My reasons for this were threefold - I had to work that weekend, I'm trying to save money so decided that a trip to Liverpool wasn't cost effective and (most importantly) Michelle has already backed out.
You'd be well within your rights, to ask me to throw myself off another fairly large building in the near future, if you do, may I request that this involves some ropes and a safety harness, please. I am, however, asking for clemency on the grounds that a few weeks I went indoor climbing for the first time, which involved a degree of abseiling back down the wall.
I have to be totally honest - clambouring up a wall wasn't my choice of how to spend a Wednesday afternoon, but myself and a colleague were taken by one our our event partners by way of a team building activity. They had originally suggested touch rugby, but I was slightly worried that I'd get too competitive and put in a thundering tackle on one of the lovely young ladies who we work with . OK, so I was equally worried that some large chap would deck me too - pretty much my sole memories of playing rugby at school (I quickly learnt to play scrum half - put the ball in the scrum, get it out and get rid of it as quickly as possible, before running in the other direction!) Having put Touch Rugby to bed, we were asked for our ideas of what we should do instead. Sadly my suggestion of bingo and a gin tasting didn't go down too well, so instead we found ourselves at the world's largest indoor climbing arena.
I don't know why I'd always put off climbing. I'm quite good with heights and generally quite fit, however I guess, much like skiing, it's the fear of what can go wrong, for I have possibly the lowest pain threshold of anyone in the western world - yes, I am one of those people who says 'Ooooowww' before I've even been touched! As a result it's one of those activities that never remotely appealed - much like wearing colourful trousers, listening to John Lennon or getting anything waxed. Yet, there I was in a pair of ridiculously tight shoes staring up at a 30ft wall
...and I really enjoyed it! Granted I found 'belaying' (standing at the bottom, controlling the tension of the climber's rope so that they don't crash to the ground) a bit stressful - it's a helluva responsibility - but the climbing itself was fun and I was surprisingly good at it, for a chap with little legs! In fact, I took to it so well, that in a race to the top I hammered the main guy from our event partner (maybe not the best business decision I've ever taken). OK, so he was on a slightly harder wall, but in my head I was a contestant on Gladiators and had Nightshade on my tail. Once you've reached the top, the only way down is to abseil back to terra firma, something I found tremendously fun (I may even have said 'weeeeeeeeeee' all the way down).
So, I didn't abseil down the side of the Royal Liverpool Hospital, but I have abseiled. Will this do?
Monday 21 November 2011
Wednesday 9 November 2011
Day 171 (9 November 2011) - 'Mind Blowing Decisions
...causes head-on collisions'
In a work situation I can make handle big decisions. I sensibly decide the information I need to make a decision, collate that information, make sound assumptions for any missing bits, weigh up the various options and the risks associated with each, mix it with a bit of gut instinct and eventually (and usually quickly) reach a decision. I use the same approach when friends ask me for advice and like to think that I'm someone who can be relied on to dispense sound, honest and impartial counsel.
So why is it, when it comes to making decision about my personal life I invariably tie myself up in all sorts of knots, invariably jump to the worst-case scenarios and allow myself to become almost paralysed with fear. It was one of the reasons I started this blog - to prove to myself, through your very kind help - that I could approach personal 'stuff' with the same confidence as I do at work or when meddling in the lives of others!
I think I've done alright up to now, resisting the urge to say 'no' when faced with unfamiliar situations I would usually have run a mile from and have, on occasions, deliberatly thrown myself into tasks and challenges which have scared me.
Quite why my default approach to big life decisions is to simply panic is unclear. Maybe, being the youngest of three children, I was overly protected when growing up and always had my parents or my big brothers to make things OK. As an adult I've always had someone I can rely on to make things happen, whether it be Katie at university - one of my oldest friends who did the same course as me and ended up as my housemate; my brother, when I moved to London - I moved into his flat, where I stayed for five years; or the ex who always took care of the big decisions such as where we lived, I've spent my entire life being surrounded by people who would always 'make it alright' or at least give the feeling that they would!
Why am I raising this now? I've got to make a huge decision about whether to buy a flat. Well, not whether to buy one, because I know this is something I want to do. I've also managed to sort of work out my brief - two bedrooms (so I can rent one out, if required), in need of little work (I can barely change a lightbulb) and must have a bath - that's not too much to ask for, is it? The big issue is where this flat will be. My instinct is drawing me to my lovely old Putney, where I have lived so happily for the last eight years. It's convenient for transport links, has the river and Richmond Park on its doorstep (so is perfect for running), has the lowest council tax in the country and - perhaps least importantly - is safe, secure and familiar...and yet it's this latter point which keeps drawing me back.
Sadly, however, I'm not the only person to recognise the benefits of Putney, so as a result, it's ridiculously expensive - so expensive that most of the properties which meet my brief, don't meet my budget. As a result I've spent the last few weeks looking at some pretty nasty flats and slowly moving my search further and further away from central Putney - hey, but not too far away, that would be reckless!
Finally, on Saturday, I saw a nice two-bed property in Southfields which was lovely once insde, but was housed in a 1960s purpose built concrete block. 'It's OK' I thought, 'it's the inside you're going to be looking at', so having been suitably impressed, the new confident, decisive me put a cheeky, non-negotiable offer in that afternoon.
...except it's been accepted. This should excite me - and I am pleased that my assertive, no-nonsense approach paid off - but any excitement has been completely overwhelmed by the old-style panic. 'What if I'm making a terrible mistake', 'what if there are loads of hidden problems?', 'what happens if I lose my job or get sick?', 'what happens if my neighbours turn out to be some sort of neighbourhood protection racket?'. Financially I'm worried by the lack of contingency, for although I shall be paying the mortgage off every month, buying a flat anywhere near Putney is going to leave me with no 'rainy day' fund and I'll have little surplus cash each month - a situation I assume most homeowners face.
I've had a walk round the area this evening and am beginning to think I'm making a bad mistake - whilst it's privately owned, it's totally surrounded by an enormous council estate - think the Jasmine Allen on The Bill. It is, however, a nice flat inside and, having researched crime stats, there doesn't appear to be any major issues. Whilst my instinct is to back out, there is the fact that if I want to be all snobbish about it, I might well have to moved further out into a completely new area, which is also a risk! Can this beggar really be a chooser? How do you know what to do in these situations?
I guess what it ultimately comes down to is the fact that, whilst I have loads of great friends dispensing all sorts of advice, this decision, this great, big , scary decision, is mine alone to make and for once, and possibly the first time, there's no-one who can 'make it alright' if I get it wrong. On one hand I've never felt so empowered, but on the other, I've never felt quite so alone. Based on this, am I going to feel like this about any flat I see? Right now, I don't quite know how I'm going to resolve this - a coin seems a good a bet as any - , but I now realise that therein lies the beating heart of this whole blog and this whole challenging year thing. How do I learn to be more rational rather than panic and how do I learn to trust myself and my own ability to 'make it alright' rather than needing the ressurance of others. If I can resolve this, surely I can resolve anything? Can't I?
In a work situation I can make handle big decisions. I sensibly decide the information I need to make a decision, collate that information, make sound assumptions for any missing bits, weigh up the various options and the risks associated with each, mix it with a bit of gut instinct and eventually (and usually quickly) reach a decision. I use the same approach when friends ask me for advice and like to think that I'm someone who can be relied on to dispense sound, honest and impartial counsel.
So why is it, when it comes to making decision about my personal life I invariably tie myself up in all sorts of knots, invariably jump to the worst-case scenarios and allow myself to become almost paralysed with fear. It was one of the reasons I started this blog - to prove to myself, through your very kind help - that I could approach personal 'stuff' with the same confidence as I do at work or when meddling in the lives of others!
I think I've done alright up to now, resisting the urge to say 'no' when faced with unfamiliar situations I would usually have run a mile from and have, on occasions, deliberatly thrown myself into tasks and challenges which have scared me.
Quite why my default approach to big life decisions is to simply panic is unclear. Maybe, being the youngest of three children, I was overly protected when growing up and always had my parents or my big brothers to make things OK. As an adult I've always had someone I can rely on to make things happen, whether it be Katie at university - one of my oldest friends who did the same course as me and ended up as my housemate; my brother, when I moved to London - I moved into his flat, where I stayed for five years; or the ex who always took care of the big decisions such as where we lived, I've spent my entire life being surrounded by people who would always 'make it alright' or at least give the feeling that they would!
Why am I raising this now? I've got to make a huge decision about whether to buy a flat. Well, not whether to buy one, because I know this is something I want to do. I've also managed to sort of work out my brief - two bedrooms (so I can rent one out, if required), in need of little work (I can barely change a lightbulb) and must have a bath - that's not too much to ask for, is it? The big issue is where this flat will be. My instinct is drawing me to my lovely old Putney, where I have lived so happily for the last eight years. It's convenient for transport links, has the river and Richmond Park on its doorstep (so is perfect for running), has the lowest council tax in the country and - perhaps least importantly - is safe, secure and familiar...and yet it's this latter point which keeps drawing me back.
Sadly, however, I'm not the only person to recognise the benefits of Putney, so as a result, it's ridiculously expensive - so expensive that most of the properties which meet my brief, don't meet my budget. As a result I've spent the last few weeks looking at some pretty nasty flats and slowly moving my search further and further away from central Putney - hey, but not too far away, that would be reckless!
Finally, on Saturday, I saw a nice two-bed property in Southfields which was lovely once insde, but was housed in a 1960s purpose built concrete block. 'It's OK' I thought, 'it's the inside you're going to be looking at', so having been suitably impressed, the new confident, decisive me put a cheeky, non-negotiable offer in that afternoon.
...except it's been accepted. This should excite me - and I am pleased that my assertive, no-nonsense approach paid off - but any excitement has been completely overwhelmed by the old-style panic. 'What if I'm making a terrible mistake', 'what if there are loads of hidden problems?', 'what happens if I lose my job or get sick?', 'what happens if my neighbours turn out to be some sort of neighbourhood protection racket?'. Financially I'm worried by the lack of contingency, for although I shall be paying the mortgage off every month, buying a flat anywhere near Putney is going to leave me with no 'rainy day' fund and I'll have little surplus cash each month - a situation I assume most homeowners face.
I've had a walk round the area this evening and am beginning to think I'm making a bad mistake - whilst it's privately owned, it's totally surrounded by an enormous council estate - think the Jasmine Allen on The Bill. It is, however, a nice flat inside and, having researched crime stats, there doesn't appear to be any major issues. Whilst my instinct is to back out, there is the fact that if I want to be all snobbish about it, I might well have to moved further out into a completely new area, which is also a risk! Can this beggar really be a chooser? How do you know what to do in these situations?
I guess what it ultimately comes down to is the fact that, whilst I have loads of great friends dispensing all sorts of advice, this decision, this great, big , scary decision, is mine alone to make and for once, and possibly the first time, there's no-one who can 'make it alright' if I get it wrong. On one hand I've never felt so empowered, but on the other, I've never felt quite so alone. Based on this, am I going to feel like this about any flat I see? Right now, I don't quite know how I'm going to resolve this - a coin seems a good a bet as any - , but I now realise that therein lies the beating heart of this whole blog and this whole challenging year thing. How do I learn to be more rational rather than panic and how do I learn to trust myself and my own ability to 'make it alright' rather than needing the ressurance of others. If I can resolve this, surely I can resolve anything? Can't I?
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