While I was sleeping yesterday stuff was happening. As far as I can tell the most important thing was Advent starting and me falling one chocolate behind on my Barbie Magical Milk Chocolate Advent Calendar, oops.

Things have also been happening around here too, here’s a little update on all the targets people have been setting me to improve my life.

1. Write more

I’ve already written five posts and it’s barely been a week, contrast that with six posts in two years on my old blog.  Also, as promised, I’ve linked the blog up to Facebook and installed Virtual Bookshelf.  The first book I’ve picked to read is Beloved by Toni Morrison, I’ll let you know how it goes.

2. Get out of debt

Okay, roll graph.

The Poverty Line, for the week commencing 24th November*

The more astute members in the audience will have noticed that this is last week’s graph copy and pasted, yes, that’s right, I unintentionally balanced my incomings and outgoings.

Incoming: I was paid £30 by Totem Films to hold a boom mic pole for a couple of hours, plus my Gran sent me another £10.  Total £40.

Outgoing: £10 on food, £15 on drink, £15 on utilities.  Total £40.

Money saving tip: After the final audience question has been answered lay down your boom mic and see if there are any free meals going at this conference (make sure you send Graham, to avoid confusion/ subtlety).  If free food is available make sure you get seconds.

* Last week I said that one of the reasons my student loan debt wasn’t included in this calculation was because I didn’t know what it was.  Now I do, £19,754.92.  Just to make that real clear; Nineteen Thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty-Four Pounds and Ninety-Two Pence.  No, I am not redrawing the graph.

3. Give blood

If Charity’s reading this she’ll be laughing hysterically by now.  Gingell and Baines, however, won’t be laughing until our house blood letting session on Friday 12th December.  Expect a blog post when I regain consciousness.

4. Wake up at a reasonable hour

Frosty suggested this one.  He claimed that if I got up earlier I’d get more done.  I argued that I don’t really do much anyway and that drinking tea and a Facebooking aren’t really time specific activities.  In the end Frosty won, so from Friday 2nd January I’ll be trying to get up before 9:30am each weekday.  Any ideas on how I can prove to readers I’m doing this would be greatly appreciated.

5. Give up swearing for Lent

In 2006 I gave up alcohol for Lent (easy), in 2007 I gave up caffeine (harder), in 2008 I couldn’t think of anymore vices to give up.  Charity has suggested that I quit swearing for Lent 2009, although most people I discussed this with said; “Why? You don’t really swear much anyway.”

I’ll be more specific nearer the time and lay down some terms, maybe even donate a pound for each naughty word to a charity that helps children whose lives have been blighted by curse words.  Or maybe not, maybe you can suggest something better for me to quit.

If this one does happen I can see standing on three point plugs and singing along to hip-hop songs being my downfall.

6. Learn to drive

Rob says that I need to learn to drive if I’m going to become a reporter, plus a driving licence will be the perfect response to anyone IDing me for books, scissors or coffee.  I will begin this task when I have money, so probably sometime next year.

7. Complete my degree

Pretty self explanatory.

8. Keep eating steak

Thanks to Guy for the easiest, oddest and yet most enjoyable challenge so far.  I’m not even sure how I’ll document this one so any suggestions are more than welcome (ideally your suggestion should begin something like; “Jon come and dine with me, I’ll buy you the biggest steak on the menu…”)

You stay classy, San Diego.

Jon