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Jan

Little Monster Training: Week One

By Scribbleboy 0 Comments

Categories: Breakfast, Degree, Driving, Life List, Money, Signing, Speed, Steak, Wakey Wakey and Writing

Last week I took a photo of my desk, I took a picture of my breakfast, I reviewed some stuff I should have reviewed a long time ago and I even blogged about stuff I should do.

The only problem was that I didn’t get that much done.

It’s time to take a look over the list and to see how I’m progressing with my various challenges.

1. Write more

In December 2003 I began an online journal called The Diary of a Nobody. It was hosted on a computer gaming forum and key themes included charity work and vomiting. It continued into early 2006 and its end coincided, coincidentally, with me moving into Charity’s house and discovering The Sopranos.

In February 2007 I decided to copy paste the Ember Lounge Comedy Club reviews I was writing onto Scribbled Words, the Blogger blog that Antonio had convinced me to setup. This blog fizzled and died in June 2007.

Over those five years I made 16 blog posts totalling 18,213 words (never let it be said that I don’t keep proper records). In under two months I have, not including this post, written 20 posts which equate to 10,179 words.

To summarise, yes, I’m writing more.

In my first post on this blog I added a number of subclauses to this challenge.

1a. Blog at least once a week. This has been so successful that I’m now going to aim to write 500 words a day and blog at least three times a week (one of these will always be on Monday).

1b. Import blog to Facebook. Really wasn’t that hard.

1c. Install Facebook’s Visual Bookshelf, read more books and then review them. If you need proof that this has been achieved read my Twilight reviews. Expect something slightly more intellectual when I complete the series.

1d. Do one day a week of work experience at The Sentinel. My work experience probably does equate to one day a week but it hasn’t been that consistent, mainly due to me looking for work or not being able to afford to get to their offices.

1e. Freelance. Yeah, you got me. Maybe this should be a challenge for 2009.

1f. Nanowrimo. I’ve read the book and I’m ready to go.

In other writing news, I’ve been providing the words to accompany Antonio’s pictures on Deadline. The only problem now is that people are reading them (Created in Birmingham and Pete Ashton) which means I’m probably going to have to finish the story.

2. Get out of debt

My financial situation is depressing at the best of times but no one should have to read about it on a Monday. Maybe tomorrow, if I have the strength, I will redraw the graph and summarise the past five debt incurring weeks.

3. Give blood

Well, we all know what happened last time. I’m now booked in to bleed on Friday 27th March, they’re even going to throw in a free malaria test.

4. Wake up at a reasonable hour

Up showered and dressed by 9:30am every weekday? I was being unrealistic. This week I’m going to try and be out of bed and half awake by 9:30am. No, it didn’t happen today. No, that’s not the point. If instead of drinking tea and reading Eclipse into the early hours I went to bed instead this could work.

5. Give up swearing for Lent

I have a 1,000 word post scheduled to go live when Lent begins on February 25th. It takes a look back at things I’ve previously quit for Lent, looks at what punishments are in place if I slip up and also contains a comprehensive list of words I’m not allowed to use. Swearing experts were consulted and apparently the only word I missed was pisstard.

6. Learn to drive

Ich habe kein geld.

7. Complete my degree

I‘ll be looking into this one soon.

8. Keep eating steak and crumpets

Last week I ate two packs of crumpets and I’ve already started writing about steak (200 words) and researching steak related products. When I eat steak again depends on my finances and getting 20 ticks on my Little Monster chart (a rather paltry 7 ticks last week).

As for the other challenges, not much has happened; breakfast hasn’t been a daily occurrence but it will be when I sort out my sleep pattern, I attempted speed blogging but decided against publishing the result and I can probably sign my name in BSL if I really think about it (and Gingell shows me what the sign for n is again).

Dec

Memo From the News Desk/ My Bed

By Scribbleboy 4 Comments

Categories: Degree, Driving, Life List, Money, Steak, Wakey Wakey and Writing

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

About

Born in Paignton, somewhat educated in Stoke-on-Trent and living in Peterborough. I am a footsoldier in the army of the unemployed and an occasional blogger. I spend my days applying for jobs and watching Glee.

I survive on caffeine, willpower and savings alone. This blog is a record of my successes and failures as I try and complete life-improving challenges suggested to me by readers.

Archive for the 'Driving' Category

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