Odd jobs and BBC

My task this week was to learn odd jobs and assorted skills that frankly every man should possess. I won't lie, Youtube has been even more of a friend in this than usual. Aside from that I also enlisted the help of my aptly named book which  you can see below. For some reason, this is in mirror writing so, to translate - 'How to Fix Everything For Dummies'.

I am now fully versed in the workings of most home boilers and plumbing systems as well as being a dab hand at dealing with faulty electrical appliances. If you need your radiator bleeding then look no further. I now roll like this...

So as well as the task, this week also saw the last days of BBC Television Centre. It is a place that conjured up many aspirations as I was growing up and I thank myself lucky that I have been able to walk past it most days this year before it is mercilessly ripped down to make way for flats and a new cinema (of which there are two a mere 5 minute walk away). It's closure marks the end of my dream to one day go there in some shape or form, perhaps as part of one of the large charity events such as Children In Need, and seduce Fearne Cotton in those hallowed corridors. Of course, the end of that dream more likely came about when she married the son of a Rolling Stone and subsequently bore his child.

On Friday you may or may no know that the occasion was being marked with a gig by Madness. I was going past at that time anyway and so I thought I'd hop off the tube to see if anything was going on and this is what I saw.

Pretty cool eh? It was quite a site to behold and I felt pretty privileged to be witnessing it all. Something which all seems to be happening with a bit of a whimper and far less fanfare than the occasion deserves in my opinion. And although it looked good from the outside, Madness?! They were almost literally rubbish. Maybe they've not heard of a small band called Gun Hill Riffs. 

In other events, I attended a rather nice gin bar in central London even though, despite the best efforts in the past of one person in particular, which I appreciate, I still don't actually like gin. It insists upon itself. In a separate event, I believe I saw the tallest man I have ever seen walking around the shops. He can't have been shorter than 7 foot so I followed him for a little while just so I could look at him. Phenomenal.

So, I must sign off the usual blogs for around a month now, as I am about to embark upon a rather lengthy trip over to North America. As a rough outline, I will be hitting Calgary, Banff (snowboarding!), Vancouver, Tofino (?surfing), Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Yosemite, Coastal Redwoods (where they filmed the forest moon of Endor in Return of the Jedi), LA and Vegas. Should be alright. I will of course bring some holiday blogs to the table and keep it all updated with how I'm getting on. Normal service shall resume on my return. Until then...

                                                                                                                                  W

Unicycling!

So my weekly task was to learn how to unicycle. Quickly, it has become apparent that it's well hard and as such the task has now changed to 'beginning to learn' how to unicycle. At this, I have excelled. The video below shows some of my trials and errors before the best run I've had towards the end. Tremendous fun!

The unicycle is a peculiar piece of kit. As I continuously fell off it, I wondered who it was invented by and why they invented it. Surely, someone capable of inventing such a thing lacks any sort of common sense or strength of mind. I have been unable to find the exact inventor of the unicycle but some say that it evolved when people riding penny farthings would lean forward and found that they didn't need their back wheel. Clearly these people were idiots. Nevertheless, I'll see where it takes me for the rest of the year.

 Amongst other activities, I attended a personal training session this week at a full on proper gymnastics gym in my quest to learn a back flip. It was a tough session, not least because of the warm up that I was given - to do a 4 length scramble through a massive foam pit. This genuinely almost killed me.Still, great fun and a proper big time gym. See below!

 

At this stage I can achieve half a back flip. For obvious reasons, this is not particularly useful and so I am returning next week to continue.

In other news, I spent most of Tuesday walking around with my flies wide open and on Wednesday I witnessed one man on the tube virtually inhaling an entire pack of ready salted Pringles. It was truly a site to behold.  

So next week will see a continuation of back flips and the task will be to educate myself on some general odd jobs that all men should know. Should be a goodun!
W

Periodic Table

I've had a good week this week. Done a bit of work and earned some money, which is always helpful. February has been reasonably good to me and after a long drawn out process of interviews and exams (that have, frankly got in the way of a lot of fun to be honest!) I have learned that I have a job on the GP training program come August in Oxford deanery. I guess in a world in which one has to make a living by working, that's good news and a weight off the old shoulders.

So, that done, time for full concentration on the final half of my year out. It's been a great first half and I sense the second will be at least as good! I feel I have achieved a lot although I did go to a rather random but quite awesome evening at a central London pub. It was one of those pubs in which you could imagine epic 19th century expedition to deepest darkest Peru being conceived and planned. The night I went, it was hosting a night of talks from various adventurers who were telling us all about their escapades. One girl was telling us all about how she had become the first woman to have run across the entire north American continent, running 45 miles a day in the process. Whilst I sat there listening and sipping down several pints, I thought about how I have been scaling staircases like a penguin for 2 weeks after running 13 miles. I guess some people are just in a different league!

Either way, my task was to learn the entire periodic table this week. Now learning the periodic table in spare moments on a night shift is rather tedious I must say, and more than a little tiring, but I got it done. Hopefully it shall be useful in the future although how, I have no idea. Interestingly it was devised in 1889 by the Russian chemist Dimitri Mendeleyev, who was able to predict the existence of elements that had yet to be discovered because of the gaps that occurred. So don't say I never teach anyone anything. Take a look below.

Having purchased a unicycle, I can't wait any longer so next week's task shall be to learn the unicycle to a respectable level. Hopefully I don't break my leg.
W

Car Mechanics

I totally just won £176 from a £5 bet on a football accumulator. Just had to get that off my chest straight away! It was most useful in the purchase of a new travel guitar ready for my month in north America in just over a month. And added to that, it came in handy when buying the unicycle that will form one of my weekly tasks. I managed to get a good deal on Gumtree from a guy in West Hamstead.

Always a little sketchy though when buying stuff from people you don't know. Especially when you walk into their flat and they lock the front door behind you. At this stage, alarm bells generally threaten to make themselves heard. These bells get louder when their two massive bulldogs round the corner and begin clawing at your legs. At this point, tales of the recent murder just round the corner are useful so I was pleased that this fella filled me in on all the details.

Luckily I live to tell the tale. He was actually a really nice guy and if he hadn't been, he was only little. So anyway, I ended up traipsing around North London with a small guitar and unicycle on my person. It drew quite a few stares and one group of school boys dared me to ride the unicycle down a large flight of stairs. I told them where to go.

My task this week was to learn some basic car maintenance and repair. One of the more useful and worthwhile on the list and it is an area that automatically makes me a real man. Already being well manly, this merely served to refresh a few skills. It actually uncovered an actual problem on my car that I was able to fix so everyone wins. Here's proof...

So there you have it. You may notice the car oil on my face. This is from the trials of my work and is categorically not fabricated in any way for effect.

So next week. My leg has improved from my marathon but it still needs some time so the unicycle will have wait. In the meantime, I will divert my attention towards memorising the periodic table. Until next time.
W

Marathons and Origami

Another packed week this week and great success all round! As mentioned, the weekly task was to learn some origami. I think the exact word I used was 'exquisite'. You can judge for yourself as to whether my work can be regarded as exquisite but, as I have highlighted before, my baseline artistic skill is hovering around primary school level at best. Once again I draw your attention to my drawing of a horse, which I might post on the blog one of these days, and so the following should be viewed with this in mind.

Obviously they are self explanatory so I don't need to label them, such is their quality.

As I mentioned, it has been packed and I have been working last minute on the wards but that wasn't enough to keep me away from the local karaoke evening which I thought was worth a mention. However, the highlight and indeed a major personal achievement that I am genuinely proud of (not to imply that my paper creations are anything other than life changing) was the half marathon.

The event had been jeopardised by the snow and on a personal note by the failings of my right knee but thankfully it behaved itself until around a mile and a half to go. By then there was no way I was stopping so I let the adrenaline carry me over in 1 hour and 57, which is better than what I was aiming for. Literally everyone I know that also ran (2 people) were significantly faster than this but it was satisfying either way. Aside from the race itself, one of the most challenging aspects was fitting the race number on the front of my shirt with safety pins. Seriously, it is well hard. I mean it took me ages.

So here are a couple of pictures just to prove that I did indeed run and am not fabricating any of this.

Anyway, as I contemplate what it means to have legs that have simply not worked since the race, I look forward to next week, which will bring an exploration of basic car mechanics. I'm hoping will increase my manliness tenfold.

W

World map: Part two

So it's been two weeks in the making but I did it. Pretty difficult this one but I'm pleased to say all countries in the world are in this drawing with their capitals in brackets. Took me a while but I think it was worth the wait.

 It' s been pretty hectic with all interview related things for next year but as of today that has been completed. Splendid.

Gun Hill Riffs have also been in the studio this past week and although there is no finished product we are well on the way to three or four newly recorded tracks so that is something to look out for in the next few weeks. Rest assured I'll post them when they are ready for public ears!

Other than that I've simply been knuckling down at Westfield shopping centre in a secluded corner of the vue cinema floor, writing some more of my novel and watching people being interviewed for cinema jobs. Some aspects of this have been hilarious, not least the candidate who was left with the interviewer's notes and was quite nonchalantly sneaking detailed peaks at the forthcoming questions.

For the next week, I will be doing a spot of locum work and then there is the small matter of a half marathon which has my name on it. If I survive this, I will be back with another blog and some samples from this week's task - namely exquisite origami.

W

Update

Just a quick update this one. Due to technical difficulties it is not possible to record and post a video of my task this week (world map including all capitals) which is just as well because it is well hard. But nevertheless it is well on its way and it will be up in a few days ready for my next blog. I see no shame in allowing two weeks for the completion of this task.

It has been another busy week. I had my interview and have been knuckling down on the novel. As well as that, there's been the half marathon training to keep me busy (and my legs sore).

News on a classic celebrity spot though! I'm pretty sure I saw Angelica Bell the other day. On telling most people this, I'm met with blank stares but trust me she is a celebrity and that's that. Look her up if you don't believe me.

Stand by for the main blog end of this week, complete with more world map shenanigans amongst other things.
W