Preparing For The Medical…

So in a few hours (well, 16) I’ll be heading down to London for my medical examination. I’m excited to get it done (one step closer to the US!) but uh, not excited to get it done at the same time. And not just because it is a pricey ordeal either…let’s just say it is somewhat invasive (I have to take my shirt off!).

Ahem.

Anyway, I’m hoping it will be a nice day. The forecast is questionable; not cold, but it looks like the sunny spells are going to be spoiled by rain. As I intend to walk to the doctors from the station, it would be appreciated if the clouds stayed away for the afternoon.

Little bit nervous, though, about the journey. Well, the trains. I leave at 10:35 and I’m supposed to get there at 13:40. My appointment is at 15:10 so I should have enough time to get there (did a mile walk today which took less than twenty minutes, so Google’s approximate of 40 minutes for two miles is about right) BUT…hmm…I’m slightly worried that something will go wrong. I don’t know what, but something. And once I get the idea that I’m going to miss the appointment stuck in my head, I can’t help but worry, regardless of how stupid the scenario is (“what if it rains so much all of London floods? Oh man!”). But there’s nothing I can do about it now. I just have to remember I have a plan B – Taxi – so I will be fine.

Yeah…I’ll be fine.

But hey, at least I’ll be okay afterwards; the appointment is supposed to take around 90 minutes, and I have a couple of hours to play with even if it takes longer than that, which is good. I’m quite looking forward to being able to walk slowly back to the station (I’ll still end up rushing because when I’m walking alone I feel obligated to stride to my destination). And as I plan to bring my camera with me, there could be pictures to upload providing I have time to take some. I have no intentions to leave my designated route mind, so there won’t be any scenic detours to the pretty parts of London (wherever they are). But who knows, there might be something interesting on the, uh, three main roads I’m walking along. Maybe some nice buildings? We’ll see.

The only thing I’m not looking forward to tomorrow (as well as the train fears, getting lost in London and shirt removal) is how long the day is going to be. I’m going to be out for 12 hours; I leave at ten in the morning, and I won’t get back until ten at night. Urgh. And I’ve only just realized that means I need to bring food (pay for it? I don’t think so!)…so before I go to bed tonight I will have to make sandwiches. You know, as well as sorting out my clothes, documents and entertainment for the journey. Oh joy.

*sigh*

Right, I should go and get stuff sorted. You won’t hear from me tomorrow (I’m not going to bring my laptop, sorry) but I’ll tell you all about my London/train/medical experience on Wednesday.

Wish me luck!

Alex

Egglestone Abbey And Shildon Railway Pictures!

Photography On The Citadel

Part two of Saturday’s fun. Enjoy!

Egglestone Abbey

Shildon Railway

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A Beautiful Library, Writing And Goddamn Snow (Now With Picture!)

Today I met up with my Aunt in Newcastle to discuss my book, and the progress I’ve made since we last spoke. I had a good day and the confidence in my writing has skyrocketed (not in an arrogant way though; think of it as me finally realizing I might just make it). There are several points I want to cover in today’s blog, but first I must complain about the weather. You know, for old time’s sake.

Stupid Snow

Where did this come from? We had no snow whatsoever then this morning I suddenly find myself trawling through at least an inch of the stuff! I don’t know how I managed it, I really don’t. People were getting trapped, buildings were on fire and the air was filled with the sound of sirens as the emergency services did their best to save the weak and vulnerable BUT I made it through unharmed.

In all seriousness it wasn’t too bad. I did slide my way from my house to the train station and back, but that was more to do with the fact not a single pair of my shoes have any grip to them. I’ve found that to be rather problematic when the conditions outside are anything worse than ‘completely dry’, which, considering I live in England, is a frequent occurrence.

What? Is that all I have to say? No more complaints, no real moaning of any kind?

Hey, I told you I had a good day.

The Lit And Phil

The Lit and Phil library in Newcastle ( a quick google search tells me it stands for Literary and Philosophical Society) is a fantastic place. I’ve never been there before but my Aunt suggested it as a meeting destination, and as I’d heard so much about it at my first writing squad workshop, I decided it was the perfect time to go and check it out.

And it really is fabulous. Imagine a traditional old library and the Lit and Phil probably won’t be far off your mental image. Loads of old weathered books, long wooden bookshelves, antique tables and furniture and really high ceilings with ornate trim. And the best part: a spiral staircase with a gangway around the room. I know. I wish I’d take some pictures but I didn’t want to draw any attention to myself. I did go up the stairs though. I couldn’t help myself. I even had a look in the conference room that was up there. Old portraits, more bookshelves and a fancy mahogany table….what else could you ask for in a conference room? I was tempted to sit there but I was good and went back downstairs for our chat instead. Meh, not as fun.

So what did you discuss exactly? I hear you ask.

Well, we went over an extract of my book, which at the end of the month, I plan to submit to the Northern Writers’ Awards.

And what are the Northern Writers’ Awards? I hear you ask, because you can’t wait two minutes (honestly, you people are so demanding).

The Northern Writers’ Awards were created to support new, up-and-coming writers of fiction and poetry reach their goals of becoming published and successful writers. And, as a writer from the north wanting to publish my book and be successful, I thought I’d give it a go. If I don’t win, I intend to write my book regardless, so there is no risk involved. And, if I did somehow manage to win one of the awards, I will have, well, won an award! Add in cash, the prospect of editorial support and much-needed publicity/networking and I’ll have taken a HUGE step towards my life goal.

So,needless to say, I’m taking my application seriously. I need to send in 3000-5000 words of my book, preferably from the beginning, plus a short synopsis of the plot. This past week or so I’ve been fine-tuning my first two chapters in preparation for that end of the month deadline. And, as I said in my introduction, I’m pretty confident. I actually feel like I have a realistic chance of winning something!

I’m not expecting to, of course, but it wouldn’t be a complete surprised if I did manage to make the shortlist of winning writers. I was invited into the Writing Squad after all, so  clearly I must have some talent. I’m starting to believe that my plot, and my writing, is worthy of being published. Wish me luck!

Oh, and here’s a picture of me looking thoughtful.

See. Thoughtful.

Poetry Workshop

The next Writing Squad meeting is next Saturday, and it is safe to say it involves an area of writing I am less than confident about: Poetry. Yeah. With eight other poets in the room, I am somewhat…reluctant, let’s say, to  read out my efforts to them. They’ll probably wince in disgust as they hear my awfulness read out loud. Urgh. My dad’s suggestion was to begin with ‘I wandered as lonely as a cloud’, which was incredibly helpful. By that I mean it was no help at all. Thanks anyway, pops.

But then again, I might be actually really awesome at it. How amazing would it be for me to write something that was on par, perhaps even better, than the people who are wanting to write poetry professionally?

It won’t happen, obviously. Again, wish me luck. I’ll need it.

And finally…

Trains

I used the train to get into Newcastle and it was so so much faster than the bus. I got there in ten minutes. There were no issues because of the snow, and, because of my railcard, it was cheaper than buying a day pass for the bus. I know what mode of transport I’ll be using in the future. No more sitting in traffic for me.

Cheers

Alex

It’s Friday!

As I said yesterday I will be away this weekend so it is unlikely I’ll be able to blog until Monday. However there will be plenty of drink-fuelled escapades so I will do my best to capture the more, uh, “safe” moments on camera for you. Something to look forward to, no?

I’ll also do my best to persuade Vanna to write something too. I’ll be extra charming. It might work.

Otherwise I’ll see you again Monday.

Lads Weekend Away (Part Two)

Only one more day and I will be heading off down south, on the train, for another weekend with my friends. You might recall me mentioning my time down in Harrogate last month; this was the weekend before I started work and therefore probably not the time to go out on a pub crawl. Did it stop me? Of course not.

This time, however, we are doing things differently. We’re still drinking and generally just having a laugh, but instead of doing it in Harrogate, we’re heading further south to Alton Towers; an amusement park in Staffordshire.

That’s right. We’re incorporating roller coasters and other G-force rides to the equation. Sounds like a great idea…

Now I’ve never been to Alton Towers before and I have never gone on any real rides either…so it is fair to say I am somewhat apprehensive about the trip. I’m sure I’ll be fine but it isn’t something I have a great deal of experience with. Is my body capable of managing such feats? I’m bringing spare clothes just in case…

But I’m still looking forward to the trip though. It will be great to see the guys again, and considering how fun it was when we met up in early October, I’m execting a similar level of enjoyment this time too…rides or no rides. I’m also going to meet Patrick (“Forgeman”), who I’ve known for years, so that’ll be interesting too.

And because I’m a nice guy, I’m just going to quickly give a plug for his business…so if you live in the Yorkshire area (though I gather they will head further afield if necessary) and want/need to have some work on your garden or yard done , here is a link to Chameleon Landscaping’s website. You couldn’t get a nicer guy to work for you.

…That all right Pat? Can I have my free pint now?

Ahem.

Anyway, we’ve also booked ourselves into a hotel on the Saturday night, so I might actually get a decent night’s sleep. Last month I had Gary’s dogs trying to climb over me the first night, while the second I had the misfortune of getting up to get a drink or to go to the bathroom (one of the two), finding my sofa occupied on my return. I had to sleep sitting up…not the most comfortable of positions to be perfectly honest with you. So as you can imagine, the prospect of a lovely hotel room with a lovely hotel bed works wonders for me.

Right I best go. I need to pack everything I want with me now as I won’t be coming home on Friday to do it then. Instead I’ll be heading directly from work to the train station. This does mean I’ll be lumping my hold all around with me but hopefully it won’t be too bad and I won’t get too many strange looks on the bus tomorrow morning…

Have a great weekend everybody! Hopefully I’ll return in one piece next Monday. If not…well it was nice knowing you!

Going On The Train!

In a few hours I’ll be heading down south to visit some old friends. Last minute plans but very excited to be going.  I’m not sure what we are going to get up to (and you all probably don’t want to know) but it should be fun.

As a result I’ll not be blogging this weekend (probably) as there is a good chance I won’t be in any fit state to. Then once I’m back I should hopefully be starting work. My bank got back to me last night (after six as it happens) and told me I could use a transaction history statement instead. Well thanks for that. Why didn’t anybody else point this out to me earlier, you know, in the four calls I had to your ‘helpline?’

Never mind. Point is I have my second proof of address.

Right, I should really go. Busy afternoon in front of me! I’ll try to get Vanna to post something instead but that might not be possible.

So I shall see you all on Monday!

Have a great weekend everybody!

Cheers

Alex