What is the most important thing to carry with you all the time?
This could have been a fairly dull prompt, but thinking laterally I thought it would be fun to look at that question in terms of physical objects and from the perspective of various times in my life.
When I was at primary school I was what was then called a latch key kid which meant I didn’t always have my parents at home when I got back from school as they were both working. So, it was vital to have my front door key at all times. The problem was that I was apt to forget it on occasions, well semi-regularly actually, and that meant I was outside until one of my parents returned. No one, including me, understood why it wasn’t an automatic thing to remember but I since found out it comes from my dyspraxia which interferes with your organisation and your short term memory.
Fast forward to the mid teens and I always had to carry a pound for my bus fare to school – 50p each way. My parents had to pay for this because we lived one house away from the boundary of free bus travel! So, I got £5 a week to cover my fares. Very luckily for me, the drivers and conductors almost never checked the passes because everyone on the bus had one. I think I paid about half a dozen fares in 7 years!! The rest went to things like my two complete sticker albums Football 78 & 79, or my large singles collection. To be honest it was the only positive thing that ever came out of going to that awful school.
I got used to carrying cards in my late teens and early 20s. First was my ID card for the RAF which I never forgot because you would be on a military charge if you didn’t have it. Basic training was where so much changed for me as I reflected on in my blog post about my time in the service. Next was my Staffordshire Polytechnic student card without which I couldn’t get money off things or get into the library.
Since then, wallets became my must carry but have given way to card holders and phones in modern life. The only thing that has been a constant since those early days is my key. These days I never forget it because it’s always the last thing I check before leaving the house!
What change, big or small, would you like your blog to make in the world?
Well, if I want to make even the smallest difference I need many more readers. Let’s just imagine I have though! My blog is a place of positivity and I won’t be reviewing books, TV, Films, Plays or Concerts I don’t like. If you read a review it is bound to be good, but I will go into detail as to why it’s good. So what would I hope my blog does?
I would hope it tells people that someone who grew up in the 70s and 80s can still have their finger on the pulse of current entertainment. A number of people of my age don’t want to listen to any modern music, but many of us do. For readers who might expect Oasis (who I do like by the way) get ready for Wet Leg!
I would hope it tells people that someone who has Asperger’s can have the full range of emotions, insights and abilities as any NT. I do have the neuro diverse tendency to deep dive into any interest I have, be it music, social history or Christmas but I hope I do it in an engaging way. For readers with any form of neuro diversity I hope it might help you to express your own ideas with more confidence.
I would hope it tells people that someone who has left full time work can be looking to broaden and deepen their life. I am looking forward to seeing what life has to offer and that wasn’t always the case. To be honest the blog is a big part of that and I hope it might help others to see their own future differently.
I am serious about wanting more readers so if you enjoy the post, please read some of my articles and then spread the word. Thank you in advance.
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Describe your life in an alternate universe.
When I saw this prompt, I immediately thought of a number of Sliding Doors moments which would have completely changed the course of my life. So, here they are in chronological order.
When I was 5 or 6, my Dad was offered a job over in Australia but had to turn it down. I won’t go into details, but I would have ended up living Down Under and I know I would have loved it.
When I was 11, I went to a Grammar School instead of continuing with private education. If the other choice had been made I would have got far less bullying, far better results and I would have gone to University at 18 and no doubt got a really good job on the basis of my school name.
When I was 19 I joined the RAF but I was injured during basic training. I would definitely have done at least 9 years in the forces, maybe more and would almost certainly never gone to University. This was the pivotal Sliding Doors moment, because it set me on a path where I met my wife.
Actually, there was one more moment when my alternative universe self and my wife to be never met. When I was 21 I was unemployed and my Dad had a proper go at me during a Boxing Day party. He pointed out that I hadn’t made an effort to get a job during December. Just to prove him wrong I went to the Job Centre the following day, found a job, applied for it and got it. Sitting opposite me on that first day was my wife to be.
Fast forward to my late 20s. Once again looking for a job, although I was at least employed by Kidderminster Town Hall which was actually one of my favourite jobs, and I had given up on finding anything in teaching. I put the job section of The Times on the recycling pile. My wife decided to have a look and found the advert for the JET Programme. That one decision set the course for the rest of my career and my life. 30 years later I am still teaching English to non native speakers!
Finally, in my late 30s history repeated itself when I was offered a job in Australia but I had to turn it down, exactly as my Dad had done over 30 years earlier.
So there you have it. Scenario 1, I lived my life in my favourite country. Scenario 2, I had a really long stint in the forces and never got into teaching. That said, I know I would have been an instructor because that is where my skill set is. Scenario 3, I never applied for that job and never met my wife. That is the Sliding Doors moment that really makes me feel like I was meant to meet her. Scenario 4, I never went to Japan and never started teaching English. Scenario 5, I went to Japan and Hong Kong, but I settled in Australia where I made a career and a life for us.
So there are 5 multiverses setting off in 5 different directions. Would I have been happier in any of those? Possibly, but we’ll never know unless our multiverses meet in the future and I catch up with my alternate selves.
What’s the most money you’ve ever spent on a meal? Was it worth it?
As a family, when our children were growing up, we often had very little in the way of disposable income. In those days we took our own sandwiches and if we couldn’t get back in time we would go to McDonald’s or somewhere similar. Now, with somewhat more disposable income we take our own sandwiches and if we can’t get back in time we go to McDonald’s or somewhere similar! On really special occasions we can push the boat out, but my wife and I always think the same thing. We could cook something just as good or better at home for a fraction of the cost.
Earlier this year I had a landmark birthday and I marked the occasion, as I so often do, by cooking turkey and preparing a whole range of salads for the day the family came round. Every year, my birthday cake is a second Christmas cake my wife bakes and stores for three months. There isn’t a restaurant in the world that could provide a meal I would enjoy even half as much. I am an excellent cook particularly with basic ingredients and my wife bakes cakes, buns and pies that are incredible and use half the sugar and none of the additives found in meals outside the house. Our children eat restaurant meals more than we do, much like we did at their age, but they are also very good cooks in their own right. By teaching them to cook we have provided them with tools to be able to make a choice of restaurant or home.
When we are on holiday and not self catering big expensive meals are largely avoided and simple cheaper meals are prioritised. I would rather have the money to pay for a concert or a day out as great live music and stately homes or lovely countryside are things we cannot reproduce at home.
Scour the news for an entirely uninteresting story. Consider how it connects to your life. Write about that.
The story I have chosen is
I saw the story yesterday and thought what a pointless item of ‘news’ it was. Man eats ice cream with his family having starred in a series of films 20 years ago! What have we come to if this is news? Then I thought about it and realised how much certain actors and musicians and sports stars have become part of my life over the years. If I had been there I wouldn’t have got a selfie but I would definitely have taken a picture and it got me thinking about one of my all consuming hobbies.
When I was a kid I used to write off for signed photos. I restarted the hobby when I became a house husband for a few years and before I knew it, I had a large collection of signed photos from TV, film, sports and music. Every time a new photo arrived in the post I was absolutely over the moon. The photos were left in bags and envelopes for ages until I got a couple of scrapbooks for Christmas a few years ago. Now, most of them are in the book, and it has encouraged me to start again when my current full time job comes to an end.
Who are my favourites? Well, the personalised signed photos from a few stars stick in my head. In no particular order of importance I have Jack Nicklaus, Dick Van Dyke, Alan Alda, David Tennant and my first ever celebrity signed photo from 1970s and 80s TV presenter and singer Isla St Clair. I have many more and apart from restarting the hobby soon I will be blogging about it. So watch this space!
It’s quite amazing that a small photograph with a signature can bring so much pleasure but it does. The story isn’t as uninteresting as I first thought as it has encouraged me to revisit a hobby that has given me huge pleasure over the years.
David Pearce - Popular Culture and Personal Passions 