Smile...and the world smiles with you!

It's definitely been an interesting couple of weeks for me, a mixture of highs and lows but interesting nonetheless.
Sometimes life seems to throw any number of things at us all at once. You would think it would be kind and if we are going to have illnesses, bad news and bad luck then it could at least be spread out over a number of months or years but I'm afraid life just doesn't usually want to play fair and when one comes, well it can feel like an inevitable flood follows soon after.

Waking up on Saturday, we were confronted with the realisation that one of the back wheel's on my girlfriends' car was pretty much what I believe is technically deemed as...flat! So after a few phone calls (in which I pretty much blagged my way through which tyre was needed) and a short trip later we found ourselves at a local tyre fitting establishment, some may call it a mechanics!

Sat in the cramped reception of said mechanics, I experienced a realisation. One I've had a few times before but one that never fails to surprise me each and every time... I am at my least manly when any form of manual labour is involved!

I really don't know what it is but there is something about dealing with people that are skilled at their trade (questionably skilled when 2 of the 3 mechanics were smoking around the car as they tried to fix the wheel) that just turns my brain to mush. Even the simplest of questions leads to plenty of "Ummm"'s and "errrrr"s on my behalf as I struggle to retain even the slightest hint of masculinity out of this moment...but alas these moments always end in the same scenario, with the trades person (let's be P.C. about this) looking at me with a look that might as well say "I bet you couldn't down a pint of lager if your life depended on it, you're a disgrace to men everywhere"!
The most manly moment throughout all of this was when I got my wallet out (I'm betting the mechanic behind the counter half expected me to produce a pink purse from a pink handbag that also contained a dyed pink Chihuahua!) and paid! The mechanic didn't need to know that my girlfriend was paying me back later, I didn't feel that was an important conversation in our newly forming mutual appreciation!
An important point to make at this point is that my Dad has been a Maintenance Manager for the past 25 years and had numerous manual labour jobs throughout his life before that as well, so there would be some expectation on the level of manliness that should be exuded from me but alas my office lifestyle seems to have not just drained my sanity but also the majority of my masculinity in these types of situations.

The next thing life decided to throw my way was to test both my patience and my ability not to act like a stroppy teenager.
Preordering the new iPhone 5 last week, I just thought that it was a simple necessity after 2 and a half years with my current mobile phone to upgrade. The last thing I expected was to develop a countdown in my mind until I got my new phone and grow in excitement and anticipation as the hours passed. I felt like I was a 10 year old child counting down to Christmas and didn't know how to stop that feeling or if I even wanted it to stop!
Finally the day arrived this week when I got a text from my sister telling me that a parcel had arrived for me. This text arrived on my phone at 11:10am and needless to say I couldn't really think of much else for the rest of my "working" day!
So imagine my surprise when I get home and open (when I use the word open, you can actually read that to mean tear apart) the packaging to reveal something that I wasn't exactly expecting...
Rather than the 32gb Black and Slate iPhone 5 I ordered and paid for, waiting for me in the parcel was a 16gb White iPhone 5. This may seem like an easy mistake to make but add the annoyance from this to the frustration that came from a non-helpful high street shop visit, a phone line customer services that closes at 17:00, when the time was now 18:00.25...a time I can remember exactly as it stared back at me on my computer screen telling me that the online customer support closed at 18:00 so I would not be able to even discuss my feelings on the matter via text form!
But alas the world was not done with me yet, oh no! For within a matter of hours after I got off the phone to resolve this issue and be told that I would have to send this phone back before they would send the correct one out I received a text that was soon followed by the two words appearing on my phone. The text was from my service provider happily boasting that my services had been updated (and in my head they were half expecting a reply congratulating them on a superb job) and the two words that appeared at the top left of my phone stared back at me with as much smug satisfaction..."NO SERVICE!" (I've added the ! for extra effect but it may as well as had one)!
I haven't been without a mobile properly (and not through my own choice) since 1999 when I received my first mobile phone for Christmas, so it is definitely a weird feeling and brings with it many annoyances but can also feel slightly liberating I guess.

Mix these with ongoing aches, pains and illnesses that seem to arrive every time I get the impetus to start a fitness campaign and you could say I manage to convince myself that the world has me on it's bad books and that is where I'm destined to stay.

The last thing I want you to think is that I am ranting or whinging and I apologise if it comes across that way, I assure you this spell of annoyance will be broken soon when I realise I am not a 10 year old waiting for Christmas and am actually a fully grown adult with a proper job and everything!

I know these occurrences aren't exactly life threatening and are indeed incredibly trivial compared to so many other things that go on in the lives of others but I can only write about the thoughts and feelings that come from the moments that occur in mine.
So whether you experience much greater problems or know exactly where I'm coming from with these trivial items that just seem to compound one after the other, I guess the only thing we can do is smile through anything life throws at us and hope, just hope, that one day the world decides to smile back!

Lost in the world

Forgive me dear reader for I have sinned... It has been 8 whole days since my last blog post and that, quite frankly, is shabby and a standard I do not want to be setting for myself.
I promised you from my first post that this blog was set up as a place for my thoughts and hopefully the start of something that allows me to get these thoughts out of my head and hopefully provide you with something to amuse, empathise or just pass the time.
However, since my last post I seem to have become more addicted to watching the number of page views go up following some Twitter and Facebook promotion than actually providing anything new for all of you new, faithful and just passing by readers.
To be honest, I have been slightly overwhelmed by the number of you venturing this way and I would like to say a big thank you to each and every one of you so far (and those of you here for the first time) for taking time out of your lives to read the words I'm putting on your screens.
I would also like to take this chance to say a big thank you to my beautiful girlfriend for always supporting me and also a big thank you to my amazing Sister, who has helped me promote this blog and continues to provide inspiration, even when she doesn't know it! She has her own blog on her website, which can be found here, and I strongly recommend you check it out (after reading the rest of this of course) and let her know your thoughts and comments.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes...
We all have those moments in life when we get lost in our own little world and forget all about the everything and everyone else.
These moments help us to recapture that age of youth and innocence we have when we're young, when a humble cardboard box or wrapping paper is far more exciting than the actual present that cost our parents their hard earned cash.
It is these moments that let us escape, if not only for a small amount of time until we realise that perhaps we are not as alone as we led ourselves to believe.

I was lucky enough to be present at one of these moments for a complete stranger this week.
On my way to work on Thursday morning, I found myself second in line at a junction and behind a relatively new red car (I think once you read on you'll agree that the make of the car in front is not the important thing but for those of you trying to build the picture in your head it was a Vauxhall Astra). The traffic on the road we were both aiming for was busy so there was plenty of time for me to notice something unusual and special taking place right before my eyes.
The male driver in front of me was physically alone in the car, as was I, but mentally he had sold out Wembley Stadium! He was midway through what can only been described as one of the best Air Drum solo's I've ever had the pleasure to witness.
We were both able to pull out of the junction safely one after the other and soon found ourselves side by side at a roundabout, where I am incredibly pleased to report he was still fully committed to his Air Drumming that I did wonder if he would remember to even check if he was able to pull away!
He then turned his head to his left (he was in the right hand lane just for clarity and those of you still trying to recreate this in your minds) and for that split second that we caught eyes there were two possible options. Both of us were definitely thinking about them but neither of us were sure which one would happen.
The first option was for me to crack a smile and for him to feel rather embarrassed.
The second, and I think you'll be proud of me for this being the option I took, was to join in, show my mutual appreciation and bring out the Air Guitar! He looked delighted!
As I pulled away at the roundabout he gave me the nod of approval that told me my audition was successful and I was now a member of the band!
I will probably never find out what song we were jamming to but I am very proud to have been welcomed into a complete strangers' world, even just for those few split seconds.

I can often be found alone with my thoughts and quite often it is in the most inappropriate of times (especially when I am at work and meant to be...hmmm...working!) but these things take us by surprise and can't (and shouldn't) be helped as, for us all, in your own little world you can be whoever, whatever and wherever you want to be.
If you are lucky enough to come across one of these moments in the lives of others then do tread gently, as you will know they are special to each of us, so don't intrude too vigorously but remember, there is always going to be the great wide world spinning by around us but we all need some time every now and again where we just shut it all out, get lost in our own world and (as seems to be the done thing this week) if welcomed in, join the Air Band Appreciation Society!

Sympathy Block

When I started up this blog I knew it would be a place for me to place my thoughts from time to time...but I also knew that if I wanted people (meaning those of you kind enough to be reading this now) to take me seriously then I guess I had to take this blog seriously too!
So, as a man of my word and with it being Friday, today is the day I put myself out there and unleash what I hope will be the start of something beautiful.

For some time now I have been trying to accompany my working life in an office with trying to stay sane... and with the faint hope of succeeding I decided that writing a book would be the answer.
All started with great gusto and I was soon well away writing page after page. But then time passed and when I came back to find the time to start writing again I wouldn't like my previous efforts and found that my new best friend was my very trusty delete button!
So I found myself with writers block before I could even consider myself to be a writer, essentially all I was having was some kind of "sympathy block"!
Then I heard about the comedienne Katy Brand, who has managed to fund her book through a process called "Crowd Funding". This is where investors are called upon to stake money into a project for a return of some kind. In Katy Brands' case these returns were based on the value of investment and ranged from a "Thank you" in the notes to a full on character in the story.
Do not worry though, I am not here to ask for investment, this story of Katy Brand just merely gave me the idea to get feedback from the only people that count...you, the reader!

Anyway, all this brings me to now and my decision that it is either time to make a go of this book or just leave it in my equally trusty Recycle Bin.

So, here goes nothing, the first few pages... guess I'll see you on the other side...

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Memoirs of a Random Guy
By Andy Brown
Copyright (2012) JustDrewOnIt Publishing

Chapter 1

And there it is, a feeling of pure elation. A feeling only 1 in 100,000 of us feel from time to time.

A feeling so gut wrenchingly unfamiliar that I felt the need to write about it.

Ok, so before the hello, I’d like to make two apologies.

Firstly to any English teachers reading this book and any that have ever taught me for breaking rule number one and starting a sentence, neh, this book with the word “And”. I hope you can see past that grammatical error and continue to read this book for what it truly is…

One big grammatical error!

Secondly I’d like to apologise for the title of this book. I was torn on a number of variations, each one as poor an excuse for a book title as the next, but eventually I had it down to just two. Obviously “Memoirs of a random guy” won my little “reality show” for rubbish book titles but only because the alternative was “Memoirs of an average guy” which, I think you will agree is nowhere near as sexy and probably would have put you off even picking this book up. It’s safe to say that by reading this you weren’t put off picking this book up and would agree that putting people off picking this book up is the exact opposite reason for me writing it.

Although in the end it didn’t come down to sexiness of title or even a rigged phone vote. “Average” may describe my looks and certain aspects of my life (I’m not talking about my anatomical parts before you insert your own jokes!) but as I write this I guess the word “random” best describes my mind and all the other aspects of my life (again no jokes here please).

So I guess this is where I introduce myself. As the rest of the book title suggests my name is Charlie Drumann. I am 23 years old and was born and grew up in a small town on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border. I think you’ll agree nothing random or out of the ordinary about those facts, in fact they are distinctly average but I also think you’ll be wondering how a 23 year old guy can even consider writing his memoirs? You’ll probably be thinking “he’s not famous or special, in fact I’ve never heard of him” but that’s where the sexiness of a title comes into it again. Far be it from me to put you off picking this book up by boring you with the title, oh no dear reader, I’d rather bore you with the content!

So by saying “memoirs” it attracts people more than “thoughts” and sounds slightly better than “Randomness of a random guy” which, in case you’re wondering, made it into third place of my little “x-factor for rubbish book titles” but was subsequently ruled out because I thought it was a bit too…well…random.

If you’re still with me then thank you. I can assure you of a distinct lack of boredom from now on. Think of that opening section as my audition stage to get rid of the riff-raff and save the better things for those of you clever enough to see past that and to you I say “welcome to the boot camp stage”.

This book is actually an excuse for me to let out and attempt to explain to you my thoughts on a number of subjects, intertwine some of them with some of the experiences I actually have had in my life so far and sprinkle on a few of random wonderments for good measure. Don’t worry, I’m not going all Nigella on you, I’m just “sexying” things up again.

Oh and before I go any further, I think it is only right and fair that I explain the opening line in the book and make you aware of why I am writing this in a slight state of elation. No not the kind of elation favoured by rock stars or kids tv presenters but the kind of elation one can only get by winning £10 on the lottery on two consecutive Saturdays! Oh yes my friend, that sort of event on one Saturday causes a slight buzz, but two consecutive Saturdays, my goodness I thought I was walking on the moon. Like I was looking down on the world through eyes only gods could see through!

OK so maybe I’m forgetting about all the other Saturdays and indeed Wednesdays I haven’t won anything and all the money I’ve lost through that as well as the fact that despite my winning streak, or Midas touch as I like to call it, my grand total of winnings was only £20. However, like all of us Lottery players I choose to forget those minor indifference's and instead focus on the fact that I, Charlie Drumann, am indeed a winner!! It was literally like winning the lottery!

Page End.

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Well...that feels somewhat...liberating! I guess I better start again by thanking you for taking the time to read not just another of my blog posts but the start, or indeed end, of the future of my sanity.

The book will tell the story of Charlie Drumann, our lead character, who finds himself in a state of flux whilst trying to work out which path his life should take. Until one day, Charlie makes a decision that will change his life and the lives of those around him for good.
And for anyone wanting to pass this as there own, think again! I'll leave the details of that there as the last intention of this blog is to be negative...needless to say, shame on you!

So please feel free to comment, let me know your thoughts and ideas and who knows, if this is just the start of things then from time to time you may get sneak peaks of his adventures and could possibly help shape a literary creation.

Until next time, this is me...thanking you!

Why Blog? Pt. II

Hello again!

You're probably wondering why I appear to have been incredibly lazy and re-used my blog title from my previous post.
Well, like all mainstream rap songs of the last 10 years I figured "Why Blog?" needs a part 2, so consider this the full RnB version of that song you really like but find yourself humming along to until the catchy chorus kicks in (sing it if you know it..."Just gonna stand there and watch me burn" or "I wanna sing, I wanna shout...").

I have been thinking for a long time now of putting my thoughts out there on a blog and decided to finally just go for it. Sometimes the real world takes over our time for so long that the passions and hobbies that we crave never seem to materialise, well at least that's the case for me.
I have a constant desire to do something with my life that I enjoy and writing is something that I enjoy so I guess I'm hoping this blog allows me to pursue that.

OK, so I guess it's only fair to let you know what you can expect from this blog over the coming days, weeks and months and either give you a reason to come back from time to time or unwittingly put you off already! Either way, I'm very grateful for you sticking with me so far and hopefully you won't find anything to put you off each time to find yourself venturing this way.
As an aspiring writer I have tried to find time to write a book, one that I feel is relevant and enjoyable for the reader and I'm hoping that I'm heading in that general direction but I've decided it's finally time to get some critique so this Friday night I will be releasing the first few pages on this very blog! It gives you (the faithful reading public) the chance to get a feel for the type of book I'm working on and feel free to comment so I can get a view on whether or not the theme and direction is what you want? So keep your peepers out for that!
I will also be putting out my opinion on a whole host of topical issues, thoughts on music, books and movies as well as using this as a place to put out there the random occurrences that happen in life!

If you're still with me then thank you and I can make you 2 promises. The first is that I will try to make this a place you enjoy visiting and look forward to reading...and the second is that my next and all future blogs will be titled with far more enticing things than "Why Blog" :)

Why Blog?

OK, so here goes, a foray into the big wide web and a place for my thoughts to reach the masses (and when I say masses I mean more than the very receptive audience in my own mind).

I have so many random thoughts that enter and leave my head all day long and I'm just hoping this can be a place to capture one or two of those and maybe provide me with the proof that I'm not alone in my randomness...either that or I'm writing my own psychiatric admission form live to the world?! Alas, fear not dear reader you are in safe hands and hopefully find a thing or two to your liking hiding within this blog.

As a small insight into the types of randomness to expect from me I'll let you into what money spinning idea went through my head before 9:30am this morning... How easy would it be to create a Beatles's themed workout DVD entitled "We can work it out"? And I'm afraid the randomness only starts there, so if you're still with me then thank you, grab a cup of tea and a biscuit and I hope you enjoy!