Why do people go to the Gym? Yeah, I know that part of it is to keep in shape and bulk up but beyond that I just don't see the appeal. As one of my five rules I am required to attend the gym at least twice a week.

I purchased a semester pass at a heartbreaking £54 so it will force me to attend and get me off my arse. Luckily I have two friends that I'm going with, Darren and George. George has already been mentioned a few times on this blog and will probably be mentioned a few too many times by the 18th December.

The thing I hate most about the gym is that there are people actually in the gym itself. My low self esteem kicks into overdrive and I am forced to stick to the treadmill and bikes. If I went on things like the weights or anything else muscular related I will look like a pansy.

I plod along.

I've been told in the past that,in life, you don't need to drink alcohol to have a good time. Well, after tonight at the LRV (Union Venue) I am seriously considering finding whoever gave me that insane piece of wisdom and forcing them to endure a sober night in the LRV.

It seems that being sober around peeps who are very,very drunk isn't the best idea on the world. It makes peoples faults shine through bucket loads, sometimes even friends.

I look really drunk here.....I'm not.

So the all knowing Wikipedia defines Straightedge as a lifestyle and youth movement that started within the hardcore punk subculture whose adherents make a lifetime commitment to refrain from drinking alcohol, using tobacco products, and taking any recreational drugs.

I became familiar with straightedge on a trip to Wales to visit my friend Jack at University when I met a girl called Olivia who told me she was Straightedge. To be honest I had no idea what it meant. Needless to say, she filled me in on it straight away.

Since then I have encountered many straightedge followers. At the Reading Music Festival 2007 I met two guys who had been doing it for a couple of years. They said they wouldn't want to drink any alcohol again and even if they did, they would be hammered off one beer.

Couple this with the fact that one of my favourite wrestlers, yes I like wrestling, called CM Punk (below)is straightedge and you can see why I kind of chose it as my blog reason.


I'll leave you with a dose of wisdom that a friend of mine once gave me; Don't wear socks with sandles. Random, I know.

Toodles.

After over 8000 days on this planet and countless amounts of takeaways I decided to cut out all things that are deemed to be bad for me.....including the aforementioned takeaways. Bad Luck. Now I am faced with only two foodical (is that even a word) options. I could either cut out food all together and go on the Hannah Ashworth diet (she was an anorexic, its a Hollyoaks reference) OR I could actually learn to cook.

Well, this was a huge shock to the system, me being an emotional lacking android and all.

After much deliberation I went for the cooking option. The next massive decision that I faced was what I should make as my first meal. My choices were limited due to the fact that a)I haven't cooked anything from scratch in my life , and b) I am pretty much skint.

I then remembered that I saw my friend George cook a Shepards Pie a few days previously. He told me that it was pretty easy to do, cheap to make and ,if done properly, was delicious.

Carrots, Onions, Mince and Gravy is all that I required. Done. An hour and a half later and I had cooked my first culinary delight, well hardly but it was nice, very nice indeed. The best thing is, the leftovers will last me for two more dinners.....RESULT!

Since I can't drink alcohol or soft drinks for the next two months, when I'm out I am forced to drink either water or spend a little money on a bottle of J20.

At £1.40 a time (in the union)and with only about three full swigs in the bottle, J2O seem overpriced and over-rated but I don't agree. I find myself drinking them like they are going out of fashion. They are the Morcambe to my Wise, the Baddiel to my Skinner. I could say they complete me but that's going a bit over the top.
Orange and Passion-fruit flavour is my preferred choice. Isn't that amazing.

Just look at the healthy break down...

As part of my five rules I have vowed to attend the University's fine gym at least twice a week. A big step towards that was actually having my gym induction...which lasted about two minutes(being generous).

After that me and my mate George did a solid hour of workout at the previously mentioned gym. Well, when I say we, I really mean George. I sucked.

Ten minutes of biking and running respectively and I was cream crackered(knackered). One plus point,however, was that I got to weigh myself. The downside was that I weighed in at a huge 11st 8lbs. My aim is to have lost at least half a stone by the time this thing is done. Fingers crossed.

I will have a video up within the next couple of days of me attempting to make some food...from scratch.

Laters all!

Saturday 17th October 2009 was a landmark day in the life of Richard James Taylor (that's me!) as it saw the final day that I could partake in some of the things that I love in life. Below I will talk about some of these things that will really hit me hard.


Takeaways are amazing. I don't know why, but they just are. I think out of everything, I will miss this the most. Goodbye old friend.

Alcohol, oh alcohol, how I will miss thee. Many of the best moments in life thus far have involved some form of this.

Whenever I feel thirsty I reach for a soft drink. They quench my thirst and are delicious. This is an underdog for things I'll miss the most.

I don't know about anyone else but when I wake up in the morning/afternoon (depending on whether I had much of picture 4 to drink the night before) a cup of tea is the BEST way to start the day. This has the potential to drive me crazy.

So...here are the rules that ,come midnight on Sunday 18th October 2009,I will follow strictly and with devotion.

DRINKAGE-Alcohol,tea/coffee or fizzy drinks will NOT be drank.

JUNK FOOD- No takeaways, frozen or convenience food will be consumed. Crisps, chocolate and other treats like this will also be banned.

OUTGOING ME-I must go out to a club or a pub for more than two hours every week so my resolve can be truly tested.

HEALTHYNESS-The gym must be attended at least two times a week.

ANTI-DRUGS-I will not take ANY drugs (unless really needed).