Welcome!
The guiding principle of my blog is that no experience should be considered a failure.
“I have not failed. I have successfully found 10,000 ways that won’t work”
– Thomas Edison
Blog
The Best Thing You Can Spend On Your Children Is Time
This is a first for my blog. The Playing Dad series meets The Edison Project. This post is once again a little later than it should be, but the concept only came to me when writing my previous post on creating tie-dye attire with my daughter.
There Is No Place Like Home
Buying a property is considered one of the most stressful events in one’s life. I am told it is up there with organising your own wedding, an experience I am yet to undertake. However, the buying of property is one I have experienced before, yet I was extremely misguided in thinking previous experience would make me better prepared for the stresses associated with the whole process. On this particular occasion, it was a real roller coaster ride.
Ice Hockey – Half The Game Is Mental, And The Other Half Is Being Mental
“Half the game is mental, and the other half is being mental”. This is a quote from Jim McKenny, a retired Canadian ice hockey player. I am not going to pretend to know who he is, but this quote pretty much summarises the sport in a nutshell.
I am also not going to pretend to know loads about the sport of ice hockey. Consider my knowledge rudimentary, however I do know I really enjoy the sport.
EA Hockey on the Sega Mega Drive was my first real introduction to ice hockey. It was one of three games packaged with the console. The other two were Sonic the Hedgehog and Streets of Rage. I would always represent the United Kingdom and 90% of the time I would reach the semi-finals and lose to Czechoslovakia. The positive from losing to Czechoslovakia was that my interest in the country was conceived as a result of this introduction. This would blossom over the years as the country split in two to become the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost
In my early twenties, I was lucky enough to take on a summer job at Camp Skylemar in the US state of Maine. It was an amazing experience and one I will forever cherish. It was during that summer that I first became aware of US state capitals as the kids often challenged one another to name the corresponding capital for each state. The idea of capitals beyond Washington DC was not one I had given much thought towards prior to that summer. However, it got me thinking about my own country of residence. Do we have the equivalent of state capitals here in England?
Project 2020
1
Make a Song
2
Past Life Regression
3
Visit One of the Home Nations
4
Learn to Play a Musical Instrument
5
Create and Sell A Piece of Art
6
Design and Sell an Item of Clothing
7
Join a Gym and Bulk Up
8
Visit One of the Seven Wonders of the World
9
Visit a Random City Abroad and Take a Stranger for a Meal
10
Climb Ben Nevis, Mount Snowden or Scafell Pike
11
Take Part in a Running Event
12
Surf a Wave
13
Go Scuba Diving with Sharks
14
Watch a Football Match in the Nou Camp, Bernabeu, San Siro and the Maracana
15
Experience Rio Carnival in Brazil
16
Learn to Dance
17
Experience the Northern Lights
18
Fly a Plane
19
See the Cherry Blossom in Japan
20
Watch a Sumo Wrestling Fight in Japan
21
Ride the Trans-Siberian Railway
22
Couch Surf
23
Learn to Sail
24
Get Married
25
Learn to Stargaze
26
Donate Hair
27
Go on a Safari
28
Go Fishing and Catch a Fish
29
Sleep Outside Beneath the Stars
30
Eat in San Sebastian
31
Go to Burning Man
32
Go to a Football World Cup
33
Have a Photo with a Hollywood Star
34
Swim with Dolphins
35
Take Part in a TV Show
36
Go Speed Dating
37
Stay in a Bungalow in Bora Bora
38
Visit Every Continent
39
Experience Oktoberfest
40
Experience a Bull Fight
41
Go Rock Climbing
42
Attempt a Vegan Diet for Two Weeks
43
Go to an Opera
44
Play in a Poker Tournament
45
Visit a Vineyard in France
46
Drink a Cup of Coffee in Milan
47
Buy a Tailored Suit
48
Experience Colonic Irrigation
49
Shave my Hair Off
50
See the Pittsburgh Steeler Live
51
Watch a Space Shuttle/Rocket Launch
52
Send a Message in a Bottle
53
Spend a Day Saying Yes
54
Learn to Make a Signature Cocktail
55
Abseil Down a Tall Building
56
Cut Down a Tree with an Axe
57
Sleep in a Tree
58
See Whales in the Wild
59
Sleep in a Castle
60
Build an Igloo
61
Visit a Buddhist Monastery
62
Visit Five Temples in Cambodia
63
Start a Fire on a Beach
64
Go Horse Riding
65
Visit Auswitz
66
Stay in a Ice Hotel
67
Celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans
68
See the Tour De France
69
Learn a Magic Trick
70
Fly to a Random Location in Europe and Work my Way Home
71
Visit at Least One European Capital City
72
Take Part in a Flash Mob
73
Learn to Juggle Four Balls
75
Visit Fussen
76
Visit the Lake District
77
Eat Frog Legs
78
Go Paddle Boarding
79
Visit at Least One National Park
80
Walk all the Roads on a Monopoly Board
81
Be Completely Honest on Social Media for a Whole Day
82
Visit the National Army Museum
83
Visit a New Castle in the UK
84
Reach Out to an Old Friend
85
Sleep in a Lighthouse
86
Watch Speeches at Hyde Park Corner
87
Visit Shri Swaminarayan Mandir
88
Go on the London Loo Tour
89
Go on the St Albans Cathedral Tower Tour
90
Experience a Gruffalo TrAIL
91
Visit all the Local Pubs in Welwyn Garden City
92
Grow my Hair Long
93
Write a Children's Book
94
No Internet Connection for a Whole Weekend
95
Visit St Paul's Cathedral
96
Visit the Capital of Each County
97
Walk Every Street in Welwyn Garden City
98
Walk Home From Work
99
Perform Stand-up Comedy
100
Get Someone Else to Start a List
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