Apr 7, 2011
I’ve had some emails recently asking about the project, the book and life in general. God knows why, people must be bored with all this incredibly annoying sunshine and warmth. But it made me realise that perhaps I should keep things going on the blog for a while until the book comes out (IF it comes out).
2011 has started tremendously and the power of 52NT has kept flowing all veins of my life and others. It is like a drug in some ways – once tasted, never forgotten. I’ve found that situations from last year have cropped up time and again in moments when I’m wavering or indecisive. Take Bikram Yoga for example (yoga performed in a room heated to 40 degrees). I’ve never understood why someone would want to do exercise in sauna heat, it boggles the mind. But when the opportunity presented itself to me recently, it was my African dance teacher’s philosophy of ”limber for life” that came back to me and before I knew it I’d signed up. Five weeks later and I’m certainly more limber. I’ve also sweated more than I ever thought possible and seen a room full of other men and women do the same. Frankly, it isn’t pleasant, but you do feel great afterwards.
The "Wimbledon White". What a belter of a loaf
I’ve also taken to making bread. You’ll see a particularly fine example of a “Wimbledon White” on the right. It was something I wished I had done last year but never got round to. Then one day I passed a shelf containing some yeast (as you do) and spontaneously decided to give it a go. I’m a way off olive-infused ciabatta yet but I’m now turning out a decent sandwich loaf having bought a bread tin, and I’m toying with the idea of trying a foccacia. It is immensely satisfying to spend 15 minutes making something, 90 minutes watching it double in size and then 30 minutes baking it, only to discover that it not only looks great but tastes incredible too. Get your orders in now.
And so to the book, the literary millstone around this project’s proverbial neck (with sentences like that you can see what I’m up against). It is progressing, albeit slowly. In fact the hardest part is getting a few chapters together which I’m happy with and a proposal to send to a publisher/agent. I say that’s the hardest part. In fact, it is being disciplined enough to sit down of an evening and write some words when every other person you know is watching football/drinking/enjoying the sun/on holiday etc. It is harder than I thought and I need to get better at it.
Thank you all for your continued emails, texts, Tweets, Facebook messages and general levels of support for the project. I promise a book will surface at some point, whether I publish it myself or not. I owe it to everyone who supported me last year at the very least.
Now I’m off to make some crusty bread rolls. See you soon.
Feb 18, 2011
Six weeks into the new year and the 52 New Things project refuses to die. In many ways, it ended on 31 December 2010 with the decision to write a book. However the philosophy behind the project has become unshakeable and I’ve found myself irresistibly drawn towards new experiences, like Justin Beiber to hair straighteners. New things, it seems, are now in my blood.
I spent January not drinking beer. “So what?” you may think. But to a man who subscribes to What’s Brewing? magazine and is a card-carrying member of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), it was like denying tabloid publicity to Jordan. I felt bereft as I sat in the pub, night after night, drinking an increasingly large selection of drinks. In the end I ran out of things to mix with tonic (although I absolutely drew the line at slimline tonic). I didn’t lose any weight, I spent more than I normally would, my hangovers were worse and I looked like a knob. Moral of the story? Beer is good for you.
Other new things on the horizon include a Bikram yoga class (yoga in an incredibly hot room) and the Mini Golf World Championships. Plus I have locked in trips to no less than 4 different countries so far this year on the back of the last trip’s success to visit two countries in 24 hours.
52 New Things as a project may be over, but the urge remains stronger than ever. Saying yes to things has become about a thousand times easier, and ferreting out unusual events or restaurants far more commonplace. I look around at the people in the office and on the tube and I wonder if they lead a varied life, trying new experiences and meeting interesting new people, even perhaps on a monthly basis. Sadly I suspect not. I hope that the book will inspire people to break out from the routine of daily life and explore the wonderful myriad of opportunities, experiences and, let’s face it, pain on offer. It may be a cliche, but life really is too short.
Finally, some of you may remember that my fifth new thing was to call or see my Granddad every couple of weeks. I managed to keep this up for almost the entire year and I am so glad I did as he passed away recently at the ripe old age of 99-years-old. If ever there was a vindication for the project, it was that. RIP Granddad Thorpe.
Jan 11, 2011
Four days after saying I wouldn’t be posting any more news, an email lands in my inbox which more than warrants a few words. I’ve been informed this morning that some lovely people somewhere have nominated the project in the JustGiving Awards 2011 under the Most Creative Fundraiser category.
Not only that but it has been shortlisted as well. My fate now rests in the hands of a panel of four judges including Dame Stephanie Shirley (UK Ambassador for Philanthropy) and Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC technology correspondent, who will draw up three finalists next week.
This is a huge honour for me and absolutely unexpected. I can honestly say that the nomination has come as a complete shock. When I began the project I had no idea that it would end up potentially winning a fundraising award and, quite frankly, win or lose – the nomination is more than enough. I know people always say that but I actually mean it. No….really.
I am, however, a little short on target funds. I have raised and raised (and then lowered) the target throughout the project and at the moment I am about 85% there. It would be great if anyone else could spare a few pennies to see me past my target so I don’t look a complete knob when those four lovely, attractive, generous, kind, funny, inspirational judges make their votes next week.
Click here to empty your pockets for a great cause – The Alzheimer’s Society.
Thanks everyone. I’m off to dig out my bribing pants.
Jan 7, 2011
And so to the post that I can’t quite believe I’m writing. Just over a year to the day since I launched the 52 New Things project I find myself on the final post, bringing to a close a year of fun, frights and firsts. I’ve just read back over the first few blogs I wrote and it is funny to see the nervousness between the lines now with the luxury of hindsight. That opening post came in at a bite-sized 341 words; the longest I wrote was in excess of 1800. Progress, or just wanton self indulgence I wonder?
This last year has been an epic journey through a maze of experiences that I never thought I’d be part of. From the humble beginnings of vowing to not eat crisps for the year (something I am proud to say I more or less stuck to) through past trying Viagra, having my portrait painted, walking an alpaca, trying African dance, having that wax and ending with a flurry by walking over broken glass and then releasing a Christmas single. Sometimes I cannot believe that chap in the pictures was me, having his most intimate hair ripped out or his shoulder tattooed with the blog logo.
Highlights of the year were the occasions when I decided to do something that I really didn’t want to do. The dance class was close to my idea of hell but turned out to be one of the best experiences of the project. Walking home from work should have been hard and boring but turned out to be fascinating (and a bit drunken). Viagra seemed foolish but for one reason or another (taking it before a dinner party) it became a highlight. The Arabic lesson reignited my passion for languages while driving from Land’s End to John O’Groats fulfilled a lifelong dream. Having a pedicure performed by little fish was just weird while fasting for just weekend became the hardest challenge of the entire project.
Of course there was the odd misfire, there always would be with 52 activities to find over the whole year. Spinning wool, for example, was a mistake while “using a bidet” was just a plain cop out. On hindsight I probably shouldn’t have allowed a PR to corral me into a pizza-making lesson at Dominos and the cocktail-making course was really more a piss up with some friends. And the less said about “making some chutney” the better I think.
Throughout this project I have been overwhelmed by the support, generosity and acceptance of everyone I’ve come into contact with. I have met a wonderfully bizarre assortment of people over the year, from Peta and Bruce who took me Alpaca walking to the lovely Caroline Wade who painted my portrait, Simon the woodwork teacher who helped me carve something useful out of wood and Jim who taught me graffiti. Everyone has been patient, open and interested and without them I couldn’t have done half the things I did. Short of thanking them all again individually, I hope this goes some way to portraying my gratitude.
I’d also like to thank every single person who made a suggestion for a New Thing to try. There was somewhere around 500 in total, both off and online, and many of them led to actual New Things. The inventiveness of some people who I am likely to never meet is staggering and I’d like to say thank you to you all for your participation (accept Alan B – what the hell is wrong with you man? That’s illegal even in Holland…).
I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who donated money to the project’s chosen charity – the Alzheimer’s Society. I never wanted to profit financially from this venture and I have been truly amazed at the generosity of some readers. I’ve raised the target constantly throughout the project and now stand only a few pounds from the final target of £752. The page will close on 31 January so if anyone would like to donate please do. No hard sell from me though, marathon season approaches after all and we’ll all be penniless again before long.
A special thank you needs to go out to everyone involved with the 52 New Things Christmas Single. Probably a personal highlight of the project for many reasons, I absolutely couldn’t have done it without the help, support and talents of Lizzy Spit, Joe Lee, Declan Daly, the engineers at Sound Savers, my brother Simon Thorpe who made the video, Debbie Attwood for her creative (and PR) input and, of course, everyone who bought the single. I have no idea where the song came or how much we raised (although sadly we missed the No. 52 spot) but I do know that “Christmas Day TV” will be out there in internet land available to buy for ever, with all profits going to the Alzheimer’s Society.
I couldn’t go without saying a special thank you to Mrs NT, my long-suffering, deeply-patient, incredibly supportive and utterly beautiful other half. In a year of great personal sadness for her she found the inner strength to allow me to take on and complete this foolish enterprise, even managing to accompany me to a pottery lesson at a time when most others would be rendered house-bound. Her suggestions and support have been invaluable and if I haven’t always shown it, I say now that I couldn’t have done it without her.
And so that’s it. 52 weeks, 52 new things. The 52nd? Well…I thought I’d have a crack at writing this thing up into a book. Gotta be worth a go, surely? Stephen King seems to bang one out every six months so how hard can it be? I’ll post the odd update as I go and maybe stick up a few more pictures as they come through of the portrait and whatnot.
All that remains then is to say thank you to you, the reader, for sharing this often hilarious, sometimes painful but always fulfilling journey with me. It has been a blast.
In the unlikely event it ever gets published, please buy my book. I owe Mrs NT a very large new handbag.
Nick Thorpe
7 Jan 2011
London, UK
