The Nike Mogan.

These are my 2007/8 Nike 6.0 Zoom Mogan Trainers (correct me if I'm wrong). If these trainers could talk as well as walk, Christ they would have some tails to tell. They've been through shit, sick and squalor, through to posh events, festivals, sunnier climates, and to be honest just about everything a year in Great Britain can offer. They've been flooded and dried and still held fast in the floods of 2008, they stood tall at Glastonbury 2011 despite raging winds and sideways rain, they've even taken me to victory in a local Mountain Bike series in the south west. These are just the trying times, for the duration of their life, these trainers have been 'fit and forget'. I put them on, and they do their job so well that it's not until they are kicked off at the very doorstep you see above that I actually stand back and appreciate all that this shoe has done for my feet. 

I do not live life in half measures and as a result these trainers have had one almighty test, and they have won the test of time. After five years of constant abuse from riding bmx, mtb, being filled and drained with mud, dust, rain, snow and sand, these trainers have been utterly faultless. Only now are they showing signs of their demise...a small hole on the inside of the right shoe, nothing major, but sadly in a position that means water seepage is inevitable, and my pet hate is wet socks.

Stefan Janoski Low Premium

Not surprising then, that I am really struggling to find a suitable trainer to replace this triumphant pair, I am five years older than when I bought these trainers and my tastes have changed, I want something a bit smarter, yet I still want the comfort of knowing that even on the rainiest of days, I can slip on a pair of trainers and not have wet feet all day. The 'Stefan Janoski Low Premium' is more the sort of trainer I want, but I can't help but feel it will not stand as much abuse as I am lightly to give it. The 'Dunk High' is fantastic trainer but slightly too big, which leaves something along the lines of the 'AF1 Downtown' or a more obvious replacement, the 'Mogan Low 3' 

Nike Mogan Low 3 ID

If I've had it's predecessor for time, then surely this modern day version will last me equally as long. 

Surely it's a no brainer? 

Either way, I wanted to pay homage to what can only be described as a fantastic trainer, a relentless mud runner, a clear leader, and a reliable friend of my feet that have seen me through thick and thin and never faltered. I just hope whatever pair of Nikes I buy next will be just asreliable for the next five years of my life. 

Cheers Nike.

Voice.

Funny how dreams can go from being there and existing but not influencing, to suddenly smacking you in the face.

Last night I received a text from my Dad, (in my dream obviously, I'm not going mad) I can see that text so clearly, I can even see every Capital letter and comma. 

He sent me a text saying he was ok, everything was fine and he would be coming out of hospital soon as he had got his VOICE BACK. 

I was so happy in that moment, so so happy and excited to see him. Though, within seconds of waking up, I was crushed, crushed by the ruthlessness of reality. Never have I gone from being so ecstatically happy to so...I've just spend two minutes staring at the screen trying to explain it with words, and I just can't. 

I love you dad. I can't express how much I miss you every single day. 

Now you have your voice back maybe you will talk to me in my dreams.

Eye

Eyes really are very under-rated.

The Job

The job

So I've been at work for three weeks now, or maybe four I'm not sure. But its going ok, up and down, like a yo yo. It is kinda cool what I do I guess, and the more I think about it the more I think 'shit am I really carrying this much responsibility, do these people really trust me to be doing this?'
Basically I am fully responsible for insuring that three mills have enough wheat, oats,maize,peas,barley on a day to day basis to make enough bread and other products. That's just insane to let someone as nonchalant as me carry out such a heavy task. Today I was controlling all of the product out of a mill in Manchester, product that feeds cattle, that allows them to grow, and be milked and killed for tasty steak, me...in control of that!

It does get a bit repetitive I must admit, playing the same mill, the same calls and scoring the same deals with regular hauliers, but there are some laughs to be had. For example one haulier phoned today,
"frontier jack speaking"
"jack is Alicia there?"
"She is, shall I put you across?"

He simply replies,

"is she fit jack?"

Hahaha and thats it, my afternoon has been made, me and Jim end up talking for about fifteen minutes after Alicia, shes sat within ear shot but is none the wiser.
"Well would you?" He continues,
"Urrrh"
"That's a no then!" We're both in hysterics.

"How many pints would it take? Four? I always flirt with her on the phone, I bet shes fat, is she fat jack? This always happens, I always flirt with the fattys"

Hes laughing for England and so am i. I lean back in my chair in hysterics and start to feel good, I'm in an office chatting, laughing, but doing business all at the same. Its clicked.

"Whats that saying, flirt on the phone add 2 stone" hes roaring down the phone...so am I.
I don't care what people in the office think, and Ive been to his site in Worcester, i know he is just sat in a portacabin next to a calender of lorries, hugging a mini electric heater, but we are both on fire.

"Always the fattys, well you better put me across jack"

Moments like that make the job so much more worthwhile.yo It wasn't just Jim either. Ive have two shit days, and today in stead of getting wound up, i just went with it, just chatted to everyone properly, no business talk...but it was somehow, and it worked.

"Hows your week been Dave?" I ask,
i know the answer but it will start a fun conversation...

"Fucking shit" he replies.

Brilliant, it works you know, I'm letting them know that I am on their side, I empathize with them, listen to them and look out for them. I hook them up with work and as a result they keep saying less and will hopefully scratch my back when I get in a tricky situation.

I'm not sure this is something I want to do long term, but the people are great, and sure I'm rough around the edges, when have I not been, but I'm doing ok. Ive been thrown in the pool, and I'm in class two, swimming...just.

:(

hi.just thought I'd say hi and hope your day was as good as it could be.thinking of you a bit but not too much...MMA

7degreeC's.

I'm earning fuck all money and living an existence that quite frankly barely counts as existence at all. I exist in that I am just a somebody who works in an office, for fuck all money, goes food shopping, fills the car up, irons shirts and cooks dinner. Fuck my life, has my life become what I have tried so hard to avoid? Predictable and boring? Oh it's Wednesday again so my car and fridge are both empty, thus I must shop again. Oh its the day after Monday and the day before Wednesday so I must iron some more shirts, no wait I forgot to wash them, shit. Worth mentioning that I look fucking good in a shirt though. Creased from bone idleness or not. (Just read this back...I'm such a moany bastard)

Who am I kidding, I swam in this lake last weekend

Yes that is frost in the foreground.

I guess that is a pretty cool (literally) thing to do. It was certainly different and far from predictable and boring. In fact it was liberating, swimming in 7degreeC water makes you feel very alive.

Last night I also went for a very random walk and got some cool shots.

God is watching you.

 This cathedral really is very impressive, so too is it's security system.

Reach.

 This tree puts on a good spread. I love a good tree I do.

Lincoln Cathedral

 Straight out of a Lonely Planet

Lincoln Windmill

This windmill was on a terrace of houses, for real. I was walking down a street of boring houses, then all of a sudden the houses surrender to this monstrous windmill standing tall, dwarfing everything around it, Lincoln obscurity strikes again.

I guess we all have to be boring now and again, otherwise the extraordinary moments would be nothing more than an extension of the mundane, and nothing would ever be special again. The boring days make the better days, well, better.

Like visiting Marwell zoo with this crazy coconut...

Who doesn't love to mount a Hippo?

A special day, just like swimming in 7degreesC. Special days make you feel alive, very alive, and very happy to be alive. So I guess yet again I have entered a blog with some negativity, blogged about it and found some positivity. 

For every boring mundane moment, there are twice fold special, 7degreeC moments.

What is your next 7degreeC moment going to be?

Step One.

Step one in the official guide to being Jack Wetherbee is: 

Write everything down. 

Because in the real world, with no one else around to watch your back, you have to think of everything, cover all bases, and generally get shit done yourself. No questions. I am learning this the hard way.
So for all of you out there who have yet to become FULLY independent and will be embarking on such a journey in the future, my first step in doing so successfully is write everything down, take notes, write lists, reminders, reminders to shop, wash, and, if you are are Jack Wetherbee...notes and reminders to think, and think again.

For one cannot think too much, when one is playing the world single handedly. 

The Long Walk, Windsor, Uk