Swimming

 What is it that makes swimming so appealing to some people, and deeply horrifying to others? I feel the sensation of letting go, diving under, and climbing back to the surface exhilarating, yet deeply relaxing. Yet I know people who freeze solid at the prospect of taking a quick swim. Their view of swimming is reclining, on a lilo, in the Mediterranean, or some other 'warm' place. I must admit, going swimming in February, in a reservoir, was one of the coldest experiences of my life. The speed at which it went from OK, to 'FREEZING', was quite phenomenal, and really opened my eyes to the possible dangers of swimming.

 I'll keep on rebuilding my strength, piece by piece, on this long, slippery road, and keep swimming! Yes, I may not be of Olympic standard, but I believe it is good to have some physical strength, even if it only ghets used breaking up fights between drunkards........

Gotta be Somebody

Listening to Nickelback's, 'Gotta be Somebody', reawakens something inside me. Is there a 'special someone' out there? Or do we make do? Admittedly I am probably not the best, as, of yet, I have not been involved seriously with anyone. One of my friends friends came out last year as 'asexual'. Before then, I had never even heard of the term. Now, it seems to be around every day. Is 'Sherlock' asexual? Or is he just trying to suppress the inner emotion? Who are we to question, and judge other people? Being in the same class as circa.15 males, between 16 and 17, really opens my eyes. There is only 1 girl on the course, and, to be quite honest, I have no idea how she copes. How can you be so crass, ill mannered, and generally obnoxious to other civilised human beings? It really is a case of  being drawn down to the lowest denominator, which, in this case can be very low on occasion!

Modern life

The Internet is an amazing, and, quite frankly, a slightly worrying being. It lets me listen to music, uploaded by someone on the other side of the world, within milliseconds of it being uploaded. It lets me communicate with relatives 2000 miles away, and all, relatively freely. But at what cost? Already, many illnesses have been linked to the 'new' forms of technology, most recently 'Ipad shoulder', which comes from looking at a screen on your knee. Get outside?? Have a life outside of the office, and go for a walk? All things that, until recently, people did on a weekly basis, if not a daily one. Get outside, and experience even just a portion of the great outdoors...... You won't regret it!

Finance

 I would say, my main fault is that I have no 'save' instinct. I would quite happily spend £30 a week, without waiting for it to save up into a usable sum. Why? It's not as if I fall for the advertising, as most of the products I purchase are not advertised widely, being knives, and para/550 cord. I believe it is a deeper fear, that I can't let it accumulate, and then watch it vanish in the blink of an eye. I caught myself today, wondering what would I do if I won the Lottery/Euromillions/Premium Bonds, and had decided upon purchasing a car, going to university, and moving to the United States of America, though not necessarily in that order. And giving some money to family and close friends, but definitely not announcing myself as a winner. And also buying a nice rifle, and a Rockstead knife, just because I could afford one. Why not?

 Back to the uncomfortable business of 'money'..... how is it that, in less than 30 years, we have managed to transform global money transfers from a relatively elitist enclave, to an everyday occurrence?  I can, in the blink of an eye, send money from England, to the far reaches of Mongolia, or at least to someone with internet access anywhere on the globe. In a way, I think it both connects us, as an entity, able to communicate over fast distances, and, at the same time, hide us away from the world. Why go down to the shops, when you can order all you need for doorstep delivery?

College

 I am really starting to enjoy this college malarkey... What other college would present you with a lesson on rifle and shotgun maintenance in the morning. This was followed by a lecture in the afternoon, on how to set snares, followed by being given a fenn mark 4, to place anywhere on campus, within reason!
 Yes, admittedly, some aspects are not the most pleasant, mainly the constant questioning as to why I don't drink, and the constant disrespect shown by 'some' of my fellow pupils, towards teachers, and general lack of manners. However, thrashing someone with a cane, for disobedience, is no longer allowed... in some circumstances, a pity.
 However, overall, I believe this course to one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life so far, and, whilst not thankful for my illness by any stretch of the imagination, I am grateful for my recovery to this stage, and hopefully continuing recovery. It has shown me a completely different aspect of life, and for that, I am happy!

Rope Tying

Just a hint- rope burn 'hurts'.... creating a key fob, using a round sinnet knot (can't believe I have never used this one before!), and then putting a handle on a knife. Not the best idea after an session of rock climbing. My fingers still haven't forgiven me. Presently, I am hopefully going to settle down, and watch the new 'Sherlock' episode, after waiting 6 hours for it to download- 512 kbps internet is not the greatest in the world.

Back at college

 Now back at college, after a rather uneventful weekend, consisting mainly of shooting on a gaming console, and watching 'the last three days', which was a rather good film, with a clever twist at the end.
 Rather fittingly, the first thing I did, when back at college, was, after putting a clothes wash on, was sharpening someone else's knife. Why? Because I am possibly the only person at college with a sharpening stone. Why? If you bring a knife to college, which is another reason why I love this college, you surely expect it to lose it's edge....... 
 Anyway, overall, the past couple of weeks have gone well. Other than my arms looking like I have had a go at them with a small knife/pin combo. I can recommend not hedge laying in a shirt, with the sleeves rolled up- feels fine, until the day after, when your arms turn into a mass of scratches. It makes writing by hand a little difficult, as now the forearms are a little tender, but hey, we live and learn.

Shotgun

Succeeded in beating my previous score, at the shotgun clay ground, for my shotgun assessment at college. I managed 9/10 incredibly easy clays, not that bad considering I had only shot a shotgun 5 times previous, and I am a rifle man. I don't know why, but rifles really appeal to me. I don't know whether or not it is the precision of the machining, the attention to detail you have to employ to pull off those longer range shots, or generally the entire ethos of watching your target, and waiting for it to present the perfect opportunity. That millisecond pause, between thinking and pulling the trigger, when every particle in your being is waiting for the outcome. The satisfaction of watching your bullet strike, if using a small calibre. The acknowledgement of the power that you hold in your hands, and the determination that the power should never be allowed to be used for lesser things. Some people treat rifles as a toy. Would they also treat an 18 wheeler juggernaut as a toy when driving on the motorway? I believe not.

The general musings of a 19 year old.

 Obtained a new knife today, a Kershaw  D.W.O in pink. There was the option for other colours, namely black, blue, orange and red, but none of those had the same appeal as a pink knife. The main problem with it is entirely not the fault of the knife, nor the manufacturer. It is, in fact, the problem with the current law, which prohibits any locking blade, or any non locking knife with an over 3 inch blade, unless there is good purpose for having the knife in ones possession. I'm sorry, but, am I really going to stab someone with a tiny little blade. If I wanted to, I could quite legally possess an 18 inch machete, and, as long as the knife remained in my household, the police would be quite powerless to do anything about it. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with any form of law enforcement, and was indeed planning upon joining the military police, until my illness struck- now a lifelong mark against my name, making me unable to serve my country in any form of uniformed service. My 'beef' is with the law, and those too weak to stand up and fight for what, in any other 'normal' society, would be a right taken as read. None of our currently elected 'representatives of the constituents' have the decency to stand up and say, 'yes, some disaffected members of society are using knifes to hurt and kill each other, but, should this really impact the entire population of one country?' None, because, they know, as soon as they open that particular can o' worms, they will, more often than not, be called upon to abandon their seat. 

  As you may have noted, from the above preamble, is that, I am quite unlike the average teenager. However, what is the 'average' teenager/young adult? 100 years ago, before the 'invention' of the teenager, most young men, having had a decent education, would either have settled down into a, more often than not, secure job, or left, to seek his fortunes in the colonies. Oh how I wish I had been born in that era. Admittedly, I would not have had the same experiences, and probably not have been born in another country, though I don't know, as the empire would have been willing for keen adventurers to take to the far flung corners of the globe. I know not many of the things the empire did were for the good of the colony, but there were enough for them to help turn the British empire into one of the largest the world had ever seen. 

 Anyway, back to the 'average' teenager. I freely admit I know very little about Football, or 'Soccer', as my cousins from the US insist upon calling it. I am not that up to date with 'current' music, and why do people automatically assume I listen to classical music, though some is rather good. I am not particularly adept at talking to members of the female sex, talking to them about subjects often quite far from their hearts, namely, rifles, various methods of self defense (most of them proactive), and general 'manly' things. I didn't know there were that many forms of perfume, and cologne? What is this? No, I don't follow fashion, I prefer clothes which fit me, are functional, and look 'nice'. My mind has still not adjusted to no longer wearing a suit every weekday, though I still have a suit waiting in the wardrobe, just in case. I blame the combination of a membership of the scouting network (the preparedness), a membership of the army cadet corp (the general militaristic attitude), and a grammar school education (for the ability to spell, helped by auto correct). Also, the ability to have respect for other people, regardless upon how you feel about them. If a person were to enter my room, I would stand and greet them, instead of continuing to type, turning round to greet them with a 'sup'. 

 I am not a 'celeb' follower, nor do I pay much attention to commercial television, although the new 'Sherlock' is rather spectacular. To be honest, I don't care what other people think about me, other than those who's opinion I hold in worthy regard. I don't know how to cook in a microwave, though I do know how to set up a camp properly, and cook over an open fire, including lighting it, which seems beyond a large number of my contemporaries. I do know how to shoot, admittedly with a rifle rather than a shotgun, and I do know how to dress a rabbit. I don't drive along with my music deafening everyone around, namely because I like to listen to the engine, and realise soon if something 'just isn't right'. 

 

 

General Life

So, this is how madness starts- sitting at college, bored out of your skull, apart from answering the door for those who have forgotten their keys!! Still, I have the  'internet' for company. There are so many people out there, who's lives seem to be a collection of all my hopes and ambitions, clumped together into one country. So, Operation Forestry/Countryside management is on!!