Odd is Yes... Even is No...

My week as a dice man is coming to an end as I sit here on Sunday afternoon.  Let me reflect on the past 7 days.  Firstly, let me just say that I did not take this idea and use it for EVERY decision I made.  Put simply, I wouldn't have had time...

The first big decision I had to make came on Monday morning at about 10.10am.  One of my best mates texted me to see whether I wanted to 'take the day off work' to go and watch the final day of the 1st Test match between England & India at Lords.  Now at this point of course I was at work.  What did I do?  I rolled the dice!  It said NO!  Phew!  Thank you.  If my boss is happening to read this of course I'd never have gone ;-) and I respect the dice's decision of course...

On Tuesday and Wednesday I went to the iTunes Festival at The Roundhouse.  On both nights the dice had a big part to play but on Tuesday it took centre stage.  On the way to the gig, Northern line, me and a mate, odd = shot of black sambuca, even = nothing, until the half lucozade bottle was done.  The dice then told us to get a bottle of Crabbies each from Sainsbury's, then chose out of a selection of bars for us to head to a small Belgian bar to drink random native beers served by our now good Polish friend Machete.  On to the gig.  Amazing night.  Great music.  All drinks decided by the dice.  Numbered spirits 1-6, odd shot, even with mixer - cue mahem!  Even managed to get Katy B and Artwork involved at the 'after party'!

Overall, to sum up I'd say that using the dice to make decisions was a really fun experience, and I couldn't possibly mention them all - although I almost forgot to mention the fact that I got a 'tattoo'! (see picture left) That was pretty wild! - On a night out I definitely would suggest that you try it out as it most certainly adds something to an evening!  And also if ever you are struggling to make a decision, whether that be do I go here or there, or what shall I eat on the menu...  Use the dice!  It stops all indecision and you can't argue with it... Because it's just a dice...

Let me know if anyone out there is inspired to do similar... I will certainly be keeping my dice on me in future...

The Dice Man...

For the next week, I will be living life and making decisions on the roll of a dice.

The inspiration behind the idea originates from one of the story lines in the recent Luther series (for anyone who watched it I will not be carrying around a bat and acid-water pistol!).  I then had conversations with fellow Luther fans who mentioned The Dice Man, a 1971 book by Luke Rhinehart about a fictional character who basically lives his life on the roll of a dice.  Apparently he took this a little bit too far.

I will simply roll the dice to make decisions on everything in which I am given an option (except anything illegal or that might loose me my job!), from what to wear to work, to whether or not to go to an event I'm invited to, to what drink to order at lunch.  

Hopefully it will be interesting, enjoyable, and I'll end up doing things I might not have normally.

I'll blog about the 'results' at the end of the week... Wish me luck!

The male obsession with the gym...

There are several things that an individual can become obsessed with.  Individuals can develop an obsessive fear of gaining weight and a refusal to maintain a healthy body weight as seen with anorexia nervosa.  Others can become obsessed with sex, leading to hypersexuality, where sexual urges, behaviours or thoughts can appear extreme in frequency or feel out of one's control.  Then of course there is obsessive-compulsive disorder, the aniexty disorder characterised by uncontrollable, unwanted thoughts and repetitive, ritualised behaviours you feel compelled to perform.  All three of these are established and recognised conditions affecting millions of people.  The obsession I will be discussing however is not...

The male obsession with the gym...

It's something I only really noticed probably whilst at University.  I would see several guys strutting around the gym in tracksuit bottoms and a vest thinking they were the absolute nuts because they could bench press a certain weight.  I'd see guys looking at themselves in the mirror and flexing to themselves or pulling up their tops to study their abs.  I'd hear guys talking about how many calories they should be eating, spending fortunes on protein shakes, recovery shakes, pre-workout shakes, post-workout shakes, day off shakes, there seems to be a shake for just about every occasion.  

Some of these people are friends of mine but regardless I'd still think to myself, 'What the fuck are you doing all that for?! Are you a professional athlete? Ummm NO! So get back to reality".  Don't get me wrong, I like to try and stay fit and be in good shape and am the first to champion the benefits of exercise, but I try to do this in moderation.  I am a member of a gym and ideally I'd go around 3 times a week, but I much prefer my exercise to come from actually playing sport!

As with most 'body' related obsessions the usual explanations are relevant - guys watch music videos, TV shows, and men's magazines showing the modern male as a tall, tanned and muscly.  In reality this is far from the case; if you were to stop a random male on the street he's more likely to have a beer belly than a chiseled six-pack.  I do believe that this is where obsessions with the gym begin, but only with certain individuals, individuals with a DEEP ROOTED INSECURITY.  

Certain guys, often short or unattractive, but not always, become addicted to the idea of 'beefing' up, and are not satisfied until their biceps are bulging out of their sleeves and the chest pushes their nipples through their t-shirts!  I think it's sad that these individuals feel it necessary to put themselves through all of this because of some twisted ideology which equates muscle bulk with attractiveness.

I'm not saying for a second that everyone who trains at the gym regularly is an obsessive maniac because that's obviously not the case.  I also can see the benefits of this confused theory.  If it does indeed make these individuals feel good about themselves then I guess that must be a good thing.  But do not claim to me that you are going for health reasons or because it helps your football performance in your Sunday league - it is because you are insecure and because getting big at the gym requires no talent whatsoever, determination and perseverance yes, but talent, NO. 

What do you think?

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