Taking the advice of Dan le Sac and Scroobius Pip

It's about time I made up on those promises I made in the summer of non-football related blogs.  So here's your first.

Towards the end of last year, it became obvious to me and a journalistic friend of mine at University that our creative writing ability had degenerated quite considerably over the last two years.
 We wholeheartedly associated this with the over-consumption of alcohol that comes as a direct result of spending two years at University.

It worries me that I could have gone from "Dan, you're one of the best creative writers in this school" to "Erm, I'm not entirely sure what the right word is, but you get my point, don't you?".

So, this year, I'm "Getting Better" as Mr Scroobius would have it.

Not only am I looking to reduce my alcohol consumption (not that that's too big a worry as I'm not a big drinker, I just drink strong stuff when I do so), I'm also trying to get rid of the distinct bulge that's formed under my t-shirts.  I'm going to buy a bike, take it to University with me, invest in some mudguards, headlights and a sturdy bike lock.  I'm going to take my big rucksack, a flask, some waterproofs and walking boots and hopefully venture up into the Pennines to explore the more natural side of South Yorkshire.

I'm also aiming to travel further.  So far I've got a fairly decent spread of England and Wales covered - From Pembroke, Aberystwyth and Bangor in the West to Bristol, London, Southampton and Bournemouth in the South, Middlesbrough, York and Leeds in the North and Birmingham, Nottingham and Derby in the Midlands.
   However, I looked at a map just last week and realised that there's so much further to go.  I've never been anywhere farther north than Middlesbrough, farther west in England than Yeovil, farther East than Northampton or farther South than Bournemouth.
I've also neglected the North-West, namely Manchester, Liverpool, Blackpool, Barrow and Carlisle.  I'd love to visit the National Football Museum in Preston as well.
In doing all of this I aim to treat as wide a spread as possible of these fair Isles to my underwhelming presence.  This is because, being a football fan, geography matters.  It's all well and good me saying "Barnsley is a dump" but then I've never been to Hull, Liverpool or Doncaster.

Elsewhere I'm trying to improve my mental health by reading again.  This as opposed to staying up until stupid o'clock in the morning watching tedious television or on the internet doing a whole load of nothing.  I already have a list of recommended books from friends via the ever useful Facebook;

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Alexander by Valerio Massimo Manfredi
Omerta by Mario Puzo
Only Forward by Michael Marshall Smith
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
The Dirt by Motley Crue
A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz
The Phantom by Gaston Laroux
The Seventh Scroll by Wilbur Smith

Great Plains by Ian Frazier
"I.F. Stone: A Portrait"
"Scandals, Scamps, and Scoundrels: The Casebook of an Investigative Reporter" by James Phelan
George Seldes's "Lords of the Press"
Rene J. Cappon's "The Associated Press Guide to News Writing"
"The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes you a Happy Birthday: Unexpected Encounters in the Changing Middle East" by Neil Macfarquhar
"Out of His Skin: The John Barnes Phenomenon" by Dave Hill
Ghost Wars by Steve Coll
Hacks by Christopher Wren
Scoop by Evelyn Waugh
The Truth by Terry Pratchett

"The Last Party: Blair, Britpop and the Demise of English Rock" by John Harris
Andrew Rawnsley's "Servants of the People"
Robert Harris's "The Good and Faithful Servant "
Boris by Andrew Gimson
John O'Farrell's "Things Can Only Get Better"

Finn McCool’s Football Club by Stephen Rea
The Sports Writing Handbook by Thomas Fensch
Ingerland: Travels with a Football Nation by Mark Perryman
The Meaning of Sport by Simon Barnes
What Sport Tells Us About Life by Ed Smith
Power Play: Sport, the Media and Popular Culture by Raymond Boyle
The Beautiful Game?: Searching the Soul of Football by David Conn
Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby
Among the Thugs by Bill Bruford


I think that should suffice for now.

If anyone's reading and you have any recommendations on any of the above don't hesitate to leave a comment, the portal to which should lie to the bottom of this full stop.