Apr 30, 2022The house of CalvinNote: this is a bit of fun, trying to step into the world of a much-loved cartoon. I didn’t take this too seriously, and nor should you. Perhaps the greatest exploration of childhood in literature is Bill Watterson’s “Calvin & Hobbes”: a cartoon strip featuring a six-year-old hero of the…Calvin And Hobbes9 min readCalvin And Hobbes9 min read
Mar 31, 2020Counting the costs: a hard-nosed look at coronavirusDeep within Britain’s much-loved NHS is a less-loved agency called NICE. Its remit involves the QALY: Quality Adjusted Life Year. …Coronavirus9 min readCoronavirus9 min read
Mar 25, 2019The 100 Somethings workoutNo exercise routine worked for me. So I created one — It’s Tuesday. After a quick shakey-wakey-warmup, I think for thirty seconds, then hit the floor for a set of 12 slow pushups. Then I do another set, more explosively: trying to clap before my hands hit the rug again. The blood starts to pump. But I’m already gasping. …Fitness7 min readFitness7 min read
May 15, 2018Making memoriesBeing a photography volunteer at a fitness course — I filled in on photography for part of a recent London PCC. That’s “Progressive Calisthenics Certification”, the only instructor course in the world focussing on the bodyweight discipline inspired by Paul Wade’s Convict Conditioning. (A book that changed my white-collar life.) I had a blast — and would like to…Photography7 min readPhotography7 min read
Dec 13, 2017Hip to be roundSwinging times on a Hardstyle Kettlebells course — Hinge then plank. The ribcage flare. A broomstick down your spine. Break the horns apart. Play chicken with your junk. You have no arms. Ever have that feeling where you’re not sure if you’re awake or still dreaming? I’m in a square room below street level, somewhere near Times Square…Fitness13 min readFitness13 min read
Sep 15, 2017Shifting up a gear … without the gearBig moves and big hearts on a PCC course — I’m hanging from a bar, lifting my knees to my chest. I try to roll backwards, look at the wall behind, but my weight distribution’s all wrong. Friendly hands guide my feet between my fists. It works. …Fitness10 min readFitness10 min read
May 14, 2017Pull-ups: an origin storyWhen hanging out becomes your secret identity — I tried a new neighbourhood gym the other day. It was terrible. The space was great: large and airy overlooking one of London’s old docks, where men once lifted large weights as livelihood not lifestyle. But the layout, the design, the whole concept behind the place was stuck in the…Fitness5 min readFitness5 min read
Nov 28, 2016The zero-minute workoutFitness with the time taken out — It started a month or two ago. About 7 am, in the bathroom. Toothbrush in hand, I realised my chin was hitting the sink. Unthinkingly, I’d bent my knees past 90 degrees, with my backside out and torso upright. A squat. …Fitness6 min readFitness6 min read
Aug 16, 2016What we lost: the existential crisis of gripHealth is in your hands — UuuuurrrrrRRRGGHH! It’s one of those times you really don’t want anyone seeing you at your window. I’ve spent a quarter-hour tensing, thinking, flexing. Trying to recruit jangling nerves to ignore their safety settings and use a percentage of muscle they normally avoid. In my right hand is a glorified steel…Fitness5 min readFitness5 min read
May 13, 2016Bouldering: it’s not about the rockJoy and peace amid plywood and plastic — I’m smeared to the underside of someone’s ceiling, facing up, pushing my suffocating feet against two nubbins no bigger than roots of ginger. On each hand, two fingers are hooked painfully into bowl-shaped bas-reliefs on the vertical wall the ceiling curves into. The position’s like sitting up. …Climbing7 min readClimbing7 min read