In the torture box today (2)

WHAT'S IN THE TORTURE BOX TODAY?

ITEM: My new bright red adidas trainers

REASON: They've shredded both my heels

COMMENT: Ha! The shoe is on the other foot now!

What is a torture box?

101.1 TTD No. 88 - Get Married Unusually (2) Accomplished!

Helen and I are slowing sorting through the wedding bits and bobs and we found the book that was handed around to our guests.

When I was studying graphic design at University I carried A6 drawing books everywhere I went and allowed anyone to write what they liked in them and over the course of 3 years I ended up with a lot of these books with mini works of art by friends and strangers and also a lot of illegible drunken ramblings.

But Hackett, my Master of Ceremonies had the wonderful idea of starting a new book at the wedding for all the guests to write in.

Helen and I were just looking through it when we came across this entry:

Thanks for a wonderful, unusual, wonderful, different, excellent day - Congratulations
Keith & Di

So we did it! If our guests think we got married unusually then I guess we did!

101.1 TTD No. 88 - Get Married Unusually - Tick!

I'll explain more as I go very soon ...

101.1 TTD No. 88 - Get Married Unusually (1) The Secret is Out

Well. The secret is now out. On the 13th June 2009 my co-author (Helen Szirtes) and I were married. We're just recovering from a wedding that was even more fun that we thought it'd be.

We had a few surprises for our guests and there were a few surprises for us too and after a long long time without being able to complete any of the tasks in the books, over the course of the wedding preparations, from the proposal through to the stag do and the big day, we managed to complete/attempt quite a few between us:

including

101.1 TTD No. 88 - Get Married Unusually

101.2 TTD No. 69 - Make a Scene in a Public Place

101.2 TTD No. 89 - Dye Your Hair

101.1 TTD No. 75 - Get a Tattoo

101.1 TTD No. 29 - Meet Your Idol

101.1 TTD No. 85 - Visit the World's Tallest Buildings

101.1 TTD No. 33 - Get to Score a Hole in One

101.2 TTD No. 47 - Make Your Own Badges

101.1 TTD No. 78 - Drink a Vintage Wine

101.1 TTD No. 99 - Confess

and many many more ...

So give us a little recovery time and then we'll tell you all about it

Richard and Helen
xxx

101.1 TTD No. 88 - Get Married Unusually (Jessica Meadows)

Jessica Meadows, a Before You Die Thing To Do-er in the US, is trying to complete most of the Things To Do from the original list in the book.

The next thing she plans to do is: Get Married Unusally this weekend in Vegas.

Watch her wedding ceremony live at: https://webcasting.cashmanpro.com/mb/viewweddings.cfm - choose the Meadows/Hammett wedding at 3:30pm on June 6th (Pacific Time) East Coast 6:30pm) - UK time (11.30 pm).

Good luck Jessica and all the very best for the future!

101.1 TTD 76 - Invent Something

I saw this idea on the BBC show 'Genius' and thought it was absolutely genius - A torture box for inanimate objects - so I made one too!

The first torture box I made was at my sisters house to punish the utterly rubbish corkscrew they've got. For a couple that really love wine, a decent corkscrew is essential, not one that snaps the cork inside the bottle. So I took an empty bread stick packet, wrote TORTURE BOX in drunken handwriting and in it went. Then the next day my nieces and I put together their wooden train set. It was a masterpiece of bridges, inclines and descents, unfortunately the battery operated Brio train that my nieces love has the worst traction as it cannot climb the hills - so I bought them a new train that worked and into the torture box the old yellow and red train went - I believe these two items are still being tortured to this day.

So I've finally got around to making my own torture box. I've made it from the shoe box that came with a limited edition pair of trainers that I bought (They're great, when you walk in sand or puddles they left an imprint of space invaders behind you).

The box is perfect for torture as it's bright red and has the words WARNING! on the lid in big letters, so ...

WHAT'S IN THE TORTURE BOX TODAY?

ITEM: My gym membership

REASON: The gym was closed due to a pool malfunction, so I couldn't have a birthday swim

COMMENT: Look who's in deep water now!

W is for Website

Here is a little taster for the upcoming A is for
Armageddon site. Click here for the holding page

P is for Proofs

The doorbell went earlier today and the A is for Armageddon proofs made a surprise visit.

They hung around in the flat for a few hours, we had a cup of tea together, I looked at their good points and criticised the bad. They then jumped back on a bike and returned to Random House for a bit of soul searching and self-improvement.

We had a really lovely day and it was really great to see them. Very colourful characters.