The Adventure Database

I've recently received a few excellent 'I want an adventure!' emails, including some brilliant adventure ideas. I might even have to create a proper database because the bit of paper next to my PC's getting a bit full up, and sometimes I can't read my own handwriting.

Of course I have to decide what to do with this adventure database now that it's coming together. Database and adventure, do you think those words sit strangely together? I do. Makes me think 'I don't want an admin job in adventure distribution', but I most certainly do want lots of people to have adventures. Ho hum.

No, I don't know what 'ho hum means' either.

I do feel 'ho hum' though, do you? Wonder if hohum.com is available?

No, better not go there.

I asked for Mocha no cream, this has cream!

Sorry, where was I?

Starbucks in Borders Oxford Street actually, and it turned out that the bit of white paper sticking out of the hard back Delia Smith wasn't my untouched stickers, but was a lovely 'Thank you' note from INAV!

As I wandered down Oxford Street, still in my 'ho hum' frame of mind I thought of a few more adventure ideas.

Silly ones again I'm afraid. I know there are some serious adventurers looking for excitement and hoping an email to IWAA will provide it, but I'm sadly lacking in 'serious' adventure ideas at present. Maybe when my adventure database is a bit bigger I can be of more help? If anyone has any suggestions, you know what to do! I'm sure that when I start to use 'Excel' though even the silly adventures ideas will start to look a bit more serious and professional.

I saw a couple of those 'Golf Sale' billboards on Oxford street, even one with a McDonalds sign. Don't start me on their sandwiches again..!

I thought, 'how about if someone stands on Oxford Street with a placard saying 'Adventure' plus an arrow too of course. Only it doesn't matter which way the arrow points. That's the idea you see.

I also passed that animal rights stall that's usually there on Oxford Street, trying to collect signatures for their petition. I hate that stall. Don't get me wrong, I totally support their aims. I'm against vivisection, I hate factory farming. I'm a vegetarian, a proper one, I don't eat fish either. Although I'm not a vegan, that would be too nutty. Quite literally.

I care about animals, which is why I can't stand that stall. I simply can't bear to look at their huge posters of tortured animals. I have to hurry past with my eyes closed, because I knew that if I looked I might start to cry. Sorry if you're one of the people I bump.

Due to the eye closing I still haven't signed the petition, much as I'd like to. Sometimes I walk past with my daughter, she's only 5. I try to stop her seeing the pictures too. I'm dreading the day she asks, 'Why hasn't that rabbit got any skin on it's head mummy?' or 'Is that real blood all over that kitten?' or 'Why has that monkey got metal in it's brain?' You get the idea.

I'd just have to say 'I don't know I can't see a thing myself. Sorry, didn't see you there! 'scuse me.'

Maybe my daughter will see it, and have nightmares because of it, but it will all be worth it because she'll grow up, become a politician, and abolish vivisection? Or maybe the petition will get lots of signatures, and vivisection will be abolished, in which case it will be well worth making me want to cry in my lunch hour.

Alternatively it could be that the sensitive people hurry past without signing, and the rest don't get shocked and don't sign in any case. And what if the kids stop having nightmares, but seeing these horrific images every Saturday get desensitized to animals in pain? And then grow up to think it's ok to put metal in monkey's brains, and take skin off rabbit's heads.

So... where was I? Starbucks... And, yes, adventures. I'd like to set up an Animal Rights stand on Oxford Street too. Only mine would have posters of happy, cuddly animals, and maybe flowers too. I would compete with the scarey anti-vivisectionists stall, and hope that my stall with cute puppies wearing ribbons would get many more signatures than the tortured-animal-picture stall.

Two more to add to the database. Keep those ideas coming!