I wasn't nervous, I was more apprehensive

I wasn't nervous, I was more apprehensive. Today (Friday 26th April) was the first interview that I had conducted in about 5 years. One of the last ones was with a councilor from Boston, England. We talked about waterworks for a report on BBC Radio Lincolnshire, I was 15 at the time and manageress to persuade my headmaster to let me out for lunch to meet the councilor  I owned a Nokia 3310, which had three phone numbers on it, My own, My home number and the number of my school.

The very last interview that I did was with Jake Humphrey, I so wish that I had the original recording.

Fast forward to today, I'm now twenty, and I work for a independent youth newspaper. I'm sat on the train looking over the questions while adjusting to the pressure of the tunnels that come up, all while making my way through the every one of The Who tracks that I have on my iPhone, the one with a hundred contacts from those who I met very briefly during the course of my business, to my best friends some of whom I have known for about eight or nine years.

But back to the train, I'm (was, its now Thursday  on my way to Bite the Ballot HQ to meet with there founder and director, Mike Sani. I met Mike last week at the Why Should We Care? Event in Harrow last weekend and we had a good chat, but of course we both busy men, I mean, he runs a huge organisation, and I write about people.

Mike is a very interesting man, and I really want to delve deeper, but I need to stay on topic, I need to talk about Bite the Ballot, although I can afford my self the luxury of sneaking a few questions about his career at the end of  the interview. Let me put it this way, he studied Business Management and Finance in Southampton, became a banker in America, gave it up, when traveling for a year and then became a teacher and later set up Bite the Ballot.

Of course being the complete idiot that I am, I arrive at Southwark and hour and half early. How did I pull that one off? The journey was meant to take 3 hours, it took 90 minuets. I'm impressed, I felt like I have just outrun The Flash.

With 90 minutes to kill, I did the only sensible thing a person like me could do, I got coffee.

I decided to turn up 20 minutes early, that I feel is a sensible time to turn, early enough to show that I'm professional but not late enough to say 'oh my god, taxi'

The rest is here: http://www.shoutoutuk.org/2013/04/29/bitetheballot

I know, I should have put this post up when the interview go published, but I have been really busy. Please forgive, I have Cookies.

Choosing My Life

I was sixteen, and I had a grand plan, I was going to be an actor. I wanted to take to stage and dramatically rock the world. I was going to do Performing Arts at College and then go on to one of the big drama schools in the country, glide through the course, star wowing the critics and be having tea with Sir Patrick Stewart by the time I'm 26. Isn't it strange how life throws you a curve-ball.

I don't want to be a actor anymore, I did acting for five years and I have just grown disfranchised with the acting world, for me it has lost it's magic and I have lost my 'mojo.' When I was fifteen, every play was compatible to the greatest thrill ride, now they are just plays. Before I discovered I could act (apparently) I want to be two things; A journalist and an Astrophysicist, in fact I was an award winner in 2008 as a part of BBC School Report. I remember going with the other three members of our group (I think we were the smallest group) and standing in awe at how many big names in journalism were at the ceremony (i.e Jake Humphrey, Adam Fleming, Huw Edwards.) The ceremony went along without incident, afterwards there was food and a chance for everyone to mingle. What surprised me was that there was that there was no egotism, there was just a mutual respect across the room. Then Jake Humphrey (Legend) cam over to our table and said well done to us, he then asked who created the report that played just before we went up to collect our award, everyone else on the table pointed to me. Jake Humphrey, my hero, wants to talk to me.

When Jake Humphrey wanted to talk to me, this was my face.

As it turns out, and much to my relief  he didn't kill me. In fact he was impressed with the report he heard and just wanted to talk to me. We chatted of about ten minuets he was incredibly charming, respectful and witty. He talked to me like I was an adult, (i'm 15 at the time) like I was the guy he saw every day at the office. I never felt more respected, the same goes for when I met Adam Fleming and then Huw Edwards (Hue did have to run off to do a bulletin but he came back, he didn't have too)

I had never felt so accepted by so many people, I felt like journalism is where I belonged, so why the heck did I do performing arts? 

So i'm going something about it, I am now working with ShoutoutUK. Its only early days right now but I am so happy to back where I feel I belong. 

Twitter: @Shoutout_UK

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Shoutoutuk

Personal Twitter @tomneedmore 

This post was inspired by a post that Aisling Gallagher wrote, her full blog twoshadesofhope can be found here

The picture of the overly attached girlfriend was found at http://www.policymic.com/articles/19763/overly-attached-girlfriend-laina-walker-from-meme-to-tv-presenter