Two Challenges

I don't think I've ever given up anything for Lent before. I could make up some crappy moral excuse like 'I disagree with the commercialisation of religion', but the simple answer is that my willpower is, to put it mildly, limited. Every diet I've ever been on (and I'm pretty sure we're in the hundreds) has ended with a I've-had-a-bad-day-so-logically-these-calories-don't-count Bingefest. Aside from that, I never remembered Lent was happening until a couple of weeks have gone by, and I've never been able to think of anything I saw the point in giving up.

Anyway, this year my bank statement arrived the day before Lent started. It didn't look good. I mean it wasn't quite a lock-yourself-in-the-house-and-cry-for-a-week bank statement, but it was not pretty. It was obvious that I needed to curb my spending, and quickly. Then something occurred to me.

I could give up....no, don't be silly. But it would be feasible...no. I couldn't do it. But I kind of need to....yes. Yes, I would do it.

I would give up internet shopping. This was a big decision. I hate shopping in every physical form, but the kind where you type what you want into a search engine, click a button and have it arrive on your doorstep in 3-5 working days is my biggest vice. But I had no money, and I Lent started the next day, so I thought it through very carefully and eventually reached this conclusion - sod it.

And I've managed it. Admittedly, Lent isn't over yet, but there's only a couple of weeks left, and I think I'm out of the danger area. The inconvenience was that everybody decided to go and have their 18th birthday whilst I was banned from Amazon, Play.com, iTunes and all the other little buttons that cruelly teased me as I scrolled down my favourites list. I actually had to haul my ass into town for my best friend's present, I half-cheated by asking a friend to order my dad's and three quarters-cheated by ordering a Mother's Day prezzie with my dad's credit card (and his permission, can I add). So maybe my Lent sacrifice isn't pure as snow, but it's certainly pure as two-day-old-slush. I haven't bought any new books, CDs or films for over a month!

Which brings me neatly to Challenge Two. A week ago I was bored and took part in a BBC survey/quiz thing, the essence of which was 'Everyone should have read these hundred books, how many have you read?' And my answer was 31. And that was...well, it depends on your definition of 'read'. If your definition includes 'got two chapters in before giving up and never looking at again', then I'm on 31. Being as I intend to actually study English Literature at university in September, it was clear to me that something had to be done.

So I made two lists: 'The Book List', which is essentially books to read before I die, and there are 158 books, and counting. Then 'Books To Read Before University' list, which is actually a pile next to my bed (before you get all accusatory; I didn't buy any new books, I just raided Mum's bookshelf - she's a Lit graduate) and is taller than your average five-year-old. So hopefully the 'Book' section of my month-end review should be a bit more substantial from now on. And the books should be traditional, critically acclaimed, timeless masterpieces like Dante's Inferno, Heller's Catch-22, Waugh's Brideshead Revisited and Kerouac's On The Road, to name but a few. And 'The Jungle Book'. Just because.