Day 80

[8.04am - today]

It's Day 80 of my THREEHUNDREDANDSIXTEEFIVE challenge.
I'm currently on my morning train, typing up this post.
Beneath my jacket, I'm topless.
That's right, I am not wearing a T-shirt today.
GOOD GRIEF IT'S COLD! I mean it's actually, stupidly, everything's-gone-a-bit-blue cold! And the jacket zip - brrrrr!

Fret not, this unforeseeable bout of nudity is not at the hands of a stock shortage that renders my challenge a failure - I still have a number of T-shirts loaded into my wardrobe ready to fire out for the coming days.
I am topless on this morning's journey due to today's T-shirt running a little late...

[5.11pm - yesterday]

My best friend Andy has just left me a very cryptic message on Twitter containing a photo of a T-shirt with its design partially obscured. The accompanying message simply tells me that I HAVE to wear this T-shirt tomorrow.
'Excellent', I thought. 'Another day to strike off the calendar'.
There are just two problems.
The first is that he can't get the T-shirt to me unless he makes a trip out of his way in the early hours to intercept me on my commute to the office tomorrow morning, and the second (much larger problem) is that if he doesn't manage to do that, I'll have to continue on to work, remain topless for the rest of day, and kill my THREEHUNDREDANDSIXTEEFIVE challenge dead in its tracks. The whole thing would be over after just 80 Days.


There is a lot riding on this mystery T-shirt and more importantly, the punctuality of our local train network.

Yeah, I'm screwed...

[8.43am - today]

What was so important about this T-shirt? Why today? Why the urgency?
Why is my damn train delayed???

[9.15am - today]

I've arrived at Charing X and there is no sign of Andy.
He is not standing here bearing the relief of a T-shirt to clothe my naked torso.
He is not here preventing my THREEHUNDREDANDSIXTEEFIVE challenge from sliding into the proverbial toilet.
I am in pieces.

[9.16am - today]

Andy has just sent me a text message. The T-shirt is no longer in his possession.

What?

The T-shirt is no longer in his possession.

What? Why not? What does that mean? Who has it now?

Raúl.

Raúl? Who the hell is Raúl!?

It transpires that Raúl is the kindly gent working at a sandwich bar here at Charing X who agreed to hold the tee for Andy until I could pick it up. Andy instructed me to seek out Raúl and claim the T-shirt myself, because he had to leave abruptly, and upon seeing the design, it became clear why.



Andy and his wife Donna are the creators of Xtreme Vortex, a leisure activity hire company catering for events and private functions, and they are showcasing their business at this year's International Conflex – the Live Experience Expo, which closes its doors today. The Exhibition held at London's ExCeL centre is a huge affair that brings together the wares of event organisers the world over, and this year marks it’s 30th birthday.
The T-shirt at the heart of today's adventure is this official International Confex article, which is tantamount to gold dust. The central chest section prominantly displays the International Conflex logo, and on the back across the shoulders reads the text ‘Showmaker’.

Thanks to both International Conflex and Xtreme Vortex, my challenge has not hit the skids and my chest has been restored to a more suitable-for-work demeanor.

That was a close one!

See more from Xtreme Vortex and International Conflex via the Xtreme Vortex Twitter account and the International Confex Twitter account.