After a couple (knee and ankle) injuries in 5-a-side football games i stayed on the sidelines not just of football but of any physical exercise whatsoever. I made some hopeless attempts to bring myself back to the league of fit men but they all proved futile. I resigned myself in a life of sleep, work, and videogaming with lots of snacks and drinks in between these "activities". The Dark Ages of my physique and fitness. 2 years in total.

That was until late August when i decided that enough was enough. Reaching the 1st floor breathless and not fitting into my clothes were not the decisive factors. No. It was stress. Or rather the need to relieve stress and the best medicine is exercise. A return to the futsal pitches of Nicosia was tempting as i love football but the high risk of injury and my breaking the barrier of 30 years old put me off. Cycling i dismissed due to fears of reviving knee problems. Swimming was a no go as i needed something that i could on weekdays unless i was willing to pay a ridiculous amount of money to hotels or gyms.

Why is it, that when the Mont gazes at the glossy pages of T3, Stuff or Penthouse, (but that’s a different story) he feels hopelessly trapped in relative poverty? 

I wake up every morning with one thing in mind. To beat that Deadline score. I have to beat that score. I dream of pixels of all colours and of techno music. It's at the top of my daily to do list. It's been there for 2 weeks now but still not crossed out as "DONE!". I curse my slow reflexes for not avoiding those small pink ones. I am disgusted with my poor execution of tactics during the 3 minute session. I am disappointed at how i cave in to pressure when i am so close to beating it and making history. Something always makes me steer away from my pre-game plan i formed inside my head the previous night. A gate most likely. Yeah, a gate. My oasis in that Sahara desert. That late winning goal in the 90th minute. I just got to go through that gate. With dire consequences....And those black holes..... I can see my demise right through them and that of my controller as i want to throw it up against the wall in frustration.

That is how my life has changed. Frustrated and feeling inadequate. Nothing else matters. Just one thing.

To beat that score.....

30 May 2008. That was the date of my last post, so yeah it's been awhile. But, like the header says, i am back and glad to be back as i've really missed blogging. My interntion is to write at least one "piece" on a weekly basis. The most important shift in my short blogging "career" is that i will not be writing only about videogames. Football, comics, movies and books are among the things i would like to talk about so you can expect to see these pop up as well.

Anyway, that's my coming back story.

Now i am off to wash the dishes, make an espresso and sit down to watch Awfool Vs Utd. A draw here will suit us Gunners just fine.

NHL is back stronger than ever this year with new modes and inprovements on last years amazing Skill Stick. I for one am going to pick me up this bad boy once I clock out at work. Question is are there any other gamers with the nerves to take the challenge?