You Learn Something New Every Day...

Blogging today is filled with nostalgia as having spent an afternoon around my step sister Katie (aged 7), it instantly brought me back to my younger years. Having watched how she is, it reminds me of how I and almost every child out there is/was like. All kids look up to someone, and want to copy everything they do, from eating the same way off the same table to drinking the exact same drink. They also have a massive list of wants and most sentences begin "can i have?". Most questions get answered with "no" or "noooooahh" in typically stubborn fashion. I was no different, my dad kindly takes time out of every visit to mention how I was exactly the same when that age, and come to think of it, I remember being like it too.

I always had wants, and money whatever little I got would always burn a hole in my pocket. I could never save for something substantial and would only be able to get things worth substantial money (to a 9 year old) on birthdays or at Christmas. This tendency to spend money has thankfully waned with age, but as a youngster it was prominent. It (along with my dads love for the game) is to blame for my love of American football. When given a tenner, instead of saving to buy a new PlayStation game, I chose to buy Madden 92 for the Sega Megadrive. Wanting to emulate my then hero that was my old man, I purchased a 7 year old game just to try to capture his love for the sport of football.

Every Christmas and birthday like every could I would watch endless adverts in between TV shows, and come back to my parents with a massive list of things to get me. Now sometimes I would get what I requested if it was deemed sensible enough i.e a bike, my first cricket bat, action man toys, books etc. Mostly though my requests were not and luckily I would either give up asking or just not be given it. One of those I missed out on, was the board game Mouse Trap. Always advertised, and still going today it looked exciting and a board game I would enjoy more than the classics of Cluedo and Monopoly. Today provided me with justification of my parents choices as well as a pang of gladness that I never persisted with certain idea's as a child. I had to play the aforementioned "game" and if it had not been for a film starting I would still be there now. There is no structure to it, all you do is take it in turns to move around the board. If you land on certain squares you get to set off a ball bearing which randomly hits a trap on the board. If the trap gets you you loose a slice of your cheese, if it doesn't or gets an opponent you gain a slice of cheese. First to get a full round of cheese wins. There's 8 slices and 20 squares. Only 3 traps. If you do the maths, it takes forever and a day to complete a game. Goddamn was it boring, even the 7 year old had enough. No substance to a "game" that is successful simply by misleading kids and parents around the world. It's the only explanation for how it could still be around. Fancy tricks and adverts don't show the traps not working or being a pain in the you know what to set up.

So I dodged a bullet on that one, even if I didn't realise it at the time. I got more enjoyment out of that gnarly copy of Madden 92 than I would ever have got from the more expensive Mousetrap or new PlayStation game. It captured a love for a game I finally achieved my dream of playing two years ago. I can still see Jerry Rice running that streak untouched every single offensive play. Mousetrap is like many other childhood wants - overrated. Often the cheapest and simplest things are best for you.

As the old adage in the title says.

When Will It End? I'm Not Fussed Really...

The NFL lockout, billed as any American football supporters worst enemy for 20 years (or for some since Tim Tebow became a pro or Brett Favre when he unretired... again), is still far from being resolved. Teams are already cancelling mini-camps and other OTA's and many fear the season will either start late or not at all. I love the NFL, nothing I like better than seeing Ray Rice Running for the Ravens from Rutgers, or Ray Lewis pasting somebody into the ground as my Ravens win but the lockout will not be the end of the world for me. Don't get me wrong, I will miss the NFL but not as much as you'd think and neither should you. Leave the uncaring owners of NFL teams who'll get paid anyway and turn your attention to the NCAA. College football is believed to be better than the NFL. It's more exciting, provides more games, has more tradition and is more heavily supported than the NFL.

By watching college football, you'll see varying schemes from the triple option to the no huddle spread to the power I to Oregon's shotgun triple option no huddle spread. There's no playoffs, but there's the bowl season which is just as exciting. You will learn more and enjoy the game more by watching college football. Which many believe is the game in its purest form due to the lack of payed players...

There will be a hole on my Sunday nights where the NFL will usually be should the lockout continue. I'm not worried about this one bit. The lockout will just allow me to watch taped college games that I have missed. My level of football watched won't drop, it just won't be as varied. Watching the "student athletes" play will be just as enjoyable as the NFL. So follow my lead, say balls to the lockout, not worry about it and appreciate the college football system in all it's glory. I guarantee you'll be hooked and will be following a college that until now you will not have heard of. And if you don't agree well I hope you enjoy playing Madden 12 - Negotiations with Roger Goodell. Sounds like it'll be just as good as the star wars remake in The Simpsons.

Unpacking - It's Like Tetris For Cool People...

So I'm writing this to serve as a distraction from unpacking all my worldly possessions that today have travelled back to Llanelli. My room in university is a bit like me: short, wide and oddly shaped. My room at home is also a bit like me: square. The difference being at home, my room is bigger, filled with a double bed and a distinct lack of storage for clothes. At Uni my room has a chest of drawers, an empty wardrobe and a bit of floor space. It's a "cosy" room but I make it work and I enjoy living in it. My room at home is nearly twice as big but contains a wardrobe full of my one year moved out sister's clothes, a two seat sofa and a load of household crap stuffed in a corner, but no chest of drawers whatsoever. So at this current moment in time I am puzzled as to where I can put my clothes so they at least look tidy and clean before the inevitable happens and I start to hang them up on the floor. Any helpful idea's would be greatly appreciated.

I've resorted to finding room for the important things in my life: ps3, TV, laptop, books and sports equipment. After that it's a free for all for space. It's not like I need clean clothes, walking around in just my pants won't upset anyone? right? Trying to push every little bit of stuff into a corner so that walking space can be achieved is frustrating, especially when all that's really left is three bags of clothes. So here's hoping I come up with a plan, because it is starting to annoy me. Writing this blog has not brought inspiration so I am hoping whoever reads this can. Moral of the story being that unpacking is unequivocally lame and no matter how much you try to repackage it, or picture yourself as Homer in the Simpson's, it is nowhere near as fun as tetris.

Cut Blocks and Distractions: The end to Thunder, Beer, Pussy etc

Cut Block: Noun, Definition: A block aimed at or below an opponents knees.

The Cut Block, some lineman's best friend, other's worst enemy. Seen by many as an act of cowardice and surrender to your opponents greater skill or strength. Be it on the field, or in life they will lead to bad feeling in a local radius. Only acceptable when done to topple your housemates around blind corners.

Another year of university done. That makes two whole years of my life spent in Aberystwyth. This year has flown, probably due to me not once wanting it to end. Inevitably it had to happen, and people gradually packed up and left. Now I'm packing, and if I'm honest it feels like time to go home. (For those of you that know me at all, you'll know this is huge as I usually dislike being home). So with my bags piling up in Steve's recently cleared, surprisingly tidy and nice smelling room (----->)I sit down to write about the year gone by.

Reflections on this year.. hmmm in short its been great, but that doesn't mean it hasn't come with it's bad moments. Before further expansion I'm just going to list the good and bad things about this year. Here goes:

Good: Thunder, Beer, Pussy, Chicken, Gateau, Sleep, Kick Return, Mexican, Mohawk, BEAR, D-captaincy,  THE Jack, Madden, NCAA, Bcs National Championship, Das Experiment, Wrestlemania, Old Boys , Top Flight Cricket, Lucy, 16 Prospect Street and all it's visitors, Tiger Woods, Golf, Fancy Dress and Working Out.

Bad: Losing Season, Hard Work not Being Rewarded, Friends not Getting a Deserved Send Off, Joint Socials, Revision, Lecturers, Bitches being Bitches, Packing, Phil not Finishing Friday Night Lights, 70% of Socials, Weather and People Leaving.

The good has been very good. Thunder, beer, pussy kicked it all off and from there it escalated. College football Saturday's were amazing, as were early socials when people still made an effort. The majority of this list speaks for itself. Das Experiment was perhaps my favourite night out of the year. The good bits couldn't have been attained had it not been for 16 Prospect Street and its distinguished set of visitors from #85, #59, #4 and #3 to Roofio. To expand fully on this list would take a while and a lot of blog space, so if you weren't involved... waaaaaaaaah.

The bad needs to be mentioned, such high hopes for this year, and an amazing start tailed off to a bad end. Piled with stress of revision, I saw but barely noticed the hardships of my friends. People left without the bang they should've gone out with, nights out were missed and until the last month Steve barely lived here. People went out of their way to spoil things and cause harm, showing how small a place Aber is. I love it, but I'm beginning to outgrow it.

A year that begun with such promise of chicken, gateau and sleep ends with cut blocking and distractions. Fun that it is running around the house distracting everyone, or always being around a corner waiting to scare it has come to an end. Second year of Uni, a year that started so well and ended in a bad way because shit people were awful. Just like lineman when they Cut Block.

Interview, Exam and Bad Drivers, Meatloaf Said It Best

Wednesday started my two week period of five wonderful exams. Yes my exams are nicely spaced out, but five? Really? I don't know anyone else with more, and most people were done before I even started. How is that fair when we all come out with a degree afterwards? Here's hoping that my degree will count for something when I leave university and the wonders of Aberystwyth. Exams to work through but sesiwn cachu pants is on the horizon. Expect to see a semi naked, bad imitation of road warrior hawk (R.I.P) stumbling around town on wednesday first of june, looking for somebody to drop the doomsday device on. You have been warned.

Today I had an interview for a work placement through Go Wales. The idea is a ten week, work experience based placement with a company that pays well and looks good on a CV. The interview was with a company called Fforest (see coldatnight.co.uk) and my placement if successful would entail events managing, organising and ... wedding planning... yeah I know. I reckon I would be quite decent at it, being the bossy, slightly ocd prick that I am. Interview went quite well and I was pleased but I'm not content, so we'll wait and see what the rest of the shortlist had to offer!

The commute to the placement from Aberystwyth should be under an hour as the road is nice and straight and its only 35 miles or so. However today, there and back it took me an hour both times. Not cool. By any standard. This was due to a vareity of factors, all of which were butt stingingly annoying. 1. Shit drivers 2. Slow Drivers (yes there is a different from shit) 3. Heavy vehicles. Traffic is caused on these roads by people not willing to drive to the speed limit. Slow drivers are like heavy vehicles, except they have the capability to drive faster than them and reach the speed limit so the roads work efficiently. When they choose not to, but just maintain 40mph (be it 30 zone or 60) is the type of thing that should be punishable by death. Shit drivers aren't as bad but they just infuriate me for not being able or willing to take easy overtake oppurtuinities so that people can get round tractors and other slow things. If I get the job, im hoping that early morning driving will save me in order to make this commute manageable and not so infuriating that i get blood pressure problems and end up dying attempting a 5 car overtake in order to get home in time to watch The Apprentice.

The next two days have one highlight. Going to the gym. If you like it as much as I do, you'll know I have solace in that. Check out http://wannabeathletes.blogspot.com for hints and tips on work outs. My lesson for today is that you can't always have it your own way, work for what you need and take what your given. You can't have everything but you have to try for perfection. From the title of this blog Meatloaf says two outta three ain't bad. It ain't great either. Be great in what you do. Always work for more.

Take it easy reader

P.s (I'll try to take my own advice, but it's exam time so I can't promise anything)

Sleep Is For The Weak.... I Hope

So here I am at 1 o clock in the morning, the night before my first exam and I'm blogging. Tried to be clever (perhaps too clever) and get an early nights sleep, in order to feel refreshed. How silly of me to think my body would let me sleep on the eve of something of such importance. Especially with this exam being one I can gain a first in, which in my life at university is a rarity. I couldn't have had a more energetic day for revision period. Which is what makes my sudden crippling bout of insomnia all the more annoying.

I was up early and in the gym by 9.30. A full hour and fifteen minutes later and I start my revision for the day. After spending all day in the library I then run around town preparing for my job interview Thursday. After that I have food, walk across town, watch a film and try to fall asleep. I nearly fell asleep during the film but held on, hoping that my good deed to my body (controlling when I fell asleep and in a decent position) would allow me the karma of being able to get a good nights rest. Well I was wrong.

So now I am blogging for the sake of blogging, because this blog doesn't really have a point except for getting thoughts out of my mind and hopefully relaxing me in the process. If all else fails I'll start counting sheep.... but being welsh I'll probably have erotic dreams about sheep (see I made that shit joke before anyone else could.. fuckers).

I'll leave you with my top tip for exam period... get super stressed, work your balls off, look like the elephant man, procrastinate like a demon and get so drunk afterwards you forget your own name, where you live,  your purpose in life and that exams actually exist.

Peace out readers, I feel more relaxed already.

Exam Pressure, Reading and Golf... a Wierd Combo

So it's been quite a while since I last blogged. A month minus 5 days to be exact. It is not for the lack of things to write, there have been many things of interest and a long list of things that have pissed me off in the last month. (Lib Dems, Tories, Revision, Poor Lecturers, Missing Contact Sport and Arguments to name but a few). As for me I have been keeping fairly well, back in the gym and feeling good before I descend into exam doing, hardly leaving the house disgust mode. This is when I stop shaving and don't move from my desk for revision and cough.. procrastination. The past month has had ups and downs, ups being dominating Aber 7's with 7 tries and coming home in third to win the trophy. A sophisticated afternoon of coffee and chocolate meltdown cake (Iceland thank me later.. kudos Samuel) as well as the food I've been eating. Downs have been revision, and just generally not feeling with it.

Exam stress is getting me down, 5 exams in 2 weeks. Combine this with useless lecturers and lecture notes not telling you any facts and it makes for some fun revision time. I always get stressed out during exams and end up a mess, and this shows in my post exam blowouts that leave me in ridiculous states for days. This year I am trying to keep working by not procrastinating and staying healthy by hitting the gym. Luckily I have now got bored of Madden having played so much of it in the last 5 days. With that out of the way, nothing can stop me on my path to revision and good exam results..... apart from the ever growing yearning to improve my golf game... .....shit. (perhaps buying new clubs was not such a good idea)

My latest book conquest has been The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. It's the follow on to Angel's and Demons and The Da Vinci Code. Having enjoyed the other two books, I sought after the new one and once I got into it I found it hard to put down. Not only was it fast paced and interesting, but it blew my mind with the secrets it told. If your interested in secret societies (much like the Illuminati from Angels and Demons) then this book will open your eyes. It sheds light onto the secrets and wisdom of the Masons whilst showing a more sinister side of what can actually happen. It also tells unknown secrets about Washington D.C's landmarks and features and shows they were built with hidden reasons behind them. I found this fascinating. It made my mind explode out of my ass, and if you read it, it'll do it to you to.