County Championship Trophy

The most beautiful thing I've ever seen

Malaise

Well, it's been a while since I last did one of these. Over a month, in fact. Seeing as I've had grief off a few (well, one person. Cheers Damo) about it, I decided to stop being so lazy and write.

Well, it's been a strange month. Still no job and, would you believe, my Jobseeker's Allowance is due to run out because I've been claiming for 6 months. Fucking wonderful. It's nice to know that, after a few years of putting your money into the system you're entitled to only a minute percentage of it back. I'd love to know how those who live off it manage to make their way around the system. But hey ho. I suppose I really, really need to get off my arse and get anything I possibly can, now... Hmm.

The cricket season is at an end. Lancashire managed to somehow scrape a respectable fourth place. However, it masks a mediocre year of unachievement once again and something needs to be done. It does seem that Moores is taking steps to ensure things are going to change from next season and new blood seems to be the order of the day. We just need to see if he actually acts on it. Or, more to the point, if the committee will allow him to act on it. Could look to blood some of the seconds, too, their performance in the two finals shows that they're ready to step up to first team standard. They certainly played like the first team, anyway...

England's performance in the ODIs against Australia is best forgotten, although unbelivably they've managed to secure a semi-final spot. How? Who knows. England have been crap at one-dayers for years now and refuse to change their style of play to adapt. And I fully expect that to show up once again in the semi-final. Oh well, at least we're not South Africa. The best ranked ODI side in the world choke again. Heh.

Football's best avoided at the moment, too. United have played this evening and, not only have I not watched it, I've no intention of watching highlights and I don't even know the score. I'll find out tomorrow. Or when I next look on Facebook. I just can't get excited this season, although when I do watch a game I enjoy it. I guess the past 4 years are catching up with me... And Michael fucking Owen in the number 7 shirt doesn't help either. What a fuck up that is.

FC United are still going strong, though. Although with a patchy start to the season we've seen an increase in spoilt brats wanting changes in management, playing staff and the way the club's structured because we're not getting instant success. Fucking idiots. It's a shame people just can't grasp the ethos of the club, even though they've been following it since the start. Still, I guess some people were just born to be pricks.

My life has seen an ever-present take a major step back into prominence recently, too. Something that's always been there, always been big, but taken a back seat over recent years. Video games. I know, you either love 'em or loathe 'em, but I bloody love 'em. And bugger me, aren't they taking over my existence again. Mind you, Sony's trophy system doesn't help. For the unitiated, trophies are awarded for various achievements in games. There's bronze, silver and gold trophies, depending on how hard the achievement is judged to be. Retail games (i.e. ones you buy in a shop, not downloadable games) have a platinum trophy, awarded for getting all other trophies in the game. These all add up to your gaming level and you can use it to compete against, compare with and taunt other people.

And that's exactly what's happened. Myself and Alan have managed to turn it into a, still fairly friendly, contest. I keep bragging about my platinum trophy, whilst reminding him that he hasn't got any. Yet. In order to keep the bragging rights, I'm playing games constantly and looking at ways at trying to get another platinum. And then another. Christ, I've even considered playing the Hannah Montana game it's that bad! Addicted? Oh aye. And bloody good it is too!

I have to mention the fact that it's my friend Nicole's third wedding anniversary today. Three years, Jesus. Three years since I was in Canada for the first time. Three years since I saw my favourite person in the world finally get the day she'd waited so long for. I was as happy as I possibly could be about something happening to someone else and I'm just glad that, with a little help, her and Steve have managed to make it this far. Here's hoping there's many, many, many more of these to come.

This is going to sound like it's related to the above, but it isn't... Well, maybe a small percentage... There's been a lot of things going on recently that have constantly made me think about still being single. And not necessarily in a good way. It's all well and good being able to do what you want, when you want but it'd be nice to have someone else there to do stuff with. I always thought I'd be settled by now. Should've known. Although I've vowed not to dive head-first into feelings for anyone from here on in. When you spend around two years getting to know someone, get it in your head that things are going perfectly and she can't say 'no' when you ask her out only to find out she's got a boyfriend... Well, it kinda knocks you back a little bit. Don't get carried away and you can't get hurt. Simple, in theory.

On a lighter note, I've re-found another little hobby recently. Comics. Mainly online ones, but I've started thumbing through others as well. It started mainly with Kevin Smith's films and stuff (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy... There's three, go and have a look and them and the others if you've not already) and was accelerated by Star Wars and Watchmen, the latter being utterly superb, I have to say. And the online stuff's always ace, especially when you find a new one to read. Suddenly, you find you've gone through 9 years of comic strips in less than 48 hours...

http://www.mistythemouse.com/ - Superbly written stuff, although it's not been updated regularly for a while.

http://www.sabrina-online.com/ - Hillarious. Read it from the beginning and enjoy. Oh - and the Amiga computers are at the heart of the strip and project. What more do you want?

http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/index.php - My latest find. Brilliantly written, very funny indeed and sums up gaming and gamers really well indeed. Might not mean much to those who don't play video games, but it's worth a look.

And so, the sun sets on another evening. I won't leave it as long before I blog again. I promise.

Build me up, Buttercup...

The teams I support have a nasty tendency to build me up before bringing me back down to Earth with an almighty crash. This weekend has provided a perfect example of that with Salford RLFC putting in a fantastic performance and beating St. Helens and Lancashire CCC crashing and burning in the Friends Provident Trophy Semi Final.

Salford don't seem to know what kind of a team they are. We've beaten Leeds away, Hull away in the Cup, Huddersfield away before capitulating to them at home, Bradford at home, Saints at home after doing poorly in the away game, Warrington at home... Yet we've put in some poor performances elsewhere when you'd think we should've stood a chance. This weekend has built everyone up and people are getting a little carried away in some sections. Yet you know we'll probably struggle away at Celtic this weekend. Ah well, it promises to be a good weekend away, but more of that later.

Lancashire. Such a wonderful start to the season. A start that promised so much and now? Well, poor form in the Championship was no real surprise I guess but Sunday's meek surrender to Hampshire was just horrible. Putting them into bat in glorious sunshine was the first mistake. Batting poorly and not looking urgent in the run chase was the second. Dreadful. Still, Worcestershire at OT this week in a Championship game starting Friday. If we can't beat them then we are in trouble. Hopefully we'll have a points-fest to get a bit of confidence back in the camp.

And I finish with a mention of the Ashes and the weekend ahead. I'm currently watching England struggle through against the Aussies in the hope that they can drag this game out as long as possible. Not just to save the game, but also that after the Celtic Crusaders game on Saturday I'll be stopping over in Cardiff and going to the fifth day on Sunday. Promises to be a marvellous time, I just hope I see some cricket and something good for England.

But, once again, it's them hopes being built up. Don't break my heart...

Cup Fever

I've left this a few days after a week of Cup Fixtures captured my, and a few others', imaginations in order to let it all sink in.

It started off full of hope and optimism as we took our seats on the Saturday to watch Lancashire in the Quarter Final of the Friends Provident Trophy against Essex. We'd been beaten twice already in the group stages by the southern gits, so surely this had to be our time? Right. A superb victory meaning we've got a home draw against Hampshire in the semi-finals. Lord's beckoning? I hope so, no trophy (I'm not counting second division titles as trophies, not for anyone) for ten years means you start to get a little desperate for success. It's been a great start to the season on all fronts, here's hoping something comes off in one competition. Although if we win the Twenty20 I hope there's also a more meaningful trophy to go with it...

Then we got to Wednesday... The final of the European Cup, Champions League, Coupe des Clubs Champions Européens, whatever you want to call it. Manchester United's fourth final, the chance to win our fourth European Cup. To join an elite list of clubs at the top of European football. Only someone didn't seem to tell United this. Outplayed and outclassed by a superb Barcelona side who deserved their win. Nothing more to say. Funnily enough, it didn't hurt as much as it was clearly going to when we on the cusp of losing in Barcelona and Moscow. Maybe because we've now got a respectable number of European Cups. Hah. How arrogant does that sound, considering most people will never see their side play in Europe? Oh well, you know what I mean. Either way, Cup Fever was a little dampened at this point...

And so, Friday. Salford's Challenge Cup Quarter Final tie away at Wigan. The giddy-o-meter was off the scale amongst Salford's support and we took a following of around 1,500. Typically, though, we came up against a good, in-form Wigan side who took us apart. Wembley? It's the shittest ground in London that we'll never get to see, as the song goes. The club as a whole met the ground below them again with a fucker of a bump. Still, concentrating on league form improvement isn't a bad thing, I just hope we can kick on from the good few weeks we've had.

So - after all of that, the only club left that's giving me any hope is Lancashire. Makes a change. Let's just hope I'm not back on here in a few months bemoaning the way it's all gone tits up...