Records and Festivities

Just a few days left of 2013 means one final blog before the summaries and preparation for 2014 and on the back of a packed social week, this week has focused more on home-based accolades.


Job searching has continued but sadly no replies meaning more applications are needed but I have allowed myself a small break fro Christmas and will resume on Monday with hopes for a working place by mid-January.

When I worked, I always wondered why I was so tired some nights when I slept seven hours and yet this week, I've seen myself stay awake overnight without a hint or tiredness which means I'm not doing enough during the day.

Sports wise, Liverpool suffered defeat to Man City but were cheated after a clearly onside goal was ruled out but 2-1 was better than the thrashings that Spurs/Arsenal received at the Etihad. Washington have gone from bad to worse with another defeat this time 23-24 against NFC rivals Dallas despite leading and go to a woeful 3-12 a long way from 2012's 10-6 divisional title win.

Skem still sit top of the NPL over Christmas and more than likely into 2014 with a stunning 6-0 win over Stocksbridge with a performance that I was glad to watch first hand and followed it up with a vital 3-2 win away to title rivals AFC Fylde to go four clear at the top and improve the prospect of a second consecutive promotion.

The Xbox consoles have rotated bit during the week which included the Dash and a number of records for the year and overall. My TA and achievement targets were both met this week with the idea being to beat what I achieved in 2012 which came true with the amounts of 4525 achievements and 114458 TA. The hopes of playing all owned games has gone due to a miscalculation so it will be a goal for 2014 with a number of new entries added to the list having been purchased during the winter sales.

Fitness wise, I have increased my walking since last week and in doing so reached a total of 2.4 million Nike Fuel meaning the targets of 2.5m and 3m will be added to the list for 2014.

Christmas was a fairly quiet affair this year but that is a sign of growing up as the magic just isn't there anymore even more so when single and less social than in the past but a few surprises did light up the day as are shown in the below images including a number of crafting sets which have become a passion of mine in recent years.

So next up will be the monthly summary and the preparations for 2014 but I will go into that on the 31st.

Social Life Returns After Long Delay

December has reached the halfway point and there are exactly two weeks left to either enjoy the rest of 2013 or reflect on a mixed year and this past week has seen both.

The best place to start is with the return of my social life which saw me have a proper night out for the first time in four years which saw me return to the Toby and the Wigan club scene which seems to have changed for the worse but waking up feeling terrible on Sunday showed that I made the most of it and had a good night which can also bee seen in the above pictures which come courtesy of Barry Dawson and Ash Johnston and it was great to see all the lads again outside of a work situation.

Last night saw me revisit the Vale Royal for a carvery with Letitia, my ex but with who I am still good friends will be in future. The carvery was just as good as I remembered it with the kingsize option one which I would recommend to anyone looking for a good roast dinner for good value as at £5.69 it is a bargain for what you get in terms of food.

Hopefully, I will return to the Raj Gate which is a restaurant that I frequented earlier in the year when I was dating Letitia and maybe could be an idea for what would have been a first anniversary in January but only time will tell.

Job searching has increased due a slight boredom during the days sometimes which suggests that the novelty of having a break from working has worn off but similarly, I have a feeling in me that whenever I do start somewhere new that it will take a while to adjust with having been in one workplace for so long.

The return to working out has been limited due to some insomnia during the week which saw me sleep only three nights out of seven due to lack of tiredness and because I know my goal to reach a healthy weight will not come this year, a new setup will be planned for 2014.

I have had no further progress in the relationship hunt with it seeming like I send messages on the dating site I'm on are invisible as the effort gets no replies whatsoever from girls who mostly put 'genuine and will always reply' in bold on their profiles but that's the way the world is I guess, people don't follow through on what they say.

Sports wise, Liverpool have continued to be on fire with a stunning 5-0 win away to a now managerless Tottenham and Skem managed to draw 2-2 against Nantwich in the NPL and advance in the cup with a win over Ashton Town on penalties, the negative was the continuing poor run that Washington are on with yet another loss, this time losing 26-27 to Atlanta to go to a woeful 3-11.

The Xbox consoles have rotated a bit during the week which saw my achievement streak reach 302 in 59 days before coming to an end as I was busy across the day and unable to earn an achievement but this month has seen me hit 94 achievements for just under 2000G which is amazing seeing as some full months this year haven't seen half that unlocked. I have begun an Xbox Dash which will hopefully see me complete the task of playing every uncompleted game I own in 2013.

Christmas is a week away but the festive spirit hasn't hit me this year and I can't really thin of the reason why but because it is a week from now, my next post will be on the 25th meaning a full week will then be highlighted for Christmas with the usual monthly summary and the yearly summary and reflection around the 31st. This will allow preparation for next year's setup so hopefully things will go to plan.

Xbox Milestone Perks Up Quiet Week

So December is officially a week old and with three weeks to go until the new year, thoughts have focused on my remaining goals for the year with a lot still to do and no further completions so far this month.

As I write, it is three weeks since I left ASDA and like I said last week even though being unemployed isn't a joyful experience and that the days seem to come and go without much notice, I have got a few things done that I had put off such as returning to my workout routines via a new utility, Xbox Fitness which allows me to workout in the limited space that is available.

The return to working out has come because I know my goal to reach a healthy weight will not come this year so starting a new regime can start 2014 off with a positive also due to not walking to and from a job anymore, my walking mileage has suffered and hopes of reaching 2000 miles on my Runkeeper app is unlikely to happen before the year's end but I enjoyed a nice five mile walk yesterday which got me out of the house for a change.

After working out that I had attended 61 Warriors games since my first back in 2010, I booked what will be my 62nd, James Roby's Testimonial which sees Wigan travel to face St Helens on Jan 31st which will be my second trip to Langtree Park and the first of what could be 3 or 4 next year.

On the subject of Wigan,I mentioned last week that plans for my 2014 coverage via Skem News was in the works but I discovered that the website had mysteriously ceased publishing which is a downer meaning my coverage will have to be self published via my blog from February.

Another negative was the progress of finding someone new as after meeting 'Suzanne' and awaiting her return from holiday, she messaged me to tell me that she didn't think it would work out and we went out separate ways.

Sports wise, Liverpool started the month badly with a 3-1 loss to Hull but back to-back wins against Norwich which saw four goals from Suarez in a 5-1 win and a 4-1 win at the weekend over West Ham have seen them rise to second with a tough trip to Tottenham this weekend, Skem kept up their good run of form to return to the top of the NPL while progressing in the cup with a 2-0 win over Radcliffe in midweek followed by a 1-0 win over Rushall on Saturday which was rich revenge as the visitors handed Skem their first defeat on the season's opening day.

Washington's season went from bad to worse as they slipped to 3-10, a record now worse than Jacksonville and Tampa who were both 0-7 at one stage when the Redskins were 2-5 and the two now have four wins each. Washington started the month with a 24-17 loss to divisional rivals New York Giants which was followed up by a humiliating 45-10 defeat to Kansas City Chiefs who led 31-0 at one stage as the Redskins look to be ending 2013 on a huge losing streak. 

The Xbox One has continued to dominate my gaming schedule with 52 achievements unlocked so far this month with 29 from COD Ghosts being a massive contributing factor but with only one unlock on the Xbox 360 in December there will need to be a balance set up although with only six games for the One versus 250 for the 360, the latter will regain domination of the playtime.

Just like last week the schedule is the same so for now it’s just a case of job searching, gaming and enjoying some writing and designing.

Eleven Down One To Go

It is hard to believe that 2014 is now only 31 days away with a lot of things planned for 2013 not yet even started but that just means more to do next year I guess. November served as a mixed month with me becoming unemployed midway through which gave me more free time to do things but also meant I have no real income for the near future.

Fitness wise, due to not doing the daily six miles for work, my stats haven't gone up much but one major mention has to be reaching my goal of 1000mi on Runkeeper with a month to spare while also showing just how much more walking I have done this year when compared to 2012 where at this point I had only done 700mi so a 300mi increase year-on-year is a massive accolade.

The other side of the fitness was seeing myself go to my lowest weight of the year at 89kg which hopefully will not go up with me not working so some fitness regimes are needed to make it go further down while preventing any increase.

The Xbox achievement chase has stepped up massively with the launch of the Xbox One on the 22nd leading to a brilliant final week of the month with 74 unlocks for 1050G. The month as a whole saw 128 achievements for 3624 TA and 1835G.

  Sports-wise, Skelmersdale have had a decent month which still sees them top of the NPL but Chorley in second have played three games less. Washington have gone backwards with three consecutive losses meaning play-off hopes would need a miracle to bear fruit. Liverpool still sit second in the PL with despite only winning 1/3 after losing against Arsenal, they beat Fulham only to finish the month with a draw in the Derby.  

Even though the domestic RL season was long finished, it was nice to see the RLWC show off so much talent and even though England missed out on the final, I was glad that Australia came out on top after the heartbreak that New Zealand gave England in the final seconds of the semi final but also to mention that I have completed my goal of renewing my seasonal seat for 2014 even though cost has prevented me from going to the WCC in February.

After hitting my tweeting goal last month, I was happy to hit another social media based goal with the 12500th view on my Blogger services with a current total of just under 600 posts.

Overall a pretty good month on all fronts with leaving my job a mixed issue with the Xbox One a nice positive as was meeting someone new but 30 days left of the year and a lot of things planned that will not get done so the best thing for December is to cut my losses on this year and focus on plans for the next one. 

Xbox One Begins A New Life

As of today, I am officially no longer an ASDA employee as the seven day 'mind changing' period has expired and even though it may sound stupid with me now being unemployed, I am actually glad of the fact as since I left, my mood has vastly improved and has allowed me to begin a new chapter in my life.

My first day away from ASDA saw me have a good sort out of my room as until I get a new job it will be my main living space so it felt only right to make it more comfortable to be in and more organised, I also began catching up on things that I had in plans for the year but forgot about or had not time for.

I renewed my Wigan RL membership so I am good to go for 2014 when I increase my coverage for Skem News and open up a new service of previews and round-ups.Thursday night saw me go to the Prince William to meet the girl I had met online and despite being nervous given failures in the past, it went very well as we got on great and Suzanne was a ray of sunshine to what had been a bad week and I am glad for a change that a first meet up had gone so well so just have to wait and see what the future holds.

The main reason that I am writing today rather then the usual Monday is because Washington only played last night but to be fair I could have written any time as the result was obvious given the gulf of skill between them and opponents San Francisco as they lost 27-6 to go to a poor 3-8. Liverpool drew 3-3 with Everton in the Merseyside derby on Saturday but I did see one win for my teams as Skem beat Kings Lynn 3-0 at home , a game which I attended and kept up my record of never seeing them lose when I have been a spectator.

The main news for the weekend was the arrival of the Xbox One which is an amazing machine that to be honest has dominated the weekend, one feature that has really benefited me is the ability to watch TV while playing a game allowing me to keep up with my TV schedule while also getting in a lot of game time this was proven last night as I watched the NFL while excelling on Dead Rising 3.

Despite only playing four games so far, I have unlocked 45 achievements for a total of 540G which has pushed my achievement streak to 171 in 39 days but this has seen the Xbox 360 take a backseat with limited play across the week but in time I will hopefully find a balance for the two systems.

Usually at this point I would preview the upcoming week but presently there are no major plans with Skem away at the weekend meaning chances of a third visit in as many weeks not possible and with Suzanne away on holiday this week, a second meeting would feature in a future post rather than the next one so for now it’s just a case of job searching, gaming and enjoying some writing and designing.

The Future Begins Now

This past week has been a mixed one with the ASDA issue being a main focus but aside from that one plus is that my achievement streak is still intact and currently sits at 123 unlocks in 32 days and with the launch of the long-awaited Xbox One on Friday, the streak should continue for a long time.

My fitness has continued steadily but with no work from today it means that I have more time to exercise outside of work and maybe do more than I did in work so the chance of closing in on my weight goal is more of a possibility.

Due to the international break there was no Liverpool action and as it was my weekend off, I took the chance to go to my first Skem home game of the season and what a great choice it was as they returned to the top of the NPL with a 7-3 victory sadly my NFL side Washington fell to a 16-24 defeat to divisional rivals Philadelphia despite a late fight back from 0-24 and now sit bottom of the division on 3-7 meaning a repeat of last years run to the playoffs needs a miracle with all remaining games being against teams with better records but hope is always there.

So aside from having some freedom and he Xbox One launch another thing which is taking place this week and will be mentioned in next week's post is that I am meeting the girl who contacted me online last week so it will be nice to meet someone new even if it is just a first introduction.

End Of Days At ASDA

This week the blog comes on Wednesday and in two parts as the delay has allowed me to finally confirm after a long two-year process that I am no longer an ASDA colleague after handing in my resignation yesterday afternoon after being given two choices - Resign or be Sacked. 

Many people who have supported me over the years suggested to take the sacking but something many of them do not know is that from June when the process began to reach a formal stage, I knew my time was limited and began to plan for a possible future resignation.

This was because even though some say a sacking will not matter in the future, on a personal level leaving with a dismissal on my record would make me feel like I was in the wrong and I will admit I wasn't always a strict follower of the rules during my five years, I did the job properly when I could  unlike some of those who are praised for getting done early despite hindering other colleagues.

Since I left yesterday, I have been stunned by the amount of support I have received some from colleagues that I didn't know much and a few who are dangerously close to having the same situation as me and to them I say do whatever it takes to stay in the job if you want to even if it means going against your own honest principles.

I know that if I had gone against who I am as a person, I would be nowhere near the bottom of the performance rankings but I would not be happy even if still at ASDA as that wouldn't be true to who I am and though it has meant I am now unemployed, I feel happy as I have no more pressure and stress weighing on me with having planned well for this eventuality.

Hopefully, I can go onto something better that makes my life change for the better as I know during the bad times at ASDA, I have projected feelings that I shouldn't which has seen friendships and relationships end which cannot be brought back but can serve as lessons for the future.

In closing this chapter, I want to say thanks to all those who have supported me during my stressful process and I hope that I can keep in touch with as many as I can as I have made some good friends in the past year including some people who began as enemies but who now I am proud to have as friends.

Culture,Work and Sport

November started with worries about my working future only to have the proposed meeting cancelled until the following Wednesday but when the day came round, it was a mixed review which saw me close to the exit door but with a 'stay of execution' until what will be the 19th so next weeks post will focus mainly on that situation whether I remain at ASDA or leave of my own wishes.

My achievement streak has continued and currently sits at 24 days since its origin on the 19th of last month with a total of 100 achievements totalling 1250G. As for this month, I have unlocked 28 achievements for a total of 415G and with the launch of Xbox One only 10 days away that total should rocket before the end of the month.

Last Saturday, I treated my mum to a visit to see Blood Brothers after she told me she had never seen it before and even though it was my second attendance in three years, the story was just as good and the cast were amazing so good in fact that most of the audience were in tears at the end of such an emotional play.

As this post spans two weekends, the sport was a bit mixed as last weekend Skem beat Stafford and Washington sealed an Overtime win over San Diego but there was a negative in the fact that Liverpool lost to Arsenal on Saturday evening. This weekend, the results went the other way as Skem continued their poor away from with a 4-3 loss at Frickley and Washington blew a lead against Minnesota to lose 27-34 which with other results meant they now sit joint bottom of the NFC East at 3-6, the same record that the had in 2012 before ending on 10-6 and reaching the playoffs.

Liverpool bounced back in style with a 4-1 win over Fulham to cap off an interesting week for results which saw another accumulator fall by the wayside with Chelsea and City being the surprise failures.

Lastly as the week came to a close, I did have the chance to smile as I finally received a message on POF for the first time since I returned in June and it was from a lovely woman from not too far away so hopefully something good will blossom in the future.

Ten Down Two To Go

October has continued my good year of fitness by setting a new low in weight at 91.0kg which is brilliant considering I was at 96kg back in June.

Runkeeper was close to a record with a haul of 110.3mi band Nike+ finished the month on 143,617 was within 1000 of the current best total of 144,733.

Nike+ also hit a new best day on the 12th of 7583 which continues a tradition of broken records on the Fuelband this year.


The XBOX achievement chase has stepped up with a record breaking X360 Weekender which totalled 54 achievements for 665G over three days and meant a final monthly total of  101 unlocks for 1671 TA and 1230G.

My work progress saw a slight improvement over the month but with my next review arranged for Nov 1st, it means my progress will continue into November. Sports-wise, Skelmersdale have had a great October which sees them top of the NPL by four points and Liverpool are in a similar situation sitting second in the Premier League behind Arsenal,  Washington are currently 2-5 having been 1-3 at the start of the month but a solitary win over Chicago of 45-41 was the only success with losses to Denver and divisional rivals Dallas the main negatives.

Wigan sealed an amazing Grand Final win over Warrington despite being 2-16 down they came back to win 30-16 and complete a League and Cup double, the perfect way to end the 2013 season and I am delighted to have seen Wigan win all three domestic trophies live at the games which is a piece of history I will always remember.

One major goal which was completed was the writing of my 5000th tweet which came on the 30th and was marked with a dedication to all of my followers.

Overall a pretty good month on all fronts and November should be just as good with the launch of Xbox One on the 22nd and an array of games that come with the launch will surely mean a massive boost of unlocks and hopefully a better performance review in work.

5000th Tweet Comes During XBOX Streak

A fairly quiet has seen a successful achievement streak of 12 days featuring 71 achievements which at present is the sixth best of all time with the best of 122 unlocks in 22 days a target to aim for. This week itself saw 15 unlocks for a total of 150G and with the new arrival of Batman Arkham Origins this week, the totals should improve past the monthly cut off.


Work has been reasonable this week with no major issues for a change but with my impending review on Friday afternoon there are a few worries and on Sunday I did have a minor issue after pulling a muscle in my right shoulder but after resting on my day off it was fine on returning to work yesterday.

Monday night saw me meet up again with Letitia and we seem to be getting on close to like we used to be with the obvious exception being that we are friends rather than in a relationship but it is better to have her as a friend then nothing at all.

Sports wise, there was major success with Liverpool beating West Brom 4-1 and Skem maintaining their four point lead in the NPL with a win over Matlock but Washington lost 21-45 to Denver despite leading 21-7 with a quarter to go as they capitulated to concede 38 unanswered points as they slipped to 2-5 with a tough game against San Diego next week.

Seb Vettel sealed a fourth consecutive F1 title with a fine drive on Sunday as he continued his dominance in the sport which many hope will change with the influx of new regulations in 2014.


Yesterday saw the completion of another 2013 goal with the posting of my 5000th tweet which has been part of a massive push on my social media this year with hopes of reaching 750 posts and 12500 views on Blogger before the new year.

So a mixed week saw the week's summary delayed from Monday to Wednesday due to the need for rest after Sunday's minor injury so next up will be the monthly summary on Friday.

X360 Records During NFL Success

A fairly quiet week ended with a very successful long weekend which saw new records broken in what is becoming a tradition, but for a change it was the Xbox and not the fitness genre as I completed my fourth 'X360 Weekender' which saw my record of 27 achievements unlocked in a single day from back in March 2011 crushed by 29 on Sunday as part of a three day haul of 54 overall beating the previous best of 40 and also pulling in 665G.


My Weekenders have seen me unlock 139 achievements for a total of 2330G so more will definitely be on the horizon with a potential 'Kinect Day' this coming Monday in order to give the Kinect based games the chance to get in on the success.

Work has been reasonable this week with no major issues for a change with the exception of the letter for my next review coming through on Thursday so November 1st could decide my future at ASDA whether the outcome be good or bad.

Saturday night saw me reunited with my ex Letitia face to face for the first time since our break up in June and although we have chatted online and via text during the months, I did feel a bit nervous seeing her for the first time after so long but it was nice and we have agreed to be friends and had a drink and a nice walk which saw us end on good terms.

Sadly Liverpool could only draw with Newcastle and Skem suffered another cup exit with a backlash from Blyth in what seemed to be a terrible refereeing performance as they were demolished 6-0 but my weekend was saved on the sport front with a gripping win for Washington against Chicago who were 4-2 going into the game and led 14-3, but a spectacular double touchdown for the Redskins in the space of 58 seconds put them 14-17 up.

From there it was end-to-end scoring with Chicago leading 41-38 with a few minutes remaining but up popped Roy Hely to touchdown and seal a 41-45 win to my delight as Washington moved to 2-4 ahead of a tough game against Denver next week who themselves went from 6-0 to 6-1 after a loss to Indianapolis.

 As I am writing later in the week than usual I may as well mention that Skem have gone four points clear in the NPL with a 1-0 win over Matlock who were fourth and the win is even more sweeter due to the fact that Skem did so with their goalkeeping coach, Andy Paxton deputising for Hibbert and McMahon and getting man of the match in the process.

So an average week turned brilliant by the weekend's events and hopefully this week will be just as good despite the fact I am working six consecutive days meaning the next post will be on Monday so speak to you all soon.

New Records And Work Stress

Due to the conclusion of the SL season last week and the International break in the Football, there were only two of my teams in action and gladly Skem won after a tough game against Blyth they won 4-3 but with an accumulator on the line going into the NFL games, I needed my team Washington to defy the odds and beat divisional rivals Dallas but sadly they lost 16-31 to bring a mixed end to the week in sport.

Fitness saw two 'Best Days' on the N+ Fuelband with a goal reached for the first ever day over 7500nf which contributed to a 'Best Week' of  41,523nf and the good mileage for the year has continued with this week with Runkeeper collecting over 28 miles for the past seven days.

Xbox action had been limited due to a full working week but eight unlocks is better than nothing I guess and should improve in the following weeks with no events on my calendar until early November.

The biggest mention of the week took place today (Monday at the time of writing) where i had my next review in work after being given a paltry 20 minutes notice, I had the same manager as the previous three meetings so I knew it would not be a good one and it surely was not as yet again he accused me not trying hard enough even though on one shift I worked to the point of injury and stopped to protect my safety and he had a go at me for it.

Sick and tired of being just a number instead of the colleague I actually am and it makes me feel like it wont be long before I quit as the place is a joke, people are treated like they are  criminals for trying to do the job properly and having even a single minutes stoppage between pallets is wrong and that they should work non-stop at times.

So a good week turned bad by work yet again, always seems to be the cause of upset and stress and unless I do leave the problem will continue so watch this space I guess.

Wigan Complete Brilliant Week

October starts with a brilliant weekend for my teams with Liverpool temporarily going to of the league after a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace and Skem beating Barwell made for a good Saturday afternoon which got even better in the evening as Wigan came from 2-16 down against Warrington in the Grand Final to win 30-16 and seal a League and Cup double.

It was an amazing night which was full of emotion with players departing but also because the Grand Final brings to an end the Super League season and although watching the RLWC on TV will be good the lack of a Wigan game every week or so is always hard to get used to until the next season in February. 


This year though  the amazing trophy haul is is something to remember happily and as I have a backlog of things to do after a lazy start to 2013, I will not be bored on those free weekends which will be packed hopefully for the rest of 2013. Roll on 2014 with Wigan as reigning SL champions.

Gaming wise, FIFA 14 ended September well but only one achievement so far this month with my free time being taken up with all my blogging and also playing on the career mode which is fun but only has one achievement which will hopefully unlock within the next week.

 My next work review will be in the coming days I think so that will be a main focus of next week's post and hopefully more action on the 360 with the release of F1 2013 and GTA V's new online mode but sport will have a lesser mention with Rugby League finished for the year and the football on an international break so a smaller post maybe next week.

Nine Down Three To Go

September has continued my good year of fitness by setting a new low in weight at 91kg which is a huge drop from the 96kg I started on back in June, Runkeeper is only 89.2mi but that is due to the fact I have had lifts home from work on a few occasions and Nike+ finished the month on 121,000 which is fairly good as it is the fourth best of 2013.

The XBOX achievement chase has stepped up with the releases of GTA V and FIFA 14 which included a 18 achievement haul on the 28th but the month came to an end with a brillant 79 unlocks which totalled 2255 TA points and 1505G which is a big increase on last month.

My work progress saw a slight imporvement over the month but not enough to revent my performance tracking entering into October but the biggest positive in Septemeber has been the form of my sports teams. Washington struggled but got their first win this past weekend with a 24-14 win over Oakland to go from 0-3 to 1-3, Skem United are going strong in the top six of the NPL but exited the FA Cup away to West Auckland.

 Liverpool currently sit second in the Premier League after a good month with only one league loss against Southampton though exited the League Cup at Manchester United, Wigan Warriors defeated Huddersfield in week one of the play-off and then got revenge for their 2012 exit with a win over Leeds Rhinos to reach the Grand Final where they will play Warrington this coming Saturday.

Overall a pretty good month on all fronts and October should be just as good with the Grand Final this week which is my fourth in a row and completes a 2013 goal, the releases of F1 2013 (4/10) and Batman Arkham Origins (25/10) and hopefully a better performance review in work.

Bad Week for Sport

A quiet week by all accounts but the main focus has been on the performance of my teams with no wins at all, Liverpool were shocked by Southampton while Skem went down 2-0 at Buxton but they are still 3rd which is amazing considering they are a promoted team and earlier on my NFL team Washington Redskins went 0-3 by losing 27-20 to Detroit despite taking an early lead.

Gaming wise, GTA V has dominated since the release last week and as it is a wide expansive game it means achievements take a lot of time to unlock and currently I have nine and sit on 50% completion.

Fitness has levelled out after the success of recent weeks as on my weekly weight check there was no weight loss but no weight gain either and the fact that I have not walked home much this week due to people offering lifts when it was raining so dry but lost out on miles.

We now know that Wigan will face Leeds in the play off semi after Warrington picked Huddersfield, a decision that hopefully will erase the memory of last year which still haunts many fans myself included where Wigan lost 13-12 via a Sinfield penalty in the final seconds. So the chance to get revenge on them and reach my fourth Grand Final will be great so that will be a main focus in the next post as will the result of my impeding performance review in work.

The review takes place on Wednesday and I already know that they will say I have not improved enough but I and many others are sick of being told we are not trying when I am coming home each night in pain having pushed myself tot he limit to please someone who has never even done the job themselves!

Rant over and hopefully some good news next week.

Two Million Fuel Drives A Good Week

Another milestone on the fitness trail came on Wednesday as I walked past two million Nike Fuel which is an amazing achievement since I first started last June and would have never thought I would hit such an amount so quickly so next I am aiming to reach two and a half million before the end of the year.


On the sport front, for a change most of my teams had success even if Liverpool could only draw on Monday it still meant they went back to the Premier League summit and an amazing win up in Huddersfield which I was proud to be part of on Thursday night saw Wigan seal a home tie in week three of the play-offs and mean they are a win away from a second Grand Final in four years and hopefully it will be my fourth attendance in as many years.

It was amazing to be part of the crowd for my furthest away game and had inspired me to do as many as is possible in 2014 with the exceptions being London and Catalan as it's a long way to go for just a game but I will see what the future holds.

The best news was just last night as Skem defeated Chorley with a late winner to amazingly go to the top of the Northern Premier League just months after they were promoted but there was some bad news as Washington fell to 0-2 after losing 20-37 to Green Bay and with Detroit up next a win is sorely needed.

Xboxwise, Castle of Illusion brought in 11 achievements bringing me to 43 for the month and 1040 G collected so hopes are high with the release of Grand Theft Auto V this week.

Social Rises As Work Troubles

September had the perfect start as not only did Liverpool get a brilliant win over Man U but in doing so completed my betting treble winning me £80 off a £10 stake and hitting 90% in work completed an awesome day.

The week did suffer a blow though on Thursday as I was called in on my holdiay from work for my performance review which was delayed by an hour which irritated me and then when it began, I was told i was not doing well enough despite my sucesses over the last three weeks so obviously I disputed the numbers and it led to the management adjourning until next week. This means I will have to go through another mockery of a review thus causing grief in the week.

The solace I had was that Wigan hosted Leeds later that night and was delighted at collecting the special Man of Steel shirt created for the game but sadly Wigan lost and it dampened my mood going into a four-day weekend. 

Friday brought a positive as I was able to swap Monday for this Thursday and thus book the trip to Huddersfield to see Wigan in the Week One Play-off and add another new stadium to my list so happiness is on the horizon.

My X360 achievement chase has made great progress this weekend as I unlocked a total of 26 achievements and in doing hit the milestone of 75,000 G and also notched a 100% completion on Saints Row IV so thats 20 games done  and about 200 to go which I hope a few of which I can do before the Xbox One arrives in late November.

Fitness wise, I am within 20,000 NikeFuel of reaching my goal of 2 million so that should surely feature in next weeks post along with Wigan/Liverpool success against Huddersfield/Swansea hopefully.

Eight Down Four to Go

August has continued on from the success of the past couple of months on the Runkeeper front inlcuding a goal but the forced inactivity of the Fuelband meant Nike+ suffered.

Runkeeper saw 110 miles walked across the the month which is only six short of July which was a packed month so to be so close is an achievement also 14,076 calories were burned which is only 200 less than July so again a massive success but the major joy was smashing the 2012 record for 700 miles in a year which was achieved on the 26th of this month and inspired me to add a new goal of 1000 miles in 2013.

My Nike +Fuelband sadly had a problem on the 24th and had to be replaced lrading to five inactive days (four fully as the new band was tested the day it arrived.) Last month, I mentioned that the fitness rise was due to having no relationship worries from June but how ironic that the day my band broke that I recieved a request from the girlfriend of my first ex which I accepted out of curiosity and as i mentioned in the last post what a chaos it caused so let's move on.


The XBOX 360 has made good progress as  I unlocked 68 achievements across nine games and in total accrued 1551 TA points and an amazing 1075 G.

The visit to Wembley ticked off two goals  - 'See Wigan with a trophy' and 'Go to the Challenge Cup Final' and both were well worth the wait.

Challenge Cup Dream Fulfilled As The Past Returns

The past week has had high and lows but first the highs and the best place to start is to say 'The 2013 Challenge Cup Winners - Wigan Warriors'. An amazing day from departing at 6.30am to returning home at 11pm during the trip down to London I was mostly waking up and relaxing but as soon as the coach arrived at Wembley, the excitement set in despite the rainfall and I walked around the stadium smiling despite getting drenched at the same time.

The match wasn't a spectacle due to the conditions but that wasn't important, important was sitting/standing there while enjoying the game and losing my voice during the chanting and celebrating at the end, it was a lifelong dream to go to a Wembley final so I was delighted to finally achieve it while also completing a trilogy of trophies following Wigan - Grand Final 2010, League Leaders 2012 and Challenge Cup 2013.

Hopefully another trilogy will be complete in October as this year I have added Wembley to my regular Magic Weekend visit so to go to the Grand Final in the same year as those two would be a first for me.

Liverpool continued the good day on Saturday with a win at Aston Villa to keep up the 100% start to the season and also Skem United claimed a vital draw thanks to a superb volley by 'keeper Zac Hibbert.

Sad news on the Nike+ fuelband progress as on returning from Wembley, I noticed the button had come away and as such had malfunctioned meaning I had to order another which thankfully has arrived today so I was only without for four days but it did feel strange walking around without a fuelband having worn one everyday for near 370 days in total.

Sunday- Tuesday were quiet with me returning to work on Monday and getting back into the swing of things but today has been one hell of a day with me waking up to a friend request on Facebook from the girlfriend of my ex from America (my first relationship), I knew she had turned gay a while ago but was puzzled as to why her partner had added me so I accepted out of curiosity and later in the the day received a long-winded message from the partner accusing me of cheating on  my ex and threatening me with all kinds of violence.

Crazy seeing as to this day, I have and never would cheat in a relationship as I am against it and believe anyone who does such a thing needs their head testing but anyway I replied with proof that the accusation was false and my ex herself replied saying the year we had together was for show and was a complete lie. I found that strange when reading back through all the memories that she could have been lying all that time, I think she said that because she wanted to impress her new partner but either way I don't care anymore.

However, it has made me doubt ever trying for a relationship ever again in case I am lied to or accused of wrongdoing again, people say nice guys finish last well that is true of me for sure as in my seven relationships, I have never raised a hand or cheated and each time have been dumped and accused of such things.

So in summary maybe it is better to be alone and rich than in a relationship with someone who is secretly laughing at you but anyway roll on Friday for my next visit to the DW!

Progress and Passing

The past seven days have contained massive success with Wigan's loss to Catalan being the only exception, Thursday saw a new 'Best Day' on the Nike+ Fuelband with a score of 7269 which came off the back of hitting my rate in work for the second successive day.

 Finally, I had completed the weekly target of 90% set in my last review so hopefully at the next review I will be off the stage process but knowing ASDA, they will find some way of changing the rules so I continue to be under pressure.

Sportwise, I have referred to Wigan but the start of the new Premier League season saw Liverpool win the opening game to go top at the first opportunity with a 1-0 win over Stoke.

The biggest success of the week has taken place in the past three days as I took a first aid course to become qualified both in and out of work and after a lot of theory, CPR and recovery position practical - I passed and can now say that I am a qualified first aider for the next three years at least until I would need to take a refresher.

The main thing is that for years, failures in things such as driving tests and exams have stuck with me and even though I was very nervous going into the assessment room - I was relaxed coming out and overjoyed to hear I had passed as had all of my fellow colleagues on the course.

So a great week overall which leads into a dream being fulfilled this Saturday as I travel to Wembley for the first time to see Wigan in the Challenge Cup Final and instantly after I will hope to catch some of Liverpool's next game against Aston Villa with the F1 returning on the Sunday which makes for a busy weekend so I will have a lot to talk about this time next week in the next post.

Sport Fails As Work Progresses

August has continued to be a good month with the fitness going well as I had my best weigh-in of the year at 94.7 kg which is a success after being 96.7 kg only a few weeks ago, mileage is still strong as this past week saw 30 mi walked which is amazing.

Thursday saw my next performance review which I would say went well as I negotiated a plan to help me going forward and two days into it I have hit my first target of 90% in a day with the next one to average that over the week.

Sports wise, it was a bad weekend as Wigan lost to Huddersfield and in their final pre-season friendly - Liverpool lost to Celtic so no winning bets there then. On the XBOX front, I unlocked my 400th achievement in 2013 which is slim compared to other years but barely an unlock was hit in the before May due to spending all my free time either decorating or with my former girlfriend.

So for this next week there is the start of a new Premier League season, so the magnets will be back into my routine despite working for the opening weekend and also as Wigan are away at Catalans in France it means that for the first time since mid June, Wigan will play and I wont be in attendance but working this weekend is better as the following one is Wembley week .

August Begins With A Record

After the success in July, August started in the best possible way as Nike+ had a new 'Best Day' on the 1st at 7237 fuel making it the sixth 7k of 2013 and set the month off perfectly.

This weekend saw me go to Wigan on Friday night to see the Warriors win a tight game over Hull KR and on Saturday, I returned to Anfield for the first time since 2007 to attend Steven Gerrard's Testimonial against Olympiacos.

The match and the atmosphere was amazing and has inspired me to try and attend further games this season which would mean there could be a weekend where I could be at Wigan on the Friday, Skem United on the Saturday and Anfield on the Sunday so I will see how it goes.

On the XBOX 360 front, I reached my TA goal of 102,327 which was created after my original goal of 100,000 was edited due to a DLC recalculation of 2,327 but was a success all the same.

This week, I have my next performance review in work and will report in the next post along with news of the Wigan v Huddersfield game on Friday and hopefully the next XBOX 360 Weekender from Friday- Sunday after I was unable to do it at the end of July.

Seven Down Five To Go

July has continued on from the success of June but fitness wise has gone one further with new records on both Runkeeper and the Nike+ Fuelband.

Runkeeper saw 116 miles walked across the the month which is a full 10 miles better than the June record and 14,275 calories were burned which is 1311 better that June so massive success on that front.

My Nike +Fuelband celebrated a year in service by finally beating the fuel record from January (143,303) to set a score of 144,733 which was a relief because the January total was mainly due to an exciting first month of my relationship so it is good to have that firmly in the past.

Nike+ also reflects a good month for on the Running app collecting 113.26 miles and 25,975 fuel with the Fuelband hitting 242.37 miles with 58,765 calories and 495.380 steps overall. The combined fuel for the month is 170,708 which is a massive improvement on last month's 135.389.

A factor in the fitness rise was with having no relationship worries which had hampered me in June and even though this past week, my ex got back in contact it made no difference to the mindset of breaking the records which was nice to have as a feeling rather than the slightly depressive one that I had last month.

The XBOX 360 was badly neglected during the relationship and now I have become single it has continued with goodprogress as I unlocked 75 achievements across 14 games and in total accrued 2231 TA points and an amazing 1485 G which included the breaking of a 2013 goal - 'Reach 100,000 True Achievement points'. which was achieved on the 7th meaning the next target is 114,458 which if reached would mean the amount I earned in 2012 would have been beaten.

Another goal ticked off the list was to win at least £100 across SkyBet and playing the Lottery and as I write I have won £102.12 mainly due to Wigan's success this season which brings me to the events of the weekend which saw me visit a new place in the shape of Leigh Sports Village for the Challenge Cup Semi Final against London but the 70-0 win was with a mixed atmosphere as it was far too easy for Wigan.

At times I felt sorry for London being on the back of such a humilatiing record but with a suprise win in the other game, Hull FC set up a great final which I am glad to say I will be attending at Wembley after promising myself I would do after missing out on the 2011 success.