Quiet Follows Packed Week

After a packed and slightly emotional week with highs an lows, this past week has been fairly quiet with no significant job progress and a big boost in gaming terms.

Saturday saw my monthly trip to the Concourse which saw a drop in spending as other than some replenishment of essential products, there were no major purchases. Liverpool did well to comeback from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 but a vital loss for Skem away to Chorley meant no wins for my teams this week.

Sunday featured a gaming afternoon alongside the Super Sunday football which saw me return to online gaming with mixed success as I won a division but lost in a cup final on FIFA 14 and watched Wigan's first pre-season game against Leigh with a win for the young lads so a good start to 2014 for the Warriors.

Monday began with the setting up of a DD to pay the supposed underpay of tax I had last year but in a way it was a win as they have to wait until this time next year for the final payment rather than £125 in one go. I began my fitness routine on Xbox Fitness and well worth doing as I felt a lot better after the hour of exercise and later applied for yet another job which at the time of writing has led to no reply.

Tuesday was a quiet day with some gaming and a catch up of some of my blogs and spreadsheets while Wednesday saw a second session on Xbox Fitness that saw a massive improvement on Monday's statistics and also saw me edge closer to my weight goal. I applied for two jobs but yet again as I write it has meant no replies.

Thursday saw the Magic Weekend announcement and I was disappointed to see it was a complete repeat of 2013 which despite meaning a successive win there over Leeds was a possibility, it could also see us face them three times in a month so not so 'Magic' as a repeat of the Grand Final could be but we shall see in time.  I also got a nice surprise in the evening when planning my future game purchases for the year as I had gained an extra £10 in reward points so can now get a full price game for free.

Yesterday, saw another gaming boost on a new game, some writing and a catch up with a friend I hadn't spoke to for a bit which was nice and some further job searching to bring the week to a close.

Overall, a decent week that saw me reach 1000 blog views this year which is amazing seeing as it has only taken three weeks taking me to a total of just under 15,500 and gaming wise, January 2014 has become my best ever January since I began tracking in 2007 and can go further with a full week left of the month, A total of 119 achievements have been unlocked so far with 28 this week alone.

Next week sees me begin my 2014 Warriors season with a visit to St Helens for the James Roby testimonial between Wigan and Saints,hopefully some progress on the job front and wins for my teams, Liverpool in particular in the Merseyside Derby.

Highs, Lows And Goals

As the year goes on, this past week could be one that sticks in the mind as an important one with a mix of highs and lows.

The week began with  preparation for my job interview on Monday which included a late Friday night visit to ASDA for a shirt after the one I had from last year was too small and it gave me the chance to use the £20 bonus I got off ASDA at Christmas . This was ironic as I was using a former employer to fund what could be my future employer.




The weekend saw me go to my second Skem home game of the year and still unbeaten as a spectator with a 2-0 win over Ilkeston and the win kept my accumulator going into Sunday. Sunday saw a thriller between Stoke and Liverpool end with a 5-3 Liverpool win which meant Real Madrid had to win to secure a record winning bet and at 9pm, I celebrated my first ever £100+ winner as I collected £104.90 off a £5 bet and took a massive step to beating last year's total winnings.

Monday came and time for my first job interview since September 2008, a first ever trip to Chorley was quite quick as I arrived at Euromedia early and after being greeted by the current Social Media Networker, who may I add was a lovely and gorgeous woman and put my mind at ease. The interview ran along well and I ended with high hopes of a good future and made the trip home safely and awaited a decision.

Tuesday saw me attempt to set up my pension transfer from ASDA and catch up on my weekend blogging but Wednesday was to derail what had been a good week so far as after missing out on Liverpool v Arsenal tickets in a late sale, I received an email mid-afternoon saying I had been unsuccessful in my job interview.  I was gutted as it was a shot in the arm to my hopes of getting into a job I would enjoy but also one which I could use the skills I have acquired in recent years.

Thursday saw a relaxing day as I went back to the job search and had a gaming afternoon but I will go into statistics in a bit, Yesterday saw me catch up on the midweek sports blogs and begin my 2014 reading list as the week came to a close.

So a reasonable week overall which included a milestone which was saw me reach 15,000 Blogger views overall, with the year's goal of 20,000 in total only 5,000 away. Gaming wise, January has the guarantee of being my best ever start to a year with a total of 81 unlocks already beating current best of 75 from 2012.

Even sweeter is that with  13 days still to go there is the hope of starting 2014 with a century of unlocks which dwarfs the shameful total of 134 from Jan-April from 2013 and could pave the way for a first 1000 unlocks in a year since the record 1008 in 2010.

Last week, I mentioned that my fitness regime would come into effect soon and as I am still searching for a job, I hope to begin it next week so hopefully I can comment on it in next week's post.

50th Post Marks Success

It is hard to believe that I have reached 50 posts on this blog so quickly but the timing is brilliant as it has been a brilliant start to January especially in the last few days.

The first goal of 2014 came yesterday with the completion of the 2014 Premier League album which can be seen in the adjoining video and hopefully is the first of many goals this month. The biggest success so far this month came from a phone call I received yesterday in which I was asked to attend an interview in Chorley for a job as a Social Media Networker next week which I really hope I get as it is a job that I would really enjoy and at a good salary too but more on that next week.

My fitness routine is due to start next week and depending on the job outcome may include daily long walks so hopefully my quest to reach my healthy weight can finally be reached this year and it has been helped with my six mile round trip to watch Skem on New Year's Day which will be added to this weekend.

On the subject of sport, Liverpool have made a perfect start to 2014 with a revenge wins over Hull and Oldham while Skem remain unbeaten after a win against Marine at home was followed by a 2-2 draw at Whitby as they came from 2-0 down. As the NFL regular season saw Washington bow out, I have no second sport to report on but there is less than a month until I begin my fourth season as a Warriors member so there is a lot to look forward to.

Gaming wise, yesterday saw my first completed game of the year and it was a historical one as it was The Saboteur which I started over four years ago so I am glad to have it off the backlog while I have unlocked 24 achievements in a good start to 2014 which I hope will continue.

So a good first week or so in 2014, give me the thought that this could be a really good year but that could also come down to next weeks big interview so fingers are certainly crossed.

New Year New Title

As I have entered a new year, my blog has to undergo a name change so for this year I have taken a spin from my 2013 summary and as such have chosen '2014 hoping for more success than 2013'.

This comes after ending 2013 unemployed and with a lot of goals incomplete so this year rather than list what I hope to do to an audience, I keep a list in my diary and when I complete one I can be prouder as then will be the time to broadcast it but I will see what happens.

As the year began on Wednesday, the tradition of a weekending blog will switch to a midweek-to-midweek blog until the end of January when the tradition will return.

Goodbye 2013 Hello 2014

After what initially was a test project to blog about what I experienced and lived over the course of a month it led to the whole year and I am glad I kept up with it as I now have a years worth of memories that I can reflect on when browsing online.

Most yearly summaries go into what was good and bad while picking out highlights and pitfalls but personally I feel a reflection which includes the memories would be a good way to reminisce so off I go...

January
My first post of 2013 saw me talk about my Nan's 80th Birthday Party which saw the family get together as a whole for the first time in a long while which inspired me to widen my social life, I began to improve my fitness and began a relationhsip with Letitia so it was a good month overall.

February
My Birthday being the final day of the month meant that of course I would of course have a good ending but reaching 1 million Nike Fuel was a brilliant achievement coupled with the beginning of what would be a Super League season to remember while the Birthday plus was the planning of a weekend away in March with my then girlfriend.

The month began with four days in Blackpool with Letitia and it was a brilliant weekend where I got to explore Blackpool in full for the first time and take in a lot of the culture of a place that has always been a part of me since my early years. A good memory I do have is winning ten keyrings in one session on the 2p machines, it was amazing and took a lot of strategy but the best memory of the weekend was spending it with the girl I loved.

April/May
  The two months combined to form my redecoration project that saw me re-decorate my room for the first time in over five years which took a while with having to work solely within the confines of the room itself but when it was completed it was proof of a job well done. May saw me take Letitia to the Magic Weekend and also hit 1.5 million Nike Fuel but saw a lacklustre Liverpool finish outside of European qualification while Skelmersdale United cruised to the Division One North title in celebrations that I was glad to be a part of.

June
This month was the busiest yet of 2013 but saw some really big test emotionally and physically, the ninth saw me becme single after my girlfriend decided it was time to break up and we parted of bad terms which caused me a lot of upset this wasn't helped by the fact that my work problems had reached a stage review process which was quite harrowing. The postives in the month was that I made my first away trip to a Wigan game and despite a late defeat, it whet my appetitie to go for more in the future.

July
My fitness and Xbox records improved on the back of not being in a relationship but my away days as a Warrior went from strength to strength as I visited Langtree Park for the first time and even went to Leigh for the Challenge Cup Semi Final in which a 70-0 victory gave me the chance to banish my missed oppourtunity from 2011 to go to Wembley.

August 
The biggest highlight of course had to be the trip to Wembley which was truly awesome despite the heavy rain, just walking round and taking in the atmosphere of such an amazing stadium was brilliant. To many it would be a once in a liftime chance but as a Warrior, it is something I can see me doing again within a few years and also saw an important goal completed - to see Wigan win a trophy in 2013 and complete a visit to all three main RL venues (Etihad, Old Trafford, Wembley).

September
 My work problems increased meaning a further stage and maybe a step towards the exit door but recreationally, Xbox and Fitness records continued to improve with Liverpool and Skem both making good starts to the new season but just like in the previous month it was the Rugby that was the main positive with a trip to Huddersfield in my furthest away of the year coupled with sweet revenge at home to Leeds in the play-offs setup a return to Old Trafford.

October 
The month began with my fourth trip to Old Trafford in a row but my first with Wigan since 2010 and in a Grand Final against fierce rivals Warrington, the final that everyone wanted but the mood in the Cherry and White end was not good as Wire went 16-2 up but what happened next would stand out as the highlight of 2013 as Wigan defied the odds to not only comeback but demolish Wire in a 30-16 victory that was amazing to see first hand and the perfect way to complete a double winning season.

November
Liverpool and Skem had a mixed month but the month began with my return to the Empire Theatre in Liverpool to see Blood Brothers return to home after a three year absence and it was well worth the wait while the long awaited launch of the Xbox One saw a brilliant end to the month. However that came after a big decision which saw me leave ASDA after a five year stint which came down to a choice of resign or be sacked of which I chose the former to give myself some dignity which did cause some problems but that has been discussed in previous posts.

December
The final month of the year saw a good way to close 2013 with a quiet but good Christmas and a number of goals completed while my job search continued to be fruitless, I took in more visits to watch Skem continue their fine home form while Liverpool put themselves atop the PL over Christmas and I setup an exciting start to 2014 with my selection in 'The Hub' project.

The goals that I set for the year totalled 73 and I have successfully completed 48/73 meaning a success for the year of 66% which is pretty good when the first half of the year was pretty packed by my relationship which was pretty much day in day out but lets hope for a better year in 2014.

Below is a selection of memorable images from the year.....

Twelve Down

At midnight last night, 2013 drew to a close and December was a good month to end on despite meaning that I ended the year unemployed for the first time since 2007 which was my final year of University and as such meant I didn't need to work.

Fitness wise, recent weeks have seen a mix of exercise with walking and Kinect exercise being sort of a routine to end the year, the decline in my exercise since leaving my working routine is clear when I seem to only have walked 18.5 miles in the whole of December but that must be improved next year.

The Xbox achievement chase saw a record month with a staggering 196 achievements unlocked for around 5000 TA and 3520G which is even more amazing when the first five months of the year combined came out with less than this famous month. My achievement goal for the year was met on the 23rd as I hit my 4525th achievement overall which means I reached 937 for the year topping the total of 936 earned in 2012.

Sports-wise, Skelmersdale end the month still atop the NPL after a good month that saw them remain unbeaten at home and also claim a couple of good away wins including a vital one at title rivals, AFC Fylde. Liverpool managed to top the table at Christmas after a good run of form but ended fifth after a double away reverse against City and Chelsea.

Washington ended their NFL season with an eighth consecutive loss despite leading against Dallas which saw the inevitable happen yesterday as Shanahan lost his job as head coach after four years at the helm but for me its a really bad turnaround from winning the division and reaching the play-offs last year to end the following season bottom of the division with a woeful 3-13 record.

Overall a pretty good month on all fronts with leaving my job in November still a main issue but with a lot of things not done as the year ends a hard look is needed for 2014.