Looking back, over my shoulder...

If there's one thing I've been able to do to take my mind off the slow inevitability of the Great North Run looming ever closer, it's to really sit down and get my Amiga Emulator working. Why? Well, it just so happens that most computer games today, despite the glorious looking graphics and the unbelievable sound, suffer from an evident lack of challenge and are about as much fun to play as a swift kick in the nuts. GTA IV? What a carnival of unenjoyable bollocks - not one line of Hari-Krishna's in sight to mow down! Speedball 2 Tournament? Players move around like lame ducks - what has happened to the speed and finesse that once owned the computer world? Pro Evolution Soccer? You mean I still have to pay forty quid for a cursory update that does little to significantly alter the gameplay of the previous incarnation?

Aye, the old days were simpiler times, where games thrived on invention and innovation and didn't take the gamer for granted. Where you only completed a game after years rather than a couple of weeks. Where graphics were economical at best, but allowed the gameplay to take hold. So, it's with great pleasure that I finally got WinUAE working with ClassicWB and installed a few games from yester-year on the emulated hard-drive, and boy have I been having a great time. Classic games from the Bitmap Brothers, Sensible Software, Factor 5, Tony Crowther and the likes of many others have been sampled and enjoyed that even the mighty Civ 4 and Baldur's Gate 2 have once again been placed on the back burner. It really is like having an Amiga 1200 boot up on your PC, but only much more quicker. Indeed, the only thing missing is my PC gamepad is a poor substitute for a zip-stick!

Of course there's a couple of classics that have really got their talons out and have dug deep that I've been unable to put them down during my free time, so there's likely to appear a few retro classic reviews appearing in the near future. And if you haven't done so already, download WinUAE and ClassicWB - you won't regret it! Even after all these years, the Amiga is still an example of what a great games machine should look like.

The lonliness of a long distance runner...

Well, this morning's early morning jog to work went rather well. Eight-and-a-half miles following the route of the Northern Line in just under one hour and 20 minutes is bang on the target time Lewis and I are looking to achieve next weekend at that distance. Even better news is that my legs were still full of running by the time I reached the office, meaning four additional miles shouldn't be too difficult to manage. Cardio-wise, no problems, just need the legs to hold out as at certain junctures during the run they did ache. So, leading into the Great North Run I feel in pretty good condition. Let's hope it remains that way so I can attempt to complete the run in the hour and 50 minutes planned.

Still, was constantly dosing off at work during the day once the adrenaline stopped pumping through the body, and I had the appetite of a big hungry bear! Running long distances isn't without it's consequenc.... zzzzzzzzzzz!

Where the hell is everybody?

Boy, running takes almost as much out of you as planning for a wedding! For the last month I've had little time to spend procrastinating and drinking tea, having mostly spent it undergoing some physical exertion or another. I'm betting Chinese water torture isn't as unpleasant. So, along with a long Saturday morning run (tomorrow morning's will be around the 13-14 kilometre mark... ouch) I've also managed to pack in some swimming, squash and pre-season footy training. Whilst most of the muscles in my body now seem to ache constantly, some good has come of this silliness. Alcohol has become redundant in my fluid intake, and my body shape has returned to the slender build of around five years ago. That's right, the beer gut has hibernated and subsequently gone missing. Yay!

Only two more weeks of the intense training and then the actual Great North Run will be upon us. Once out of the way normal service will resume. Well, I say normal service, but the narcissist in me is liking the shapely tone of my current build, so I may keep up some of the exercise I'm currently undertaking to fend off the return of the little beer gut. A weekly 5K run should be easy enough after blowing out of my arsehole for 13 miles! Why is looking good made to be so much hard work?

Still, in my absence here's an advertisement for what I need to help me keep this blog updated more often...



Will it motivate me? Will it bollocks!